WO2006021039A1 - Beverage control system - Google Patents
Beverage control system Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2006021039A1 WO2006021039A1 PCT/AU2005/001272 AU2005001272W WO2006021039A1 WO 2006021039 A1 WO2006021039 A1 WO 2006021039A1 AU 2005001272 W AU2005001272 W AU 2005001272W WO 2006021039 A1 WO2006021039 A1 WO 2006021039A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- beverage
- pourer
- control system
- container
- cap
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B67—OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
- B67D—DISPENSING, DELIVERING OR TRANSFERRING LIQUIDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B67D3/00—Apparatus or devices for controlling flow of liquids under gravity from storage containers for dispensing purposes
- B67D3/0058—Details
- B67D3/0077—Electronic circuitry
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B67—OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
- B67D—DISPENSING, DELIVERING OR TRANSFERRING LIQUIDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B67D3/00—Apparatus or devices for controlling flow of liquids under gravity from storage containers for dispensing purposes
- B67D3/0029—Apparatus or devices for controlling flow of liquids under gravity from storage containers for dispensing purposes provided with holders for bottles or similar containers
- B67D3/0035—Apparatus or devices for controlling flow of liquids under gravity from storage containers for dispensing purposes provided with holders for bottles or similar containers the bottle or container being held upside down and not provided with a closure, e.g. a bottle screwed onto a base of a dispenser
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B67—OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
- B67D—DISPENSING, DELIVERING OR TRANSFERRING LIQUIDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B67D1/00—Apparatus or devices for dispensing beverages on draught
- B67D1/08—Details
- B67D1/0801—Details of beverage containers, e.g. casks, kegs
- B67D2001/0811—Details of beverage containers, e.g. casks, kegs provided with coded information
Definitions
- the present invention is directed to a beverage control system suitable for controlling and monitoring the dispensing of beverages. It is particularly suited for the dispensing of alcoholic beverages at bars. BACKGROUND ART
- POS Point of sale
- the system should also be able to protect against the possible pilfering of liquor.
- the present invention provides in one aspect a pourer including: a beverage dispensing controller including a valve to control the dispensing of a beverage by the pourer; a cap including a locking system to releasably secure the cap to a beverage container, wherein the cap further includes a cap body having an outer duct extending from the cap body; wherein the locking system further includes: a collar with a central aperture for receiving the outer duct, the aperture allowing the collar to pass over the outer duct and at least one locking tab located on the cap body; a slide which engages the collar; a clamp engaging at least one locking tab on the cap body, wherein the clamp is engaged by the slide to thereby secure the cap to the beverage container; and a locking means which when engaged acts to prevent rotation of the collar.
- the present invention provides a beverage control system including: at least one beverage container; at least one pourer releasably secured to a respective outlet of each beverage container, wherein the pourer further includes: a beverage dispensing controller including a valve to control the dispensing of a beverage by the pourer; an actuator to control the valve, wherein the actuator is responsive to a control signal transmitted remotely from a base station when the base station is signalled that an authorised user is attempting to pour a beverage from the container, the control signal is transmitted by wireless transmission and received by a transceiver associated with the pourer.
- the present invention provides a method of operating a beverage control system including: dispensing a beverage from a releasably secured pourer by a beverage dispensing controller including a valve to control the dispensing of the beverage from the pourer; controlling the valve by an actuator, wherein the actuator is responsive to a control signal transmitted remotely from a base station when the base station is signalled that an authorised user is attempting to pour a beverage from a beverage container, the control signal being transmitted by wireless transmission and received by a transceiver associated with the pourer.
- the present invention provides a pourer including: a beverage dispensing controller including a valve to control the dispensing of a beverage by said pourer; a cap including a locking system to releasably secure the cap to a beverage container, wherein the cap further includes a cap body having an outer duct extending from the cap body; wherein the locking system further includes: a collar with a central aperture for receiving the outer duct, the aperture allowing the collar to pass over the outer duct and at least one protrusion located on the outer duct; a slide which engages the collar; a clamp engaging the at least one protrusion on the outer duct, wherein the clamp is engaged by the slide to thereby secure the cap to the beverage container; and a locking means which when engaged acts to prevent rotation of the collar.
- the beverage dispensing controller is adapted to control the time for which the beverage is dispensed.
- the beverage dispensing controller is adapted to control the volume of beverage which is dispensed.
- the system is adapted to calculate the volume of beverage dispensed.
- a transceiver is associated with the pourer.
- the beverage control system further includes a personnel identification means adapted to identify that the user is authorised.
- the personnel identification means includes an RFID tag.
- the personnel identification means is located in a wristband adapted to be applied to the wrist of a user.
- the personnel identification means is located in a ring adapted to be located on a finger of a user.
- the pourer further includes an identification scanner adapted to detect the proximity of the personnel identification means.
- the beverage control system further includes a container identification means adapted to provide the identity of the container to the system.
- the container identification means includes a cordless barcode scanner adapted to scan a standard barcode disposed on the container.
- the invention resides in a container identification means adapted to cooperate with the pourer, the container identification means being housed in a housing having a first and a second pourer engagement means, the pourer engagement means being alternately adapted to cooperate with the pourer, whereby when the first pourer engagement means is engaged with the pourer an unlock signal is signalled to the pourer and when the second pourer engagement means is engaged with the pourer a lock signal is signalled to the pourer.
- a lock signal must be completed by identification of the container by the container identification means.
- the pourer further includes a rechargeable battery adapted to be recharged by inductive charging.
- the inductive charger is associated with the storage facility for the container.
- the beverage dispensing controller includes a first tilt switch adapted to identify when the container is in an inverted orientation.
- the beverage dispensing controller includes a second tilt switch adapted to identify when the container is in an upright orientation.
