EP0682642B1 - Dispenser for liquid drinks - Google Patents

Abstract

A dispenser for liquid drinks has a housing in which is provided a preferably coolable liquid reservoir (60) and an upwardly open conical seating surface (16) for supporting the area (20) next to the neck of a reversed bottle (64) or the like with a downwards pointing neck. A pipe (40) which projects downwards into the housing is linked to the reservoir (60). An upper end section of the pipe provided with an opening (22) dips into the bottle neck and if required actuates a closure element inside the bottle neck in order to establish fluid communication through the pipe between the bottle and the reservoir. The upper end section of the pipe has a valve arrangement (24) with a valve element held by gravity and/or a spring in a closed position in which it closes the opening of the upper end section of the pipe. The valve element may be displaced into an open position by the bottle neck or by a closure element located in the bottle neck.

Description

The invention relates to a dispenser for drinkable liquids according to the preamble of claim 1, 6 or 10.

A dispenser of the type mentioned at the outset is known from EP 438 451. In a housing there is a reservoir for holding the liquid, which can be cooled or heated using suitable means. The reservoir is connected to a filling tube which is arranged in the housing and projects into the interior of a bottle neck when the bottle is placed on the housing with the mouth facing downwards. The bottle or the area near the neck is supported on a conical seat of the housing.

In order to prevent the liquid from running out of the bottle when it is placed on the housing, the bottle has a suitable closure which, when placed on the conical seat is opened automatically. For example, it is known to arrange a flap or a breakable membrane or the like inside the bottle neck, which is opened by the filling tube. From EP 438 451 it is known to close the mouth of the bottle by a cap which has a hollow cylindrical section protruding into the bottle neck. The hollow cylindrical section is designed to be breakable in its inner region. It is separated by the filling tube, so that the liquid can flow downward through gravity into the reservoir of the dispenser via lateral openings in the filling tube. If the bottle is lifted, the broken closure element is telescopically moved into the remaining part of the hollow cylindrical section. For this purpose there is a snap connection between the filling tube and the breakable closure element.

In the known dispenser, the reservoir is connected to the atmosphere via an opening in the housing. A filter sits in the opening, which prevents dirt particles from getting into the interior of the reservoir through inflowing air. Air must flow into the reservoir to allow air to flow when the bottle is emptied.

If there is no bottle on the housing, there is a direct connection between the reservoir and the environment. Contamination can therefore enter the reservoir and contaminate the liquid.

From US-A-4 874 023 is a donor of the aforementioned Type become known in which a filling tube is designed so that when the bottle is placed, the filling tube engages in a special closure of the bottle neck and thereby separates a cap-shaped closure part and brings it into an open position. At the same time, a valve tappet which is cross-shaped in cross section is moved from the cap-shaped closure section into the reservoir, whereby a valve disc inside the tube lifts off its valve seat and allows the water to flow through from the bottle into the tube via the flow channels between the cross-shaped valve tappet and the opening in the valve seat. The valve arrangement shown can only be confirmed if the bottle has a special closure. It is ineffective with other closures. In addition, in the known valve arrangement, the valve seat or the valve disk is constantly exposed to the environmental influences when no bottle is arranged on the dispenser.

The invention has for its object to provide a dispenser of the type mentioned, in which as little contamination as possible is to be feared and which can be actuated independently of the design of the closure of the bottle neck.

This object is solved by the features of claims 1, 6 and 10.

In the invention according to claim 1, the opening in the tube is at the upper end, and the valve element is a sleeve guided by the tube, which is slidably arranged on the outside of the upper end portion of the tube and in the closed position against a seal on the tube portion is present. The sleeve is connected to a plate which can be actuated from the free end of the bottle neck.

As soon as the bottle is removed, the valve is closed and the area below the plate is largely sealed against contamination. The seal is, for example, an O-ring seal that sits on the filling tube and simultaneously limits the upward movement of the sleeve. The sleeve can be returned to the closed position, for example, by making a snap connection between the bottle neck and suitable means on the plate, so that when the bottle neck is pulled back, the plate and thus the sleeve are also pulled up into the closed position. A frictional connection or a snap connection can then ensure that the plate remains in this position. However, it is also conceivable to pretension the sleeve or the plate in the closed position by means of a spring. The plate preferably has a circumferential seal which interacts with a cylindrical cavity below the conical seat which surrounds the upper end portion of the fill tube. When using a bias spring, the cavity is preferably provided with an upper shoulder or a shoulder against which the plate rests in the closed position of the sleeve.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a sealing sleeve can be provided below the actuating plate, which is sealingly connected to the underside of the plate and to the bottom of the cavity, so that the filling tube is sealed below the plate and contamination is not in the reservoir through the opening in the filling tube can penetrate. It is understood that the cuff is made must be made of a sufficiently flexible material so that it can yield to the open position when the plate is adjusted.

