CA1335984C - Container device for distributing a drinkable liquid under pressure from a gas - Google Patents

Container device for distributing a drinkable liquid under pressure from a gas

Info

Publication number
CA1335984C
CA1335984C CA000602882A CA602882A CA1335984C CA 1335984 C CA1335984 C CA 1335984C CA 000602882 A CA000602882 A CA 000602882A CA 602882 A CA602882 A CA 602882A CA 1335984 C CA1335984 C CA 1335984C
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
container
liquid
gas
high pressure
valve
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Fee Related
Application number
CA000602882A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Andre Thix
Bernt Ipsen
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Micro Matic AS
Original Assignee
Micro Matic AS
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Micro Matic AS filed Critical Micro Matic AS
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1335984C publication Critical patent/CA1335984C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B67OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
    • B67DDISPENSING, DELIVERING OR TRANSFERRING LIQUIDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B67D1/00Apparatus or devices for dispensing beverages on draught
    • B67D1/04Apparatus utilising compressed air or other gas acting directly or indirectly on beverages in storage containers
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B67OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
    • B67DDISPENSING, DELIVERING OR TRANSFERRING LIQUIDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B67D1/00Apparatus or devices for dispensing beverages on draught
    • B67D1/04Apparatus utilising compressed air or other gas acting directly or indirectly on beverages in storage containers
    • B67D1/0412Apparatus utilising compressed air or other gas acting directly or indirectly on beverages in storage containers the whole dispensing unit being fixed to the container
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B67OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
    • B67DDISPENSING, DELIVERING OR TRANSFERRING LIQUIDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B67D1/00Apparatus or devices for dispensing beverages on draught
    • B67D1/0042Details of specific parts of the dispensers
    • B67D1/0081Dispensing valves
    • B67D2001/0087Dispensing valves being mounted on the dispenser housing
    • B67D2001/0089Dispensing valves being mounted on the dispenser housing operated by lever means

Abstract

A container device serves to distribute a preferably drinkable liquid, such as beer, wine, mineral water or juice, under pressure from a gas, e.g. CO2. The container device comprises a liquid container with a combined gas and liquid valve and a coupling head which may detachably be coupled with the gas and liquid valve with a view to dispensing liquid from the liquid container and adding gas via a reduction valve from a reservoir of liquefied gas in a pressure container. The pressure container comprises at least one such high pressure container which forms a component firmly integrated with the liquid container. Hereby, without noticeable increase in its overall volume, the container itself can hold and carry a sufficient amount of propellant gas for emptying the liquid container of liquid.

Description

13~5984 A container device for distributing a drinkable liquid under pressure from a gas ______________________________________________~_______ The invention concerns a container device for distribut-ing a preferably drinkable liquid, such as beer, wine, mineral water or juice, under pressure from a gas, e.g. CO2, comprising a liquid container with a combined gas and liquid valve and a coupling head which may be detachably coupled with the gas and liquid valve for dispensing liquid from the liquid container~and adding gas via a reduction valve from a reservoir of liquefied gas in a high pressure container.

Such containers, which are generally called casks or kegs, are widely used nowadays for distributing e.g.
beer, which is maintained in the container under a CO2 pressure of about 3 bar, with a view to keeping the beer fresh and giving it its special fizzy and foaming character. The container is opened by mounting on its valve a special coupling head which is in turn connected with a dispensing valve via a line. During dispensing the gas now also acts as a propellant gas, which however follows the beverage out of the container to a certain extent. To remedy the adverse consequences of this, it is necessary successively to supplement the gas content of the container with new gas as the beverage is dispensed, and with the present state of the art this takes place by connecting the gas inlet of the coupling head via a reduction valve with a sepa-rate bottle or with disposable cartridges in which the gas is present in a liquefied state. This is cum-bersome and time consuming in any event, and in parti-cular when bottles are used, requiring relatively com-plicated connections, while on the other hand the costs are increased considerably when cartridges are used instead, since emptying of just one container takes several cartridges which will then have to be discarded afterwards.