- beverage control system includes a server including a computer system adapted to configure the system.
- the server further includes a database adapted to store information concerning the operation of the system and record information output by the system.
- the beverage control system includes at least one base station adapted to receive information from at least one pourer and to transmit signals to the pourer or pourers.
- the base station reports information to the server and receives configuration information from the server.
- the invention resides in a method of operating a beverage retailer, the method including the use of a beverage control system as previously described.
- the invention resides in a lockable pourer for a container, the pourer including locking means adapted to lock the pourer into engagement with the outlet of a beverage container.
- the locking means is unlocked only after identification of an authorised user.
- the identity of the authorised user is verified locally.
- the identity of the authorised user is verified remotely.
- the invention resides in a locking system adapted to lock a re-usable cap to the mouth of a container, the locking system adapted to be used in association with a cap body adapted to cover the mouth, a collar retained relative to the body and rotatable about the body, the collar engaging a slide adapted to slide within the collar between a retracted position and an extended position and a clamp adapted to be engaged by the slide when the slide is in the extended position to cause, in use, engagement of the clamp with the container to thereby secure the cap to the container, wherein the locking system further includes a locking means which when engaged acts to prevent rotation of the collar in a direction which would result in the slide moving towards the retracted position but permits such rotation when disengaged.
- the locking system permits rotation in an opposite direction when engaged.
- the locking mechanism can be disengaged by an electric signal.
- the locking mechanism can be disengaged remotely.
- the clamp includes a plurality of fingers about its periphery extending generally parallel to a central axis from a rim, the fingers having radially inwardly directed teeth at the ends disposed from the rim and being adapted to be deflected inwardly to drive the teeth into engagement with the container by deflection of the fingers due to engagement with the slide when in and extended position.
- Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a beverage control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention
- Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a beverage control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention
- Figure 3 shows a first isometric exploded view of a lockable cap according to the first embodiment of the present invention
- Figure 4 shows an isometic exploded view of a lockable cap according to a further arrangement of the first embodiment of the present invention
- Figure 5 shows a second isometric exploded view of the bottom half of the components of the lockable cap of Figure 4;
- Figure 6 shows an isometric exploded view of the top half of the components of the lockable cap of Figure 4;
- Figure 7 shows a section view of a lockable cap according to the first embodiment
- Figure 8 shows an assembled view of a lockable cap according to a further arrangement of the first embodiment of the present invention
- Figure 9 shows a sectional view of Figure 8 along section A-A;
- Figure 10 shows an isometric view of a body of the lockable cap of Figure 3;
- Figure 11 shows an isometric view of a body of the lockable cap of Figure 4.
- Figure 12 shows a section view of Figure 11 along section B-B;
- Figure 13 shows another isometric view of the body of the lockable cap of Figure 4.
- Figure 14 shows a lower isometric view of a collar of the lockable cap of Figure 3;
- Figure 15 shows an upper isometric view of a collar of the lockable cap of Figure 3;
- Figure 16 shows isometric views of the collar of the lockable cap of Figure
- Figure 17a shows an upper plan view of the clamp of the lockable cap of
- Figure 17b shows a lower plan view of the clamp of the lockable cap of Figure 3;
- Figure 17c shows a side elevation of the clamp of the lockable cap of Figure 3;
- Figure 17d shows an upper isometric view of the clamp of the lockable cap of Figure 3;
- Figure 17e shows a lower isometric view of the clamp of the lockable cap of Figure 3;
- Figure 18a shows an upper plan view of the clamp of the lockable cap of
- Figure 18b shows an isometric view of the clamp of the lockable cap of Figure 4.
- Figure 18c shows a sectional view of Figure 18b along section A-A;
- Figure 18d shows an upper isometric view of the clamp of the lockable cap of Figure 4;
- Figure 18e shows a lower isometric view of the claim of the lockable cap of Figure 4;
- Figure 19a shows an upper plan view of the slide of the lockable cap of
- Figure 19b shows an isometric view of the slide of the lockable cap of Figure 4.
- Figure 19c shows a sectional view of Figure 19b along section A-A;
- Figure 19d shows an upper isometric view of the slide of the lockable cap of Figure 4;
- Figure 19e shows a lower isometric view of the slide of the lockable cap of Figure 4.
- Figure 20a shows an isometric view of the scanner of a further embodiment of the present invention.
- Figure 20b shows an isometric view of the scanner of Figure 9a in association with a pourer body
- Figure 21a shows an isometric view of an alternative scanner in a further embodiment of the present invention
- Figure 21b shows an exploded isometric view of the scanner of Figure
- Figure 22a shows a plan view of the base of the scanner of Figure 21a;
- Figure 22b shows a sectional view of Figure 22a along section A-A;
- Figure 22c shows an isometric view of the base of the scanner of Figure 21a
- Figure 23a shows a plan view of a base station RFID reader according to an embodiment of the present invention
- Figure 23b shows an isometric view of a base station RFID reader according to an embodiment of the present invention
- Figure 23c shows a sectional view of Figure 23b along section A-A;
- Figure 23d shows an upper isometric view of the RFID reader of Figure 23a
- Figure 24a shows a plan view of a battery charger unit according to an embodiment of the present invention
- Figure 24b shows a sectional view of Figure 24a long section A-A
- Figure 25a a show a plan view of a further arrangement of the personal identification unit of an embodiment of the present invention.
- Figure 25b shows an isometric view of Figure 25a; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
- a first embodiment of a beverage control system 11 is discussed with reference to Figure 1 and Figure 2.
- the system 11 of the preferred embodiment is adapted to provide detailed control and tracking of the dispensing of beverages from a beverage container 12 such as a bottle. For example, the pouring of spirits in a bar.
