CA2261328A1

CA2261328A1 - Device for the impregnation of liquids with gases

Info

Publication number: CA2261328A1
Application number: CA002261328A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Michael Pusch
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: KAUTZ PETER
Priority date: 1998-02-10
Filing date: 1999-02-09
Publication date: 1999-08-10
Also published as: IL128434A0; PL331368A1; CZ44599A3; EP0935992A1; SK17099A3; JPH11278595A

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for the impregnation of liquids, in particular beverages, that are filled into liquid containers, in particular bottles, with gases, in particular CO2, comprising first means (12) for connecting a gas source (6), in particular for at least one gas cylinder containing gas, at least one gas filling element (2), connectable to the first connecting means (12), for filling gas into the liquid contained in a liquid container (4), and a control unit (40'), that limits the pressure increase in the liquid container during the filling of the gas to a nominal value. The control unit (40') contains means (60, 64) for the measurement of the gas pressure and adjustment means (54, 72) for a manual adjustment of the nominal value.

Description

DEVICE FOR THE IMPREGNATION
OF LI(,~UIDS WITH GASES
Technical Field The invention concerns a device for the impregnation of liquids, in particular beverages, that are filled in liquid containers, in particular bottles, with gases, in particular C02, comprising a set of first means for connecting a gas source, in particular for a gas cylinder containing gas, at least one gas filling element, connectable to the first connecting means, for filling the gas into the liquid contained in the liquid containers, and a control unit, which limits the pressure increase during the injecting of the gas to a nominal value.
Such devices are known and various types are in practical use, in particular as so-called carbonation devices.
Back rg ound A carbonation device is described in EP 0 472 995 B 1, in which the exterior shape of an inserted bottle is determined using a reference surface, and the pressure increase in the bottle is automati-cally controlled, thus limited, if irregularities in the shape of the bottle are detected. If the shell of the bottle arches outward, the pressure is automatically reduced by a corresponding amount. If the bottle is still too 'thin' , the pressure is increased further until a desired pressure value is reached.
If irregularities of this nature arise, the bottle's position with respect to the reference surface is different from a 'standard position'. A valve is located on the filling head, the piston of which is in contact with the control surface of a stationary cam. Since the filling head is firmly attached to the bottle, the valve attached to it, and thus the valve's piston, follow the movements of the bottle relative to the reference surface, so that the valve piston assumes different positions along the cams, which controls the valve accordingly.
In practical use it has been determined that the use of such bottles with flexible shells does not yield the desired results. Apart from the fact that these bottles must be manufactured from especially high-grade and thus expensive plastic materials, the deformations in the shell, arising due to the elasticity of the material, are comparative-ly small and also not always repeatable, which leads to a relatively inaccurate control function in the known device. In addition, the known device can only be used with bottles of a unique size and with a specific elasticity of the shell, which leaves the known device as not adaptable.
Thus the objective of the invention is to simplify the operation of the regulating valve unit in the device of the above-mentioned type.
The device of the above mentioned type meets this objec-tive through a control unit that contains means for the measurement of the gas pressure and adjustment means for the manual adjustment of the nominal value.

In this invention's device, the gas pressure is determined not, as in the prior art, only indirectly by deforming the bottle, but directly (inside the liquid container or the corresponding supply line).
In addition, the nominal value in this invention's device is not assigned by a 'standard shape' of the bottle with respect to a reference surface, but by a manual setting. Both these measures provide high control accuracy of the control valve unit on one hand and a simplification of the operation on the other hand. In addition, in this invention's device the nominal value can be adjusted manually, which is of advantage for different applications.
Finally, bottles of different sizes and various deforming characteristics can be utilized by this invention's device, in particular also regular glass bottles.
Preferably the control unit is a control valve unit and contains an inlet for gas and an overpressure outlet, which opens and lets gas escape if the pressure in the liquid container reaches the nominal value.
A further development of this embodiment, especially preferred at present, is characterized by the regulating valve unit containing a first channel, leading from the inlet to the overpressure outlet, and a sealing element. This sealing element can be moved between a closed position, in which it blocks the first channel, and an open position, in which it opens the first channel. The sealing element is spring-loaded into the closed position, whereby the initial tension matches the nominal value. This further development offers a particu-larly uncomplicated and still reliable operating design of a regulating valve unit. Practically, such a regulating valve unit contains a spring that rests with one end on the sealing element, and by its other end is mechanically linked with the adjustment means.
Preferably the adjustment means contain an adjusting element, the position of which can be varied, so that the effective length of the spring between its ends can be adjusted.
The adjusting element can be in the form of a movable slide or a pivoted solid of revolution, the circumference of which is mechanically linked with the other end of the spring, whereby the circumference of the adjusting element is in sliding contact with the other end of the spring or a connecting piece arranged in between.
The adjusting element should be supported eccentrically and be circular to provide an effective length variation for the spring.
A further development, especially preferred at present, is characterized by the regulating valve unit comprising a first body, in which are formed the first channel and a cylindrical cavity, into which this first channel opens, a second body, comprising a cylindrical section, by which it is sealed and supported movable in the cylindrical cavity of the first body, a bore, formed in the cylindrical section for accepting the sealing element, and a second channel, leading to the overpressure outlet.

This second body is engaged with the adjusting element, whereby expediently a step is formed in the bore of the cylindrical section of the second body, on which the spring rests with its other end. If the adjusting element is in the form of a pivoted solid of revolution, the second body practically is in sliding contact with the circumference of the adjusting element.
In a further especially preferred embodiment of the inven-tion two connecting means are provided, connecting the inlet of the control valve unit with the liquid container. This embodiment offers the advantage that the control valve unit measures the gas pressure in the liquid container directly, and releases (excess) gas from the liquid container itself to lower the gas pressure in the event the nominal value is exceeded.
An alternative embodiment is possible, in which the control valve unit contains an outlet and is connected to the first connecting means by its inlet and its outlet. In this embodiment, the control valve unit is active in the gas supply line between the gas source and the gas filling element. In a further development of this embodiment, the control valve unit contains a third channel, through which gas is conducted from the gas source to the gas filling element, and from which the first channel branches off, whereby suitably the third channel is also formed in the first body.

