WO2006117367A2

WO2006117367A2 - System for dispensing a plurality of beverages to the public

Info

Publication number: WO2006117367A2
Application number: PCT/EP2006/061970
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ivano Urban
Original assignee: Inntek Srl
Priority date: 2005-05-03
Filing date: 2006-05-02
Publication date: 2006-11-09
Also published as: WO2006117367A3; WO2006117367B1; ITTV20050060A1

Abstract

System for dispensing a plurality of beverages to the public, constituted of a glass with an associated pedestal, a lighting capsule, a dual function device for dispensing the glasses and collecting the same after use, and a polyvalent seating support for the dispenser/collector. The mentioned tools are complementary to each other and devised as a whole so as to achieve a technical-practical, technical economical and technical-environmental optimization in relation to the act of dispensing beverages to the public classified as carbonated beverages, energy drinks, soft drinks, long drinks, juices, aperitifs, beers, alcoholic drinks and spirits as well as the futuristic beverages interacting with sources of light.

Description

SYSTEM FOR DISPENSING A PLURALITY OF BEVERAGES TO THE PUBLIC

Technical Field

This invention describes a multiplicity of tools complementary to each other and assembled as a whole to improve and solve problematic situations, directly or indirectly encountered in the act of dispensing beverages to the public.

The directly complementary function of the tools mentioned in detail below can be described as a system for dispensing a plurality of beverages to the public, such as: thirst-quenching carbonated or plain beverages; soft drinks, long drinks, energy drinks, juices, aperitifs, beers, spirits, as well as the futuristic beverages interacting with electromagnetic radiation in the visible spectrum, as described in the document WO 2004/103125 (International Publication Number), claimed as a

"method for colouring beverages by sources of light".

The present system is made up of the following devices, in this order: - A glass conceived for a one-way use, appropriately devised to be inserted in a pedestal.

- A pedestal appropriately devised for inserting the lower portion of a glass with suitable characteristics. Said pedestal is set up to hold a mobile lighting capsule.

- A lighting capsule as an optional device to be used exclusively for the dispensing of beverages appropriately devised to interact with a close lighting source.

- A device set up for the dual function of dispensing the mentioned glasses and collecting them after use.

A polyvalent holding support for the dispensing and collecting device.

Previous art

In order to grasp the current state of the art on the subject dealt with in this invention, searches were conducted in world-wide data bases, especially bearing on the technologies relating to beverage containers in general, portable electrical lighting devices, and dispensers and collectors of beverage containers. The results of the search have evidenced technical similarities with the devices outlined in this invention, for which, in regard to the diverse objectives and technical-conceptual principles adopted for the tools composing the system claimed here, I rely on the interpretation and careful evaluation on the part of the national and international bodies competent in the matter. Objectives of the invention

The system for dispensing a plurality of beverages to the public as an object of this invention has the main scope of solving problematic situations directly or indirectly encountered by a trade operator, for which, for a better understanding of the solutions described in the invention, indications will now be given on the methods and implements used for this application, while highlighting their strong points and weaknesses.

Glass is, while not the only, the tool most widely used for dispensing beverages to the public, and is found on the market in various forms and sizes appropriately designed for the intended use.

Glass is, because of its technical characteristics, the material most widely used for constructing glasses, its high transparency and surface hardness coefficient combined with a high specific weight in fact offer the consumer an overall view of the beverage contained in the same as well as an excellent manual and labial tactile feeling, all being characteristics which are preferred for the intake of beverages in general.

The use of a glass allows it to be washed after each dispensation, a practice normally handled manually or by appropriate machines such as dishwashers. This action takes a relatively short time to complete, with a consequent expenditure of labour on the part of the operator, apart from a consumption of electrical energy, detergents, water etc., all factors affecting the cost of running the commercial activities involved, as well as the environmental system.

While being listed among the hardest existing materials, glass is fragile toward shocks and above all o a cutting nature, properties that present a potential risk of injuries for an operator, as well as a similar safety risk for a consumer.

