EP0521461B1 - Operating device for tapping liquid under pressure from a keg - Google Patents

Abstract

1. Operating device for the locking pin of the pivoting lever of a device for removing liquids under pressure from a container, especially of a tapping head for the removal of beer from a barrel or keg. 2.1. The valves of the tapping heads which are manufactured and used in great numbers should be simple to operate, but be sufficiently secure against unintentional operation. 2.2. To permit simple and safe handling of a tapping head, an operating device is provided in which a locking element is released by operating a pivotable lever against the force of a spring and the tapping head valve is thus closed automatically, simply by pressing down a pivoting lever with simultaneous catching of the locking device the tapping head valve is opened. 2.3. The operating device is suitable for the time and quantity-controlled removal of liquid from containers in which the liquids are held under pressure, especially for the removal of beer from barrels or kegs using tapping heads. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a device according to the preamble of claim 1.

Document DE-U-6813295 discloses a device in which the locking of the pivot lever is released by engagement of the locking pin in the groove formed on the housing in its position corresponding to the open valve, in that the handle arranged on the pivot lever is arranged in the longitudinal direction of the locking pin retracted against the force of a compression spring and thus the locking pin is pulled out onto the housing groove, as a result of which the relatively large force of the valve spring is able to move the slide without simultaneously pivoting the pivoting lever about its articulation point on the housing from the "valve open" position To move "valve closed".

Even with a handle with a relatively good grip, it can easily happen that the hand slips off the handle when trying to actuate the handle or unlock the locking pin, for example if the operator has wet hands. It is also a disadvantage that the pull exerted by the hand on the handle is directed essentially perpendicular to the upward movement of the slide caused by the considerable force of the valve spring and the associated pivoting movement of the pivoting lever, which makes it easily an unwanted and unforeseen Can come snap effect, which can be associated with the risk of damage to the valve parts, quite apart from the fact that, due to this unexpected snap effect, the fingers of the operating hand easily get into the gap formed between the housing and the retracted handle and thereby get trapped and injured can be.

From DE-A-37 01 432 and DE-A-37 01 433 it is also known to pivot the lever or handle for actuating the slide in two To lock extreme positions, which correspond to the open or closed removal valve, by means of a lever which is rotatably connected to the pivoting lever or handle in an articulation point lying approximately in its central axis and has a catch designed as a projection, which in the two extreme positions is below a formed on the housing or snapped into a bulge of the bearing. A compression spring held in position by a support is arranged between the pivot lever or handle and the lever.

In order to release the locking of the swivel lever or handle for the purpose of adjustment from one extreme position to the other, the lever is pressed against the force of the compression spring against the swivel lever or handle, the lever performing a rotary movement about its pivot point. Since the outer areas of the pivot lever or handle and lever are arranged relatively far apart, there is the possibility of pinching fingers or hand parts. It is also disadvantageous, in particular, that the free end of the lever is at a relatively large distance from its pivot point and therefore a relatively small force which inadvertently acts on the free end of the lever is sufficient to trigger the lever, which corresponds to the closed valve Swivel lever position is irrelevant, but in the swivel lever position corresponding to the open valve can be of considerable disadvantage, because when the swivel lever is unlocked in this position, the relatively large force of the valve spring can cause the slide to move automatically into the closed position and thus unintentionally close the Valve and thus an interruption of the removal of liquid from the container may result.

The fact that the swivel lever or handle and, correspondingly, the movement of the slide associated with its movement both from one to the other and from the other to an extreme position must be caused by actuating the lever does not speak for the advantage this known embodiment.

From EP-A-02 94 095 a tap head with a generic device is also known, in which the actuation of the slide in the direction of its one extreme position "valve open" takes place in that a connected to the slide and this with its fork-shaped one End swiveling lever with handle around its pivot point is pivoted down until a locking pin under the action of a compression spring in the pivot lever axially displaceably engages in a recess formed on the dispenser housing, in which position the slide then against the pressure of a relatively strong valve spring Flow paths for an inflowing pressure medium and the outflowing liquid releases. The actuation of the slide in the direction of its other extreme position "valve closed" takes place simply by pulling the locking pin out of the recess of the housing, whereupon the force of the relatively strong valve spring constantly acting on the slide follows the slide while simultaneously pivoting the pivoting lever automatically moves upwards until the valve spring has correspondingly relaxed the slide in its upper end position and at the same time the swivel lever has reached its upper extreme position.