The above-described control valve unit can, for example, be used so that it limits the gas pressure in the liquid container to a nominal value by releasing excess gas.
In another preferred embodiment, the control unit affects the closing of the first connecting means, and thus cuts off any further gas supply, if the pressure in the liquid container reaches the nominal value.
Both operating modes can be combined, by providing a blocking unit that is activated by the overpressure outlet of the control valve unit and blocks off the first connecting means . In this especially preferred embodiment the excess gas is used in an adept manner as propelling medium for a blocking unit, whereby the device's ease of operation is increased.
A connector valve unit is generally included in the first connecting means, containing an actuator which can be moved between a closed position, in which the connector valve unit is closed, and an open position, in which the connector valve unit is open, whereby the actuator can be coupled with the blocking unit. The actuator of this connector valve unit preferably is spring-loaded into its closed posi-tion, so that for opening the actuator must only be accordingly pushed, while for closing it simply has to be released.
An especially preferred further development of this embodiment is characterized by the fact that the blocking unit contains -a piston/cylinder arrangement, the cylinder of which is connected to an overpressure outlet, and the piston of which is movable between a neutral position and an operating position. This piston can be coupled with the actuator of the connector valve unit in such a manner that the actuator is moved to its closed position if the piston is acted upon by gas from the overpressure outlet. In this further development, the blocking unit can be realized particularly easily since it is executed pneumatically. Preferably, the piston is spring-loaded into its neutral position, in which the effective volume of the cylinder is smallest, so that the movement into the neutral position does not require any additional impulse, but in the event of a pressure drop in the cylinder is realized through the effect of the spring.
Expediently, a first coupling unit is provided, by which the piston of the blocking unit can be coupled with the actuator of the connector valve unit. This first coupling unit should be equipped with a control button that is operated by the device's user to blow gas into the filling head. The first coupling unit can contain a first swivelling lever, which can be brought in contact with the actuator of the con-nector valve unit.
This first coupling unit can be detachably engaged with the piston of the blocking unit, thus moving the actuator of the con-nector valve unit into its open position, if the piston is in its neutral position. By these means an effective mechanical link between the piston and the first coupling unit is created. As a result of this, the first coupling unit - and in particular a manually operated control button attached to it - remains in a first position as long as gas is conducted into the gas filling element, and thus into the connected liquid containers.
Upon reaching the nominal pressure, the control valve unit opens its overpressure outlet and gas flows into the cylinder of the blocking unit, whereby the piston is moved from its neutral position to its operating position, engaging and moving, or appropriately actuat-ing, the first coupling unit. This in turn causes the actuator of the connector valve unit to be retracted from its open position into its closed position, whereby the connector valve unit and thus the first connecting means are closed, thus preventing further gas from flowing into the gas filling element and the connected liquid container.
Alternatively, a locking element can be provided that effects a locking of the actuator of the connector valve unit in its open position. In addition, the piston of the blocking unit can be engaged by the locking element in such a manner, that the movement of the piston into its operating position releases the locking of the actuator. Thus, in this further development the actuator of the connector valve unit is not held in its open position by a mechanical coupling with the piston, but by action of an external locking element. The piston, on its way from the neutral position into the operating position, activates the locking element in such a manner that it releases the actuator of the connector valve unit and thus releases the locking.

The locking element should be detachably engaged with the first coupling unit when the first coupling unit is in an operating state, in which the actuator of the connector valve unit assumes its opening position. The piston of the blocking unit should be engaged with the locking element in such a manner, that during the movement of the piston into its operating position the engagement of the locking element with the first coupling unit is released. For this purpose the locking element preferably can be moved between a non-locking neutral position and a locking position, and the first coupling unit must be able to be put into a first operating state, closing the connector valve unit, and into a second operating state, opening the connector valve unit. Hereby the first coupling unit contains a catch, into which the locking element engages in its locking position, when the first coupling unit is in its second operating state.
In this fashion the locking is realized in an especially uncomplicated design fashion, whereby the locking element can be spring-loaded into its locking position.
The movement of the piston into the operating position and its actuation of the locking element to release the locking, can, for example, be realized if the locking element contains a cam surface, oriented at an angle to its direction of motion, so that the piston in its movement to its operating position comes into contact with the cam surface, and thus pushes the locking element into its neutral position.

For safety reasons, an air-drain valve is generally con-nected to the gas filling element. This air-drain valve contains an actuator, that can be operated manually by the device's user and can be moved between a closing position, in which the air-drain valve is closed, and an opening position, in which the air-drain valve is open.
In this case a second coupling unit is provided that can be coupled with the actuator of the air-drain valve on one hand, and the blocking unit on the other, in such a manner that a motion of the actuator of the air-drain valve into its opening position causes the blocking unit to close the first connecting means. This method effectively guarantees that the gas source does not supply any more gas if the air-drain valve is already open, thus no gas is wasted.
Preferably, the second coupling unit should be brought into a first and a second operating state, in particular into a first and second operating position. In the first operating state of the second coupling unit the actuator of the air-drain valve should remain in its closing position, and in the second operating state the actuator of the air-drain valve should be brought into its opening position. In this case the second coupling unit should be coupled with the first coupling unit in such a manner that the first coupling unit is engaged with the piston of the blocking unit in the first operating state of the second coupling unit, and that in the second operating state of the second coupling unit the first coupling unit is not engaged by the piston. This guarantees that the connector valve unit, and thus the gas source, is being closed, when the actuator of the air-drain valve is moved to its opening position and the air-drain valve is opened. Practically, the second coupling unit is executed as a second swivelling lever.
Another especially favored further development is charac-terized by the fact that the second coupling unit can be put into a first and a second operating state, preferably into a first and second operat-ing position. The second coupling unit is coupled with the locking element in such a manner that the actuator of the air-drain valve remains in its closing position in the first operating state of the second coupling unit, and that the second coupling unit is brought into its second operating state during a movement of the actuator of the air-drain valve into its opening position, and thus prevents a locking of the actuator of the connector valve unit by the locking element.
Suitably, the locking element is part of the second coup-ling unit, for which purpose the locking element is made as a single-piece with the second coupling unit. Hereby the first operating position of the second coupling unit is the same as the locking position of the locking element, and the second operating position of the second coupling unit is the same as the neutral position of the locking element. Thus this further development in a clever manner combines the motion sequences and functions of locking element and second coupling unit, yielding not only an uncomplicated, but also a space saving, design.
For safety reasons, the gas filling element and thus the attached liquid containers generally are located in a housing, which can be closed by a door. Expediently, the actuator of the air-drain valve is coupled with the door and opens it upon actuation. Thus only a single manipulation is necessary for venting and opening, increasing the ease of operation.
The cylinder should be connectable to the inlet of the air-drain valve by a connecting line, so that the cylinder of the blocking unit is depressurized upon venting, and brought back into its neutral position for a new gas filling process. A constant connection is advantageous, but necessitates a check valve that closes in case of a pressure drop between the connecting line and the cylinder. This guarantees that the piston is only driven by the gas coming from the overpressure outlet of the control valve unit.
Brief Description of Drawings Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of a first embodiment of a device according to the invention for the impregnation of liquids with gas;
Fig. 2 is an enlarged representation with a partial section of a regulating valve used in the first embodiment of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a first schematic representation of a second embodiment of a device for the impregnation of liquids with carbon dioxide;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged representation with a partial section of a regulating valve used in the second embodiment of Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 is a further schematic representation of the second embodiment in a first operating state;
Fig. 6 is the same view as Fig. 5, whereby the shown device is in a second operating state;
Fig. 7 is the same view as Fig. 5, whereby the shown device is in a third operating state;
Fig. 8 is a schematic representation of an embodiment modified with respect to the second embodiment, in a first operating state;
Fig. 9 is the same view as Fig. 8, whereby the shown device is in a second operating state;
Fig. 10 is the same view as Fig. 8, whereby the shown device is in a third operating state;
Fig. 11 is the same view as Fig. 8, whereby the shown device is in a fourth operating state;
Fig. 12 is the same view as Fig. 8, whereby the shown device is in a fifth operating state.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments A first preferred embodiment of a device for the impreg-nation of liquids with gases is illustrated schematically in Figs . 1 and 2. Generally these liquids are beverages that are filled into liquid con-s tamers, in particular bottles, whereby generally C02 or carbonic acid are used as gases. Thus, as a rule, such a device is part of a carbon-ation device.
Fig. 1 shows a schematic top view of a filling head of such a carbonation device. A bottle can be suspended from the lower side of the filling head 2. A bottle attached to the filling head 2 is seen schematically in Fig. 1. For clarity, the housing to accept the bottles is not drawn.
Fig. 1 also schematically shows the top of a gas cylinder 6, providing the carbon dioxide gas. A hand valve 8 with a control button 10 is provided on the top of gas cylinder 6. When control button 10 is pressed, gas flows from the gas cylinder 8 into a con-nected first gas line 12, which is divided in two partial gas lines 12a and 12b. The first gas line 12 forks into a second gas line 14 and a third gas line 16. The second gas line leads to a first port 18 in filling head 2. This first port 18 opens into a cavity formed inside filling head 2 (not shown in the figures). Inside the cavity, a sealing piston is supported sealed and movable, which during operation seals the top of bottle 4 from the surroundings. Gas under pressure is blown into the cavity through the second gas line 14 and the first port 18, so that the sealing piston is pressed against the bottle. The third gas line 16 leads to a second port 20 in filling head 2. This second port 20 is connected to an injection lance located inside the filling head 2 (not shown in figures). This injection lance is guided sealed through the pressure piston and is immersed in the liquid inside a bottle 4 attached to filling head 2.
As further shown in Fig. 1, a safety valve 22 is provided on the filling head, through which, dependent on a factory setting, gas is automatically vented from filling head 2 in the event of excess pressure Finally, a third port 24 is provided on the filling head 2, to which a line 26 is connected, which leads to an air-drain valve 28, which in turn is manually operable by control button 30. This air-drain valve 28 is operated after completion of the injection of the carbonic acid into the liquid inside bottle 4, to create a pressure balance, before bottle 4 can be removed from filling head 2.
For safety reasons, the device generally includes a housing that contains the bottle to be filled and is closed with a door. This housing is not shown in the figures. The housing comprises at least the injection lance and a portion of filling head 2, which generally forms the top of the housing. The control button 30 of the air-drain valve 28 can be coupled with the door in such a manner that the door is opened during or after the pressing of control button 30, and thus is automati-cally opened during the venting.

