Fluid dispensing tap

Abstract

Certain aspects relate to systems and techniques for smart draft beer taps that can dynamically vary flow rate and control the amount of dispensed head based on one or more of sensed parameters of the beer, the draft beer environment, characteristics of the beer, and on brewery specified pouring standards. The disclosed systems provide networked data communication relating to bar draft beer pouring conditions.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A fluid dispensing tap comprising:
 a housing having a fluid path extending therethrough from an input aperture to an output aperture in a spout of the tap;   a display positioned on a user-facing surface of the housing;   at least one sensor positioned along the fluid path and configured to generate parameter data representing a parameter of fluid flowing along the fluid path;   a variable opening valve positioned along the fluid path and configured to be define a variable area across the fluid path;   an actuator configured to open and close the variable opening valve; and   a controller configured to:
 receive the parameter data from the at least one sensor; 
 based at least partly on the parameter data, determine an extent to which to open or close the variable opening valve, wherein determining the extent is based on real-time sensing of the parameter data; 
 control the actuator to open or close the variable opening valve to the determined extent; and 
 generate an output for presentation on the display based at least partly on the parameter data. 
   
     
     
         2 . The fluid dispensing tap of  claim 1 , further comprising
 a creamer positioned along the fluid path and configured to agitate the fluid and to cause the fluid to transform from a liquid into a foam; and   wherein the controller is further configured to:   
       in response to receiving a creamer activation signal, activate the creamer to agitate the fluid. 
     
     
         3 . The fluid dispensing tap of  claim 2 , wherein the variable opening valve comprises a pinch valve, and wherein the creamer comprises an ultrasonic transducer. 
     
     
         4 . The fluid dispensing tap of  claim 2 , wherein the variable opening valve comprises a mechanical valve, and wherein the creamer comprises an opening in the mechanical valve having a diameter of less than 1 mm. 
     
     
         5 . The fluid dispensing tap of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to output alerts or status indicators on the display in real time based on the parameter data. 
     
     
         6 . The fluid dispensing tap of  claim 1 , further comprising a network connectivity module configured to transmit the parameter data over a network. 
     
     
         7 . The fluid dispensing tap of  claim 1 , wherein the fluid comprises beer, and wherein the controller is configured to determine the extent to which to open or close the variable opening based at least partly on a type of the beer. 
     
     
         8 . The fluid dispensing tap of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises a pressure sensor, temperature sensor, and flow meter. 
     
     
         9 . The fluid dispensing tap of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises a color sensor configured to detect a color of the fluid. 
     
     
         10 . The fluid dispensing tap of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises a pH sensor configured to detect a pH of the fluid. 
     
     
         11 . The fluid dispensing tap of  claim 1 , further comprising a rotatable dial positioned around the display on an exterior of the housing, wherein the controller is configured to:
 receive a signal representing a positioning of the rotatable dial relative to the housing;   identify a pour volume indicated by the positioning of the rotatable dial;   update the display based at least partly on the pour volume; and   identify selected user interface options based on user rotation of the rotatable dial.   
     
     
         12 . The fluid dispensing tap of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to output sensed fluid parameters, maintenance reminders, and alerts when sensed parameters indicate potential problems with a keg, beverage line, beverage, cooling system, gas pressure, draft beverage tower, or tap within a draft beverage system. 
     
     
         13 . The fluid dispensing tap of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to identify specific problems that are likely occurring based on the sensed parameters and to recommend corrective actions to fix the problems. 
     
     
         14 . The fluid dispensing tap of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to output alerts or status indicators on a network-equipped computing device including desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets, e-readers or gaming consoles in real time based on the parameter data. 
     
     
         15 . A networked draft beverage system comprising:
 a server including:
 a data repository configured to store pouring instructions associated with a beverage; and 
 a module configured to connect the server to a network and transmit the pouring instructions to a designated fluid dispensing tap; and 
   a fluid dispensing tap remote from the server and configured for pouring the beverage, the fluid dispensing tap including:
 a housing having a fluid path extending therethrough from an input aperture to an output aperture in a spout of the tap; 
 a variable opening valve positioned along the fluid path and configured to be define a variable area across the fluid path; 
 an actuator configured to open and close the variable opening valve; and 
 a controller configured to:
 receive the pouring instructions over the network; and 
 during pouring of the beverage, control the actuator to open or close the variable opening valve to a determined extent based on the received pouring instructions. 
 
   
     
     
         16 . The networked draft beverage system of  claim 15 , wherein the fluid dispensing tap includes a display configured to display a beverage selection user interface and user interface controls enabling a user to input information indicating that the fluid dispensing tap is fluidically connected to a keg containing the beverage, and wherein the controller is configured to send the information to the server with a request for the pouring instructions. 
     
     
         17 . The networked draft beverage system of  claim 15 , wherein the server is configured to:
 store data representing an inventory of a plurality of beverages served at a venue of the fluid dispensing tap; and   send pouring instructions to the fluid dispensing tap for pouring each of the plurality of beverages.   
     
     
         18 . The networked draft beverage system of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the controller is configured to store the pouring instructions for each of the plurality of beverages;   the fluid dispensing tap includes a display configured to display a beverage selection user interface;   the fluid dispensing tap includes user interface controls enabling a user to make selections from the user interface; and   the controller is configured to:
 cause the display to present, in the beverage selection user interface, a list of the plurality of beverages; and 
 in response to receiving user input selecting the beverage from the list, configure the fluid dispensing tap to pour the beverage according to the stored pouring instructions associated with the beverage. 
   
     
     
         19 . The networked draft beverage system of  claim 15 , wherein the pouring instructions are configurable by a producer that produces the beverage or a distributor of the beverage, and wherein the server is configured to receive the pouring instructions from the producer or the distributor over the network. 
     
     
         20 . The networked draft beverage system of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 a mobile device configured with an application that allows a user to identify the beverage that is fluidically connected to the fluid dispensing tap and to send information regarding the beverage to the server;   wherein the server is configured to:
 identify that the beverage is not represented in the data repository; 
 identify the pouring instructions based on pouring instructions for another beverage analogous to the beverage or based on default pouring instructions for a style of the beverage; and 
 update the data repository to include the beverage.