An apparatus for making a mixed drink includes a housing, a first container, a second container, a first opening mechanism for opening the first container, a second opening mechanism for opening the second container, a chamber with an outlet, a water reservoir, and a pump. The first container holds a concentrate and the second container holds an alcohol.

A carbonation tower for containers of household appliances, more specifically for appliances for the automatic preparation of instant drinks, which has been developed to provide more optimized operation and use and efficient than those achieved with the known similar. Said carbonation tower including a substantially elongated body included of at least one pipe provided with at least two holes and said pipe secured to a base including at least a nozzle, said cooperating base further including a lid of a lower compartment; said lid further including at least one toroidal contoured rib cooperating with at least one lower nozzle of the container, and wherein the water and the carbon dioxide are sucked by the upper edge of the pipe and/or the holes and expelled in a path orthogonal to the suction axis through the at least one nozzle.

An apparatus for making a mixed drink includes a housing, a first single-serve beverage container, a second single-serve beverage container, an opening mechanism for opening the single-serve beverage containers, a chamber with an outlet, a water reservoir, and a pump. The first container holds a concentrate and the second container holds an alcohol. The chamber has an inlet for receiving the contents of the first and second containers and further includes an outlet. The water reservoir is positioned in the housing. The pump is coupled to the water reservoir for transferring water to the vicinity of the first and second containers. Water from the reservoir enters the chamber directly and/or through one or more of the containers.

A machine for cooling a food or drink includes a refrigeration system operable to cool ingredients for producing the cooled food or drink. The refrigeration system includes an evaporator defining a receptacle sized to receive the ingredients. The evaporator includes an inlet to receive a refrigerant and an outlet to discharge the refrigerant. The refrigeration system includes a closed-loop refrigerant path passing through the evaporator between the inlet of the evaporator and the outlet of the evaporator for exchanging heat between the received ingredients and the refrigerant to cool the received ingredients. The refrigeration system includes a compressor operable to pump the refrigerant through the closed-loop refrigerant path. The compressor includes an inlet to receive the refrigerant and an outlet to discharge the refrigerant. The refrigeration system includes a thermo-electric device located along the closed-loop refrigerant path between the outlet of the evaporator and the inlet of the compressor.

A beverage dispenser for dispensing either a hot or cold beverage, for example tea, from a common mixing chamber and a method for making and/or operating the same is disclosed. The dispense has a source of hot water, usually a heater, and a source of water, a refrigeration system to cool the water and one or more sources of flavor. The hot or cold water, or both can be provided to the common or same, mixing chamber and mixed assisted with a static and/or dynamic mixer and then dispensed. The last portion of the water is used to rinse for the next beverage. Flavor or syrup pump current is sensed to provide the appropriate amount of flavor concentrate to a known quantity of water to form a beverage of appropriate strength or syrup.

A beverage dispenser is provided, comprising a housing, wherein the dispenser is connected to or connectable to a beverage source and/or comprises and/or is connectable to at least one fluid source and at least one source for a beverage ingredient, and comprises a mixing system for mixing into a beverage fluid from the at least one fluid source and the at least one beverage ingredient from the beverage ingredient source, wherein the dispenser further comprising a dispensing system for dispensing the beverage, the dispensing system comprising at least a spout with an outlet end, wherein the beverage dispenser further comprises at least one positioning element for positioning a rim of a drinking container relative to the outlet end of the spout.

Systems and methods have demonstrated the capability of rapidly cooling the contents of pods containing the ingredients for food and drinks.

A system comprising, a pressurized container including hollow portion and outer portion, pressurized container maintains pressure level in the hollow portion, transport system including two conduits, one transport being coupled to an interface and a valve port, the interface coupled to the hollow portion, the interface maintains pressure level in the hollow portion, one valve port allows flow of liquid volume through one conduit to a dispensing interface via another valve port, an external container is airtight and operable to dispense another liquid volume stored within, another conduit is coupled to the external container and further valve port to refill the liquid volume via the valve, pressure regulation system connected to pressurized container, pressure regulation system including a pressure conduit extending from outer portion through a pressure interface, pressure regulation system operable to compress liquid volume in the environment and a control system controls the valve and pressure regulation system.

An example system includes an incompressible, airtight pressurized container operable to maintain a pressure level in an internal pressurized environment, a transport system including at least two liquid transport conduits, and a mixing component, the two liquid conduits each being releasably coupled to a pressurized container interface coupled to the pressurized container and a dispensing interface, each liquid transport conduit including a controllable valve to enable or disable a flow of the liquid volume, the pressurized container interface capable of maintaining the pressure level, the mixing component being coupled to the at least two liquid transport conduits and the dispensing interface, a pressure regulation system connected to the pressurized container, the pressure regulation system operable to exert and maintain the pressure level within the pressurized container to enable compression of the first compressible liquid volume, and a control system operable to control the controllable valves and the pressure regulation system.

A funnel for covering a dispenser assembly of a frozen drink maker has an upper portion attachable to the dispenser assembly. The upper portion is configured to allow the dispenser assembly to selectively uncover a spout of the frozen drink maker to dispense a drink product from the spout in a horizontal direction. A lower portion of the funnel extends downward from the upper portion. The lower portion includes an inner wall defining a channel. The channel has a first region configured to direct a flow of the drink product at an angle relative to a front panel of the frozen drink maker, and a second region configured to direct the flow of the drink product parallel to the front panel in a substantially vertically downward direction.