It has been attempted to remedy these drawbacks by arranging an additional chamber upwardly in an otherwise conventional beverage container by means of a partition.
The consumer then fills this chamber in advance with sufficient gas for emptying the container of the beve-rage. This essentially solves the above-mentioned prob-lems since the user no longer has to use separa-te gas bottles or cartridges, but owing to the excessively great volume of the gas this new type of container takes up much more room than previously, which adds to the transport and handling costs.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a container device of the type mentioned in the opening paragraph, which itself can contain the necessary gas amount for emptying the beverage without noticeable increase in the total volume of the container, and which is also easier and quicker to mount when it is to be used, than known before.

This is obtained in that the container device of the invention is characterized in that at least a high pressure container for liquefiéd gas constitues a com-ponent integral with the liquid container, whereby the transportabl-e cont~iner can hold sufficient gas for emptying without its overall volume being notice-ably increased since the gas in liquified form only has a very small volume.

According to the invention, the high pressure container may be a cylinder or ring shaped pressure container which is secured to the liquid container by means of joining method, such as welding, soldering, seaming or screwing. The transport container is hereby divided into two chambers, one of which is a low pressure chamber for the liquid and the other a high pressure chamber for the liquefied gas.

In a preferred embodiment, the high pressure container may moreover according to the invention be a cylinder or ring-shaped pressure container, which is embedded in a jacket of e.g. foam plastics which surrounds the liquid container and is firmly connected with it, so that the high pressure chamber and its boundaries will be disposed completely outside the low pressure~chamber, which is thus easier to clean.

Moreover, according to the invention, the container device may comprise one or more high pressure containers, each of which is adapted to a pressure of at least 60 bar, and the product of this pressure and the container volume in liters may be less than 250, preferably less than 200. The gas can hereby be contained in a liquefied state without the high pressure container or high pres-sure containers being subjected to official and repeated testing and approval requirements, since the sufficient gas amount for emptying the container of liquid is divided, if necessary, between several high pressure containers of this type.

Further, according to the invention, the reduction valve may form a component integral with the liquid container, so that mounting is facilitated considerably when the container is to be used.

Finally, the outlet opening of the reduction valve and the gas and liquid valve may be positioned with mutual axis-spacing, and the coupling head may be equipped with a dispensing valve for the liquid and also be so adapted that in mounted state it partly connects the reduction valve with the gas inlet of the gas and 4 133598~

liquid valve, partly connects the dispensing valve with the liquid outlet of the gas and liquid valve.
This means that the coupling head may be mounted on the transport container in a single operation, which at the same time establishes all the necessary gas and liquid connections for operating the container device and dispensing the liquid.

The invention will be explained more fully by the follow-ing description of preferred embodiments, which are given by way of example and form no limitation in the scope of protection of the invention, with reference to the drawing, in which fig. 1 is a lateral, partially sectional view of a first embodiment of a container device of the invention, fig. 2 is a top view of the same, fig. 3 is a side, partially sectionally view of a second embodiment of the container device of the invention, fig. 4 is a side, partially sectionally view of a third embodiment of a container device of the invention, fig. 5 is a top view of the same, and fig. 6 is a side, partially sectionally view on an enlarged scale of a fragment of the container device according to the invention, where the connections between the coupling head and respectively the reduction valve and the combined gas and liquid valve are shown in detail.

In the figures, which show the various embodiments of the container device of the invention described more fully below, the same parts are indicated by the same reference numbers, while alternatively constructed parts having the same function are indicated by the same reference numerals, but with a prefixed fi~ure corresponding to the respective embodiment.

Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of a container device according to the invention which comprises a liquid container 1 for a beverage, e.g. beer, wine, mineral water or juice, a high pressure container 102 for a liquefied gas, e.g. CO2, welded in said liquid con-tainer, as well as a mounted coupling head 3 whichserves to interconnnect the liquid and high pressure containers. The liquid container 1 may be made of plas-tics, but is usually made of a metal, such as aluminium or stainless steel, and the high pressure container 102 may be made of a corresponding material. The liquid container 1 stands on a foot ring 4 and upwardly has a neck ring 5 in which a combined gas and liquid valve 6, which is not shown in fig. 1 but in fig. 6, is mounted.
In this case, the high pressure container 102 is cylinder shaped and extends vertically through the liquid con-tainer 1, to which it is welded upwardly and downwardly so that the two containers 1, 102 in combination forms a firmly integrated unit.