While being a fully reusable material, glass can nevertheless not be classed as being an environmentally compatible material, as its producing and recycling process demand the use of high temperature ovens (fusion temperatures of 800- 1100⁰C) with a consequently great expenditure of energies that are presently for the most part generated by processes employing fossil fuels which are held to be highly polluting and incompatible with our environmental system. The oncoming of plastic materials has made it possible, even in sector of dispensing beverages to the public, to achieve important innovations such as break-proof glasses. This innovation, while considered an important public utility, has for technical reasons, such as lightness and a low surface hardness coefficient, failed to meet the favour of consumers and consequently also of the operators of public outlets, which adopt this particular solution solely and exclusively in case of a legal imposition (see the FD&A in the USA). In order to satisfy the particular requirements in the public beverage dispensing sector, the plastics industry has in the past years developed ever more efficient materials and processes to achieve low-cost plastic glasses designed for one-way use, The system of dispensing beverages to the public in one-way containers can in fact be described as a trade industry reaction to meet the technical and practical requirements of public premises handling strong public affluence over short periods, when the use of glasses made of glass would become impractical. The main peculiarity found in using one-way glasses for the dispensing of beverages to the public shows up in the fact that after each dispensation the used glass is discarded, thus sparing the trade operators the labour needed for a disposal of the glasses made of glass, a fact that greatly favours the economic management of public premises, beside raising the safety standards against operator and consumer accidents.

For obvious cost reasons, the one-way glasses available on the market are made of a very thin and geometrically simplified plastic material, factors that negatively affect the stability and handling of the glass in question, thus causing problems of a practical nature to an operator, and substantial discomfort to a consumer's manual and labial touch.

The environmental problem encountered in dispensing beverages to the public while using one-way glasses is mainly derived from the high production of wastes, which apart from causing high volumes and increased collecting charges, are usually admixed to other categories of solid refuse produced in public outlets, which are then disposed of in thermal units with a consequent emission of polluting substances to the atmosphere. After this exemplifying analysis, the objectives of this invention will appear with greater clarity. These are mainly summarized in achieving an optimization of public beverage dispensing, on a technical-practical, technical-economical, and technical- environmental basis. Description of the tools and devices constituting the present system

The system for dispensing a plurality of beverages to the public consists essentially of a series of tools and devices directly complementary to each other, wherein a glass devised for a one-way use and available with an appropriate removable pedestal, a special lighting capsule, a device doubling as a glass dispenser and collector after its use and a polyvalent holding support for the dispenser/collector, the whole befitting the following description: The glass, characterized by the high geometrical quality lent to it by a structural form described as follows: a hollow truncated cone with an open and upward turned base - known hereinafter as the mouth of the glass - and a closed and downwardly turned apex - known hereinafter as the bottom of the glass; the mouth of the glass holds a ring that can be geometrically pictured as a hollow truncated cone with an open top and bottom, whose top is turned upward and firmly attached to the mouth of the glass by a bridge with a semi-toroidal cross section; an outer, truncated-cone shaped upsetting on the base of the glass; semi-pyramidal hollows in the sides of the glass, disposed in a radial direction and with their tips turned toward the mouth of the glass; said semi-pyramidal hollows extend over a height between 4/10^th and 8/10^th of the overall glass height; the geometric shape of said semi-pyramidal hollows appear in a directly inverted and opposite form inside the glass; and there are outer bars turned downward and of a triangular shape, whose tips are of a rounded and hemi-spherical shape, known hereinafter as coupling bars.

Endowing the glass devised for a one-way use with a "form structure" as just described, meaning that is of a very compact plastic material mass achieves a substantial rigidity of the item. The geometry thus described also allows storing the mentioned glasses by superimposing them.

The coupling bars are designed to allow a mobile mechanical coupling between the glass and an appropriate pedestal. Moreover, their length has been conceived so as to prevent jamming one glass into the other when storing them by superposition.

