EP1471293B1 - Safety cap for pressure vessels, particularly boilers for electrical household appliances and the like - Google Patents

Safety cap for pressure vessels, particularly boilers for electrical household appliances and the like Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1471293B1
EP1471293B1 EP03425255A EP03425255A EP1471293B1 EP 1471293 B1 EP1471293 B1 EP 1471293B1 EP 03425255 A EP03425255 A EP 03425255A EP 03425255 A EP03425255 A EP 03425255A EP 1471293 B1 EP1471293 B1 EP 1471293B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
knob
support
axial
safety cap
radial
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP03425255A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP1471293A1 (en
Inventor
Vito Marchini
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Olab SRL
Original Assignee
Olab SRL
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Olab SRL filed Critical Olab SRL
Priority to EP03425255A priority Critical patent/EP1471293B1/en
Priority to DE60301128T priority patent/DE60301128T2/en
Priority to AT03425255T priority patent/ATE300690T1/en
Publication of EP1471293A1 publication Critical patent/EP1471293A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1471293B1 publication Critical patent/EP1471293B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F22—STEAM GENERATION
    • F22B—METHODS OF STEAM GENERATION; STEAM BOILERS
    • F22B1/00—Methods of steam generation characterised by form of heating method
    • F22B1/28—Methods of steam generation characterised by form of heating method in boilers heated electrically
    • F22B1/284—Methods of steam generation characterised by form of heating method in boilers heated electrically with water in reservoirs
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D50/00—Closures with means for discouraging unauthorised opening or removal thereof, with or without indicating means, e.g. child-proof closures
    • B65D50/02—Closures with means for discouraging unauthorised opening or removal thereof, with or without indicating means, e.g. child-proof closures openable or removable by the combination of plural actions
    • B65D50/04—Closures with means for discouraging unauthorised opening or removal thereof, with or without indicating means, e.g. child-proof closures openable or removable by the combination of plural actions requiring the combination of simultaneous actions, e.g. depressing and turning, lifting and turning, maintaining a part and turning another one
    • B65D50/041—Closures with means for discouraging unauthorised opening or removal thereof, with or without indicating means, e.g. child-proof closures openable or removable by the combination of plural actions requiring the combination of simultaneous actions, e.g. depressing and turning, lifting and turning, maintaining a part and turning another one the closure comprising nested inner and outer caps or an inner cap and an outer coaxial annular member, which can be brought into engagement to enable removal by rotation