As also shown in Fig. 1, a regulating valve 40 is located in the first gas line 12, which subdivides the first gas line 12 into a first partial gas line 12a and a second partial gas line 12b.
The design of regulating valve 40 is illustrated in detail in Fig. 2.
Control valve 40 contains a stationary first valve body 42 that is provided with a first port 44 for the first partial gas line 12a, through which the gas flows from the gas cylinder 6 into the regulating valve 40, and with a second port 46 for the second partial gas line 12b, through which the gas is conducted from the regulating valve 40 to the filling head 2. Two bores 48a and 48b are formed in the interior of the first valve body 42, extending at right angles to each other. These bores are connected, and together form the first channel.
The first bore 48a is connected with the first port 44, and the second bore 48b is connected with the second port 46, so that the channel formed by the two bores 48a and 48b is a through-channel. This channel connects the two ports 44 and 46, and thus the two partial gas lines 12a and 12b, and gas is conducted through it from the first partial gas line 12a to the second partial gas line 12b.
The first valve body contains a cylindrical projection 42a, which is provided with a cylindrical recess 50. A second channel 52 opens into the cylindrical recess 50. This channel 52 branches off the first channel, formed by the two bores 48a and 48b, and is arranged coaxially with the cylindrical recess 50.

The regulating valve 40 contains a movable second valve body 54, that is provided with a cylindrical section 54a, which is supported movable in the cylindrical recess 50 of the cylindrical projection 42a of the first valve body 42. Thus the exterior diameter of the cylindrical section 54a of the second valve body 54 matches the interior diameter of the cylindrical recess 50 of the cylindrical exten-sions 42a of the first valve body 42. A sealing ring 56 is located on the circumference of the cylindrical section 54a of the second valve body that is in sliding contact with the cylindrical inner surface of the cylindrical projection 42a of the first valve body 42. Thus a sealing closure is created between the cavity formed between the cylindrical section 54a of the second valve body 54 and the cylindrical projection 42a of the first valve body 42.
The cylindrical section 54a of the second valve body 54 is also provided with a cylindrical bore 58, which is arranged coaxially with respect to the cylindrical recess 50, to the second channel 52, and to the cylindrical section 54a, and which is open towards the second valve body 42. Located in this bore 58 is a cylindrical sealing element 50, which possesses a cylindrical, coaxially arranged recess 62 on its side facing away from the first valve body 42. A coil spring 64 rests with one end in the recess 62 of sealing element 60, and with its other end at the second valve body 54, in a depression 56, that continues at the other end of the bore 58.
The coil spring 64 is compressed so that it presses the sealing element 60 against the first valve body 42. Hereby the sealing element is made such that it consists of solid material on the side facing the first valve body 42 in the illustrated embodiment, i.e. it is enclosed, so that in the position of Fig. 2 the sealing element 60 closes the second channel 52.
At the opposite end of bore 58, a third channel is con-nected to the depression 66 in the interior of the second valve body 54. This channel 8 leads to an outlet 70, which is an overpressure outlet.
In the position shown in Fig. 2, spring 64 cannot expand further in the direction toward the stationary first valve body 42, since the sealing element 60 is in contact to the latter and a further motion is not possible. Since the coil spring 64 is compressed as previously mentioned, it attempts to expand using its other end, which would lead to a motion of the second valve body 54 away from the first valve body 42. But this movement is terminated by an eccentric disk 72 that is (eccentrically) pivoted on a fixed axis 74. As shown in Fig. 2 the second valve body 54 is in contact by its unattached end 54 to the circumference of the eccentric disk 72. A rotating of eccentric disk 72 changes the position of the movable second valve body 54 with respect to the stationary first valve body 42, and thus also the effective length of coil spring 64, so that the initial tension of coil spring 64 can be adjusted in this manner.
The following describes the operation of the previously illustrated first embodiment.

After attaching the already filled bottle 4 to filling head 2, the hand valve 8 is opened by pressing the control button 10, so that C02 flows out of gas cylinder 6 through hand valve 8 into the first gas line 12 and the regulating valve 40 located therein, through the second and third gas lines 14, 16, so that C02 from the gas cylinder 6 enters into the filling head 2 through the two ports 18 and 20. Hereby, the gas enters the regulating valve 40 from the first partial gas line 12a through the first port 44, there flows from the first bore 48a to the second bore 48b, and then leaves the regulating valve 40 through the second port 46 and the second partial gas line 12b, whereby the second channel 52 in the regulating valve 40 fills with gas. Simulta-neously, pressure slowly builds throughout the entire system, until the tension generated by the coil spring 64 is overcome. Then the sealing element 60, which is acted upon by gas pressure from the second channel 52, is pressed away from the first valve body 42. Thus, sealing element 60 opens, allowing gas to flow from the second channel 52 into the cylindrical recess 50 of the cylindrical projection 42a of the first valve body 42, to flow around sealing element 60, and to exit through the third channel 68 and outlet 70.
Sealing element 60 is equipped with longitudinal grooves on its surface, not shown in the figure, so that the gas can flow past it.
Once no more C02 continues to flow from gas cylinder 6, due to the hand valve 8 having been closed, the pressure in the entire system sinks, until the tension generated by coil spring 64 comes into effect and again closes sealing element 60.