- the system 11 provides pourers 14 that lock onto the top of the bottles 12.
- the pourers 14 include a means to control the dispensing of beverage from the bottles 12.
- the control means is activated by remote base stations 15 when the base stations 15 are signalled that an authorised person is attempting to pour the beverage.
- An authorised user 10 has a personal identification unit 17 such as a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag in the form of a ring worn on a finger of the authorised user 10 or another such device, for example a bracelet.
- the personal identification unit 17 identifies each authorised user 10 and could also identify their individual pourer profile.
- the beverage container 12 is lifted from its storage position and tilted. The tilting may be sensed by a tilt sensor which can form part of the electronics package 20.
- a sensor 59 within the pourer 14 of a beverage container 12 the pourer senses the personal identification unit 17 and sends a signal which is detected by the base station 15.
- the signal may be received by more then one base station 15.
- a base station 15 will identify the user 10 and respond to the pourer 14; the response is dependent upon the user's 10 pourer profile and will either allow the user 10 to pour a pre-determined amount of beverage or allow a freepour.
- the pourer 14 will transmit to the base stations 15 the amount of beverage dispensed from the beverage container 12.
- the signal may be received by more than one base station 15, each pourer 14 has a unique pourer ID to allow the system 11 to identify any duplicate signals sent to each of the base stations 15 and appropriately deal with them.
- the server 16 could connect to the base stations 15 to periodically request pourer 14 activity and send configuration information to the base stations 15 if necessary.
- the server 16 can also be used as the interface for the system 11 to allow a manager to enter configuration data or propagate the data to the base station 15. In the preferred arrangement these tasks may be divided between a poller 9 and a system manager 8.
- the beverage control system 11 of the preferred embodiment includes:
- the system ideally also includes a charger 130.
- the Iockable pourer 14 includes a cap 21 lockably secured to the container 12 to thereby seal the container 12; an electronics package 20 including a beverage dispensing controller 23 having a valve 40, 83 to provide control of the dispensing of the beverage through the pourer 14; a temperature sensor to determine the ambient temperature; and an accelerometer to detect changes in acceleration of the beverage being dispensed; an infra-red sensor 7 to allow the pourer 14 to communicate with the container scanner 18; a tilt sensor to determine the orientation of the beverage container 12; an indicator LED; a reed switch to allow the scanner 18 to lock and unlock the pourer 14; a battery 26 to power the pourer 14; and a transceiver associated with the beverage dispensing controller for communication of signals associated with the control of the dispenser.
- the system may be configured such that the lockable cap 21 can only be unlocked by an authorised person.
- the personal identification unit 17 is a passive RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag embedded in an item worn or held by the person authorised to dispense the beverage (hereinafter termed "the barman").
- the RFID tag is held within a wristband worn by the barman.
- the proximity of the barman is detected by a sensor 59 within the pourer 14 and an identification signal transmitted to a base station 15.
- the base station 15 receives the identification signal it transmits a control signal to the pourer 14 enabling beverage to be dispensed. This ensures that beverage may only be dispensed by a barman and not by a customer or other unauthorised person.
- the personal identification unit 17 may also be a RFID tag held within a ring worn on one finger of a hand used to hold the bottle to dispense liquor.
- a possible ring is shown in Figures 25a and 25b.
- Other identification means may be used, such as a biometric scanner although the preferred system users RFID.
- the system does not require any power supply within the ring (or wristband) and therefore does not need to be recharged.
- the ring is unobtrusive but also needs to be closely positioned to the pourer 14 when beverage is being dispensed. As a result the sensitivity of the sensing system can be set relatively low thereby avoiding identification signals being sent at an inappropriate moment.
- the beverage control system 11 will ordinarily be provided with a container identification means.
- the container identification means will typically be a cordless barcode scanner 18 which can be used to read the barcode of a new beverage container 12 at the time the beverage container 12 is initially opened and the pourer 14 secured to it.
- the scanner will signal to the server 16 either directly or via a base station 15 or via a pourer 14 the identity of the beverage container 12 according to its barcode. This can be referenced against the pre ⁇ determined data held in the server 16.
- the preferred scanner 18 is roughly a cylindrical pocket sized device that ideally fits over the top of the pourer 14. It contains a barcode scanning module to scan beverage container 12 labels and an IR module to communicate with the pourer 14 that it is currently mated with. The scanner 18 also contains a permanent magnet that triggers the reed sensor on the pourer 14. The scanner 18 can be powered by a lithium polymer battery.
- a charger may be a simple cylindrical device that is powered by an external DC transformer. Its function is to recharge the batteries in pourers 14 and scanners 18 when placed on top of the respective device. This recharging can be achieved by induction.
- the lockable cap 21 ideally includes: a body 31 ; a collar 32; a slide 33; a clamp 34; a seal 35; a sleeve 36; a vent valve 37; a locking pin 38; and an electromagnet 39.
- the body 31 includes a housing firstly acting as the main stopper component, secondly providing the fluid pathway and thirdly housing the beverage dispensing controller 23 and the transceiver 25.
- the body 31 includes a cylindrical housing portion 141 and a duct portion 42.
- the cylindrical housing portion 141 houses the locking pin 38 and an electromagnet 39, as well as the beverage dispensing controller 23, the transceiver 25 and the battery 26 which will be described later.
- the beverage dispensing controller 23 in a preferred arrangement contains a latching pinch valve solenoid that controls the flow of beverage.
- the duct portion 42 of the body 31 includes an outer duct 43 extending from the container side (the lower side) of the body 31 and an inner duct 44 which may be concentric with the outer duct 43 and thereby provide an annular space 45 between the outer duct 43 and the inner duct 44, the inner duct 44 extending slightly longer than the outer duct 43 to thereby protrude beyond the outer duct 43.