The swivel lever with handle is kinematically designed so that the pin-shaped part of the swivel lever adjoining the fork-shaped part and containing the locking pin with compression spring in a through hole is rotatably mounted in the side grip shells near the fork-shaped swivel lever part by means of pins and recesses, and in the area of the rear end of the locking pin, a U-shaped lever is provided, which is rotatably mounted with its two lateral legs by means of pins and recesses at a distance from the pivoting lever axis in the lateral handle shells to be expanded after its rear end and with its web provided with an elongated hole the locking pin and is held by a locking element arranged at the end thereof. The angular position of the U-shaped lever with respect to the axis of the locking pin or the pivoting lever corresponding to it, as well as the length ratios are chosen so that the locking pin against the unactuated, ie released handle Force of the compression spring is retracted so far into the pin-shaped part of the pivot lever that its tip protrudes into the fork-shaped part of the pivot lever by an amount corresponding approximately to the depth of the corresponding housing recess, so that the locking pin is under spring pressure.

To release the lock, it is sufficient to pivot the handle upwards about its pivot point on the pivot lever, the pivot point of the U-shaped lever approaching the axis of the pivot lever, so that the U-shaped lever is in an at least almost axially identical position to the axis of the swivel lever. Depending on the selected conditions, the locking pin is moved backwards against the force of the compression spring, i.e. with the tip out of the groove of the housing and retracted into the web of the fork-shaped part of the pivot lever and the locking of the pivot lever released so that it is adjusted by the force of the valve spring via the slide up to its extreme position "valve closed". The downward pivoting of the pivot lever into its other extreme position "valve open" while simultaneously moving the slide downward against the force of the valve spring takes place in a simple manner in that the pivot lever is moved downwards by means of the handle, the locking pin being designed as an ascending ramp Accumulates the housing approach and is pushed back against the force of the spring in the swivel lever when sliding over it until finally the end position is reached and the locking pin engages in the housing groove under the action of the compression spring.

This known device is a kinematically elegant solution in principle. However, it has some problems for practical use. On the one hand, the assembly of the swivel lever kinematics is relatively complicated, because both the U-shaped lever and the pin-shaped part of the swivel lever are rotatably connected to one another by means of a pin-recess connection, which is not very easy to do when assembling the handle halves of the handle and especially in the event of a need for repair, for example in the form of an exchange of the Locking pin and / or the compression spring is expensive. A major disadvantage of this good device, however, is that even a relatively slight action on the outer end of the handle due to the relatively large lever arm with respect to the pivot point of the handle can cause the handle to pivot and thereby the locking pin out of it Locked position is withdrawn and thus the unwanted unlocking of the pivot lever and, as a result, an unintentional closing of the valve is effected.

The present invention sets itself the task of creating a device which is equally effective in its effect, but which is simpler in its construction and more secure against unwanted external influences. This object is achieved with a device according to the characterizing part of claim 1.

Due to the design according to the invention, an unintentional adjustment of the slide from its position "valve open" is virtually impossible, since an unwanted action on the outer end of the handle does not lead to an unlocking of the locking pin and an unwanted action on the inner part of the handle or which can be regarded as largely excluded from this protruding part of the angle lever, since this essentially presupposes that the handle is gripped by hand and the free leg of the angle lever is pressed against the force of the compression spring against the handle. However, it is also advantageous that the device can be easily taken apart and put back together, that is to say, for example, that the locking pin and / or compression spring may need to be replaced without any problems. Advantageous further developments of the invention are described in the subclaims.

Figur 1

einen Zapfkopf mit einer dem geöffneten Ventil entsprechenden Position des Schwenkhebels, teilweise im Schnitt,

Figur 2

in etwas größerem Maßstab und teilweise im Schnitt den Schwenkhebel in einer dem geöffneten Ventil entsprechenden Verriegelungsposition,

Figur 3

in entsprechender Weise den Schwenkhebel in entriegeltem Zustand und

Figur 4

eine Variante zum Schwenkhebel der Figuren 1 bis 3.

The invention is shown in the drawing in exemplary embodiments and is described below with reference to these. Show it

Figure 1

a tap head with a position of the pivot lever corresponding to the open valve, partly in section,

Figure 2

on a somewhat larger scale and partly in section, the pivot lever in a corresponding to the open valve Locking position,

Figure 3

in a corresponding manner, the pivot lever in the unlocked state and

Figure 4

a variant of the pivot lever of Figures 1 to 3.

The dispensing head of FIG. 1 has in its housing 1 the slide 2, which is arranged as a tubular element and is displaceable in the axial direction. By means of the edge 3, which has a U-shaped cross section and extends over a substantial part of the housing circumference, the housing 1 is pushed and fastened in a known manner onto the edge, not shown, of a connection formed on the barrel or keg or a so-called tap plant inserted therein.

