Apparatus for preparing and discharging water having controlled amounts of carbonation

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR PREPARING AND DISCHARGING WATER HAVING CONTROLLED AMOUNTS OF CARBONATION COMPRISING: STRUCTURE HAVING A LIQUID RECEIVING CHAMBER THEREIN; SHIFTABLE MEANS IN THE CHAMBER DIVIDING THE LATTER INTO A PAIR OF SEPARATE COMPARTMENTS AND INITIALLY LOCATED IN A FIRST POSITION AT ONE END OF THE PATH OF TRAVEL THEREOF, THE EFFECTIVE VOLUME OF ONE OF THE COMPARTMENTS BEING DECREASED AND THE EFFECTIVE VOLUME OF THE OTHER COMPARTMENT BEING INCREASED AS THE SHIFTABLE MEANS IS SHIFTED TOWARD A SECOND POSITION AT THE OPPOSITE END OF ITS PATH OF TRAVEL; MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID STRUCTURE FOR SUPPLYING UNCARBONATED WATER TO SAID ONE COMPARTMENT ONLY AS THE SHIFTABLE MEANS IS SHIFTED FROM SAID SECOND POSITION TOWARD THE FIRST POSITION OF THE SAME; MEANS ON THE STRUCTURE EXTERNALLY OF THE CHAMBER DEFINING A LIQUID CONDUIT COMMUNICATING SAID ONE COMPARTMENT WITH THE OTHER COMPARTMENT; CARBON DIOXIDE DELIVERY MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID CONDUIT MEANS ADJACENT THE OTHER COMPARTMENT FOR SUPPLYING PRESSURIZED CARBON DIOXIDE TO SAID OTHER COMPARTMENT UNDER A PRESSURE TO SHIFT THE SHIFTABLE MEANS; CONTROL MEANS DISPOSED ON SAID CARBON DIOXIDE DELIVERY MEANS AND SELECTIVELY OPERABLE TO RELEASE CARBON DIOXIDE INTO SAID CONDUIT MEANS FOR MIXTURE WITH WATER THEREIN, THE EFFECTIVE SURFACE AREA OF SAID SHIFTABLE MEANS FACING SAID ONE COMPARTMENT BEING LESS THAN THE CORRESPONDING EFFECTIVE SURFACE AREA THEREOF FACING THE OTHER COMPARTMENT WHEREBY SAID ONE COMPARTMENT NORMALLY CONTAINS A SUPPLY OF UNCARBONATED WATER AND UPON OPERATION OF THE SELECTIVELY OPERABLE MEANS DISPOSED ON SAID CARBON DIOXIDE DELIVERY MEANS TO RELEASE SAID PRESSURIZED CARBON DIOXIDE INTO SAID OTHER COMPARTMENT VIA THE CONDUIT MEANS AND THEREBY EFFECT SHIFTING OF THE SHIFTABLE MEANS TOWARD SAID SECOND POSITION THEREOF, THE WATER IN SAID ONE COMPARTMENT IS DISPLACED THEREFROM BY SAID SHIFTABLE MEANS AND FORCED INTO SAID OTHER COMPARTMENT VIA SAID CONDUIT MEANS FOR MIXING WITH THE CARBON DIOXIDE, SAID STRUCTURE BEING PROVIDED WITH LIQUID BYPASS MEANS THEREIN COMMUNICATING SAID OTHER COMPARTMENT WITH THE CONDUIT DEFINING MEANS; SELECTIVELY OPERABLE CONTROL MEANS IN SAID BYPASS MEANS FOR PERMITTING SELECTIVE CONTROL OF LIQUID FLOW THERETHROUGH; AND MEANS FOR DISCHARGING CARBONATED WATER FROM SAID OTHER COMPARTMENT AFTER DISPLACEMENT OF A PRESELECTED AMOUNT OF WATER FROM SAID ONE COMPARTMENT INTO THE OTHER COMPARTMENT WHEREBY THE SHIFTABLE MEANS IS THEN CAUSED TO RETURN TO THE INITIAL POSITION THEREOF BY THE REFILLING OF THE ONE COMPARTMENT WITH UNCARBONATED WATER.