The nominal value of the gas pressure, at which sealing element 60, and thus regulating valve 40, is to open, can be adjusted by changing the effective length of coil spring 64, i.e. its initial tension, by means of the eccentric disk 72.
Figures 3 to 7 schematically illustrate a second preferred embodiment of a device for the enrichment of liquids with gases, whereby Figs. 3 and 4 show views comparable to Figs. 1 and 2, while Figs. 5 to 7 illustrate details of an additionally provided automatic closing control unit.
As can be seen from a comparison of Figs. 3 and 4 to Figs. 1 and 2, the second embodiment differs from the first embodi-ment by a modified connection of the regulating valve 40' to filling head 2, and by a modified design of regulating valve 40' . These differences will be explained individually in the following, whereas conforming points will not be covered in detail. Equal reference symbols will be used for equal components.
As shown in Fig. 3, the gas cylinder in the second embodiment is connected to filling head 2 only by a single gas line, i.e. gas line 12, leading to the second port 20 in the filling head 2. In this embodiment, the regulating valve 40' is no longer located in gas line 12, but is, completely separate from the first gas line 12, con-nected to the first port 18 in filling head 2 by a second gas line 14' .
Thus no connection exists between the second gas line 14' and the first gas line 12.

As in the first embodiment, the first port 18 communicates with a cavity present inside the filling head (not shown in figures).
Inside this cavity, a sealing piston (not shown in the figures) is supported sealed and movable, which seals the top of bottle 4 against the surroundings during operation. In this embodiment, the second port 20 is connected with an injection lance (not shown in figures) situated inside filling head 2, which is guided sealed through the pressure piston and is immersed in the liquid inside bottle 4, attached to filling head 2. In contrast to the first embodiment, the cavity containing the sealing piston communicates with bottle 4 through connecting channels (not shown in the figures).
As seen when comparing Fig. 4 with Fig. 2, the regulat-ing valve 40' is lacking the second bore 48b and the second port 48.
Thus, the regulating valve 40' is only connected to the second gas line 14' by the first port 44 (also compare Fig. 3). Thus, the (remaining) first bore 48a, the second channel 52, the cylindrical bore 58 and the third channel 68 form a connection between the (remaining) first port 44 and the overpressure outlet 70. Hereby, this connection can be closed by the sealing element 60 in the manner described in the description of the first embodiment, and the tension of coil spring 64 acting upon it can be adjusted correspondingly by rotating the eccentric disk 72.
Figures 5 to 7 illustrate the arrangement, described previ-ously by Figs. 3 and 4, of filling head 2, gas cylinder 6, hand valve 8, the first and second gas lines 12 and 14' , the second and third ports 20 and 24, the venting line 26, the air-drain valve 28, and the regulating valve 40'. The control buttons 10 and 30 shown in Fig. 3 can also be found in Figs. 5 to 7, whereby the control button 10 is associated with hand valve 8 and control button 30 is associated with air-drain valve 28.
Figures 5 to 7 further show a piston/cylinder arrangement 80, the cylinder 82 of which communicates with the overpressure outlet 70 of the regulating valve 40' through a line 72. Inside of cylinder 82, a piston 84 is supported movable, which is compressed by a spring 86 into the neutral position shown in Fig. 5. In this neutral position, piston 84 rests on a step 85 formed on the center of the lower - according to Fig. 5 - end of cavity 83 of cylinder 82, so that the effective volume of cavity 83, to which line 72 coming from the overpressure outlet 70 of the regulating valve 40' is connected, now only has approximately the shape of a ring.
A piston rod 87 is attached to the upper (in the view of Fig. 5) face of piston 84, facing spring 86. This piston rod 87 is guided sealed to the outside through the upper end of cylinder 82. This piston rod 87 possesses a stop notch 88 with a partial circular cross section that extends at right angles to its longitudinal extent, thus its direction of motion.
At the lower side of control button 10 of hand valve 8, a stud 90 is situated, extending (in the view of Fig. 5) downward, the unattached end of which is provided with a latch 92. The latch 92 possesses a greater thickness than the remaining part of stud 90 and has a partial circular cross-section that approximately matches the cross section of stop notch 88. The control button 10 is situated so that stud 90 is oriented with its latch 92 toward the unattached end of piston rod 87, so that latch 92 can be brought in locking engagement with stop notch 88.
As Fig. 5 further shows, the control button 10 is attached to a first swivelling lever 94 that extends above the actuator 8a of hand valve 8. Hereby, the first swivelling lever 94 is supported on a joint 95 and is arranged so that the actuator 8a of hand valve 8 is situated between control button 10 and j oint 95 .
The hand valve 8 can be opened and closed using the actuator 8a. The actuator 8a is spring-loaded into a position in which the hand valve 8 is closed. This is the closed position of actuator 8a, in which it is shown in Fig. 5 (Further details of hand valve 8 are not shown in Figs. 5 to 7). The actuator 8a protrudes most out of hand valve 8 in its closed position. By pressing against the spring tension, actuator 8a is moved into its opening position, which opens hand valve 8, and now only protrudes little out of hand valve 8. The actuator 8a of hand valve 8 is actuated by the first swivelling lever 94, which comes in contact with actuator 8a by being turned.
As further seen in Fig. 5, a second swivelling lever 96 is provided that is pivoted on a joint 97 in the area of its middle section, and thus is executed as a double lever. Thus, the second swivelling lever 96 comprises a first lever arm 96a and an opposite second lever arm 96b .
The first lever arm 96a extends across the actuator 28a of air-drain valve 28 and contains the control button 30 for the air-drain valve 28. In the illustrated embodiment example, the control button 30 is located on the unattached end of the first lever arm 96a.
The actuator 28a acts in the same manner as actuator 8a, i.e. it is spring-loaded in a closed position, in which the air-drain valve 28a is closed, and by pressure load is moved against the spring tension into an opening position, in which the air-drain valve 28 is opened. In Fig. 5, the actuator 28a is shown in its closed position (Further details of air-drain valve 28 are not shown in Figs. 5 to 7).
The motion of actuator 28a from its closed position to its open position is achieved by a corresponding rotating of swivelling lever 96, the first lever arm 96 of which is brought in contact with actuator 28a.
The opposite second lever arm 96b of the second swivelling lever 96 with its end reaches under the unattached end, forming the latch 92, of stud 90, attached to the lower side of control button 10. Hereby, the end of the second lever arm 96b is executed so that the second swivelling 96 lever is freely movable with respect to piston rod 87 and stud 90, but can be brought in contact to the unat-tached end or latch 92 of stud 90, when the second swivelling lever 96 with its first lever arm 96a is rotated in the direction towards the actuator 28a of the air-drain valve 28. Alternatively, it could be imagined that in a similar arrangement, the second lever arm 96b reaches under control button 10 or the first swivelling lever 94, and can be brought into contact thereto.
The door of a housing can be correspondingly coupled with the second swivelling lever 96, to open this door through activa-tion of actuator 28a by the first lever arm 96a, thus opening it auto-matically simultaneous to the opening of air-drain valve 28.
As shown in Fig. 5, the cavity 83 of cylinder 82 of the piston/cylinder arrangement 80 communicates with a check valve 89, which in turn communicates through a connecting line 100 with the line 26 leading from the filling head 2 to the air-drain valve 28. As shown schematically in Fig. 5, the check valve 98 is arranged so that it closes in the event of a pressure drop from the connecting line l00 to the cavity 83 of cylinder 82, and opens in the event of a pressure drop from the cavity of cylinder 82 to connecting line 100.
The operation of the second embodiment is described in the following.
Figure 5 shows the neutral state of the device, prior to C02 flowing into the filling head from gas cylinder 6. Hereby, the actuators 8a and 28a of the hand valve 8 and the air-drain valve 28 are in their spring-loaded closing positions, i.e. the hand valve 8 and the air-drain valve 28 are closed. The first swivelling lever 94, supporting control button 10, is in its neutral position and rests - if at a11 - loosely on the actuator 8a of hand valve 8. The second swivelling lever 96 is also in its neutral position and with its first lever arm 96a rests - if at all - loosely on the actuator 28a. The entire system is essentially unpressurized, and thus the check valve 98 is more or less open. The second swivelling lever 96 with its second lever arm 96b rests loosely against stud 90, the latch 92 of which is not engaged with piston rod 87. The piston 84 of the piston/cylinder arrangement 80 is in its spring-loaded neutral position, thus the effective volume of the interior 83 of cylinder 82 is at its smallest.
After attaching the already filled bottle to filling head 2, the first swivelling lever is appropriately turned by pressing the control button 10. Thereby, the swivelling lever comes into contact with the actuator 8a of hand valve 8, engages and moves it to its opening position, the hand valve 8 is opened and C02 flows from gas cylinder 6, through the hand valve 8 into the first gas line 12. The pressing of the control button 10 also moves the stud 90, situated at the lower side of control button 10, into locking engagement with piston rod 87, by entering its latch 92 into the stop notch 88. During this movement, the latch 92 moves the contacting second lever arm 96b of the second swivelling lever 96, whereby the second swivelling lever 96 is corre-spondingly turned, and its first lever arm 96a is moved away from the actuator 28a of the air-drain valve 28. This operating state is shown in Fig. 6.