- the outer duct 43 is provided with a small stop-flange 46 about its periphery proximate its lower end.
- the outer duct 43 is also provided with a pair of opposed tags 47 extending radially outwardly from its perimeter proximate the housing portion 141.
- the inner duct 44 is open through the housing to atmosphere to provide a pathway by which air may enter the container as beverage is removed.
- a conventional check valve 37 engages the lower end of the inner duct 44 to prevent beverage escaping through the inner duct 44.
- the check valve may be an umbrella valve or any valve which allows one-way airflow.
- the annular space 45 provides the pathway for beverage to pour through the body 31 , as described later.
- An aperture 48 is provided in the base 49 of the housing portion 141 to receive the locking pin 38.
- the collar 32 includes a substantially squat cylindrical cap-like device, open at the lower end, and closed at the upper end 51 other than a central collar- aperture 52 to receive the outer duct 43 of the body 31.
- a pair of opposed slots 53 extend outward from the inner perimeter of the upper end 51 defined by the collar-aperture 52. The slots 53 are adapted to permit the collar 32 to be slid past the tags 47 on the outer duct 43.
- the upper end 51 of the collar 32 is provided with teeth formations 54 in the manner of radial serrations.
- the teeth formations 54 cooperate with the locking pin 38.
- the collar 32 abuts the base 49 of the housing portion 141.
- the locking pin 38 is pressed against the upper end 51 of the collar 32 through aperture 48 by a spring (not shown). As the collar is rotated in a first direction to lock the locking cap 21 to the container 12, the locking pin 38 slides up the angled face of a tooth formation, dropping down to the next tooth formation after a tooth edge Is traversed. When the collar 32 is rotated in an opposite direction the tooth face at a tooth edge engages the locking pin 38, thereby preventing rotation and unlocking of the locking cap 21. When an authorised person is identified by means of a personal identification unit 17, the magnet 39 is energized to withdraw the locking pin from engagement and thereby permit the collar to be rotated to remove the pourer 14.
- the lower end of the collar 32 is provided with a flared flange 55 to accommodate the engagement teeth of the clamp, as is discussed below.
- the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 57 is grooved so that it is more easily grasped and rotated by a user.
- the slide 33 includes a relatively simple tubular component, having an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 57 of the collar 32. It is provided with axially disposed ribs 61 corresponding with and to be received by the axially oriented slots 58 in the collar 32. The ribs 61 and slots 58 enable the slide 33 to be rotated in conjunction with the collar 32 but to slide axially relative to the collar 32.
- the inner surface 62 of the slide 33 proximate its upper end is threaded.
- the clamp 34 is shown in greater detail in Figures 17a to 17e and includes a cylindrical rim 71 and a plurality of fingers 72 about the periphery extending parallel to the central axis in the lower direction from the rim 71.
- the outer surface of the rim 71 is threaded and adapted to engage with the threading on the inner surface 62 of the slide 33.
- the upper end of the clamp is substantially closed by an annular member 77 with a central aperture 79 to receive the outer duct 43.
- the central aperture 79 of the clamp 34 is provided with a pair of opposed slots 78 to permit the clamp 34 to be slid over the tags 47 on the outer duct 43. In use, the slots 78 are thereby positioned to be engaged by tags 47 so that the clamp 34 is prevented from rotating relative to the body 31.
- a triangular buttress 73 extends radially outwardly from the external surface of each finger 72 proximate the lower end.
- the oblique edge 74 of each buttress 73 extends from a point substantially midway along the length of the finger 72.
- a tooth formation 75 extends inwardly from the lower end of each finger 72. It will be seen that, when the collar 32 is rotated, the slide 33 is moved axially relative to the clamp 34 as a result of the threaded engagement. When the slide 33 moves downward and contacts the buttresses 73, the lower ends of the fingers are displaced inwardly so that teeth 75 can engage flanges around the mouth of the container, to thereby securely lock the pourer 121 on the container 12.
- seal 35 is provided to prevent leakage of the beverage while the sleeve 36 secures the above components to the body 31 by pressing the sleeve 36 over the top of the small stop flange 46 on the outer duct 43.
- an alternative lockable cap 21 will now be described with reference to Figures 4, 5 and 6.
- the lockable cap 21 ideally includes: a cap 19; an electronics package 20; a RFID coil 24; a body 31 ; a collar 32; a slide 33; a clamp 34; a stopper seal 35; an end cap 36; a vent valve 37 and a vent valve holder 30.
- the body 31 includes a housing firstly acting as the main stopper component, secondly providing the fluid pathway and thirdly housing the electronics package.
- the body 31 includes a cylindrical housing portion 141 and a duct portion 42.
- the cylindrical housing portion 141 houses the locking pin 38 and the electronics package 20.
- the electronics package 20 includes the beverage dispensing controller 23 which includes the pinch valve solenoid 40, the pinch valve rockerarm 83 and the flexible tube 82.
- the electronics package also includes the locking solenoid 39, the battery 26 and the RFID reader sensor 59.
- a cap 19 is placed on top of the cylindrical housing portion 141 to cover the lockable cap 21.
- the cap 19 includes an outlet 5 through which the beverage is dispensed.
- the duct portion 42 of the body 31 includes an outer duct 43 extending from the container side (the lowest side) of the body 31 and two inner ducts located within the outer duct 43 forming two air intakes 41.
- the other end of the air inlet 41 is located on the locking tabs 47 and allow air to pass into the lockable cap 21.
- the outer duct 43 is provided with a small stop flange 46 about its periphery proximate its lower end.
- the locking tabs 47 extend from the housing portion 141.
- the air intakes 41 are open through the housing to atmosphere to provide a pathway by which air may enter the container 12 as beverage is removed.
