A heated and chilled water dispenser comprising: a housing; an input port fast with the housing for connection to a mains pressure water supply; at least one chilled water container arranged to receive water from the input port; a water chilling assembly arranged to cool said at least one chilled water container; at least one hot water tank including a heating element and a water receiving arrangement to receive water from the input port, the water receiving arrangement including an inlet valve responsive to water level; an inlet plenum associated with the inlet valve, the plenum being coupled with the input port to receive water, the plenum further comprising a fill pipe coupled to the hot water tank for supplying water to the hot water tank; a thermostat coupled to said at least one hot water tank for controlling the heating element and thus temperature of water within the hot water tank; a two way outlet tap configured for dispensing hot water from the hot water supply or chilled water from the chilled water container in accordance with a user's selection; a liquid delivery device coupled to said at least one hot water tank for supplying hot water from the hot water tank, said device being arranged to be actuated by the outlet tap.

A stopcock controls the flow of a liquid under pressure through a dispensing tube with an upstream portion separated by the stopcock from a downstream portion. The stopcock includes a housing portion with a chamber defined by a housing peripheral wall surrounding a longitudinal z-axis. The housing peripheral wall has an inner surface of revolution with a housing inlet opening connectable to the upstream portion of the dispensing tube. The stopcock includes an outlet connector connectable to the downstream portion of the dispensing tube and comprising an outlet opening. A plug defined by a plug outer peripheral wall snugly fitting the inner surface of revolution of the housing peripheral wall. The plug can rotate within the chamber about the longitudinal z-axis. The plug has a through-channel extending from an upstream opening located on the plug outer peripheral wall, to a downstream opening, such that the plug can be rotated about the longitudinal z-axis from a flow position to a sealed position, wherein, the plug outer peripheral wall comprises a seal protrusion topped by a ridge and forming a closed loop defining a blank area of the plug outer peripheral wall, such that, in the sealed position, the housing inlet opening of the housing peripheral wall faces the blank area and is circumscribed within the seal protrusion. The plug outer peripheral wall has a flow protrusion topped by a ridge circumscribing the upstream opening such that, in the flow position, the inlet opening of the cylindrical chamber peripheral wall is circumscribed by the flow protrusion, wherein said flow protrusion preferably shares a common portion of protrusion with the seal protrusion.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for inducing a substantially non-hazardous atmosphere encompassing a beverage container during filling, such as filling a small volume container with an alcohol product. A multi-tiered approach can be used to reduce the combustibility of the atmosphere encompassing the beverage container. For example, a ventilation module can be provided and configured to dilute vapors of the beverage liquid. Further, a chilling module can be provided and configured to reduce or maintain a reduced temperature of the beverage liquid. Further, a capture module can be provided and configured to dilute stray beverage liquid. The ventilation module, the chilling module, and the capture module can cooperate to define a non-hazardous zone encompassing the beverage container. This can allow non-hazardous rated electrical components to operate proximate and within the atmosphere associating the alcohol product during filling.

An ice-making water purifier includes a water tank unit, an instantaneous heating device, an extraction member, an ice-maker, a supply pump, an ice-making water inlet passage, an ice-making water supply valve, a flow rate sensor, and a controller configured to control driving of the supply pump and the opening and closing of the ice-making water supply valve such that purified water corresponding to a predetermined supply amount of ice-making water is supplied to the ice-maker on the basis of a flow rate value measured by the flow rate sensor. The controller controls the opening and closing of the channel such that purified water is preferentially supplied to the instantaneous heating device among the instantaneous heating device and the ice-maker.

The present disclosure relates to liquid dispensing arrangements, and particularly to arrangements for distribution of a dispensed liquid.

A beverage apparatus and system is disclosed. The beverage apparatus is configurable to add flavors, minerals, vitamins, or other such additives to a source fluid, such as purified water, in response to a user's selection of settings, to provide a customized beverage. Advantageously, the beverage apparatus uses the purified water to cleanse the components that come into contact with the N additive as part of the preparation of each beverage and includes this cleansing wash as part of the beverage itself, thus providing a self-cleaning apparatus that does not require a separate drain.

A beverage nucleator system for a supercooled beverage container may include a frame for receiving a beverage container and an ultrasonic device positioned therein. The frame may include a beverage container aperture therein sized to allow direct contact between an ultrasonic transmitter coupled to the ultrasonic device and a closure on the container. The ultrasonic transmitter may operate at a 28 kHz frequency with a power of 5 W for 1-5 seconds. The beverage nucleator system can operate without requiring a fluid or gel transmission medium.

A fluid conduit 100 is provided for providing a fluid connection between a beverage container 201 and a beverage dispenser, comprising a conduit body 102 with a container side 103 and a dispenser side 105, in use downstream of the container side 103, wherein the conduit body 102 defines a flow path 107 through the fluid conduit 100 between the container side 103 and the dispenser side 105, and a flow restrictor 104 provided in the flow path arranged to allow a flow of fluid from the container side 103 to the dispenser side 105, and at least substantially restrict passage of microorganisms through the conduit body 102 from the dispenser side 105 to the container side 103.

Systems and methods for reducing the overall current draw of a fluid mixture dispensing device are disclosed. A disclosed system includes a mixing area, a set of ingredient reservoirs, and a set of electromechanical valves. The set of electromechanical valves are in a one-to-one correspondence with the set of ingredient reservoirs, and fluidly connect the set of ingredient reservoirs and the mixing area during a respective set of dispense times. The system further includes a controller programmed to actuate at least two valves from the set of electromechanical valves to dispense, to the mixing area, at least two ingredients from the ingredient reservoirs associated with the at least two valves. The controller is programmed to actuate the at least two valves in sequence with partially overlapping dispense times and without overlapping opening times.

A cooling system is provided for contact cooling of a beverage container. The system comprises a cooling element, a cooling contact body thermally conductively connected to the cooling element and arranged to be in thermally conductive contact with the container, a sensor module arranged to provide a sensor signal having a sensor value indicative of a contact area between the cooling contact body and the container and a processing unit arranged to control operation of the cooling element in response to the sensor signal. The contact area or another indicator for quality of contact between the cooling contact body and the beverage container determines a transfer rate of thermal energy between the beverage container and a beverage contained therein on one hand to the cooling contact body and the cooling element on the other hand. A cooling system with this method of operation allows efficient use of energy provided.