Now C02 flows out of gas cylinder 6, through the opened hand valve 8 and the first gas line 12 to the second port 20 on filling head 2, enters into filling head 2, flows through the injection lance, and finally enters into the liquid in the bottle. Hereby pressure is building slowly, not only in the bottle, but also in filling head 2 and the remaining system. Since the cavity (not shown in the figures), which accepts a sealing piston, is connected with the bottle by connect-ing channels, pressure is also building in this cavity, whereby the sealing piston is pressed into sealing contact with the bottle top (recog-nizable in the figures). Since the regulating valve is connected to this cavity through the second gas line 14' and the first port 18, pressure also builds in this second gas line 14' up to the regulating valve 40' , and thus also in the second channel 52 of regulating valve 40' (Fig. 4), until the tension generated by coil spring 64 inside regulating valve 40' is overcome and the sealing element 60 is opened. The remaining operation of the regulating valve 40' of the second embodiment is identical to that of regulating valve 40 of the first embodiment.
After the sealing element 60 inside regulating valve 40' has opened, the excess C02 exits out of the overpressure outlet 70 of regulating valve 40' and flows into cylinder 82 of piston/cylinder arrangement 80. There, a corresponding pressure builds in the interior 83, which causes the corresponding piston 84, acted upon by C02, to move from its neutral position, shown in Figs. 5 and 6, to its operat-ing position. As a result the piston rod 87 is extended and, due to the locking engagement with it, the stud 90 and thus the control button 10 and the first swivelling lever 94 are moved. This leads to a turning motion of the first swivelling lever 94 away from hand valve 8, the actuator 8a of which is released by the first swivelling lever 94 and returns to its closing position due to the tension of the spring. Check valve 98 is now closed, since the pressure inside cylinder 82, and thus also inside the line 26 leading to the air-drain valve 28, and inside the branch-off line 100, is lower than in filling head 2, as long as the C02 in cylinder 82 can expand during the motion of piston 84.
Before the bottle can be removed from filling head 2, the entire system must be drained. For this purpose the air-drain valve 28 must be correspondingly activated, which is done by pressing control button 30. As a result the second swivelling lever 96 is turned, so that its first lever arm 96a comes into contact with the actuator 28a of air-drain valve 28, and moves it into its opening position to open air-drain valve 28. A further result of this turning movement is that the opposite second lever arm 96b of the second swivelling lever 96 comes in contact with stud 90, and moves it away from piston rod 87, which in turn releases latch 92 of stud 90 from the stop notch 88 of piston rod 87. Thus at the same time, the first swivelling lever 94 is brought into its neutral position (free of piston 84), as shown in Fig. 5.
It is noted at this point, that the air-drain valve 28 can be opened at a11 times by the control button 30 and the second swivelling lever 96, i.e. in all operating states, which is important for safety reasons. As shown in Figs. 5 to 7, the arrangement hereby is made in such a manner, that an appropriate turning of the second swivelling lever 96, by pressing control button 30 to open the air-drain valve 28, always, due to the previously described action of second lever arm 96b, results in a turning movement of the first swivelling lever 94 into its neutral position, and thus in the closing of hand valve 8. In this manner it is guaranteed that the hand valve 8 is automatically closed during the opening of air-drain valve 28, so that an additional gas supply from gas cylinder 6 is prevented.
Figures 8 to 12 show an automatic closing control unit modified with respect to the arrangement shown in Figs. 5 to 7. The different aspects of this modified embodiment will be individually illustrated in the following, while conforming points will not be covered in detail. Hereby equal reference symbols will be used for equal components.
As shown in Fig. 8, the piston rod 87' in this modified embodiment possesses a tapered unattached end 87a'. The stud 90', located at the lower side of control button 10 and protruding down-ward, also has a tapered end 90a' . In addition, the stud 90' is pro-vided just above its conical end 90a' with a notch opening 102, that extends at right angle to its longitudinal axis. As also shown in Fig.
8, the stud 90' is supported movable in the direction of its longitudinal axis, while the first swivelling lever 94 only loosely rests against the lower side of control button 10. Alternatively, one could imagine attaching the control button 10 with stud 90' to the first swivelling lever 94, in a similar manner as in the arrangement shown in Figs. 5 to 7.