In the invention according to claim 6, the valve element is a sleeve closed at the upper end, which is telescopically displaceable at the upper end portion of the tube. The closed end of the sleeve sealingly cooperates with the upper end of the tube. At least one control element is pivotally mounted in the upper end section of the filling tube, of which an control section located outside the tube cooperates with a cylindrical inner section of the bottle neck and from which an internal control section cooperates with the sleeve in order to raise the sleeve when the bottle neck on the control element attacks. The sleeve is preferably biased into the closed position by a spring.

Like the generic document, US Pat. No. 4,874,023, the invention according to claim 10 is based on valve actuation by the known bottle closure. The solution according to claim 10 provides that a slide sleeve is mounted telescopically displaceable within the upper end portion of the tube and an actuating portion is provided which protrudes upward from the tube. A spring biases the slide sleeve into the closed position. The slide sleeve has a radial opening which is connected to the lateral opening of the tube when the slide sleeve is in the open position.

In order to provide a limitation of the fill level in the reservoir, an embodiment of the invention provides that the lower end section of the fill pipe, which extends into the reservoir stretched in, has a valve seat, a valve ball being arranged in the tube below the valve seat, which has a lighter specific weight than the liquid and can be pressed against the valve seat by the liquid penetrating into the tube. A venting of the emptying bottle can take place via such a valve arrangement, but further filling of the reservoir is prevented when the level in the reservoir has reached a level at which the valve ball is forced to rest on the valve seat.

Various design options are conceivable for forming the dispenser housing in the area of the conical seat. One is that the housing is closed at the top by a cover which has an annular seal surrounding the tube on the underside, which cooperates with an annular cylindrical extension of the reservoir. This also creates a suitable seal for the reservoir. The ring seal can be arranged on the circumference of a sealing plate which surrounds the tube in a sealing manner. Alternatively, the ring seal can be arranged on a cylindrical projection on the underside of the cover.

The conical seat is preferably formed on a separate component which is sealingly received by a circular opening in the cover. An annular seal is preferably arranged on the upper edge of the seat component, for example an O-ring.

Fig. 1

zeigt schematisch im Schnitt einen Teil der Vorrichtung nach der Erfindung.

Fig. 2

zeigt eine zweite Ausführungsform der Vorrichtung nach der Erfindung ähnlich Fig. 1.

Fig. 3

zeigt eine dritte Ausführungsform der Vorrichtung nach der Erfindung ähnlich Fig. 1.

Fig. 4

zeigt eine vierte Ausführungsform nach der Erfindung im geschlossenen Zustand.

Fig. 5

zeigt die Vorrichtung nach Fig. 4 in geöffnetem Zustand.

Fig. 6

zeigt die Explosionsdarstellung einer fünften Ausführungsform nach der Erfindung.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to drawings.

Fig. 1

shows schematically in section a part of the device according to the invention.

Fig. 2

shows a second embodiment of the device according to the invention similar to FIG. 1st

Fig. 3

shows a third embodiment of the device according to the invention similar to FIG. 1st

Fig. 4

shows a fourth embodiment according to the invention in the closed state.

Fig. 5

shows the device of FIG. 4 in the open state.

Fig. 6

shows the exploded view of a fifth embodiment according to the invention.

A housing 14 (not shown in more detail) for a dispenser has a reservoir 60 which can be cooled or heated by means not shown, as described in EP 438 451. The reservoir 60 is delimited at the top by an annular cylindrical wall 62.

The housing 14 has in the upper region an upwardly and outwardly opening conical seat 16 for receiving the conical region 20 of an only indicated bottle 64, in which e.g. Drinking water is included. The conical seat 16 is cylindrical in the lower region, so that a cylindrical space 18 is formed. The cylindrical space 18 receives a filling arrangement 10, which has a filling tube 40. The fill tube 40 extends sealingly through a bottom 68 of the conical seat section 16 into the reservoir 60. A slide sleeve 24 is slidably mounted around the tube 40 and is connected to a plate 70. The plate 70 has an O-ring 32 on the circumference, which cooperates in a sealing manner with the wall of the cylinder space 18. The upward movement of the plate 70 is limited by a shoulder 38 of the cylinder space 18. In addition, an annular seal 50 is arranged in the upper end region of the filling tube 40, against which the plate 70 rests in a sealing manner when it is in the upper position. The slide sleeve 24 closes radial openings 22 in the tube 40 in the closed position shown.

