Carbonating apparatus

Claim 2

A carbonating apparatus comprising a stand holding a gas supply means, an injecting nozzle pivotally mounted to the stand for movement about a substantially horizontal axis, said nozzle being adapted to pass through an opening of a bottle or other container and into a liquid contained therein, said nozzle being pivotal between a first inclined position allowing the bottle or other container holding the liquid to be carbonated to be introduced into the apparatus and to be penetrated by said nozzle and a second substantially upright position, supporting means to support the bottle at said second position so that said liquid may be carbonated by gas introduced through said nozzle from said gas supply means via a gas supply system means to seal the opening of the bottle or other container while being carbonated, said means comprising a stopper on said ejecting nozzle, said stopper being slideable along the nozzle to press against the opening of the bottle or other container under the influence of biasing means.

Claim 3

A carbonating apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the apparatus has a shield which may be positioned to ensure that the bottle or other container is enclosed during carbonation, said shield being movable or removable to allow access to the bottle or other container.

Claim 4

A carbonating apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the shield and the injecting nozzle are in fixed location to each other and are pivotal together.

Claim 5

A carbonating apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the shield is a substantially cylindrical housing open at one end, this being the bottom end in use, and pivotally mounted or at adjacent the top end, the injecting nozzle extending substantially centrally down the housing from the top end.

Claim 6

A carbonating apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the housing is made of a transparent material.

Claim 7

A carbonating apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including engaging means for ensuring that the stopper lies over or against or in the opening to effect the seal, said engaging means including a base upon which the bottle or other container may sit when in position for carbonation, and means to move the base to press the opening of the bottle or other container against the stopper which is fixed in position around the nozzle.

Claim 8

A carbonating apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including engaging means for ensuring that the stopper lies over or against or in the opening to effect the seal, said engaging means including a fixed base upon which the bottle or other container may sit when in position for carbonation.

Claim 9

A carbonating apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the biasing means comprises a spring which biases the stopper towards the base and a secondary bias is provided by the pressure of the carbonating gas acting on the stopper once the carbonating cycle has been initiated.

Claim 10

A carbonating apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein the stopper is sealingly slideable in a chamber which forms part of the pivoted end of the nozzle, there being a passage allowing gas introduced into the bottle or other container to enter the chamber and the area of the stopper exposed to gas in the chamber is greater than the area exposed to gas in the bottle or other container so that under the effect of the differential force created by equal pressures operating oppositely on unequal areas of the stopper, the stopper is forced into sealing engagement with the bottle or other container.

Claim 11

A carbonating apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the apparatus includes an activating mechanism for releasing gas from the gas supply means the activating mechanism comprising a lever with an adjustable fulcrum located adjacent to the pin of the gas supply means so that the lever, when depressed about its pivot, depresses the pin of the gas supply means to release gas, and the pivot adjustment caters for the different heights of the gas release pins.

Claim 12

A carbonating apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the apparatus has a pressure release valve in communication with the gas supply system to allow gas to escape from the bottle or other container when a predetermined pressure has been reached.

Claim 13

A carbonating apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein the pressure release valve is adjustable, different pressure settings being provided so that the degree of carbonation of the liquid may be determined by the particular setting of the pressure release valve.

Claim 14

A carbonating apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the nozzle is secured to a mounting and is in communication with a gas inlet passage in the mounting to which is fastened a flexible gas inlet tube and the mounting is pivoted about a substantially horizontal axis.

Claim 15

A carbonating apparatus as claimed in claim 13 wherein the mounting forms an integral part of the shield.

Claim 16

A carbonating apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein at least the top of the shield is tubular and a flexible concertina type sleeve is fastened to the top of the shield and to the fixed part of the apparatus in a manner which conceals the mounting and the pivot.

Claim 17

A carbonating apparatus comprising a stand adapted to support a gas supply means, a housing pivotally mounted to the stand and carrying a gas injecting nozzle, the housing being adapted to receive a bottle or other container of liquid to be carbonated and being pivotal between a first position where the housing is swung away from the stand to allow the bottle or other container to be inserted or removed from the housing and a second position where the container lies close to the stand and the bottle or other container is enclosed for protection in the event that the bottle or other container breaks during carbonation, and stopper means to seal off the open mouth of the bottle or other container when at the second position with the nozzle entering the mouth and means enabling gas to be injected from the gas supply means through the nozzle when the nozzle is in the second position, said stopper means having biasing means to press it against said open mouth, said biasing means comprising a chamber above the stopper which is charged with gas pressure and in which a portion of stopper is sealingly slideable, that portion having a greater area exposed to the gas than the stopper portion which is exposed to the gas in the bottle or other container so that under the effect of the differential force created by equal pressures operating oppositely on unequal areas of the stopper, the stopper is forced into sealing engagement with the bottle or other container.

Claim 18

A carbonating apparatus comprising a stand adapted to support a gas supply means, a housing pivotally mounted to the stand and carrying a gas injecting nozzle, the housing being adapted to receive a bottle or other container of liquid to be carbonated and being pivotal between a first position where the housing is swung away from the stand to allow the bottle or other container to be inserted or removed from the housing and a second position where the container lies close to the stand and the bottle or other container is enclosed for protection in the event that the bottle or other container breaks during carbonation, and stopper means to seal off the open mouth of the bottle or other container when at the second position with the nozzle entering the mouth and means enabling gas to be injected from the gas supply means through the nozzle when the nozzle is in the second position, said stopper means having biasing means to press it against said open mouth, said biasing means comprising a chamber above the stopper which is charged with gas pressure and in which a portion of stopper is sealingly slideable, that portion having a greater area exposed to the gas than the stopper portion which is exposed to the gas in the bottle or other container so that under the effect of the differential force created by equal pressures operating oppositely on unequal areas of the stopper, the stopper is forced into sealing engagement with the bottle or other container.

Claim 19

A carbonating apparatus as claimed in claim 16 wherein the stopper means to seal off the open mouth of the bottle or other container are operable only when the housing is in the second position.

Claim 20

A carbonating apparatus as claimed in claim 17 wherein the housing is pivoted at the top to the stand about a substantially horizontal axis.

Claim 21

A carbonating apparatus as claimed in claim 17 including a base support for the bottle or other container which is movable upwardly when the housing holding the bottle or other container is in the second position to force the bottle or other container upwardly so that the mouth is sealed off by the stopper means.

Claim 22

A carbonating apparatus as claimed in claim 17 wherein the pivotal housing completely surrounds the bottle or other container except for the base thereof.

Claim 23

A carbonating apparatus as claimed in claim 17 wherein the apparatus includes a pressure release valve which is in communication with the interior of the bottle or other container during carbonation and which releases gas when a predetermined pressure has been reached.