- a conventional air valve 37 engages the lower end of the air intakes 41 to prevent beverages escaping through the air intakes 41.
- the air valve 37 may be an umbrella valve or any valve which allows one way air flow.
- An aperture 48 is provided in the base 49 of the housing portion 141 to receive the locking pin 38.
- the collar 32 includes a substantially round plate like device having a central aperture 102 to receive the outer duct 43 of the body 31.
- a number of tabs 100 used to locate the collar
- the central aperture 102 of the collar 32 has a diameter large enough to allow the collar 32 to be slid past the locking tags 47 extending from the bottom side of the housing portion 141.
- the edge of the central aperture 102 is defined by a number of semi-circular scallops 101 which cooperate with the locking pin 38.
- the locking pin 38 is located within the semi-circular scallops 101 through aperture 48 by a spring 2. The locking pin 38 must be removed from the semi-circular scallops 101 to allow the slide 33 to be screwed down onto the clamp 34 to lock the pourer 14 onto the beverage container 12.
- the slide 33 includes a relativity simple tubular component, having an outer diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the collar 32.
- the 33 has a number of one way tabs 104 to receive the tabs 100 of the collar 32.
- the one way tabs 104 have a protrusion 105 extending from the top of each tab
- the inner surface 62 of the slide 33 proximate its upper end is threaded.
- the slide 33 on its upper outer surface 103 has a number of grooves so that it is more easily grasped and rotated by a user.
- the lower end of the slide 33 is provided with the flared flange 142 to accommodate the engagement teeth of the clamp 34, as is discussed below.
- the clamp 34 is shown in greater detail in Figures 18a to 18e and includes a cylindrical ring 71 and a plurality of fingers 72 about the periphery extending parallel to the central axis in the lower direction from the rim 71.
- the outer surface of the rim 71 is threaded and adapted to engage with the threading on the inner surface 62 of the slide 33.
- the upper end of the clamp is substantially closed by an angular member 77 with a central aperture 79 to receive the outer duct 43.
- the clamp 34 is provided with a number of slots 78 to permit clamp 34 to be slid over the locking tags 47 extending from the lower side of the housing portion 141.
- a triangular buttress 73 extends radially outwardly from the external surface of each finger 72 proximate the lower end.
- the oblique edge 74 of each buttress 73 extends from a point substantially midway along the length of the finger 72.
- a tooth formation 75 extends inwardly from the lower end of each finger 72.
- a stopper seal 35 is provided to prevent leakage of the beverage while the end cap 36 secures the above components to the body 31 by pressing the sleeve over the top of the small stop flange 46 on the outer duct 43.
- the end cap 36 further includes liquid intake openings 4 to receive the beverage to be dispensed from the container 12.
- the transceiver 25 includes the sensor to sense the proximity of the personal identification unit 17 (ring) of a barman and also to send and receive signals to a base station 15.
- the beverage dispensing controller 23 includes a soft tubular member 82 extending from a spout 81 in fluid communication with the annular space 45.
- a control valve 83 is provided in the form of a magnetically controlled actuator which when closed clamps the soft tubular member 82 and when open permits beverage to pass through.
- the control valve consists of a latching pinch valve solenoid that controls the flow of beverage.
- the beverage dispensing controller 23 also includes circuitry to be actuated when appropriately signalled by the base station 15 and to open the valve 83 for a pre-determined period thereby dispensing a specific quantity of beverage.
- the liquor volume poured is calculated by the pourer 14 from the following data: • Pouring time;
- the beverage dispensing controller 23 can be adapted to provide varying degrees of sophistication.
- a first tilt sensor is provided to sense when the container 12 is in an inverted orientation.
- Commercially available micro-sensors can detect when they are tilted more than a pre-determined angle, typically in the order of 55 degrees.
- a tilt sensor is therefore arranged to indicate when the container 12 is inverted or within the pre-determined angle. It then awakes the beverage dispensing controller 23 from its sleep mode in which little battery power is used.
- the beverage dispensing controller 23 then signals the RFID sensor to transmit a signal to identify a nearby RFID tag, being that of the barman.
- the beverage dispensing controller 23 transmits the required information to the base station 15, such information typically including the Identity of the pourer, the bottle, the identity of the barman and ambient conditions that may be sensed such as the temperature.
- the base station 15 processes the information to verify that a pour is appropriate and to determine the volume of pour to be given by accessing stored information taking into account the type of drink being poured and the ambient conditions, as appropriate. This time via a conversion within the pourer 14 is then signalled to the beverage dispensing controller 23, which opens the valve for the defined period.
- a second tilt valve is provided, the second tilt valve being oriented in the opposite direction to the first tilt valve to thereby be able to sense when the container 12 is returned to an upright condition.
- the valve is opened a second time for a short period (perhaps 1 second) by the beverage dispensing controller 23. In this time, remaining beverage in the soft tubular member 82 between the valve and the external mouth of the soft tubular member 82 is able to drain back into the bottle 12. In another preferred arrangement this is necessary in order to obtain very precise control of the volume dispensed which is required to satisfy regulatory authorities.
- the existence of the second tilt valve enables the pourer 14 to dispense in a second mode.
- the barman may wish to pour until the customer is satisfied, called a free-pour mode.
- the mode to be used will be dependent upon the barmans pourer profile which is associated with the personal identification means 17 (ring) the barman is wearing.
- the valve is opened when the first tilt valve signals that the container 12 has been inverted and the second tilt valve signals the end of the free-pour when the container 12 is upright.
- the pourer 14 calculates the volume dispensed from the bottle 12 during a free-pour and sends this information to a base station 15 to determine the charge to be levied.