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a safety cap for pressure vessels, particularly boilers for electrical household appliances.
  • Safety caps for pressure vessels have already been provided for this purpose which have the characteristic of requiring two simultaneous actions both during screwing and during unscrewing, i.e., an axial compression on the cap together with a rotation, in order to screw them on and off.
  • the aim of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks noted above, by providing a safety cap for pressure vessels, particularly boilers for electrical household appliances and the like, that allows to simplify the screwing operations since it does not require, for this step, the use of two separate and simultaneous actuations.
  • an object of the invention is to provide a safety cap that during unscrewing, if actuation is not performed correctly, achieves a ratchet-like engagement that produces a characteristic noise that warns that the cap is fitted correctly on the mouth and that correct closure is ensured.
  • Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety cap that thanks to its particular constructive characteristics is capable of giving the greatest assurances of reliability and safety in use.
  • Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety cap that is simply constituted by two parts that can be assembled each other easily and is further competitive from a merely economical standpoint.
  • the safety cap according to the invention comprises a body 2, which is preferably made of metallic material and can be screwed onto a mouth 3 of a pressure vessel, which is generally designated by the reference numeral 4 and is constituted for example by a boiler for steam generation.
  • a safety valve generally designated by the reference numeral 10, which is advantageously constituted by a gasket 11 that is pushed against a passage port and is supported by a flow control element 12, which is pushed by a spring 13 that acts, at its other end, on a ring 14 that can be set in order to adjust the compression of the spring 13.
  • a support 20 is rigidly associated with the body 2 and advantageously forms internally a polygonal cavity 21 for engagement with the outer surface of the body 2.
  • a knob is rotatably associable with the support 20.
  • the support 20 has an annular rim 22 that acts as a retention element against axial extraction for engagement teeth 31, which are provided as an undercut on the knob 30, allow snap insertion of the knob on the support 20, and prevent subsequent accidental extraction; with this embodiment, therefore, it is possible to provide the cap by assembling just two parts, thus achieving a considerable constructive simplification.
  • radial coupling means are provided that act between the knob 30 and the support 20 and are designed to rotationally rigidly couple the knob and the support in the screwing direction.
  • the radial coupling means have two radial tabs 23, which are provided at the outer upper edge of the body 20 and have a radial width that increases from the portion for coupling to the body 20 toward the free end, where a radial abutment 24 is formed.
  • cam-like contours 32 that are uniformly distributed circumferentially and form an abutment 33 that is designed to engage the radial plane 24 in order to rigidly rotationally couple the knob 30 and the support 20 during the screwing of the cap, while during unscrewing the radial tabs, in contact with the cams 32, yield elastically and contract, providing in practice a ratchet-like coupling that is unable to transmit the rotation to the support and accordingly to the cap.
  • An important particularity of the invention is constituted by the fact that in combination with the radial coupling means there are axial coupling means, which are provided by axial teeth 25 that are uniformly distributed circumferentially and spaced and are provided on the upper end of the support 20.
  • axial teeth 35 which are also distributed circumferentially and are spaced so that they can intersect and fit between the teeth 25.
  • a pusher spring 40 acts between the support 20 and the knob 30 and in normal conditions keeps the knob 20 spaced from the support.
  • the materials used, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions may be any according to requirements.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Sustainable Development (AREA)
  • Sustainable Energy (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Closures For Containers (AREA)
  • Cookers (AREA)

Abstract

Two radial tabs (23) on the outer upper edge of a support (20) end with a radial plane (24) that engages abutments (33) on the inner surface of a knob (30) when the cap (1) is rotated in the screwing direction. To unscrew the cap, axial compression is applied to engage the axial teeth (25,35) on both the support and knob and rotationally rigidly couple the body and knob.

