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.

According to certain embodiments, a connector for dispensing a liquid from a container comprises a main body connectable to the container and a subassembly being movable relative to the main body between an inactivated position and an activated position. The subassembly comprises inner and outer hollow piercing members. When the main body is connected to the container and the subassembly is moved from the inactivated position to the activated position, the inner hollow piercing member is arranged to pierce a seal of an inner cavity of the container, and the outer piercing member is arranged to pierce a seal of an outer cavity of the container.

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.

A refrigerator for drinks is provided. The refrigerator may include a cabinet having a storage compartment therein, and a dispenser nozzle disposed to be at least partially exposed outside the cabinet. A pump connection line being able to increase pressure in a drink container by delivering high-pressure air into the drink container and a tank connection line preventing oxidation of the drink in the drink container by delivering an unreactive gas into the drink container may be disposed in the cabinet. Accordingly, two functions of discharging a drink and preventing oxidation may be individually performed, so consumption of an unreactive gas may be reduced.

A liquid dispenser may include a container having an upper opening, a pump provided in the container, a pipe through which liquid discharged from the pump is transferred, a top plate having an upper surface over which liquid flows, a filter assembly provided below the top plate, a base provided below the container, and a thermoelectric element provided in the base to cool the liquid in the container.

A beverage dispensing device includes a housing, a receptacle, means for opening a beverage dispenser, a thermoelectric cooler, an aeration component, and a discharge nozzle. The housing has a flow path. The receptacle is for receiving a beverage container that houses a beverage and for discharging wine into the flow path. The means for opening the beverage container is for releasing beverage from the beverage container. The thermoelectric cooler is positioned in the housing for one of chilling or warming the beverage along the flow path. The aeration component is for aerating wine in the flow path. The discharge nozzle is coupled to the flow path for dispensing the beverage from the housing.

An example beverage dispensing system includes a liquid circulation loop including a reservoir. The system also includes an inlet coupled to the liquid circulation loop to enable liquid to enter the liquid circulation loop, a thermoelectric cooling assembly configured to lower a temperature of liquid in the liquid circulation loop, a carbonation assembly configured to add carbonation to the liquid in the liquid circulation loop, a pump configured to circulate liquid through the liquid circulation loop, and an outlet coupled to the liquid circulation loop to enable liquid to exit the liquid circulation loop.

Methods and systems are provided for mixing and heat exchange of fluids. In one example, a fluid mixing and heat exchange device includes a hot water tank, a mixing chamber spaced away from the hot water tank and fluidly coupled to a first liquid reservoir, a first chilling module fluidly coupled to the mixing chamber, a coolant tank fluidly coupled to the first chilling module, a radiator fluidly coupled to the coolant tank, and a dispensing manifold fluidly coupled to the mixing chamber and adapted to dispense a mixed and chilled fluid mixture to a plurality of fluid vessels.

A liquid dispenser may include a container having an upper opening, a pump provided in the container, a pipe through which liquid discharged from the pump is transferred, a top plate having an upper surface over which liquid flows, a filter assembly provided below the top plate, a base provided below the container, and a thermoelectric element provided in the base to cool the liquid in the container.

Disclosed is a compact system, apparatus for beverage preservation and dispensation. The system and apparatus may include a seal for attachment to a beverage container; at least a first conduit and a second conduit arranged to provide filtered air and extract beverage from the beverage container. There is a pump assembly connected to the first conduit and the second conduit to regulate air flow into and/or out of the beverage container to achieve a sub-atmospheric pressure or a super-atmospheric pressure within the beverage container.