Systems, methods and cartridges for carbonating or otherwise dissolving gas in a precursor liquid, such as water, to form a beverage. Carbonating gas can be provided to a tank via the tank outlet, thereby purging at least a portion of a dispense line leading from the tank to a dispensing station. A single pump may be used to deliver liquid to the tank, e.g., for carbonation, and to pump pressurized air to dispense liquid from the tank. A water trap may help remove moisture from carbonating gas.

A system and method is described for providing different levels of carbonated water on demand. The system includes a pressurized chamber to hold at least one of water and carbonated water, a gas canister to dispense carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) into the pressurized chamber, a controller to control the dispensing of the CO.sub.2 according to level of carbonation required and a valve to vent excess gas from the pressurized chamber after carbonation.

A carbonation unit which includes a carbonation chamber and an expansion chamber is employed for use in beverage dispensers. The carbonation unit also provides a process for carbonation of a beverage that includes reducing the pressure in the carbonation chamber to a dispensing pressure through the use of the gas expansion chamber.

This disclosure is related to a refrigerator and a method of controlling the same. The refrigerator includes a dispenser passage, a water supplier for supplying sterilizing water or rinsing water to the dispenser passage, a drain for draining the sterilizing water or the rinsing water that is supplied to the dispenser passage, and a controller for performing a sterilization cycle and controlling the water supplier and the drain to perform a rinsing cycle after completing the sterilization cycle, wherein the sterilization cycle is a cycle of keeping the sterilizing water in the dispenser passage and then draining the sterilizing water, and the rinsing cycle is a cycle of supplying the rinsing water to the dispenser passage and draining the rinsing water therefrom.

A system and method of controlling a concentration of one or more gases dissolved in a beverage is disclosed. The system includes a saturation tank having a gas head space, a brite tank, and a beverage supply system to pass the beverage between the saturation tank and the brite tank. A beverage supersaturated with the gas from the head space is formed in the saturation tank. The supersaturated beverage is passed from the saturation tank to the brite tank. Once the amount of gas added to the beverage exceeds saturation, some of the gas escapes from solution from the beverage and the pressure in the brite tank increases. Once the pressure within the brite tank reaches a pre-defined pressure, a pump supplying the beverage to the saturation tank is shut-off and the inlet and outlet valves of the brite tank are closed.

A method for the efficient solubilization of carbon dioxide in water through the use of high energy impacts is disclosed. The method can optionally includes mixing the carbon dioxide and water to form an annular dispersed flow, accelerating the carbon dioxide and water prior to the collision; providing a retention network to collect the carbonated water flow. Also disclosed are systems and apparatuses for practicing the disclosed methods.

An apparatus for releasing a gas into a liquid housed in a container has a gas assembly including a source of compressed gas; a float in fluid communication with the source of compressed gas; and a gas release member in fluid communication with the source of compressed gas and the float. The gas release member is adapted to release gas into the liquid. The float has variable buoyancy that causes the float and the gas release member to ascend and descend depending on the buoyancy of the float, the buoyancy of the float being reduced as the gas is released into the liquid.

The present disclosure provides fluids, such as a distilled spirit, comprising at least about 25 ppm of an infused gas. Systems and methods for producing such gas-infused fluids are also provided.

In a method of carbonating a beverage using a carbon dioxide diffusing stone, temperature is measured in a flow of that beverage immediately before the flow changes from laminar to effervescent, thereby obtaining a true temperature at which carbon dioxide is diffused into the beverage. In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable controller having connectors joinable to a gas pressure regulator of a gas cylinder and to any one of several beverage carbonation containers. The portable controller has instruments therein for controlling a flow of carbon dioxide gas to the beverage in any one of the containers and for controlling a pressure gradient of the carbon dioxide gas in the beverage over a period of time. There is also provided an elongated carbon dioxide diffusing stone assembly having an elongated temperature probe well extending parallel to and immediately below a diffusing stone.

A beverage making machine may employ a mixing chamber to mix a beverage medium with a precursor liquid, such as carbonated water. The mixing chamber may have a precursor liquid inlet coupled to a precursor liquid supply, a beverage medium chamber to receive a beverage medium into the beverage medium chamber, and a dispense outlet from which beverage medium and precursor liquid are dispensed, e.g., into a user's cup. The beverage medium chamber may include a chamber inlet coupled to the precursor liquid inlet, e.g., so precursor liquid can enter the chamber when a pressure is low in the beverage medium chamber, and a chamber outlet downstream of the chamber inlet that is coupled to the dispense outlet, e.g., so that beverage medium can exit the chamber.