Description

The present invention relates to a safety cap for pressure vessels, particularly boilers for electrical household appliances.
As is known, many commercially available household appliances, such as ironing machines, floor cleaning machines, sterilizers and so forth are provided with pressurized steam devices that use a boiler on which a cap is applied; for safety reasons, said cap must be removed only when the boiler has cooled and there is no dangerous residual pressure.
Safety caps for pressure vessels have already been provided for this purpose which have the characteristic of requiring two simultaneous actions both during screwing and during unscrewing, i.e., an axial compression on the cap together with a rotation, in order to screw them on and off.
This solution entails that when the cap is screwed on and the knob is turned counterclockwise, i.e., in the unscrewing direction, without being pressed, such knob turns freely, giving no perception of whether the cap is really screwed on fully or not. Another example of safety cap is disclosed in the US Patent No. US-A-3 944 102, in which a safety cap is provided with flexible axial means which realize. The rigid rotational coupling between an inner and an outer cap. Document US-A-5 197 616 discloses the preamble of claim 1.
Moreover, in known types of cap it is necessary to interpose, between the knob and the support, an additional element, which entails additional machining operations in order to connect by welding or gluing the third annular component to the knob.
The aim of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks noted above, by providing a safety cap for pressure vessels, particularly boilers for electrical household appliances and the like, that allows to simplify the screwing operations since it does not require, for this step, the use of two separate and simultaneous actuations.
Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a safety cap that during unscrewing, if actuation is not performed correctly, achieves a ratchet-like engagement that produces a characteristic noise that warns that the cap is fitted correctly on the mouth and that correct closure is ensured.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety cap that thanks to its particular constructive characteristics is capable of giving the greatest assurances of reliability and safety in use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety cap that is simply constituted by two parts that can be assembled each other easily and is further competitive from a merely economical standpoint.
This aim and these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a safety cap for pressure vessels, particularly boilers for electrical household appliances and the like, according to claim 1.
Further characteristics and advantages will become better apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a safety cap for pressure vessels, particularly boilers for electrical household appliances and the like, illustrated by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
  • Figure 1 is a schematic sectional view of the safety cap according to the invention, applied to a pressure vessel;
  • Figure 2 is a sectional view of the safety cap during axial compression;
  • Figure 3 is a top plan view of the support;
  • Figure 4 is an elevation view of the support;
  • Figure 5 is a sectional view, taken along the line V-V of Figure 3;
  • Figure 6 is a plan view of the knob, taken from the inner side;
  • Figure 7 is an elevation view of the knob;
  • Figure 8 is a transverse sectional view of the cap during screwing, illustrating the engagement of the radial coupling means;
  • Figure 9 is a transverse sectional view of the cap during an attempt to unscrew it without axial compression;
  • Figures 10 and 11 are sectional views of the cap during unscrewing with insertion of the axial coupling means, regardless of the position of the radial coupling means.
    • With reference to the figures, the safety cap according to the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, comprises a body 2, which is preferably made of metallic material and can be screwed onto a mouth 3 of a pressure vessel, which is generally designated by the reference numeral 4 and is constituted for example by a boiler for steam generation.
    Inside the body 2 it is possible to provide a safety valve, generally designated by the reference numeral 10, which is advantageously constituted by a gasket 11 that is pushed against a passage port and is supported by a flow control element 12, which is pushed by a spring 13 that acts, at its other end, on a ring 14 that can be set in order to adjust the compression of the spring 13.
    A support 20 is rigidly associated with the body 2 and advantageously forms internally a polygonal cavity 21 for engagement with the outer surface of the body 2.
    A knob, generally designated by the reference numeral 30, is rotatably associable with the support 20.
    For mutual coupling, the support 20 has an annular rim 22 that acts as a retention element against axial extraction for engagement teeth 31, which are provided as an undercut on the knob 30, allow snap insertion of the knob on the support 20, and prevent subsequent accidental extraction; with this embodiment, therefore, it is possible to provide the cap by assembling just two parts, thus achieving a considerable constructive simplification.
    An important particularity of the invention is constituted by the fact that radial coupling means are provided that act between the knob 30 and the support 20 and are designed to rotationally rigidly couple the knob and the support in the screwing direction.
    The radial coupling means have two radial tabs 23, which are provided at the outer upper edge of the body 20 and have a radial width that increases from the portion for coupling to the body 20 toward the free end, where a radial abutment 24 is formed.
    Correspondingly, on the inner surface of the knob 30 there are cam-like contours 32 that are uniformly distributed circumferentially and form an abutment 33 that is designed to engage the radial plane 24 in order to rigidly rotationally couple the knob 30 and the support 20 during the screwing of the cap, while during unscrewing the radial tabs, in contact with the cams 32, yield elastically and contract, providing in practice a ratchet-like coupling that is unable to transmit the rotation to the support and accordingly to the cap.
    An important particularity of the invention is constituted by the fact that in combination with the radial coupling means there are axial coupling means, which are provided by axial teeth 25 that are uniformly distributed circumferentially and spaced and are provided on the upper end of the support 20.
    Correspondingly, on the inner bottom of the knob there are complementary axial teeth 35, which are also distributed circumferentially and are spaced so that they can intersect and fit between the teeth 25.
    A pusher spring 40 acts between the support 20 and the knob 30 and in normal conditions keeps the knob 20 spaced from the support.
    When one wishes to unscrew the cap, it is necessary to apply an axial compression in order to overcome the elastic contrast applied by the spring and engage the complementary teeth 35 between the teeth 25, thus rotationally rigidly coupling the knob and the support.
    If axial compression and rotation are performed in combination, when the teeth 25 and the complementary teeth 35 mesh it is possible to unscrew the cap; if axial compression is not performed, the cap cannot be unscrewed.
    From the above description it is therefore evident that the invention achieves the intended aim and objects, and in particular the fact is stressed that a safety cap is provided that can be screwed on without particular techniques, since the radial coupling means rotationally rigidly couple the knob and the support, but requires a combined compression and rotation for unscrewing, thus providing a high-level safety criterion.
    The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the inventive concept.
    All the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.
    In practice, the materials used, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to requirements.
    Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs, do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