But hereby the support of the stud 90' would have to be executed in a way so that stud 90' could execute slightly curved move-ments, triggered by the turning movement of the first swivelling lever 96.
In addition a slide 104 is provided that is supported movable in both directions, essentially at right angle to the direction of motion of piston 84 and of stud 90' . On the lower side of its right (in the view of Fig. 8) section, the slide 104 contains a first control surface 104a, which is inclined with respect to the direction of move-ment of slide l04, and with respect to the direction of movement 84, and thus also with respect to piston rod 87' . This control surface 104a forms a step and lies adjacent to the unattached end 87a' of piston rod 87', so that the end 87a' of piston rod 87' can be brought into contact with the first control surface 104a. For this purpose the first control surface 104 is inclined in such a way that it extends approximately in parallel to the outline of the conical unattached end 87a' of piston rod 87', which extends in the longitudinal direction.
A first (right sided, according to Fig. 8) unattached end 104b is connected to the first control surface 104a, forming the step.
This end 104b j oins with a second control surface 104c, extending inclined with respect to the direction of movement of slide 104 and with respect to the direction of movement of stud 90' . The first unat-tached end 104b of slide l04 is arranged adjacent to stud 90' in such a way that it can be brought into contact with stud 90' , both with its conical unattached end 90a' as well as with another section. For this purpose, the second control surface 104c is inclined in such a way that it extends approximately in parallel to the outline of the conical unat-tached end 90a' of stud 90' , extending in the longitudinal direction. In addition, the unattached end 104b of slide 104 can engage with notch opening 102, which is dimensioned so it can accept the unattached end 104b of slide 104. Thus, the first unattached end 104b of slide 104 serves as a locking element for engaging into the notch opening 102 of stud 90' .
As already mentioned, the slide 104 is supported movable essentially at right angle to the direction of motion of piston rod 87' and stud 90' . Hereby, slide 104 can be moved between a first operat-ing position (facing right, in the view of Figs. 8 to 12), and a second operating position (facing left, in view of Figs. 8 to 12). By a spring l06, slide 104 is spring-loaded into its first operating position, in which it is shown in Figs. 8 and 9.
Hereby, the arrangement of slide 104 with its first and second control surfaces 104a and 104c, as well as of the piston rod 87' and the stud 90' with their conical unattached ends 87a' and 90a', is made in such a way that the unattached end 87a' of piston rod 87' is in contact with the first control surface 104, and the unattached end 90a' of stud 90' is in contact with the second control surface 104c, when piston 84 is in its neutral position, when control button 10 with stud 90' and the first swivelling lever 94 are in their closing position, and when slide 104 is in its first operating position due to the initial tension generated by spring 106. This condition is shown in Fig. 8.

In addition, the first and second control surfaces 104a and 104c are arranged on slide 104, with regard to their inclination, in such a way that slide 104 can be pushed from its first operating position against the tension of spring 104 - to the left, in the view of Fig. 8 - into a second operating position. This movement is caused by a motion of piston 84 from its neutral position into its operating position, and/or through a movement of control button 10, and thus the attached stud 90' , from the closing position into the opening posi-tion. Thus, the unattached ends 87a' and 90a' of piston rod 87' and stud 90' take on the role of cams, while the first and second control surfaces 104a and 104c of slide 104 have the role of cam surfaces in the control of the movement of slide 104.
In this modified embodiment, the control button 30 for air-drain valve 28 is located on a pin l08, as shown in Fig. 8. The pin 108 is supported movable along its axial direction, whereby in the illustrated embodiment its direction of movement is essentially in parallel to that of piston 84 and piston rod 87' , as well as to that of control button 10 and stud 90'. As further shown in Fig. 8, pin 108 contains a first (upper, in the view of Fig. 8) section 108a of larger diameter, on which control button 30 is placed, and a second (lower, in the view of Fig. 8) section 108b of smaller diameter, which ends adjacent to the actuator 28a of the air-drain valve 28, and can be brought into contact with it. A tapered connecting section 108c is formed between the two sections 108a and 108b. This connecting section 108c is situated in the area of a second unattached end 104d, located across from the first unattached end 104b of slide 104. This second unattached end 104d of slide 104 is hollow or open, and in the illustrated embodiment example shows on its interior side a third control surface 104e, which extends at an angle to the direction of movement of slide 104 and to the direction of movement of pin 108.
Pin 108 reaches without contact through the second unattached end 104d of slide 104, and can be moved between a closing position, in which its second section 108b is not, or only loosely, in contact with the actuator 28a of the air-drain valve 28, and thus the air-drain valve 28 is closed, and an opening position. In this opening position the second section 108b of pin 108 is in contact with actuator 28a and forces it into its opening position, thus opening air-drain valve 28. For this purpose the arrangement of pin 108 and slide 104 is made so that the conical connecting section 108c of pin 108 is in contact, by one of its inclined or lateral faces 108d, with the third control surface 104e of slide 104, when pin 108, with control button 30, is in its closing position and slide 104 is in its first operating position. This condition is shown in Fig. 8. To achieve contact over as much of the surfaces as possible, the lateral face 108d of the conical connecting section 108c of pin l08 is oriented approximately in paral-1e1 to the third control surface 104e of slide 104. In addition, the third control surface 104e of slide 104 and the lateral face 108d of connect-ing section 108c of pin 108 are oriented with respect to each other, and work together, in such a way, that the motion of pin 108 from its closing position (downward, in the view of Fig. 8) into its opening position results in a motion of slide 104 from its first operating posi-tion, against the initial tension of spring 106, into its second operating position. Conversely, a motion of slide l04 from its second operating position to its first operating position results in a movement of pin 108 from its opening position to its closing position. Thus, the conical connecting section 108c of pin 108 acts as a cam, and the third control surface 104e of slide 104 acts as cam surface.
The operation of the modified embodiment is described in the following using Figs. 8 to 12, whereby only differences to the arrangement of Figs. 5 to 7 will be covered in detail.
Fig. 8 shows the device in its unpressurized state, prior to the filling of C02 into filling head 2 and the attached bottle. In this unpressurized state, which can also be called a neutral state, piston 84 of the piston/cylinder arrangement is spring-loaded into its neutral position by spring 86. The hand valve 8 is closed because its actuator 8a is spring-loaded into its closing position. Thus, the first swivelling lever 94 and control button 10 are in their closing positions. Air-drain valve 28 is also closed because its actuator 28a is spring-loaded into its closing position.
By spring 106, slide l04 is spring-loaded into its first operating position, in which its first control surface 104a is in contact with the conical end 87a' of piston rod 87'. In this position, stud 90', to which control button 10 is attached, rests with its conical unattached end 90a' at or on the second control surface 104c of slide 104, which results in the stud 90' and the control button 10 being held in their closing position. In addition, in this state the pin 108, through its conical connecting section 108c, is in contact with the third control surface 104e of slide 104, whereby the pin 108, and thus also the attached control button 30, are held in the closing position, so that the actuator 28a is spring-loaded into its closing position, and thus the air-s drain valve 28 is closed.
Pressing of control button 10 correspondingly turns the first swivelling lever 94, which moves the actuator 8a of hand valve 8 from its closing position to its opening position, which opens the hand valve 8. Because slide 104, spring-loaded by spring 106 into its first operating position, is in sliding contact to stud 90' , pressing of control button 10 and the related motion of stud 90' from its closing position into its opening position, causes slide 104 to be moved outward, against the pressure of spring l06, from its first operating position (to the left, in the view of Fig. 8). It is moved outward until its unat-tacked end 104b engages into notch opening 102, once control button 10, and thus the attached stud 90', have reached their opening posi-tions. Once slide 104 engages into the notch opening 102 of stud 90' by its first unattached end 104b, it assumes its first operating position due to the tension generated by spring 106. Slide l04 is then in contact to the unattached end 87a' of piston rod 87' through its first control surface 104a, and to the connecting section 108d of pin 108 through its third control surface 104e. This condition is shown in Fig.
9.
Hereby, the arrangement of actuator 8a, the first swivelling lever 94, and notch opening 102 is made in such a way that pressing of control button 10 results in the effect that actuator 8a of hand valve 8 reaches its opening position, thus opening the hand valve 8, just before, or simultaneous to, slide 104 engaging into the notch opening l02 of stud 90' by its unattached end 104b. This prevents that, when pressing control button 10, the hand valve 8 opens too early, and the automatic closing control unit is activated too early.
Check valve 98 closes, as shown in Fig. 9, due to the pressure increase throughout the entire system, including connecting line 100, after opening of hand valve 8.
When after triggering of regulating valve 40', piston 84 of the pis-ton/cylinder arrangement 80 is moved from its neutral position into its - upper, in the view of Figs. 8 to 12 - operating position, then the unattached end 87a' of piston rod 87' exerts a corresponding pressure on the first control surface 104a of slide 104. This causes slide 104 to be moved from its first operating position, according to Figs. 8 and 9, against the pressure of spring 106 into its second operating position.
Due to this, its first unattached end 104b is released from notch opening 102 of stud 90', which releases the lock between slide 104 and stud 90' . Thus, stud 90' with control button 10, and caused by this, also the first swivelling lever 94 and the actuator 8a of hand valve 8, are freely movable, upon which actuator 8a, due to the internal spring tension, instantly leaves its opening position and assumes its closing position. This closes hand valve 8. Because actuator 8a, during its motion from its opening position to its closing position, exerts a pressure on the swivelling lever 94, which rests on it, the latter is moved along and correspondingly turned. Swivelling lever 94, in turn, moves control button 10, and stud 90' suspended from it, back to its closing position, so that the unattached end 90a' of stud 90' is again located at the level of the first unattached end 104b of slide 104, and thus adjacent to the second control surface 104c. In addition, in this second operating position of slide 104a, pin 108, with its connecting section 108c still in its closing position, has been released by the third control surface 104e. This condition is shown in Fig. 10.
To open air-drain valve 28, control button 30 is appropri-ately pressed, which moves the attached pin 108 from its - upper, in the view of Figs. 8 to 12 - closing position into its - lower, in the view of Figs. 8 to 12 - opening position. As a result, the pin's 108 second - lower, in the view of Figs. 8 to 12 - section 108b comes in contact with the actuator 28a of air-drain valve 28, and moves it into the opening position for opening air-drain valve 28. At the same time, connecting section 108c of pin 108 comes into contact, through its outer surface 108d, with the third control surface 104e of slide 104.
This condition is shown in Fig. 11.
Since the venting by air-drain valve 28 causes the entire system, including the interior 83 of cylinder 82 of piston/cylinder arrangement 80, to be unpressurized, piston 84 is moved back into its neutral position from its operating position by spring 86. Due to this, piston rod 87' with its unattached end 87a' disengages from the first control surface 104a of slide l04, so that slide 104 is kept in its second operating position by the pin 108, which was pushed into its opening position. This condition is shown in Fig. 12.
If now control button 30 for air-drain valve 28 is released, then slide 104 returns from its second operating position to its first operating position, due to the effect of the initial tension of spring l08.
Due to this, slide 104 again comes into contact with the unattached ends 87a' and 90a' of piston rod 87' and stud 90' , in the previously described manner. Simultaneously, pin 108 is moved into and held in its closing position, due to the combined action of lateral face 108d and the third control surface 104d of slide l04. In addition, actuator 28a, which now is no longer acted upon by pin 108, returns from its opening position to its closing position, due to the internal spring tension, which closes air-drain valve 28. Now the device is in its original state of Fig. 8, so that it is ready for the filling of a new bottle.
It must be pointed out at this point that the air-drain valve 28 can be opened in every operating state. Also, due to the previously described arrangement, the movement of pin 108, triggered by press-ing control button 30, always necessarily results in a motion of slide 104 from its first operating position to its second operating position, due to the combined action of the conical connecting section 108c and the third control surface 104e of slide 104. As a result of this, a locking of slide 104 by stud 90' is not possible, because the first unattached end 104b of slide 104 is located outside of stud 90' during its second operating position.