- Each pourer will be provided with a rechargeable battery in order to meet the power requirements of the pourer 14. These batteries will require regular charging in order to satisfy the drain on power. In a preferred arrangement the charging can be undertaken without disturbing bar operation, by charging provided by an induction method so that no electrical connection need be made directly to the pourer 14. Such techniques are known to those skilled in the art and similar principles to those used to charge electric toothbrushes could be implemented.
- the charger is arranged so that it is housed within a frame used to support the container 12 when it is idle, thereby ensuring that the pourer 14 is kept in a charged state.
- the beverage dispensing controller 23 incorporates circuitry to monitor the battery condition and to signal the base station 15 in the event that the voltage is excessively low.
- the pourer 14 can be recharged by placing the pourer 14 on or over a contact type charger 130.
- the charger 130 can include contact elements 200 about the periphery of the top of the charger 130.
- the pourer 14 can then be placed over the charger 130 such that the base portion slides over charger 130 until pins protruding through holes 3 on the cap body 141 come in to contact with the charger contacts 200.
- the charger contacts may be a ring about the periphery of the charger 130 or alternatively are placed over the top of the charger 130.
- the charger contacts can then be connected to the battery terminals or another source of power to thereby enable the battery of the pourer 14 to be recharged.
- a pourer 14 attached to a beverage container 12 such as a bottle can remain in a low power 'sleep' mode until woken up by either a tilt sensor, which indicates a user would like to pour a drink, or the magnetic reed switch, which indicates that a scanner 18 is in close proximity. While inactive, the pourer 14 can wake itself up periodically (typically every hour) to send a 'heartbeat' message to the base station 15. The 'heartbeat' message tells the system that the pourer 14 is in good working order and indicates the battery level. If the battery level falls below a preset level an alarm is generated in the system manager located on the server 15 and an indicator LED on the pourer 14 can start to intermittently flash, indicating that the unit requires recharging. In the preferred arrangement the system may be configured such that only the pourer 14 can initiate communication with a base station 15. In some configurations a heartbeat message is also an opportunity for the base station 15 to respond with any system configuration changes for the pourer 14.
- a pourer 14 may also be woken from 'sleep' mode by a scanner 18, the pourer 14 can use various communication protocols depending on the implementation form a data link via Infra Red (IR) communication with the scanner 18.
- the scanner 18 will be making either a lock request, in this case the barcode of the beverage container 12 in question will be sent to the pourer 14 or an unlock request in which case no additional data need be sent.
- the pourer 14 will then activate its RFID reader to determine the identity of the user holding the scanner 18 or pourer 14, and send such information to a base station 15.
- the RFID reader in the pourer 14 can read the user's personal identification unit 17, for example a ring tag because the user has his/her hand wrapped around the scanner 18, which is in turn sitting on top of the pourer 14, bringing the ring tag 17 within range of the pourer's RFID reader.
- Pourers 14 and base stations 15 communicate using a communication protocol that deal with issues such as packet collision, retransmission, duplicates and error checking.
- the base station 15 that receives the lock/unlock request looks up the user from the personal identification unit 17 (RFID tag ID), looks up the product from which the pourer 14 is associated with from the barcode, and from these two sets of attributes, along with a set of configured business rules, determines the correct response which is sent back to the pourer 14.
- the pourer 14 is associated with the supplied barcode and the solenoid (which will be described below) that controls the locking mechanism of the pourer 14 will be activated.
- a successful unlock request performs the reverse; the pourer 14 is disassociated from the barcode, and the mechanism is unlocked allowing removal of the pourer 14 from the beverage container 12.
- a pour request when required it causes the RFID reader in the pourer 14 to read the personal identification unit 17 (ring tag) of the bartender, whose ID is sent to the base station 15 along with other data such as the beverage container 12 barcode.
- the base station 15 uses the tag ID and barcode to determine whether the pour request should be authorised and if so whether it is a freepour or a set portion size. If the portion is a set size the pinch valve (described below) will be opened only until the specified amount of liquor has been dispensed. If freepour, the valve will remain open until the bottle is no longer inverted.
- a pour update is sent to the base station 15 indicating the amount of liquor that was dispensed.
- a failsafe can be configured to deliver a preset portion size.
- the base stations 15 include computer systems having communication means to communicate with one or more pourers 14.
- the base station includes a microcontroller with a number of peripherals including, a WiFi card, connected to a radio transceiver via serial connection.
- the base station 15 uses the radio transceiver to communicate wirelessly with the pourers 14, and the WiFi card to communicate with other base stations 15 and the server 16.
- the base station 15 responds to pour and lock/unlock requests from the pourer 14, and stores pourer activity information.
- the base station 15 sends the pourer activity data to the poller 9 via WiFi or Ethernet using TCP/IP protocol.
- the base station 15 also receives configuration data such as user information, location information and global settings from the poller 9 via the WiFi or Ethernet.
- the base station 15 software is completely stand-alone, and does not require a connection to the server 16 for normal operation. Three base stations 15 would normally be located within each coverage area to provide a fault free operation even in the unlikely event that a single unit were to fail.
- a base station RFID reader is a device that connects to a base station 15 via a RS232 serial cable. It is used by the system manager to read a personal identification unit 17 (ring tag ID) so that a physical ring tag can be associated with a particular employee.
- ring tag ID personal identification unit 17
- the function of the base station 15 is to act as a go between for the pourers 14 and system manager/poller located on the server 16. Since system manager/poller reside on a server, there is no guarantee that these resources will be available all the time.
- the system manager 8 is the interface that is used to enter configuration data, and the poller 9 is responsible for propagating this data to the base stations 15. Once configured the base stations 15 operate independently, receiving and responding to pourer 14 requests without the need for any additional resources or connectivity. This ensures no interruption to normal bar operations in the event of a network or server 16 failure.