In the upper part of the housing, the seals 4 and in the lower part of the housing, the seal 5 is arranged, these seals depending on the slide position in a known manner for temporary sealing between the housing 1 and the slide 2.

On the housing 1, the connection 6 is formed on the side, which is used for the connection to a compressed gas source, not shown, for example a carbon dioxide bottle.

For the actuation of the slide 2, the swivel lever 8, which is designed like a tuning fork with a fork-shaped part 8 ′ encompassing the slide 2 on both sides and a pin-shaped part 8 ″ adjoining it, is pivotably mounted in the eye 7 of the housing 1 by means of the bolt 30. The fork-shaped part 8 'of the pivot lever 8 comprises the slider 2 in its constricted area 2'.

As can be clearly seen from the figures, the locking pin 10 is in the pin-shaped part 8 ″ of the pivoting lever 8 in the through bore 9 and on this between the thickened fork-side end 10 ′ and the ring-shaped end 8 ″ ″ of the pin-shaped part narrowed inwards 8 '' the compression spring 11 arranged. The handle 12 is attached to the pin-shaped part 8 ″ of the pivoting lever 8 and by means of the end of the locking pin 10 provided with the thread 13 with the washer being interposed 14 and the angle lever 15 attached lock nut 16 secured. At the outer end, the handle is closed by means of the cover cap or cover 17, which is designed here as an insertion element.

The thickened end 10 'of the locking pin 10 is engaged in the position of the pivot lever 8 shown in Figure 1 in the groove 18 of the neck 19 on the housing 1. The extension 19 is provided with the curved sliding surface 20, the curvature of which corresponds to the radius to the pivot point in the eye 7. At its upper end, the shoulder 19 is provided with the bevel 21.

In the position of the pivot lever 8 shown in FIG. 1 in its lower extreme position with the locking pin 10 engaged in the groove 18, the slider 2 is through the fork-shaped part 8 'of the pivot lever 8, for example, via the shoulder 22 formed on the slider 2 against the relatively large force of Not shown valve spring of the nozzle in its lower position, in which the pressure medium of the pressure source connected to the connection 6, not shown, via the annular gap 23 and the holes 24 arranged in a corresponding number distributed over the circumference in the container, not shown, in which it can be a keg or a keg, can occur and, by means of the pressure exerted by it, allows the liquid therein to escape through the interior of the slide 2, ie the valve, not shown, is in its open position and thus allows the removal of liquid, that is to say the tapping.

The engaging here with its conically tapered tip in the groove 18 locking pin 10 prevents the pivot lever 8 from being adjusted against the pressure of the valve spring, not shown, from its position shown, that is to say when the handle 12 is released with the angle lever 15, it maintains the open position of the Valve. The locking pin 10 is held by the compression spring 11 with a sufficient force in the groove 18, so that there is no danger that the pivot lever 8 is inadvertently pivoted out of its position. The force of the compression spring 11 is of course chosen or dimensioned so that that is, the ratios and dimensions of the individual parts are chosen and matched to one another such that the locking pin 10 is pressed into the groove 18 with such a force that even in the event of unintended action on the outer end of the pivoting lever 8 or the handle 12 Locking is maintained. Of course, this also applies taking into account a possibly more or less strong beveled or conical design of the tip of the locking pin 10 engaging in the groove 18.

If the removal of liquid from the container is to be ended, that is to say the dispensing valve (not shown) is closed, the handle 12 is grasped by hand and the free end of the angle lever 15 is pressed against the handle 12. The leg of the angle lever 15 located on the end of the locking pin 10 is pivoted or tilted to a corresponding extent, and the locking pin 10 is thereby pulled out of the groove 18 with the tip of the compression spring 11 being compressed, as can clearly be seen in FIG. 3. The pivot lever 8 can now be pivoted upwards around the eye 7 or the bolt 30 attached to it. It is usually sufficient that the pivot lever 8 is pivoted only so far up that the front surface of the tip of the locking pin 10 comes into the region of the curved surface 20, after which the relatively strong valve spring, not shown, is able to To move slide 2 while simultaneously pivoting the pivot lever 8 into its upper extreme position.

