Apparatus for dispensing a carbonated beverage

Claim 1

Apparatus for dispensing a carbonated beverage, comprising: (a) a plurality of beverage dispensing valves; (b) a beverage reservoir, said reservoir being fluidly connected to each of said beverage valves; (c) a beverage supply conduit having a downstream end fluidly connected to said reservoir and an upstream end adapted to be fluidly connected to a supply vessel having carbonated beverage therein; (d) means for pressurizing such a supply vessel with propellant gas; (e) portion control means operatively connected to said plurality of said dispensing valves for controlling activation of said dispensing valves for dispensing a predetermined volume of carbonated beverage from each respective valve, said portion control means being operable for simultaneously activating each of said plurality of dispensing valves for the simultaneous dispensing of a plurality of discrete predetermined portions of beverage; (f) means for maintaining a predetermined quantity of carbonated beverage within said reservoir, said quantity having a volume which is less than the total volume of the reservoir; (g) means fluidly connected to the reservoir for regulating the pressure of gas within the reservoir at a pressure less than the pressure from said supply vessel pressurizing means; and at a pressure at least equal to the carbonation saturation pressure of the beverage in the reservoir for maintaining the beverage carbonation; (h) means for maintaining a predetermined quantity of gas in said reservoir and atop of said quantity of carbonated beverage, said gas quantity maintaining means including an automatic vent for releasing gas originating with said carbonated beverage; and (i) a normally closed solenoid valve in said beverage supply conduit for normally precluding flow of beverage through the supply conduit in a direction from the supply to the reservoir, said normally closed valve being connected to and being openable by said beverage quantity maintaining means.