The liquid container 1 is a low pressure container with a relatively low working pressure, e.g. 3 bar, when the container is used for beer, while the gas container is a high pressure container proper which is filled with gas through a schematically shown filling valve 7, and which, when the propellant gas is CO2, is to withstand a test pressure of 190 bar. When during dispensing of the drinkable liquid the pressure in the liquid container 1 falls below the pressure to which a reduction valve 8, which is welded on the high pressure container 102, has been adjusted, the liquefied gas in it will begin to evaporate and penetrate into the liquid container 1 via the reduction valve 8, the coupling head 3 and the combined gas and liquid valve 6 to replace the gas which follows the liquid d~ring dispensing. In addition to being a propellant gas, the gas serves to keep the beverage fresh in the con-tainer and give e.g. beer its characteristic fizzy and foaming character.

During evaporation the volume of the liquefied gas is multiplied to such an extent that even a very small amount of liquefied gas will be sufficient for emptying a whole liquid container of liquid, and the welded high pressure container 1 can therefore be constructed with relatively small dimensions so that its wall thick-ness will be correspondingly small and it does not restrict the useful volume of the liquid container to any noticeable degree. The transportable container of the invention therefore does not generally speaking take up more room than corresponding conventional con-tainers, not withstanding that it itself holds and carries its own propellant gas.

High pressure containers are subjected to the rules of the authorities, which i.a. require that the con-tainer is to be pressure tested, e.g. every five years.
However, this does not apply in case that the product of volume in liters and pressure in bar is below a predetermined limit value, e.g. 250 or 200, a size which may vary slightly from country to country. Since, as mentioned above, the gas container has a relatively small volume and is nevertheless able to hold the neces-sary gas amount, so small gas containers can normallybe used that the repeated pressure testing, which will be hard and difficult to carry out with such an inte-grated arrangement, is not necessary. If, however, the volume should be so great in particularly large liquid containers that the above-mentioned limit value cannot be observed with one container, more gas con-tainers are used instead according to the invention between which the gas is then distributed so that the limit value will not be exceeded by any of these con-tainers.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the reduction valve 8 is welded upwardly on the high pressure container 102, as mentioned. As shown, the coupling head 3 may be mounted in a single operation, which at the same establishes all connections, as will be explain~d later in connection with fig. 6. In this case, mounting takes place by causing a hook 9 on the coupling head 3 to engage below a rearwardly facing edge 10 on the neck ring 5 and then tilting the coupling head downwardly until a detent 11 is caused to engage a pin 13, disposed on each side of the reduction valve, by means of a spring 12. The coupling head has moreover a dispensing valve 13 which can be activated by a rocker arm 15.

Mounting of this structure requires no special skills or tools and can be performed with just a single manipu-lation, as mentioned, whereupon the container i-s imme-diately ready for use. When the container is empty, it is dismantled merely by releasing the detent 11 by pulling a finger grip 16 provided on the detent 11.

The mechanism described above may also be arranged in many other ways within the scope of the invention.
In this connection it is essential that the gas and liquid connections are established simultaneously with the mounting of the coupling head.

The embodiment of the container device of the invention shown in fig. 3 is quite similar to the container de-vice shown in fig. 1, except that in this case the gas container 202 is shaped as a ring which is welded -in the top of the liquid container 1. This structure has the special advantage that the gas container 202 can obtain a sufficiently large volume with eve~ a very small container diameter since, on the other hand, the ring itself can be provided with a large diameter corresponding to the liquid container.

In both of the cases described above the gas container or the high pressure container was welded with the liquid container. However, according to the invention, the two containers may also be joined to an integrated unit in any other suitable manner which can establish a firm connection between the two components, e.g.
soldering, seaming or screwing.