Finally we remark that the automatic closing control unit, illustrated in Figs. 5 to 7 and 8 to 12, can in principle also be applied in the first embodiment described in Figs. 1 and 2.

Claims

1. A device for the impregnation of liquids, in particular beverages, that are filled in liquid containers (4), in particular bottles, with gases, in particular CO2, comprising first means for connecting a gas source (6), in particular at least one gas cylinder containing gas, at least one gas filling element (2), connectable to said first connecting means (12), for filling gas into the liquid contained in a liquid container (4), and a control unit (40; 40'), which limits the pressure building in the liquid container (4) during the filling of gas, whereby the control unit (40; 40') contains means (60, 64) for the measurement of the gas pressure, and adjustment means (54, 72) for a manual adjustment of the nominal value.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said control unit (40;
40') is a control valve unit and comprises an inlet (44, 48a) for gas and an overpressure outlet (70) that opens and lets gas escape when the pressure in the liquid container reaches the nominal value.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein said regulating valve unit (40; 40') comprises a first channel 52, leading from said inlet (44, 48a) to said overpressure outlet (70), and a sealing element (6), which is supported movable between a closing position, in which it blocks said first channel 52, and an opening position, in which it opens said first channel 52, and is spring-loaded into this closing position, whereby the initial tension matches the nominal value.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein said regulating valve unit (40; 40') contains a spring (64) that rests with one end on said sealing element (60) and with its other end is mechanically linked to said adjustment means (54, 72).

5. The device of claim 4 wherein said adjustment means (54, 72) contain an adjusting element, the position of which can be varied, so that the effective length between the ends of said spring (64) is adjustable.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein said adjusting element is executed as a movable slide.

7. The device of claim 5 wherein said adjusting element (72) is executed as a pivoted solid of revolution, the circumference (73) of which is mechanically linked with the other end of said spring 64.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein said adjusting element (72) is in sliding contact by its said circumference (73) with the other end of said spring (64), or with a connecting piece (54), located in between.

9.~The device of claim 8 or 9 wherein said adjusting element (72) is supported eccentrically.

10.~The device of claim 9 wherein said adjusting element (72) is executed circular.

11. The device of at least one of claims 5 to 10 wherein said control valve unit (40; 40') comprises a first body (42), in which are formed said first channel (52) and a cylindrical cavity (50), into which said first channel (52) opens, and a second body (54); whereby said second body comprises a cylindrical section (54a), by which it is guided sealed and movable in said cylindrical cavity (50) of said first body (42; 42'), a bore (58), formed in said cylindrical section (50) and accepting said sealing element (60), and a second channel (68) leading to said overpressure outlet (70), whereby said second body is engaged with said adjusting element (72).