- the base station 15 is a server type device. In other words, it does not initiate connections to other devices, it only responds to them. For example a request may include of one of the following:
- Configuration data from the poller 9 can include data in relation to users, inventory, or general configuration of the beverage control system 11.
- the poller 9 will connect to each base station 15 and request a list of all pourer 14 activity since the last request.
- activity data from one base station 15 will contain one or more duplicate events - that is, a pourer 14 transaction that has already been received from another base station 15.
- a poller uses a unique pourer 14 event ID to eliminate these duplicates as each event is imported into the master transaction database located on the server 16.
- the poller 9 additional responsibilities include maintenance and regular predetermined data removal from the system transaction database, automatic generation of scheduled reports and the automatic running of scheduled data imports and exports from and to 3 rd party software applications.
- the data import and export is carried out by the poller 9, completely independent of the system manager 8.
- the system manager 8 determines when the poller 9 will import and export information.
- the system manager 8 provides the poller 9 with scheduling information to carry out the import and export of data.
- the server 16 includes a computer system which controls and manages the system 11.
- the server 16 is simply a front-end interface for the user to configure the system, store pre-determined data such as the barman's name, and their pourer profile, and record the data that is produced.
- the server 16 houses the system manager 8 and also the poller 9.
- the poller 9 is a windows service application that runs in the background on a separate server that can be networked with the server 16 housing the system manager 8.
- the system manager 8 is a windows forms application that is the user 10 interface to the system.
- the system manager allows the user 10 to configure every aspect of the system including pourers 14, base stations 15, user access levels, inventory attributes, imports (user, inventory and POS) and exports (user, inventory and access) data to other 3 rd party applications and generates reports. All configuration data is held on the server 16, and any changes made by the user 10 are automatically propagated to all base stations 15 by the poller 9 via WiFi or ethemet. A base station 15 will store all activity data locally until the poller 9 periodically polls the base station 15, at which time it will transfer the data via the poller 9 to the server 16. The server 16 only needs to be on in order to make configuration changes or access the usage data produced by the system 11. Thus a server 16 failure will not impact the normal operation of the bar.
- system manager 8 is now described in relation to the beverage control system 11 the system manager 8 ("SM") is a Windows forms application that is the front end interface to the system 11 for the user 10. It operates in either manager mode or admin mode. Admin mode is started by entering the admin password, and simply provides access to additional configuration and reporting functionality. Admin mode is for the IT manager or system installer, whereas manager mode is for the bar manager who is usually a non technical person.
- SM System Manager 8
- manager mode there are 4 configuration screens available - users, inventory, activity and reports.
- Admin mode adds global settings, locations, base stations, imports, exports and spouts (spouts is the SM name for pourers 14).
- the user screen allows the manager to add, remove and edit users.
- user records may contain the following information:
- the user screen also displays the 'scan tag' button.
- the scan tag button allows the manager to associate a user with a personal identification unit 17 (ring tag), and to select the user from the user list.
- a manager may select the ring tag reader to use from the combo box (these are all the serial ports defined as type TAGR in the base station 15 configuration screen), then click 'scan tag'.
- SM establishes a link with the selected tag reader via the base station 15 that the reader is connected to, using a user datagram protocol (UDP).
- UDP user datagram protocol
- the tag ID is associated with the selected user in the user database. This database change in turn causes the poller 9 to propagate the new tag information to each base station 15.
- each inventory record may contain the following information:
- the system 11 is supplied with a default master inventory list that can be referenced when adding an inventory item.
- the master list contains barcode, name, unit size and viscosity information for about 1 ,000 of the most popular brands of liquor.
- the system Before the system can accurately measure dispensed volumes for a given liquor, it must be calibrated to determine a viscosity value for that liquor. In a preferred arrangement this is achieved by clicking the 'calibrate' button on the edit/add inventory item screen. The user is stepped through a simple procedure that involves pouring 3 separate amounts of the liquor in question, and reporting the amount of liquor dispensed in each case. The system manager 8 compares the data with a theoretically calculated volume to determine the actual viscosity factor.
- the activity screen is a monitoring and diagnostic tool. Every human generated event in the system 11 (pour, lock, unlock) is displayed in real time, along with supplementary data that indicates the outcome of the event (success or failure, how much liquor was poured etc). This data can be used to spot system and user-level problems as they occur.
- the reports screen allows the manager to define and schedule reports. Reports can be run automatically at defined intervals (daily, weekly, monthly) and can cover any reporting period required. Reports can also be run immediately on an adhoc basis for immediate viewing. Generation reports can be automatically printed, emailed or saved to a folder for later viewing. Reports are generated in the popular PDF format for widest possible compatibility. Many reporting options are available such as reporting by user or inventory, by location or location groups and specific time intervals. The Global settings allow the manipulation of several low level installation-specific parameters. An example of some parameters are displayed as follows:
- the Locations screen is where the installer can define the physical serving areas. Locations are related to activity by specifying a location for each base station 15 in the base stations configuration screen. As an example the locations may have the following attributes:
- Base stations screen allows the adding, removal and editing of base stations 15 in the system.
- Base station 15 attributes broadly relate to the base station's network settings and hardware configuration, examples of these are as follows:
- the 'scan network' button on the base station screen causes a broadcast UDP packet to be sent out on the LAN which each directly connected base station 15 will respond to.
- This is a convenient way of configuring multiple base stations 15 in one go, as it will detect any base stations 15 either not in the database or with incorrect IP address settings.
- the poller 9 uses a similar scan network function before each base station 15 polling run to make sure it's IP address information is up to date.