Figs. 4 and 5 show a third embodiment of the invention where the high pressure container 302, which is ring-shaped in this case, is connected with the liquid con-tainer 1 by means of an outer jacket of e.g. foam plas-tics, such as foamed polyurethan which moulds the two containers 1, 302 to an integrated unitary structure.
Then, the gas container 302 will be disposed completely outside the space in the liquid container 1 in which the beverage container is contained. This embodiment is particularly advantageous since the internal faces of the liquid container can be cleaned more easily and more carefully than in the embodiment described before, where also the high pressure container had faces which touched the beverage. The outer jacket 17 may moreover provide the entire container device with suitable protection during transport and handling and also serve as an insulation to keep the beverage cold. Apart from the above-mentioned amendments, this structure corresponds in all its respects to the embo-diment shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 6 shows in more detail and on an enlarged scale - 9 133598~

the overall arrangement of the valve 6, the coupling head 3 and the reduction valve 8, which is welded on a ring-shaped high pressure container 202 in this case.
The valve 6 is a combined gas and liquid valve which is generally called a tap and which has a gas passage 18 and a liquid passage 19, but may otherwise be of any suitable structure and will therefore not be des-cribed in detail here. Via a liquid channel 20 in the coupling head 3 the liquid passage is connected with the dispensing valve 14 which can be opened by a slight pressure on the rocker arm 15 so that a valve 21 is opened. However, the latter arrangement may also be established in many other ways, e.g. with a rotatable plug. The gas passage communicates with the reduction valve via a gas channel 22 in the coupling head 3.
The structure of the reduction valve 8 is of a known type like the valve 6 and will therefore not be des-cribed more fully here.

As described before, the coupling head is mounted easily and quickly by a single manipulation, thereby providing a seal with respect to the gas and liquid valve 6 by means of an O-ring seal 23 and with respect to the reduction valve 8 by means of another O-ring seal 24.
As will appear, all connections are hereby established automatically via the coupling head 3 so that the liquid container 1 is successively filled with gas from the gas container 202 as the beverage is dispensed from the valve 14.

Claims (11)

1. A container device for distributing a liquid under pressure from a gas, the container device comprising:
a liquid container with a combined gas and liquid valve;
at least one liquified gas high pressure container joined with the liquid container to form an integral unit, said liquified gas high pressure container having a reduction valve mounted thereto to reduce a high pressure of a gas phase coming from the at least one liquified gas high pressure container to a reduced gas pressure in the liquid container; and a coupling head detachably coupled simultaneously with both the combined gas and liquid valve and said reduction valve allowing the gas with reduced pressure from the reduction valve to pass to the liquid container via a gas passage of the combined gas and liquid valve and the liquid to be dispensed under pressure from the gas from the liquid container via a liquid passage of the combined gas and liquid valve.
2. The container device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one liquid gas high pressure container is selected from one of two container shapes, a first container shape being a cylinder and a second container shape being a donut-shape, said liquified gas high pressure container connected to the liquid container by a one of welding, soldering, seaming and screwing.
3. The container device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one liquified gas high pressure container is selected from one of two container shapes, a first container shape being a cylinder and a second container shape being a donut-shape, said at least one liquified gas high pressure container being surrounded by and embedded in a jacket of material surrounding the liquid container.
4. The container device according to claim 3, wherein the material of the jacket is foam plastic.
5. The container device according to claim 1, wherein each of said at least one liquified gas high pressure container has a gas pressure of not less than 60 bar and a product of the gas pressure and a volume in liters of each of said at least one liquified gas high pressure container is not greater than 250 liter-bars.
6. The container device according to claim 1, wherein the reduction valve is integrally connected to both the liquid container and the at least one liquified gas high pressure container.
7. The container device according to claim 1, wherein the coupling head includes a dispensing valve for dispensing liquid; the reduction valve defines a first axis and the combined gas and liquid valve defines a second axis spaced from and parallel to the first axis;
and the coupling head is arranged to connect the reduction valve with the combined gas and liquid valve simultaneously with the connection of the dispensing valve and the combined gas and liquid valve.
8. The container device of claim 1, wherein the liquid container defines a first wall and the at least one liquified gas high pressure container defines a second wall, the first wall being distinct from the second wall such that the liquid container and the at least one liquified gas high pressure container do not share a common wall.
9. The container device of claim 1, further comprising a jacket, wherein both the liquid container and the at least one liquified gas high pressure container are fixed embedded in said jacket and portions of the jacket separate the liquid container from the at least one liquified gas high pressure container.
10. The container device according to claim 1, further comprising a jacket of material surrounding said liquid container, wherein said at least one liquified gas high pressure container is embedded in the jacket of material surrounding the liquid container separated from said liquid container.
11. The container device according to claim 10, wherein the material of the jacket is foam plastic.
CA000602882A 1988-06-23 1989-06-15 Container device for distributing a drinkable liquid under pressure from a gas Expired - Fee Related CA1335984C (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DK344188A DK171915B1 (en) 1988-06-23 1988-06-23 Container device for distributing a potable liquid under pressure of a gas
DK3441/88 1988-06-23

