An insulated container having an internal chamber, a second container received within the internal chamber, a spigot assembly extending through a passageway through a wall of the insulated container and removably coupled to the second container, the spigot assembly being in fluid communication with the second container for dispensing liquid out of the insulated container.

A refrigerator includes an outer case, an inner case configured to define a storage space, an insulation material between the outer case and the inner case, a tank provided inside the storage space to store liquid, a rear guide provided at a rear through which a supply tube configured to supply liquid to the tank passes, a dispenser provided inside of the storage space to dispense liquid from the tank, and a tube guide embedded in the insulation material between the inner case and the outer case to define a passage through which a discharge tube configured to connect the tank to the dispenser passes.

Exemplary embodiments are generally directed to beverage chillers for chilling a hot beverage so that the hot beverage can be served as a chilled beverage in real time on demand fashion. The beverage chillers include a beverage collection section, a heat exchanger section, and a dispensing section fluidically connected relative to each other. The beverage collection section receives a beverage in a hot state. The heat exchanger section chills the beverage from the hot state to a predetermined chilled temperature. The dispensing section dispenses the beverage at or near the predetermined chilled temperature. Exemplary embodiments are also directed to methods and systems for chilling a hot beverage in real time on demand fashion.

A refrigerator includes an outer case, an inner case configured to define a storage space, an insulation material between the outer case and the inner case, a tank provided inside the storage space to store liquid, a rear guide provided at a rear through which a supply tube configured to supply liquid to the tank passes, a dispenser provided inside of the storage space to dispense liquid from the tank, and a tube guide embedded in the insulation material between the inner case and the outer case to define a passage through which a discharge tube configured to connect the tank to the dispenser passes.

There is described a wine supply system. The wine supply system generally has a tank in a source building, the tank containing wine; a plurality of ducts extending between the tank and a corresponding plurality of dispensing buildings remote from the source building and from one another, at least some wine being forcingly guided from the tank to the dispensing buildings via the plurality of ducts; and a temperature maintaining device disposed along the plurality of ducts outside of the source building and the plurality of dispensing buildings, the temperature maintaining device configured for at least one of heating and cooling said ducts to maintain the wine within a given temperature range.

An apparatus, system and method for providing a consumable level monitor for association with a content-filled consumable. The embodiments may include a sensing module suitable to sense the consumable level; and a communications module suitable for receiving the consumable level from the sensing module, and for communicating the consumable level to a user.

A system is provided using targeted narrowband radiation emitting devices or arrays of devices that offers a solution to the difficulties surrounding heated product dispensing. Rather than maintaining an entire reservoir of product at a raised temperature, much smaller volumes (single portions or small multiples thereof) can be held ready and at temperature to be dispensed without wasting additional energy on keeping a large volume of product warm. This is achieved by leveraging the unique, targeted nature of these devices to quickly and accurately heat a small amount of product separated out from the main reservoir and held ready for dispensing.

Systems and methods for the injection/dispensing of fluid material in a volumetrically accurate and repeatable manner via an injection cell that interconnects two reservoirs of the fluid material. The injection cell has a normally closed dispensing valve that is opened for dispensing of the fluid material during a compression cycle, and closed during a return cycle. Opening and closing of the dispensing valve is effected using either or both of pressurized air and/or a motorized linkage. During the compression cycle, independent longitudinal displacements of a piston cylinder and a piston within the injection cell act to first open the dispensing valve and subsequently eject fluid material within the piston cylinder via the opened dispensing valve. The piston cylinder and piston are returned to an initial state that facilitates reloading of the injection cell from the reservoirs and closes the dispensing valve during a return cycle.

Disclosed are a cold-water generating tank for generating cold water by using the ice thermal storage method and a water cooler equipped with same. The disclosed cold-water generating tank may comprise: a tank body which houses, on the inside thereof, an ice storage liquid cooled by means of a cooling unit; a cooling tube provided on the inside of the tank body in order to cool the ice storage liquid housed inside the tank body; and a cold-water generating unit which has a heat exchange tube forming a flow pathway where inflowing water becomes cold water through heat exchange with the ice storage liquid, and has an extension member positioned on the outer circumferential surface of the heat exchange tube in order to widen the area of contact with the ice storage liquid.

Systems and methods for dispensing consumable liquids are disclosed. An example networked system includes a server and a plurality of beverage dispenser stations. Each of the beverage dispenser stations includes a filler including a filler outlet configured to deliver a beverage into a container, an RFID reader configured to read an RFID tag fixed to a water filter through which water for the beverage is to flow, and a controller. The controller is configured determine a duration-of-use of the water filter and a volume of water that has passed through the water filter. Each of the beverage dispenser stations also includes a network communications interface configured to communicate the duration-of-use and the volume of water to the networked administrative server to track use of the water filter among the plurality of beverage dispenser stations.