- DHCP dynamic host configuration protocol
- DHCP dynamic host configuration protocol
- the export screen is where the admin can configure regular exports of user, inventory and activity data.
- the export format is a standard comma delimited ASCII file.
- Various date and volume formats can be selected for maximum compatibility with third party software, along with options for full or incremental data sets.
- the poller 9 automatically runs exports at the configured intervals, or immediately when the 'force run now' button is clicked in the SM 8.
- the import screen permits the configuration of multiple data imports.
- a data import can be user, inventory or point of sale (POS).
- POS point of sale
- a user import might come from a payroll system, inventory from the inventory system and point of sale from a POS system.
- Multiple options allow configuration of date formats, volume units, delimiter characters, field order and actions to take prior to and after an import.
- one import option relates to duplicate entries. Where an item already exists in the database, the new item can either overwrite the existing one, be discarded or partially imported, ie only specific fields will be overwritten.
- Various options also exist for extracting import data from subfields within comma delimited fields.
- the spouts screen is a diagnostic tool that shows the status of every pourer 14 at a glance.
- Each pourer 14 is listed, along with vital statistics such as battery level, temperature, the beverage container 12 product it is associated with (if any), physical location, and the time and date of the last activity and heartbeat updates. Also tracked is the valve usage counter. This is a variable that is factory programmed to zero at manufacture time, and increments every time the flexible pinch valve tube is compressed. It's not known at this time what the expected life of the tube will be, but eventually this counter will be needed to track pourers 14 that have valves approaching their end of life.
- the server can also manage the stock control of the enterprise and charging of customers.
- the software of the server 16 can be configured to automatically identify the charge per serve to be made.
- a RFID sensor can also be integrated with the cash registers of the enterprise. When the barman 10 operates a cash register, he is identified at the cash register and the last drink poured and the outstanding fee is displayed. He need only enter the amount which has been tendered by the customer and the change will be identified. As a result, the time at the cash register and the risk of error will be reduced.
- a more sophisticated scanner 91 is provided.
- This scanner 91 includes an elongate body having a scanning means 92 centrally located along its length in a central portion 93. At a first end 94, a single magnet 95 is provided while at the opposed second end 96 two magnets 97 and 98 are provided, disposed at differing positions from the second end.
- the first end 94 and the second end 96 are of sufficiently small diameter to enable a respective end to be inserted a short way into the mouth of the upper end of the housing portion 41 of the pourer body 31.
- the central portion 93 is of enlarged diameter to prevent the scanner 90 from being inserted excessively.
- the beverage dispensing controller 23 of this embodiment incorporates a pair of magnetic reed switches (not shown) disposed proximate the mouth of the body 41 of the pourer, the second switch being disposed more inwardly with the pourer 14, than the first.
- the first magnetic reed switch is caused to close by the magnet 95 at the first end 94. This is interpreted as an unlock instruction by the beverage dispensing controller.
- the RFID tag reader scans for the identity of the barman to ensure that this action is authorised, and the beverage dispensing controller 23 thereafter unlocks the locking means.
- the second magnetic reed switch When the second end 96 of the scanner 90 is inserted into the pourer, the second magnetic reed switch is caused to close by the magnet 98 while the first magnetic reed switch is held closed by magnet 97. This response is interpreted as a lock signal. The identity of the barman is determined and to complete the locking process, the scanner must then be used to scan the barcode of the container. Once the container is identified the beverage dispensing controller 23 completes the locking operation. In this way the system is reliably provided with the identity of the container at the time the pourer 14 is locked to it.
- the scanner 91 consists of an elongate body 93 and a cap 109.
- the body 93 houses a magnet 111 used to activate the reed switch of the pourer 14 to indicate that the scanner 91 is in close proximity.
- the cap 109 houses the scanner head 112 used to scan the barcode of the beverage container 12.
- the cap 109 also houses the battery 110 which powers the scanner 91 and lock/unlock switches 106 and 107.
- An indicator LED 108 is also housed in the cap 109 to indicate the charge level of the battery 110 and can also be used to give a visual indication of a successful scan of the container barcode.
- the scanner body 93 fits over the pourer cap 19 to lock/unlock the pourer 14 from a beverage container 12.
- the scanner body 93 can also be used in conjunction with the battery charger 130 of Figures 24a and 24b to house the battery charger 130.
- the battery charger 130 is placed inside the body 93 and located within the charging locater holes 3 to change the battery 2b.
- the scanner itself does not contain an RFID tag reader, therefore when held by a user wearing an RFID tag reader, for example a ring on a finger of the hand holding the scanner, the pourer will identify if the user is authorised to lock/unlock a pourer 14.
- the lock switch is pressed on the scanner the scanner can then scan the bar code. Once the bar code has been scanned the scanner is then placed on top of the pourer 14.
- the permanent magnet located within the scanner activates the reed switch in the pourer.
- the reed switch then activates an infrared sensor which sets up an infrared link between the pourer and scanner to enable the exchange of necessary data such as the bar code of the beverage container and the signal to lock.
- the pourer then activates an RFID reader which detects the identification of the user. Once the users identification is detected the pourer sends data to the base station which then checks and authorises or declines the request to lock the pourer.
- valve mechanism described above can be replaced with a valve able to sense the volume or flow rate of the beverage dispensed.
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (2)
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AU2005276947A AU2005276947A1 (en) | 2004-08-25 | 2005-08-24 | Beverage control system |
US11/660,874 US20080195251A1 (en) | 2004-08-25 | 2005-08-24 | Beverage Control System |
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AU2004904823A AU2004904823A0 (en) | 2004-08-25 | Beverage Control System | |
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US8162176B2 (en) | 2007-09-06 | 2012-04-24 | The Coca-Cola Company | Method and apparatuses for providing a selectable beverage |
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