As happens with the one-way glasses available on the market, the glasses described here will also have a packaging formed by a tubular nylon shroud having a minimum inner diameter matching the maximum outer diameter found in the "directional" tube provided in the dispenser/collector. The pedestal is constituted of an internally hollow truncated cone - known hereinafter as conical support - with an open top and bottom portion where the top portion is turned upward; said top portion is to be considered as a final seat for the base of the glass; the outer wall of the conical support carries firmly attached appendices arranged in a radial sense; in regard to the axis of the conical support, said appendices show up as extensions in a vertical sense - known hereinafter as guiding extensions - and in an orthogonal sense - known hereinafter as orthogonal base extensions; the extension of the guiding appendices cover about 1/3 of the height of the semi-pyramidal hollows present on the glass; the geometry of the guiding appendices can figuratively be described as a pyramidally contoured prismatic body; the outer face of the guiding appendices exhibits a semi-conical cross section; the geometry of the orthogonal appendices of the base can be described as being a natural extension of the guiding appendices, and their orthogonal extension ends in forming parts of a circle; the minimum inner diameter formed by said orthogonal base appendices corresponds to the maximum inner diameter of the glass; the wall of the conical support has holes of a circular cross- section located on the sides of the guiding appendices; said circular holes have a cross section equivalent to that of the semi-spheres set at the end of the coupling bars which are present on the outer base of the glass; the distance between the axis of said circular holes and the apex of the cone present on the conical support corresponds to the distance between the base of the bars present on the glass and the axis of the semi-sphere placed at their ends; again on the wall of said conical support and exactly between the appendices, there are triangular holes of a size matching the intermediate transversal cross section between the guiding appendices and the orthogonal appendices of the base; on the perimeter of the apex of said conical support, and exactly between the guiding appendices, there are slots of a rectangular shape arranged in a radial direction. As outlined in the beginning, the device described above has been devised with certain technical characteristics especially intended to meet the problems of stability associated with the use of a glass of a relatively heavy mass, as well as with glasses conceived for one-way use.

Thanks to the guiding appendices suitably adapted to the geometric conformation of the semi-pyramidal hollows present on the glass, the coupling between the glass and the pedestal occurs with extreme easiness and precision, by forcibly directing the coupling of said coupling bars to the intended position where, thanks to a slight pressure, the hemi-spheres present at their ends fit themselves into the circular holes on the wall of the conical support, thus achieving a mobile mechanical coupling between the pedestal and the glass. By holding the pedestal firm and applying a lateral pressure on the base of the glass, the glass and pedestal can be detached, so that the pedestal may be reused for another insert and the glass previously used for beverage dispensing can be re-fitted into an appropriate collector. The triangular holes present on the wall of the conical support allow storing said pedestals by superimposing them, whereby the guiding appendices slide into the triangular holes, thus substantially reducing their encumbrance. Taking into account the fact that the pedestal is a re-usable device for a large number of applications, and that the coupling and uncoupling of the glass causes a friction leading to a consequent wear of the adjacent parts, it will be essential to provide a pedestal made of a construction material with a surface hardness substantially above that of the material envisioned for the construction of the glass. The lighting capsule, which is mainly composed of a container set up to house all electronic components - known hereinafter as a lighting body - and by a lighting body carrying case describable as follows: a lighting body of a hollow cylindrical shape, with one opened and one partially closed end; on the outer wall next to the open end of said container, bars of a semicircular cross section; the above container is devised so as to house "button-type" electrical batteries in a horizontal plane, whose inner diameter matches the maximum diameter of the mentioned electrical batteries; an open-ended hollow cylinder - known hereinafter as guiding cylinder - is present at the centre of the partially closed end, with a height not exceeding 4 mm; the mentioned guiding cylinder is set up to internally house electrical lighting devices of a cylindrical or semi-cylindrical shape fitted with rod- shaped electrodes in a horizontal plane; the diameter of said guiding cylinder equals the sum of the diameter of the electrical lighting device and the tolerance needed to allow a sliding motion of said lighting device in its interior; the outer wall of the container carries longitudinal grooves arranged in a radial direction and distinguished by two different geometric cross-sections - known in the following as lower and upper grooves -; the internal steps formed inside the lighting body as a result of the lower grooves constitute the final seats for the coupling of the button- type batteries; the internal distance between the open end of said container and the bottom of said lower grooves can be described as the distance corresponding to the space occupied by one or more of the superimposed button-shaped batteries; the upper grooves internally conform a suitable seat for a bar appropriately devised to achieve a controlled contact between the positive pole of the electrical feed source and the anode present in the lighting device - known hereinafter as contact bar -; the cathode present on the lighting device is engaged with a special cross-over beam made of a metallic material - known hereinafter as elastic contact beam -; said elastic contact beam rests on the flat section represented by the negative pole of the button-type battery, while maintaining a permanent contact between the cathode of the lighting device and the negative pole of said battery; the lighting body carrying case is internally of a cylindrical shape, with one end opened and the other closed; the internal diameter of said case matches the intermediate diameter measured between the maximum perimeter formed by the bars present on the outer surface of the lighting body and the wall itself; on the outer surface next to the open end of said case there are longitudinal, hook-shaped flaps (known hereinafter as hooks); the circumferential arrangement and the geometry of these hooks can be described as that corresponding to the slots present on the apex of the hollow truncated cone of the pedestal; the height of said case is equal or inferior to the height of the conical support present on the pedestal; the overall height of the lighting body is the same as the measured depth of the case.