The pivoting of the pivoting lever 8 takes place in that the shoulder 22 of the slider 2 comes to rest on the fork-shaped part 8 'of the pivoting lever 8 and accordingly when the slider 2 is moved upwards the pivoting lever 8 is pivoted about its pivot point, the tip of the locking pin 10 first over the surface 20 and then with the handle 12 and angle lever 15 released, slides over the bevel 21, as a result of which the pivot lever 8 is then, as it were, locked in its upper extreme position by the tip of the locking pin 10 under pressure from the compression spring 11.

The upper extreme position of the pivot lever 8 is essentially determined by the upward movement of the slide 2, which in turn takes place as a function of the closing process of the valve, not shown, under the action of the valve spring, also not shown, and is ended when the valve is completely closed, with the slide 2 simultaneously by means of its annular surface 25 in cooperation with the lower of the two seals 4, the access of pressure medium through the connecting piece 6 and the bores 24 is prevented.

If the valve for the renewed removal of liquid is to be opened again, it is generally sufficient that sufficient pressure is exerted on the swivel lever 12 from above via the handle 12 so that the swivel lever 8 pushes the slide 2 back into its lower extreme position adjusted, the tip of the locking pin 10 slides over the surfaces 21 and 20 and engages in the groove 18 when a corresponding lever position is reached under the pressure of the spring 11. Of course - for the purpose of protecting the parts of the device - the pivoting of the pivot lever 8 from one to the other extreme position can also always be carried out with the angle lever 15 pressed against the handle 12 and the latter can only be released after the end position has been reached.

The two legs of the angle lever 15 are of course arranged at such an angle to one another that it is ensured that by pressing the free leg sufficiently far against the handle 12, the other leg provided on the locking pin 10 and provided with the elongated hole 28 has such an inclined position relative to the axis of the pivot lever 8 occupies through which the locking pin 10 is retracted so far against the force of the compression spring 11 that the tip of the locking pin 10 is completely pulled out of the groove 18 with certainty and accordingly there are no obstacles to the pivoting of the pivot lever 8.

The outer shape and the dimensions of the handle 12 can be adapted in many ways to the respective wishes and needs, ie the handle 12 can be designed, for example, with a circular, but also be formed with a rectangular or other cross-section and with a more or less non-slip surface and / or surface shape. In any case, the handle 12 is arranged against rotation on the pivot lever 8, for example — as shown in the figures — by means of the projection 26 of the pin-shaped part 8 ″ of the pivot lever 8 engaging in groove 27 of the handle 12.

The lid 17 of the handle 12, both of which can be made of plastic or of another suitable material, can be screwed into the handle 12 in the form of a screw cap or simply plugged into the end of the handle as a plug cap, for example with a slight press fit . Instead of this, a bayonet-type fastening of the cover in the handle could also be provided. In any case, the lid is expediently provided with surfaces or the like, which enable the lid to be easily and conveniently detached and attached.

It goes without saying that suitable materials are used for the individual parts of the device according to the invention and that the individual parts can be modified in many different ways. For example, the type of operative connection between the fork-shaped part 8 'of the pivot lever 8 and the slide 2 could be designed differently than described above. For example, it could also be provided that the pivoting lever 8 and the slide 2 engage in a suitable manner in the required manner by means of appropriately arranged and formed projections or depressions.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 4, in which the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals, the tuning fork-shaped pivot lever 8 again has a fork-shaped part 8 'on the housing side and a pin-shaped part 8''adjoining this. This pin-shaped part 8 ″ is also provided here with the through bore 9 having a ring-shaped constriction 8 ″ ″. In the bore 9, the locking pin 10 is arranged with its two ends protruding. Between the thickened end 10 'and the ring-shaped constriction 8''', the compression spring 11 is arranged. The thickened end 10 'of the locking pin 10 protruding from the bore 9 could, of course, again be frustoconical in shape or as shown in FIGS. Engages groove of the housing projection, also not shown.

On the pin-shaped part 8 '' of the pivot lever 8, the handle 12 is arranged and, with the interposition of one leg of the actuating angle lever 15, secured by means of the lock nut 16 attached to the threaded end 13 of the locking pin 10 and via the compression spring 11 with its front end face held snug against the web 32 of the pivot lever 8. As indicated by the nose 33 overlapping the web 32 on the top, the handle 12 arranged with a more or less large clearance on the pin-side part 8 ″ of the pivoting lever 8 can additionally be locked, whereby of course also several, possibly different and differently shaped or trained and arranged at other locations locking elements can be provided.