12. The device of claims 7 and 11 wherein said second body (54) is in sliding contact with the circumference of said adjusting element (72).

13. The device of claim 4 and of claim 11 or 12 wherein in a step (66) is formed in said bore (58) of said cylindrical section (54a) of said second body (54), on which said spring (64) rests with its other end.

14. The device of at least one of claims 2 to 13 with second connecting means (13, 18) connecting said inlet (44, 48a) of said regulating valve unit (40') with the liquid container (4).

15. The device of at least one of claims 2 to 14 wherein said regulating valve unit (40) additionally contains an outlet (46, 48b), and is connected to said first connecting means (12) through its said inlet (44, 48a) and its said outlet (46, 48b).

16. The device of claims 3 and 15 wherein said regulating valve unit (40) contains a third channel (48a, 48b), through which gas is conducted from said gas source (6) to said gas filling element (2), and from which branches off said first channel (52).

17. The device of claims 11 and 16 wherein said third channel (48a, 48b) also is formed in said first body (42).

18. The device of at least one of claims 1 to 17 wherein said control unit (40') causes the closing of said first connecting means when the pressure in the liquid container reaches the nominal value.

19. The device of claims 2 and 18 with a blocking unit (80, 94) that is actuated by said overpressure outlet (70) of said regulating valve unit (40; 40'), and closes said first connecting means (12).

20. The device of claim 19 wherein a connector valve unit (8) is connected to said first connecting means (12), containing an actuator (8a), which can be moved between a closing position, in which said connector valve unit (8) is closed, and an opening position, in which said connector valve unit (8) is open, whereby said actuator (8a) can be coupled with said blocking unit (80,94).

21. The device of claim 20 wherein said actuator (8a) of said connector valve unit (8) is spring loaded into its closing position.

22. The device of claim 20 or 21 wherein said blocking unit contains a piston/cylinder arrangement, the cylinder (82) of which is connected to said overpressure outlet, and the piston of which (84), movable between a neutral position and an operating position, can be coupled with said actuator (8a) of said connector valve unit (8) in such a way that said actuator (8a) is moved into its closing position upon activation of said piston (84) by gas from said overpressure outlet (70).

23.~The device of claim 22 wherein said piston (84) is spring-loaded (86) into its neutral position, in which the effective volume (83) of said cylinder (82) is smallest.

24.~The device of claims 22 or 23 wherein a first coupling unit (90, 92, 94; 92', 94), by which said piston (84) of said blocking unit can be coupled with said actuator (8a) of said connector valve unit (8).

25. The device of claim 24 wherein said first coupling unit is equipped with a control button (10).

26. ~The device of claim 24 or 25 wherein said first coupling unit contains a first swivelling lever, which can be brought into contact with said actuator (8a) of said connector valve unit (8).

27. The device of at least one of claims 24 to 26 wherein said first coupling unit (90, 92, 94) can be detachably engaged to said piston (84) of said blocking unit, and thus said actuator (8a) of said connector valve unit (8) can be moved into its opening position, when said piston (84) is in its neutral position.

28. The device of at least one of claims 22 to 26 wherein a locking element (104b) is provided that causes a locking of said actuator (8a) of said connector valve unit (8) in its opening position, and said piston of said blocking unit can be brought into engagement with said locking element in such a way that the locking of said actuator (8a) is released by the motion of said piston (84) into its operating position.

29. The device of claims 24 and 28 wherein said locking element (104b) can be brought into detachable engagement with said first coupling unit (92', 94), when said first coupling unit is in its operating state, in which said actuator (8a) of said connector valve unit (8) assumes its opening position, and said piston (84) of said blocking unit can be engaged with said locking element (104b) in such a manner that the engagement of said locking element (104b) with said first coupling unit (92', 94) is released upon movement of said piston (84) into its operating position.

30. The device of claim 29 wherein said locking element can be moved between a neutral position and a locking position, and said coupling unit (92', 94) can be brought into a first operating state, closing said connector valve unit (8), and into a second operating state, opening said connector valve unit (8), and contains arresting means (102), into which said locking element (104b) engages in its locking position, when said first coupling unit is in its second operating state.

31. The device of claim 30 wherein said locking element (104b) is spring-loaded (106) into its locking position.

32.~The device of claim 30 or 31 wherein a cam surface (104a) is formed on said locking element (104b), inclined with respect its direction of motion, so that said piston (84), during its movement into its operating position, comes into contact by a section (87a') with said cam surface (104a), and thus moves said locking element into its neutral position.

33. The device of at least one of claims 19 to 32 wherein said gas filling element (2) is connected to an air-drain valve (28) that contains an actuator (28a), to be operated manually by the device's user, which can be moved between a closing position, in which the air-drain valve (28) is closed, and an opening position, in which the air-drain valve (28) is open, with a second coupling unit (96; 104), which can be coupled with said actuator (28a) of said air-drain valve (28) and with said blocking unit (80, 94) in such a way that upon movement of said actuator (28a) of said air-drain valve (28) into its opening position, said blocking unit closes said first connecting means (12).

34.~The device of claim 33 wherein said second coupling unit (96) can be brought into a first and into a second operating state, in particular a first and a second operating position, whereby in the first operating state of said second coupling unit (96) said actuator (28a) of said air-drain valve (28) remains in its closing position, and in the second operating state of said second coupling unit (96) said actuator (28a) of said air-drain valve (28) is brought into its opening position.

35.~The device of claims 27 and 34 wherein the second coupling unit (96) can be coupled with the first coupling unit (90, 92, 94) in a manner so that in the first operating state of the second coupling unit the first coupling unit can be brought into engagement with said piston (84) of said blocking unit, while in the second operating state of said second coupling unit (96) the first coupling unit is not engaged by said piston (84).

36.~The device of claim 34 or 35 wherein said second coupling unit (96) is executed as a second swivelling lever.

37. The device of claims 28 and 33 wherein said second coupling unit (104) can be brought into a first and into a second operating state, preferably into a first and a second operating position, and is coupled with said locking element (104b) in such a manner that in the first operating state of said second coupling unit (104) said actuator (28a) of said air-drain valve (28) remains in its closing position, and said second coupling unit (104) is brought into its second operating state upon movement of said actuator (28a) of said air-drain valve (28) into its opening position, and thus prevents a locking of said actuator (8a) of connector valve unit (8) by said locking element (104b).

38.~The device of claim 37 wherein said locking element (104b) is part of said second coupling unit (104).

39. The device of claims 30 and 38 wherein said second coupling unit (104) is supported movable between two operating positions, whereby its first operating position is the same as the locking position of said locking element (104b), and its second operating position is the same as the neutral position of said locking element (104b).

40. The device of at least one of claims 33 to 39 wherein said gas filling element (2) is situated in a housing that can be closed by a door, whereby said actuator (28a) of said air-drain valve (28) is coupled with said door and opens said door upon actuation.

41.~The device of claim 22 and at least one of claims 33 to 40 wherein said cylinder (82) of said blocking unit can be connected to the inlet of said air-drain valve (28) by a connecting line (100).

42.~The device of claim 42 with a check valve (98) that closes in the event of a pressure drop from said connecting line (100) to said cylinder (82).