The assembly of the lighting capsule can be described as follows: coupling or attaching the cathode to the electrical lighting device on the elastic cross-over contact beam; inserting said electrical lighting device on the guiding cylinder present on the container, positioning of the contact bar in the appropriate rectangular hollow opposite the anode present in the lighting device; inserting the button-type batteries arranged with the negative pole turned toward the lighting device, and pressure-coupling the entire lighting body to the appropriate case. Said lighting capsule is to be considered as a mobile device complementary to the pedestal, to be used solely and exclusively in the presence of a dispensing process to the public of beverages classified as being interactive with lighting sources. The dual function device for dispensing and collecting the glasses is constituted of four elements directly complementary to each other and having peculiar technical features such as a directional tube, an elastic ring, a rigid conical seating ring, and an open containing gasket described in the following order: Directional tube: constituted by a hollow cylinder open at both ends, of a maximum length of 150 mm, - known hereinafter as sliding cylinder -; on the outer wall of said sliding cylinder there are semi-toroidal hollows arranged in a horizontal plane; the internal portion of said sliding cylinder is smooth; at one end of said sliding cylinder there is a conical chamfer, the internal diameter of said sliding cylinder can be described as being a sum of the maximum diameter present on the glass and of the tolerance suitable to guarantee the tetter's sliding motion in its interior; firmly attached to the sliding cylinder and precisely at the end not involved in the conical chamfer, there is a further hollow cylinder - known hereinafter as coupling cylinder - with a diameter and height of the same value reported in connection with the practical function of the "open containing gasket" described in the following.

Elastic ring: composed of a rubbery material with a toroidal cross section and a diameter relatively smaller than the outer diameter of the sliding cylinder. Rigid conical seating ring: constituted of a hollow cylinder - known hereinafter as female cylinder - having open ends and an inner diameter equal to the outer diameter present on the coupling cylinder; a ring with a hollow cross section of a truncated conical shape and a height corresponding to about 2/3 of the height of the female cylinder is firmly attached to one of the ends of the cylinder; concentrically and circumferentially arranged slots are present on the base perimeter of said truncated cone shaped hollow ring. Open containing gasket: describes a funnel with a cylindrical and a conical section; the cylindrical section is appropriately devised with a diameter to be externally inserted into the female cylinder under pressure, and to be fastened to the same by mechanical or adhesive devices; the value of the apex diameter equals the intermediate diameter of the glasses measured next to their mouth; said gasket is made of an elastic, closed cell coated neoprene type or similar; the pressure exerted by the plastic material must be directly proportional to the pressure exerted by the superimposed column of glasses, and suffice to allow extracting the glasses by applying a slight opposite pressure on the glass. The assembling of the accessories which compose the dual function device with the dispensing/collecting portion of the glasses described above occurs in this order: the directional tube and the rigid seating ring are inserted into each other to achieve a coupling, and firmly attached to each other by appropriate glues; the elastic ring is inserted into the outer wall of the directional tube; and the open containment gasket is coupled and attached to the outer wall of the female cylinder.

Taking into account the fact that the size of the dimensional tube depends on the type of glasses intended for dispensing, it is worth pointing out that the subject system employs one or more dispensers/collectors depending on the number of types destined for use.

As just outlined, the dual function device may be employed as a glass dispenser if placed with the open containing gasket turned downward, and as a glass collector if placed with said seat turned upward and inverted toward its interior. The polyvalent support for the glass dispenser and collector, mainly composed of a hollow truncated cone having a wall angle equivalent to the wall angle provided for the conical ring present on the directional tube; the minimum height of the mentioned hollow truncated cone equals or exceeds 2/3 of the height measured in the female cylinder present on the rigid conical ring placed on the directional tube; the internal diameter present at the apex is larger than the value of the maximum outer diameter of the elastic ring placed on the directional tube; firmly attached with the outer wall of the hollow cone, and precisely at an intermediate position between the apex and the base, there are pins of a cylindrical cross section arranged in a vertical and radial sense, whose number and arrangement perfectly fits the slots located on the perimeter of the truncated cone present on the directional tube; the present support is firmly attached to an appropriate bracket provided for attaching to vertical surfaces; said support positioned with the conical apex turned upward represents the support of the dispenser, and with the apex turned downward represents the support for the collector.

