System and method for carbonating beverages

Claim 1

A system for carbonating a liQuid product, said system comprising: a closed fluid line; means for supplying liquid product to said fluid line at a substantially constant pressure; primary carbonating means associated with said fluid line for introducing carbon dioxide into said product at a preset rate to attain a degree of carbonation of said product; secondary carbonating apparatus receiving the product after primary carbonation, said apparatus including a tank within which said carbon dioxide atmosphere is established, a plurality of baffled plates or the like positioned within said tank, such that liquid product will flow thereover to subject said product to the carbon dioxide atmosphere, means for maintaining said atmosphere at a predetermined pressure level, and means to maintain the temperature of said product within a selected temperature range whereby the subjecting of said product to this controled atmosphere of carbon dioxide attains a final desired degree of carbonation; and control means providing the communication between said primary fluid line and the secondary carbonating apparatus, said control means including means for isolating said fluid line from the pressure in said secondary carbonating apparatus so that a substantially constant pressure in said fluid line will be maintained during primary carbonation, unaffected by the pressure of said atmosphere in the secondary carbonating apparatus.

Claim 2

A system for carbonating a liQuid product, said system comprising: a closed fluid line; means for supplying liquid product to said fluid line at a substantially constant pressure; primary carbonating means associated with said fluid line for introducing carbon dioxide into said product at a preset rate to attain a degree of carbonation of said product; secondary carbonating apparatus receiving the product after primary carbonation, said apparatus including a tank within which said carbon dioxide atmosphere is established, a plurality of baffled plates or the like positioned within said tank, such that liquid product will flow thereover to subject said product to the carbon dioxide atmosphere, means for maintaining said atmosphere at a predetermined pressure level, and means to maintain the temperature of said product within a selected temperature range whereby the subjecting of said product to this controled atmosphere of carbon dioxide attains a final desired degree of carbonation; and control means providing the communication between said primary fluid line and the secondary carbonating apparatus, said control means including means for isolating said fluid line from the pressure in said secondary carbonating apparatus so that a substantially constant pressure in said fluid line will be maintained during primary carbonation, unaffected by the pressure of said atmosphere in the secondary carbonating apparatus.

Claim 14

A method for carbonating a liquid product, said method comprising the steps of: providing a product to be carbonated to a closed fluid line; maintaining the product to said line under substantially constant, predetermined pressure conditions; precarbonating the product while in said fluid line to effect an initial carbonation of said product; introducing said product to a secondary carbonating process wherein said liquid product is subjected to a pressurized atmosphere of carbon dioxide to attain a desired degree of carbonation of said product; and isolating said fluid line from the pressure in the secondary carbonating process, such that the pressure in said line is unaffected by said secondary process and said precarbonating of the product takes place with the pressure in said line substantially constant for a given rate of flow.

Claim 15

A method for carbonating a liquid product, said method comprising the steps of: providing a product to be carbonated to a closed fluid line; maintaining the product to said line under substantially constant, predetermined pressure conditions; precarbonating the product while in said fluid line to effect an initial carbonation of said product; introducing said product to a secondary carbonating process wherein said liquid product is subjected to a pressurized atmosphere of carbon dioxide to attain a desired degree of carbonation of said product; and isolating said fluid line from the pressure in the secondary carbonating process, such that the pressure in said line is unaffected by said secondary process and said precarbonating of the product takes place with the pressure in said line substantially constant for a given rate of flow.

Claim 24

A system for producing a carbonated soft drink beverage or a similar product, said system comprising: means for cooling a base liquid to be used in the production of the final carbonated product; mixing apparatus receiving said cooled liquid for combining therewith in a predetermined ratio a flavoring additive to produce a non-carbonated mixed product; a closed fluid line for receiving the non-carbonated mixed product from said mixing apparatus; means for delivering the non-carbonated product to said fluid line from said mixing apparatus under substantially constant pressure conditions; primary carbonating apparatus associated with said fluid line for directly introducing carbon dioxide into said non-carbonated mixed product in said line to effect a primary carbonation resulting in a pre-carbonated product; secondary carbonating apparatus in the form of a carbonator-cooler connected with said fluid line downstream of the point at which sAid primary carbonation takes place, said carbonator-cooler including means to maintain the pre-carbonated product within a narrow temperature range and means for subjecting said product to a carbon dioxide atmosphere to achieve the final degree of carbonation desired; and variable orifice means interposed between said fluid line and said secondary carbonating means to isolate said fluid line from the internal pressure of said carbonator-cooler so that carbon dioxide may be introduced into said line during primary carbonation with the pressure of said line substantially constant and unaffected by that of said carbonator-cooler.

Claim 25

A system for producing a carbonated soft drink beverage or a similar product, said system comprising: means for cooling a base liquid to be used in the production of the final carbonated product; mixing apparatus receiving said cooled liquid for combining therewith in a predetermined ratio a flavoring additive to produce a non-carbonated mixed product; a closed fluid line for receiving the non-carbonated mixed product from said mixing apparatus; means for delivering the non-carbonated product to said fluid line from said mixing apparatus under substantially constant pressure conditions; primary carbonating apparatus associated with said fluid line for directly introducing carbon dioxide into said non-carbonated mixed product in said line to effect a primary carbonation resulting in a pre-carbonated product; secondary carbonating apparatus in the form of a carbonator-cooler connected with said fluid line downstream of the point at which sAid primary carbonation takes place, said carbonator-cooler including means to maintain the pre-carbonated product within a narrow temperature range and means for subjecting said product to a carbon dioxide atmosphere to achieve the final degree of carbonation desired; and variable orifice means interposed between said fluid line and said secondary carbonating means to isolate said fluid line from the internal pressure of said carbonator-cooler so that carbon dioxide may be introduced into said line during primary carbonation with the pressure of said line substantially constant and unaffected by that of said carbonator-cooler.