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1335984C true CA1335984C (en) 1995-06-20

Family

ID=8122905

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000602882A Expired - Fee Related CA1335984C (en) 1988-06-23 1989-06-15 Container device for distributing a drinkable liquid under pressure from a gas

Country Status (13)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0422085B1 (en)
JP (1) JP2772089B2 (en)
KR (1) KR900701645A (en)
CN (1) CN1018993B (en)
AT (1) ATE147364T1 (en)
AU (1) AU629225B2 (en)
CA (1) CA1335984C (en)
DD (1) DD283979A5 (en)
DE (2) DE8907059U1 (en)
DK (1) DK171915B1 (en)
ES (1) ES2014162A6 (en)
PT (1) PT90945B (en)
WO (1) WO1989012599A1 (en)

Families Citing this family (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2700159B1 (en) * 1993-01-05 1995-02-10 Air Liquide Unit unit of beverage keg and gas tank.
SE0000058L (en) * 2000-01-11 2001-07-12 Aga Ab "Container device, plant for distribution of a mixture of fluids, and method for distribution of fluids"
DE102004006621B3 (en) * 2004-02-10 2005-07-07 Arthur Schuller Drinks container for storage and dosing of drink has pressure reduction device in flow line between pressure medium chamber and drinks chamber removed and fitted from outside pressure medium chamber
CA2510660A1 (en) * 2004-06-25 2005-12-25 The Hoover Company Handle assembly for a cleaning apparatus
DE202005012157U1 (en) * 2005-07-29 2006-09-14 SCHäFER WERKE GMBH Dispenser for drink has two coupling elements in housing for connection to gas cavity valve and tap device
EP2174888A4 (en) 2007-08-09 2016-06-22 Asahi Breweries Ltd Beverage container and cooling system for the same
CN101648692B (en) * 2009-08-03 2012-08-22 倪建伟 Air pressure adjustable type liquor and beverage delivering mechanism
US8881956B2 (en) * 2012-02-29 2014-11-11 Universidad De Sevilla Dispensing device and methods for emitting atomized spray
US9010588B2 (en) * 2012-05-02 2015-04-21 Coravin, Inc. Method and apparatus for engaging a beverage extraction device with a container
DE102020102112A1 (en) 2020-01-29 2021-07-29 SCHäFER WERKE GMBH Device for removing a liquid from a container with an integrated propellant gas section

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1412321A (en) * 1920-10-20 1922-04-11 Tate William Ramage Appliance for delivering gaseous liquids
US3243085A (en) * 1962-07-05 1966-03-29 Reynolds Metals Co Dispensing container having a gas pressure container therein
DE3261983D1 (en) * 1981-02-24 1985-03-07 Thorn Emi Domestic Appliances Aerated drinks machine
JPS58223858A (en) * 1982-06-21 1983-12-26 Fujitsu Ltd Integrated backup restorage processing system

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DK344188A (en) 1989-12-24
ES2014162A6 (en) 1990-06-16
KR900701645A (en) 1990-12-03
CN1039566A (en) 1990-02-14
DE68927641D1 (en) 1997-02-20
ATE147364T1 (en) 1997-01-15
JPH03505321A (en) 1991-11-21
DD283979A5 (en) 1990-10-31
AU3857589A (en) 1990-01-12
AU629225B2 (en) 1992-10-01
DK171915B1 (en) 1997-08-11
JP2772089B2 (en) 1998-07-02
EP0422085B1 (en) 1997-01-08
WO1989012599A1 (en) 1989-12-28
CN1018993B (en) 1992-11-11
PT90945A (en) 1989-12-29
DK344188D0 (en) 1988-06-23
EP0422085A1 (en) 1991-04-17
DE8907059U1 (en) 1989-07-27
PT90945B (en) 1994-11-30

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