Portable beverage dispensing apparatus

Claim 2

A liquor storage unit for use in a portable beverage dispensing system comprising a mounting member, a plurality of bulk liquor containers, removable fastening means attaching each of said liquor containers to said mounting member, liquor outlet means from each said container through its said fastening means, said fastening and outlet means comprising a container top attached to said container to support its weight, a hollow bolt member passing through said mounting member and threaded into said top, and a supply tube reaching from the lower end of said bolt member to the bottom of said container, said mounting member forming a substantially flat unitary manifold having preformed internal passage means therein communicating with the interior of each said container through said tops, and means for connecting an external source of pressurized gaseous fluid to said passage means.

Claim 3

A portable beverage dispensing unit for use on commercial aircraft, comprising: a pressurizable tank having a plurality of storage compartments of variable volume therein, a plurality of fluid conduits extending through said tank from said compartments respectively, means for introducing and carrying water in said tank in contact with the exterior of said variable volume compartments, means for applying pressurized carbon dioxide to the interior of said tank to pressurize and carbonate said water, a soda water fitting extending through said tank and communicating with a point within said tank where said water is likely to collect, a soda water conduit extending on the outside of said tank from said soda water fitting, a dispensing head having means for selectively dispensing the contents of said compartments and of said soda water conduit, said dispensing means including a common dispenser outlet from said head, a plurality of valve chambers in said head, a plurality of fluid communicating passageS connected from said fluid conduits and said soda water conduit to said valve chambers, and combination valve-and-sealing means mounted within said chambers for selectively providing communication between particular ones of said passages and said common outlet.

Claim 4

A portable beverage dispensing unit for use on commercial aircraft, comprising: a pressurizable tank having a plurality of storage compartments of variable volume therein, a plurality of fluid conduits extending through said tank from said compartments respectively, means for introducing and carrying water in said tank in contact with the exterior of said variable volume compartments, means for applying pressurized carbon dioxide to the interior of said tank to pressurize and carbonate said water, a soda water fitting extending through said tank and communicating with a point within said tank where said water is likely to collect, a soda water conduit extending on the outside of said tank from said soda water fitting, a dispensing head having means for selectively dispensing the contents of said compartments and of said soda water conduit, said dispensing means including a common dispenser outlet from said head, a plurality of valve chambers in said head, a plurality of fluid communicating passageS connected from said fluid conduits and said soda water conduit to said valve chambers, and combination valve-and-sealing means mounted within said chambers for selectively providing communication between particular ones of said passages and said common outlet.

Claim 5

Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 including a soda water passage in said head connected between the soda water chamber and at least one other chamber, wherein said valve-and-sealing means comprises a rod-shaped device having alternate necked-down portions and sealing portions, said sealing portions being movable across a given communicating passage to permit flow through the accompanying necked-down portion and between two fluid communicating passages connected thereto, and wherein said valve-and-sealing means in said one other chamber includes an additional rod necked-down portion and sealing portion movable relative to said soda water passage to open a flow path between said soda water passage and said dispenser outlet simultaneously with said flow between the accompanying said two fluid communicating passages, whereby soda water is automatically mixed with the dispensed content of the compartment associated with said valve-and-sealing means in said one other chamber.

Claim 6

Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 further including a lever attached to said valve-and-sealing means for actuating said means between two predetermined positions.

Claim 7

Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein the respective arrangements of sealing portions and necked-down portions of said rod and the fluid communication passages coupled to the valve chamber determine the manner in which various beverage components are mixed for dispensing from said common dispenser outlet.