The top 30 of the plate 70 has latching means 34, which can be flexible tongues. They act together with a bead 36 of the bottle neck 42. If the bead 36 is pressed against the plate 70, the latching means 34 engage around the bead 36. A flap 56 is arranged in the bottle neck 42 and is pivotably attached to a ring section 52. If, as described, the bottle 64 is placed on the seat section 16, the described latching of the bead 36 with the latching means 34 comes about and the bottle neck presses the plate 70 down, whereby the openings 22 are connected to the inside of the bottle neck. At the same time, the closed end bumps of the tube 40, the flap 56 so that liquid can flow from the bottle 64 through the openings 22 and the tube 40 into the reservoir 60. The counterflow of air into the bottle is realized by suitable means, such as are described for example in EP 438 451.

If the bottle 64 is removed, the bottle neck 42 with the bead 36 takes the plate 70 up again into the closed position shown in FIG. 1, so that the openings 22 are closed and no contaminants can get into the reservoir 60 via the openings 22. The plate 70 is held in the closed position shown by means of the latching means 34, e.g. due to sufficient friction between the seal 32 and the wall of the cylindrical cavity 18th

Below the bottom 68 of the cavity 18, the tube 40 is surrounded by a sealing plate 72, which has an O-ring 74 on the circumference, which cooperates in a sealing manner with the inner wall of the cylindrical projection 62. As a result, contamination cannot enter the reservoir 60 from above via the housing.

In Fig. 2, which is largely the same as that of Fig. 1, the same parts are provided with the same reference numerals. 1, the plate 70 is prestressed into the closed position by a spring 44, which is supported on the bottom 68 of the cavity 18. For sealing purposes, the plate 70 is not provided with a circumferential seal, rather an annular seal 48 is provided between the shoulder 38 and the plate 70. The function of the device according to FIG. 2 is otherwise the same as that of FIG. 1. It is therefore not explained again.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 3, those parts which are the same as those of the device according to FIG. 1 are again provided with the same reference numerals. 2 differs from that of FIG. 2 in that a flexible sleeve 53 surrounds the tube 40 in the region of the cavity 18. The sleeve is attached to the underside of the plate 70 and to the top of the bottom 68. In this case, no seal interacts with the plate 70. This function is performed by the sealing sleeve 53. The slide sleeve 24, which closes the openings 22 in the closed position, can also be omitted, since the sleeve 43 ensures that impurities cannot enter the pipe 40 via the openings 22. Sealing to the pipe then takes place between the plate 70 and the O-ring 50 on the pipe 40.

In the device 80 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the conical seat, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, is not shown. It can be provided in the same way for a bottle which is only indicated by the neck 82 in FIG. 4. The bottle neck 82 has a bead 84, which partially closes the mouth at 86, the mouth being formed by an inwardly pointing, hollow-cylindrical extension 88.

The device 80 is connected in a manner not shown to a housing for a dispenser. It has an annular flange 90 which delimits a reservoir 92, not shown in more detail, in which the liquid which emerges from the bottle is received. The flange 90 is part of the filling tube 92, the interior 94 of which has radial openings 96 within the reservoir 92. The lower end 98 of the fill tube 92 is completed at 100. A sleeve-shaped slide 102 sits telescopically in the upper part of the tube 92. It is closed at the upper end by a cover section 104 which projects radially beyond the slide 102. It has a groove 106 directed downwards. The groove 106 interacts with an O-ring 108 which is arranged at the upper end of the tube 92. The slider 102 has radial openings 110 below the section 104. Section 104 is connected by a thin rod 112 inside 94 of tube 92 which is connected at the lower end to a spring 114 which is connected to the bottom 100 at the other end. The spring 114 biases the sleeve slide 102 in the direction of the closed position, as shown in FIG. 4, so that the openings 110 are closed.