Benefits obtainable from implementing the system

Keeping well in mind that the tools and devices composing the present system are the result of a thorough study that revealed with the greatest clarity the convenience in favour of using a one-way glass for dispensing beverages to the public, the advantages directly or indirectly arising from its implementation by the tools and devices constituting the above system will now be listed as follows, a) The coupling of glass and pedestal determines a stability not found in similar products, a characteristic that allows a substantial improvement in the efficiency of the service, prevalently found in a reduction of operating time. Moreover, the sober design offered in synergy with the other technical-geometric characteristics inherent in the glass unit lead to expect a certainly positive reaction to its use on the part of the consumer. b) The availability of a glass dispenser/collector as described above results in order as well as in a substantial reclaiming of space in the working premises, factors that further enhance operating efficiency. c) The packages of used glasses resulting from a run-in operating condition of this system substantially cuts the volumes of refuse and represents an already selected and therefore easily recycled solid urban refuse. d) Based on the fact that the process of recycling plastics consists in reducing the fabricated items to granules by simple milling, the packages of used glasses constitute a real and substantial source of material procurement for the production of new glasses, which is exploitable by organizing their pick-up along with the supply of new glasses, thus achieving considerable savings in the costs of procuring raw material for the producers, as well as providing an additional service of important economical and environmental impact for public premises as well as for the entire community. e) The possibility of optionally adopting a lighting capsule with the right technical lighting characteristics prepares the system for a dispensing to the public of futuristic light-interactive beverages. The method of charging the glasses to the dispenser does not entail any manual contact of the operator with inner and outer surfaces of the glasses, thus offering the consumer a high level of hygiene.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1/17: A glass, B lighting body, C lighting body carrying case, D pedestal. Figure 2/17: Glass assembly, A glass, B-C lighting capsule, D pedestal. Figure 3/17: Glass dispenser/collector and relative seating bracket in a dispensing position, E directional tube, F elastic ring, G rigid conical seating ring, H open containing gasket, I polyvalent seating support for the dispenser-collector. Figure 4/17: Glass dispenser/collector and relative seating bracket in a collecting position (rotated by 180°), E directional tube, F elastic ring, G rigid conical seating ring, H open containing gasket, I polyvalent seating support for the dispenser/collector.

Figure 5/17: illustration of the technical system, J support and complete glass dispenser and collector, K ready to use glass with or without lighting capsule, L glass repositioning into the collector immediately after use, M support and complete dispenser/collector with the packaging of empty glasses. Figure 6/17: technical details of the glass, 1 hollow truncated cone shaped container, 2 semi-pyramidal hollow viewed from inside the container, 3 directly inverted and opposite semi-pyramidal internal hollow, 4 conical ring firmly attached to the mouth of the glass, 5 conical base upsetting, 6 coupling bar, 7 coupling hemi-spheres.

Figure 7/17: details of the glass in a superimposed storing condition evidencing: 1 seating point of the ends of the bars on the internal base of the glass, 2 final position of the bars, 3 decimal gap present between the outer and inner walls of the stacked glasses.

Figure 8/17: pedestal, 1 conic support, 2 guiding appendix, 3 orthogonal base appendix, 4 slits on the apex of the cone, 5 circular holes for coupling the glass, 6 triangular holes for superposition storing. Figure 9/17: display of the coupling direction of the pedestals and their encumbrance after positioning.

Figure 10/17: display of the coupling direction of the pedestals and their encumbrance after positioning.

Figure 11/17: structure of the lighting capsule, 1 lighting body, 2 radial flaps, 3 guiding cylinder, 4 lighting device, 5 lower grooves, 6 upper groves, 7 lighting body carrying case, 8 hooks, 9 circular hole.

