Beverage dispensing systems and methods
A beverage dispensing system includes a point of sale and one or more free-pour and/or controlled-pour spouts. The system receives data at the point of sale that includes a beverage selection entered at a user interface and determines the ingredients in the beverage selection. A dispensing instruction is sent to one of the controlled-pour spouts to dispense a quantity of the ingredient based at least in part on the beverage selection. For the free-pour spouts, a quantity of the ingredient is measured as the ingredient is dispensed from a container through a free-pour spout. The point of sale receives data that includes the identity of the ingredient and the measured quantity. A price of the beverage selection is calculated based at least in part on the ingredients dispensed and the quantities thereof. The price may be automatically calculated upon dispensing of the beverage selection.
1. A beverage dispensing system, comprising:
a first dispensing element secured to a first beverage container containing a first ingredient;
a free-pour spout having a first sensor secured to and in physical contact with the first dispensing element and configured to measure a length of time the first beverage container is inverted and dispensing the first ingredient; and
a processor electrically coupled to the first sensor, the processor configured to:
receive data that includes a beverage selection,
determine at least one ingredient in the beverage selection,
calculate a quantity of the at least one ingredient in the beverage selection based on the measured length of time the first beverage container is inverted and dispensing the first ingredient,
generate a dispensing instruction that includes data instructing the first sensor to dispense a first quantity of the first ingredient according to the dispensing instruction,
send data including the dispensing instruction to the first sensor, wherein the first sensor and the first dispensing element are configured to dispense the first ingredient according to the dispensing instruction, and
calculate a price of the beverage selection based at least in part on the first quantity.
2. The beverage dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor is integral with the first dispensing element.
3. The beverage dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is wirelessly connected to the first sensor.
4. The beverage dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor includes at least one of an inclinometer and a flow meter.
5. The beverage dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the beverage selection includes a first ingredient and a second ingredient.
6. The beverage dispensing system of claim 5 , further comprising:
a second dispensing element secured to a second beverage container containing a second ingredient;
a second sensor secured to the second dispensing element;
wherein the processor is electrically coupled to the second sensor and is further configured to:
determine that the beverage selection includes the first ingredient and the second ingredient,
generate a second dispensing instruction that includes data instructing the second sensor to dispense the second quantity of the second ingredient according to the second dispensing instruction, and
send data including the second dispensing instruction the second sensor.
7. The beverage dispensing system of claim 5 , wherein the price of the beverage selection is based at least in part on the first ingredient and the second ingredient.
8. The beverage dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the price of the beverage selection is calculated after the data including the dispensing instruction is sent to the first sensor.
9. The beverage dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the price is calculated without user action.
10. The beverage dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to calculate the quantity of the at least one ingredient in the beverage selection based on the measured length of time the first beverage container is inverted and dispensing the first ingredient and at least one of a viscosity of the first ingredient and a flow rate of the first dispensing element.
11. The beverage dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to generate pre-pour instructions that include at least one of a glass type, a quantity of ice and a garnish, the pre-pour instruction based on at least one of the beverage selection, the calculated quantity of the at least one ingredient, and the generated dispensing instruction, and the beverage dispensing system further comprising a user interface electrically coupled to the processor, the user interface including a touchscreen that is configured to receive the data that includes the beverage selection and is also configured to display the generated dispensing instruction and a prompt providing an option to display the generated pre-pour instructions.
12. A beverage dispensing system, comprising:
a first dispensing element secured to a first beverage container containing a first ingredient;
a free-pour spout having a first sensor secured to and in physical contact with the first dispensing element and configured to identify the first ingredient and measure the quantity of the first ingredient that is dispensed from the free-pour spout; and
a processor electrically coupled to the first sensor, the processor configured to:
receive data that includes a beverage selection,
determine at least one ingredient in the beverage selection,
calculate a quantity of the at least one ingredient in the beverage selection based on the measured quantity of the first identified ingredient,
generate a dispensing instruction that includes data instructing the first sensor to dispense a first quantity of the first ingredient according to the dispensing instruction,
generate pre-pour instructions that include at least one of a glass type, a quantity of ice and a garnish, the pre-pour instructions based on at least one of the beverage selection, the calculated quantity of the at least one ingredient, and the generated dispensing instruction,
send data including the dispensing instruction to the first sensor, wherein the first sensor and the first dispensing element are configured to dispense the first ingredient according to the dispensing instruction, and
calculate a price of the beverage selection based at least in part on the first quantity;
a user interface electrically coupled to the processor, the user interface including a touchscreen that is configured to receive the data that includes the beverage selection and is also configured to display the generated dispensing instruction and a prompt providing an option to display the generated pre-pour instructions.
13. The beverage dispensing system of claim 12 , wherein the pre-pour instructions include selecting a glass type from multiple glass types.
14. The beverage dispensing system of claim 12 , wherein the pre-pour instructions include selecting the quantity of ice.
15. The beverage dispensing system of claim 12 , wherein the pre-pour instructions include selecting a necessary or requested garnish.
16. The beverage dispensing system of claim 12 , wherein the user interface is further configured to bypass the display of the pre-pour instructions when a user selects the prompt to bypass the generated pre-pour instructions.
17. The beverage dispensing system of claim 12 , wherein the user interface is further configured to display the pre-pour instructions when a user selects the prompt to display the pre-pour instructions.
18. The beverage dispensing system of claim 12 , further comprising a point of sale system electrically coupled to the processor of the beverage dispensing system, the point of sale system configured to receive a unique user identifier and allow a user to a select beverage to be dispensed.
19. The point of sale system of claim 18 , further configured to record the dispensed beverage, the unique user identifier and the calculated cost of the beverage.