Triangular cams 116 are pivotally mounted in slots of the tube 92, which are not designated in any more detail. In the position shown in FIG. 4, a control section of the cams 116 projects radially beyond the circumference of the tube 92. A section 118 of the cams 116 engages the lower end of the sleeve slide 102. Therefore, if the cylindrical extension 88 is moved over the tube 92, the cams 116 are pivoted inward, as a result of which a control surface 120 moves the sleeve slide 102 upwards into the open position, so that liquid along the arrows 122 into the interior of the sleeve slide 102 and thereby into the inside 94 of the tube 92 can flow into the reservoir 92. If the bottle is removed upwards again, the cams 116 are pivoted outward again by gravity on the slide sleeve 102 or by the spring 114 into the position shown in FIG. 4.

6, a cover 130 is one not otherwise shown Shown housing for a dispenser that closes the top of the housing and thus the reservoir. The reservoir can have a hollow cylindrical projection 132, shown in dashed lines. The cover has an annular cylindrical wall 134 which forms a cylindrical passage 136. In the outside of the wall 134 there is an annular seal 138 which cooperates in a sealing manner with the inside of the extension 132. Ribs 140 in the upper outer region of the wall 134 limit the cover 130 downwards when it is placed on the housing.

The passage 136 receives a goblet-like component 142, which forms a conical seat 144 in its upper region for a bottle, not shown, similar to the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 3. At the upper end, a circumferential ring seal 146 is arranged, which has a section 150 of passage 136 sealingly cooperates. The goblet-like section 142 can be surrounded by a cylindrical apron 152, which can have flexible tongues 154 with an undercut at the free end, which engage under the free end of the wall 134 from below in order to securely fix the component 142 in the cover 130.

The bottom 156 of the goblet-like section 142 has a cylindrical passage 158 for receiving a filling and valve arrangement, which is composed of the pulled apart other components, which will be described in more detail below. As indicated by the dash-dotted arrow, a lower pipe section 160 is arranged in the lower region of the passage 158. It receives a valve ball 162, which is delimited from above by a valve seat 164, which is attached in an internally widened section 166 of the pipe section 160.

The valve seat 164 also forms an abutment for a spring 168. The upper part of the arrangement to be described is formed by a tube section 170 which has an opening 172 at the top and radial openings 174. It receives a sleeve slide 176 which has radial bores 178 below one in diameter smaller actuating pin 180. The actuating pin fits through the upper opening 172 of the pipe section 170 and is also held in this position by means of the spring 168. The spring 168 engages the sleeve slide 176 at 182.

The filling and valve arrangement described is mounted in the passage 158, the pipe section 160 being immersed in the reservoir 184, which is delimited in the upper region by the extension 132. If a bottle is now placed on the conical seat 144, for example a bottle as described in EP 438 451, the pin 180 is constantly pressed down against the spring 168 by the removable or breakable closure element, as a result of which the radial openings 174, 178 of pipe section 170 and sleeve slide 176 are aligned with each other. This allows liquid to flow into the pipe via the openings 174, 178 and into the pipe section 160 via the valve seat 164. There is sufficient space between the ball 162 and the inner wall of the pipe section 160 so that the liquid can flow out of the pipe section 160 downward. The ball 162 is prevented from falling out of the pipe section 160 by an opening 186 with a smaller cross section. If, however, the liquid level in the reservoir 164 rises, the valve ball 166 is raised upwards until it finally lies against the valve seat 164. This closes the opening in the valve seat 164 and further liquid can be drawn from the one not shown Stop pouring bottle into reservoir 164.

An air filter 188 is also installed in component 142 in the upper region, so that there is a constant connection between the atmosphere and the reservoir 184. This allows air to flow into the released volume in the bottle.

Claims (16)