For receiving the free leg 29 of the actuating angle lever 15, the handle 12 is provided on its underside with the groove-shaped recess 34. In order to ensure the correct actuation of the lever 15, the opening 31 on the handle 12 is formed such that a sufficiently wide gap is present between the rear end of the handle 12 and the leg of the lever 15 protruding into the opening 31, which gap is present when the Lever 15, ie Pushing the free leg 29 against the handle 12, an angular pivoting or inclination of the other leg of the lever 15 allows. In the rear end of the handle 12, a cover cap or a closure cover 17 is again provided here.

By adjusting the locking nut 16 on the threaded part 13 of the locking pin 10, the latter can also be shifted to a certain extent in the longitudinal direction and at the same time the effect of the compression spring 11 can be changed accordingly, the locking pin 10 then engages more or less deeply in the groove of the housing attachment, not shown.

The mode of operation of the embodiment in FIG. 4, in which, in contrast to the embodiment in FIGS. 1 to 3, the lever 15 rests with its one leg directly on a correspondingly designed shoulder of the handle 12, is basically the same. Here too, of course, many different variants are conceivable and possible. For example, provision could also be made to additionally encase the handle 12 shown in FIG. 4 with a more or less thick handle shell made of suitable material and in a suitable shape and / or color, the outer surfaces in particular also being designed or used in an advertising-effective manner can be.

Claims (8)

1. Device for dispensing liquids under pressure from a container, especially a dispenser head for dispensing beer from a barrel or a kag with a pivoted lever (8) and a device to actuate its locking pin (10) whereas the device comprises a housing (1), which may be directly connected to a dispenser valve being integrated in the container side or which may be detachably connected to it via a connecting piece on the side of the container and which has a feed connection (6) branching to the side to feed the container with pressure gas, especially carbon dioxide, it is equipped with a tubular shaped slide (2), slidable in longitudinal direction to let out liquids from the container and whereas the pivoted lever (8) to adjust the slide (2), with the housing being connected to the valve or the container, is in a lower position in which it releases the pressure gas feed connection (6) and the liquid outlet when the valve is actuated, and to place the slide (2) in an upper position after the locking has been released in which it closes the pressure gas feed connection (6) and the liquid outlet, the said pivoted lever is shaped like a tuning fork and encompasses the slide with its fork legs, it is fastened on the housing (1) such that it is pivotable in crosswise direction to the housing or valve swivelling axis and it is kept in interaction with the slide (2) for example via its lower side with a shoulder formed on the slide (2) in distance of its pivoted axis and it is equipped with a center opening passing through, in which the locking pin (10) may be pivoted axially and due to the activity of a pressure spring (11) held between a thickening (10') on the fork-side of the locking pin (10) and a collar-shaped narrowing (8''') of the pin-side end of the opening and which encompasses the locking pin (10), it is placed upright, and whereas the pin-side end of the pivoted lever (8) is encompassed by a handle (12) which props itself on the head-side of the said pivoted lever, on the housing (1), there is a step which in the case of the pivot lever being in the lower position comprises a groove (18) corresponding with the locking pin (10) and which has a curved sliding surface (20) next to the said groove in upward direction whose curve radius corresponds to the distance to the pivot point of the pivoted lever (8), characterized in that the locking pin (10) props itself via the range jutting out at the pin-side end (8'') of the pivoted lever (8) by means of a releasable safety element (16) against a leg (28) which annularily encompasses the said locking pin of an angular-shaped actuating lever whose free leg (29) is led through an opening (31) out of the handle (12) and due to the activity of the pressure spring (11) its free end runs towards the housing (1), angularily towards the outside of the handle (12) on whose lower side the said angular-shaped actuating lever (15) is located.
2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that in the rear end of the handle (12) there is an annular surface on the head-side and that the part (28) encompassing the locking pin (10) of the angular-shaped actuating lever (15) props up itself due to the activity of the pressure spring (11) via the safety element (16) onto a covering plate (14) which props itself up the annular surface on the head side.
3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the safety element (16) is a safety nut which is placed such that it is adjustable on the thread (13) of the pin-side end of the locking pin (10).
4. Device according to one of claims 1 through 3, characterized in that the locking pin (10) is equipped with a conical or similar narrowing at its fork-side end (10').
5. Device according to one of claims 1 through 4, characterized in that the handle (12) is equipped with a cover or a cap or suchlike (17).
6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the cover (17) is designed as a screw cap.
7. Device according to one of the claims 1 through 6, characterized in that the handle (12) is designed in an upright positioned, basically rectangular cross section.
8. Device according to one of the claims 1 through 7, characterized in that a groove-shaped opening (34), placed on the outside of the handle (12) is designed for the insertion of the free leg (29) of the angular actuating lever (15).

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