Figure 12/17: display of the lighting capsule, ready for use. Figure 13/17: lighting body and devices needed for its proper operation, 1 disposition of the button-type batteries (series), 2 contact bar, 3 electrically insulated surface, 4 point of contact with the positive pole of the button-type battery, 5 elastic contact beam, 6 coupling point between the cathode of the lighting device and the elastic contact beam, 7 lighting device, 8 internal base of the upper groove as a final seating point for the contact bar, 9 internal base of the lower groove as a final seating point for the battery, 10 radial flap. Figure 14/17: moment of switching on the lighting device by pressure, the arrow indicates the direction of the eventual pressure to be exerted directly on the lighting device; the lighting device (1) slides inside the guiding cylinder (2), the cathode (3) of the lighting device set up in a horizontal sense rests on the appendix present on the contact bar (4), thus establishing the contact (5) that triggers the switching on of the lighting device. Upon releasing the pressure the elastic coupling beam (6) returns the lighting device to its original position, thus eliminating the contact between the cathode and the contact bar and consequently turning off the lighting device. Figure 15/17: cross-section of the assembled glass showing the pedestal complete with the lighting capsule, 1 glass, 2 pedestal, 3 lighting capsule, 4 semi-pyramidal hollows, 5 guiding appendices, 6 hemi-spheres present on the coupling bars, 11 circular holes present on the pedestal, 7 slits present on the conical appendix of the pedestal, 8 hooks present on the lighting body carrying case, 9 conical upsetting present on the glass, 10 lighting device. As can be clearly seen in the drawing, the geometries of the glass, the pedestal and the optional lighting capsule are conformed so as to achieve, apart from a perfect coupling between glass and pedestal, the right switching synchrony in the presence of the lighting capsule. Figure 16/17: dispenser/collector with the seating support positioned for dispensing the glasses, 1 sliding cylinder, 2 toroidal hollows, 3 elastic ring, 4 package of glasses, 5 open containing gasket, 6 stack of glasses, 7 holding support, 8 holding support pins, 9 conical ring, 10 female cylinder, 11 coupling cylinder, 12 concentric slits, 13 accessory for fastening the gasket to the female cylinder, 14 conical chamfer, the arrow indicates the exit direction of the glasses. Figure 17/17: dispenser/collector with the seating support positioned for collecting the used glasses, 1 sliding cylinder, 2 toroidal hollows, 3 elastic ring, 4 package of glasses, 5 open upturned containing gasket, 6 inserting direction of the glass, 7 holding support, 8 holding support pins, 9 conical ring, 10 female cylinder, 11 coupling cylinder, 12 concentric slits, 13 accessory for fastening the gasket to the female cylinder, 14 conical chamfer. Best way for implementing the invention

The present system describes the requisites leading its potential application in all those commercial activities that involve dispensing beverages to the public, which is applicable both as a primary system or as an optional system on the occasion of special technical-practical requirements, high public affluence over a short period of time encountered in public premises such as discotheques, night clubs, disco bars, pubs, snack bars etc.

How to realize the invention Except for the electronic devices, the tools adopted in this system have been conceived with technical-geometric features to be constructed from plastic materials by injection processes.

Claims

1) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages to the public, classed as carbonated beverages, energy drinks, soft drinks, long drinks, fruit juices, aperitifs, beers, alcoholics and spirits, as well as futuristic light-interactive beverages. The main objective in actuating this system is a technical-practical, technical-economical, and technical-environmental optimization in relation to the act of dispensing the mentioned beverages to the public, by a coordinated application of particular tools described as follows, in this order:

- A glass conceived for one-way use, appropriately devised with particular technical characteristics allowing it to be coupled onto a suitable pedestal.

- A pedestal appropriately devised with particular technical characteristics allowing it to be coupled to the lower portion of the mentioned glass. Said pedestal is also set up to optionally house a mobile lighting capsule.

- A mobile lighting capsule as an optional device to be used exclusively for dispensing beverages appropriately devised to interact with a close light source (see WO2004103125).

- A device designed for a dual function use in regard to dispensing the mentioned glasses and to collecting them after use.

- A polyvalent holding support for the dispensing/collecting device.

2) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that on the wall of said glass there are hollows of a semi-pyramidal form, arranged in a radial sense and with their peaks turned toward the mouth of the glass.

3) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that the geometric conformation of said semi- pyramidal hollows appears on the inside of the glass in a directly inverted and opposite form.

4) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claim 2 and 3, characterized by the fact that said semi-pyramidal hollows extend over a height between 4/10^th and 8/10^th of the total height envisioned for the glass.

5) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that on the mouth of said glass there is a hollow truncated cone shaped ring with its apex firmly attached to the glass by a bridge of a toroidal form. 6) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that on the base of said glass there is a hollow truncated cone shaped outer upsetting with a closed apex.

7) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that firmly attached to the outer base of said glass, and exactly between the perimeter and the base of the truncated cone upsetting there are bars arranged in a radial sense.

8) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claim 7, characterized by the fact that on the tip of the said bars there is a hemi-sphere.

9) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that said pedestal is constituted of a hollow conical support with appendices firmly attached to its outer wall, arranged in a radial sense and extending in a vertical direction - known hereinafter as guiding appendices - and in an orthogonal direction - known hereinafter as orthogonal base appendices.

10) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claim 9, characterized by the fact that said guiding appendices extend over a height of about 1/3 of the height envisioned for the semi-pyramidal hollows present on the wall of the glass.

11) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claims 9-10, characterized by the fact that said guiding appendices can be described in a geometric figurative sense as being prismatic bodies with a pyramidal profile, partially corresponding to the semi-pyramidal hollows present on the outer surface of the glass.

12) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claim 9, characterized by the fact that said orthogonal base appendices can be described as being natural extensions of the guiding appendices.

13) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claims 9-12, characterized by the fact that the minimum diameter of said orthogonal base appendices corresponds to the maximum diameter encountered on the glass.

14) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claim 9, characterized by the fact that on the wall of said conical support there are circular holes positioned laterally on the walls of the appendices. 15) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claims 7, 8, 9, 14, characterized by the fact that the distance between the axis of said circular holes and the apex of the conical support corresponds to the distance between the base of the bars present on the glass and the axis of the hemi-spheres placed at their extremities.

16) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claim 9, characterized by the fact that on the wall of said conical support there are triangular holes positioned between the appendices and having dimensions equivalent to the intermediate transversal cross section located between the guiding appendices and the orthogonal base appendices.

17) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claim 9, characterized by the fact that on the perimeter of the apex of said conical support, and exactly between the guiding appendices, there are rectangular slits.

18) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that said lighting capsule is mainly constituted of a lighting body of a cylindrical form set up to hold all electronic elements needed for its proper operation, and of a case set up to house the said lighting body.

19) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claim 18, characterized by the fact that said lighting body contains the following electronic elements: a lighting device firmly attached to an elastic metal beam in the form of a tripod, two or more button-type batteries arranged horizontally, and an "-."-shaped bar for a switch-on contact.

20) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claim 18, characterized by the fact that said lighting body holding case is of a hollow cylindrical form with an internal diameter equivalent or greater than the maximum diameter found on the lighting body.

21) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claims 9-18-20, characterized by the fact that the maximum diameter of said lighting body holding case is equivalent to the inside diameter of the apex of the conical support present on the pedestal.

22) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claims 17-18, characterized by the fact that on the outer wall of said lighting body holding case and precisely near its opening, there are hooks perfectly aligned with the rectangular slits located at the apex of the conical support of the pedestal. 23) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claims 1-19, characterized by the fact that the actuating of said lighting capsule occurs by a pressure exerted directly on the lighting device at the instant the glass is coupled to the pedestal.

24) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that said dual-function device is constituted of four elements including: a directional tube, an elastic ring, a conical seating ring, and a containing gasket.

25) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claims 1-24, characterized by the fact that said dual-function device performs the function of dispensing the glasses and of collecting the same by a rotation of 180°.

26) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claim 24, characterized by the fact that said directional tube is constituted of two hollow cylinders firmly attached to each other, where the first one is devised to achieve a sliding motion of the glasses in its interior - the sliding cylinder - and the second or coupling cylinder is devised so as to allow a coupling with the conical seating ring.

27) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claims 24-25, characterized by the fact that on the outer wall of said sliding cylinder there are horizontal hollows with a semi-toroidal cross section.

28) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claim 24, characterized by the fact that said conical seating ring presents slits on its base perimeter.

29) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claim 24, characterized by the fact that said containing gasket is open and can geometrically be described as being a funnel with an apex diameter relatively smaller than the maximum diameter present on the glass.

30) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claims 24-29, characterized by the fact that the material for the construction of said containing gasket is neoprene or a similar elastic material.

31) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that said polyvalent seating support for the dispenser/collector is constituted of a hollow truncated cone shaped ring having a wall angle equivalent to the wall angle envisioned for the conical seating ring firmly attached with a bracket especially devised for attaching to vertical surfaces.

32) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claim 31, characterized by the fact that the minimum internal diameter of said hollow truncated cone is the maximum diameter found on the directional tube including the plastic ring.

33) System for dispensing a plurality of beverages according to claims 28-31, characterized by the fact that there are pins of a cylindrical form firmly attached to the outer surface of said hollow truncated cone and perfectly aligned with the slits present on conical seating ring.