1. A dispenser for liquid drinks comprising a housing (14), a preferably coolable reservoir (60) for liquids within the housing, the housing having a conical seat surface (16) opened upwardly for the support of a portion (20) adjacent to the neck of an inverted bottle (64) or the like, a tube (40) extending into the housing from above and being connected to the reservoir (60), with an upper end portion of the tube plunging into the bottle neck (42) and occasionally actuating a closure element (56) within the bottle neck (42) to establish a flow connection between the bottle (64) and the reservoir (60), with the upper end portion of the tube including valve means which have a valve member biased towards its closed position, wherein it closes the opening (22) of the upper end portion and which is displaced to its opened position if the bottle is placed onto the seat surface with its portion adjacent to the neck, characterized in that the opening (24) is provided laterally of the upper end portion of the tube (40), the valve member is a sleeve (24) guided by the tube (40), the sleeve being displaceable on the outer side of the upper end portion and engaging sealing means (40) of the tube portion in its closed position, and the sleeve is connected to a plate (70) or the like adapted to be actuated by the free end (30) of the bottle neck (42).
2. The dispenser of claim 1, characterized in that the plate (70) is biased upwardly by a spring (44).
3. The dispenser of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the plate (70) cooperates sealingly with a hollow cylindrical portion (18) of housing (14) closed at the lower end which encircles the upper portion of the tube (40).
4. The dispenser of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a sealing diaphragm (53) is attached to the lower side of the plate (70), the lower end of the diaphragm being attached to the housing (68).
5. The dispenser of claim 1, characterized in that the plate (70) coacts with the lower end of the bottle neck (42) through a releasable snapping connection (36, 34).
6. A dispenser for liquid drinks, comprising a housing, a preferably coolable reservoir (42) for liquids within the housing, the housing including a conical seat surface opened upwardly for the support of a portion of an inverted bottle or the like adjacent to the neck (82), a tube (92) extending into said housing from above and being connected to the reservoir (42), with an upper end portion of the tube (92) having an opening (110) plunging into the bottle neck (82) and occasionally actuating a closure element within the bottle neck (82) to establish a flow connection between the bottle and the reservoir (92) through the tube (92), with the upper end portion of the tube (92) having valve means including a valve member (102) which is biased towards its closed position, wherein it closes the opening (110) at the upper end portion and which is displaced into the opened position, when the bottle is placed on the seat face with its portion adjacent to the neck, characterized in that the valve member is a sleeve (102) closed at the upper end and adapted to be telescopically displaced within the upper end portion of the tube (92), with the closed end of the sleeve (102) sealingly coacting with the upper end of the tube (92), at least one control element (116) being pivotally supported within the tube (92), a control portion of the control element positioned outside the tube (92) cooperates with a cylindrical portion (88) of the bottle neck (82), and a control portion (118) of the control element within the bottle neck cooperates with the sleeve (102) in order to lift the sleeve (102), if the bottle neck (82) engages the control element (116).
7. The dispenser of claim 6, characterized in that the sleeve (102) is biased towards its closed position by a spring (114).
8. The dispenser of claim 6 or 7, characterized in that at a pivotally supported cam (116) coacts with the lower end of the sleeve (102).
9. The dispenser of one of the claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the sleeve has a radially extending flange (104) at the upper end thereof which sealingly coacts with the upper end of the tube (92).
10. A dispenser for liquid drinks, comprising a housing, a preferably coolable reservoir (184) for the liquid, the housing having a conical seat surface (144) opened upwardly for the support of a portion of an inverted bottle or the like adjacent to the neck, a tube (170) extending into the housing from above and being connected to the reservoir (184), an upper end portion of the tube (170) having an opening (174) plunging into the bottle neck and occasionally actuating a closure element within the bottle neck to establish a flow connection between the bottle and the reservoir (184) through the tube (170), with the upper end portion of the tube (170) including a valve means having a valve member (176) which is biased towards its closed position wherein it closes the opening (174) at the upper end portion and which is displaced into its opened position if the bottle is placed on the seat surface (144) with the portion adjacent to the neck, characterized in that a sliding sleeve (176) is telescopically displaceably supported within the upper end portion of the tube (170) and has an actuation portion (180) extending beyond the tube (170), a spring (168) biases the sleeve (176) upwardly into its closed position, the sleeve (176) having a radial opening (178) which is in communication with a lateral opening (174) of the tube (92) if the sleeve (176) is in its opened position.
11. The dispenser of claim 10, characterized in that the lower end portion of the tube (160) has a valve seat (164), a valve ball (162) is located below the valve seat in the tube portion (160), the valve ball has a smaller specific weight than the liquid and is adapted to be urged against the valve seat (164) by the liquid within the tube portion (160).
12. The dispenser of one of the claims 1 to 11, characteriezd in that the housing is closed at the upper side by a lid (130) having an annular sealing (74, 138) at the lower side and surrounding the tube (40, 160), the sealing cooperating with an upper extension (62, 132) of the reservoir (60, 184).
13. The dispenser of claim 12, characterized in that the annular sealing (74) is located at a sealing plate (72) sealingly surrounding the tube (40).
14. The dispenser of claim 12, characterized in that the annular sealing (138) is located at an annular cylindrical extension (134) at the lower side of lid (130).
15. The dispenser of one of the claims 12 to 14, characterized in that the conical seat surface (144) is formed at a separate structural part (142) which is sealingly accommodated by a circular opening (136) of the lid (130).
16. The dispenser of claim 15, characterized in that the annular sealing is located at the upper edge of the structural part (142).

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