    Claims (6)

    1. A safety cap for pressure vessels, particularly boilers for electrical household appliances and the like, comprising a body (2) that can be screwed onto the mouth (3) of a boiler (4) and the like and is rigidly associable with a support (20) on which a knob (30) is rotatably associated, further comprising, between said knob (30) and said support (20), radial coupling means that are adapted to rotationally rigidly couple said knob (30) and said support (20), in the direction for screwing on said cap (1), and axial coupling means, which are adapted to rotationally rigidly couple said knob (30) and said support (20) by axial compression of said knob (30) with respect to said support (20), said radial coupling means comprise radial tabs (23) whose free end protrudes in a radial direction, said tabs ending with a radial abutment (24), characterized in that the inner surface of said knob (30) is provided with cam-like profiles (33) disposed on a radial plane so that said radial abutment (24) can engage, during rotation in the screwing direction, with said cam-like profiles (33).
    2. The safety cap according to claim 1, characterized in that said tabs (23) have a thickness that increases radially from the portion for coupling to said support toward said free end.
    3. The safety cap according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises a safety valve (10) inside said body (2).
    4. The safety cap according to anyone of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a rim (22) that is rigidly coupled to said support (20) and constitutes a retention element against axial extraction for engagement teeth (31) which are provided on said knob (30) and can be inserted with a snap action beyond said rim (22).
    5. The safety cap according to anyone of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises axial coupling means, constituted by axial teeth (25) that are uniformly distributed circumferentially and spaced and are provided at the upper end of said support (20), axial complementary teeth (35) being further provided on the inner bottom of said knob (30), said complementary teeth (35) being uniformly spaced and distributed circumferentially and being detachably insertable between said axial teeth (25).
    6. The safety cap according to anyone of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a pusher spring (40), which acts between said support (20) and said knob (30) in order to keep said teeth (25) and said complementary teeth (35) in a mutually spaced condition in the absence of an axial compression adapted to overcome said spring (40).
    EP03425255A 2003-04-24 2003-04-24 Safety cap for pressure vessels, particularly boilers for electrical household appliances and the like Expired - Lifetime EP1471293B1 (en)

    Priority Applications (3)

    Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
    EP03425255A EP1471293B1 (en) 2003-04-24 2003-04-24 Safety cap for pressure vessels, particularly boilers for electrical household appliances and the like
    DE60301128T DE60301128T2 (en) 2003-04-24 2003-04-24 Safety cap for pressure vessels, in particular boilers for household appliances and the like
    AT03425255T ATE300690T1 (en) 2003-04-24 2003-04-24 SAFETY CAP FOR PRESSURE VESSELS ESPECIALLY BOILERS FOR HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND THE LIKE

    Applications Claiming Priority (1)

    Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
    EP03425255A EP1471293B1 (en) 2003-04-24 2003-04-24 Safety cap for pressure vessels, particularly boilers for electrical household appliances and the like

    Publications (2)

    Publication Number Publication Date
    EP1471293A1 EP1471293A1 (en) 2004-10-27
    EP1471293B1 true EP1471293B1 (en) 2005-07-27

    Family

    ID=32946993

    Family Applications (1)

    Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
    EP03425255A Expired - Lifetime EP1471293B1 (en) 2003-04-24 2003-04-24 Safety cap for pressure vessels, particularly boilers for electrical household appliances and the like

    Country Status (3)

    Country Link
    EP (1) EP1471293B1 (en)
    AT (1) ATE300690T1 (en)
    DE (1) DE60301128T2 (en)

    Cited By (1)

    * Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
    Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
    WO2008017245A1 (en) 2006-08-02 2008-02-14 Tsann Kuen (China) Enterprise Co., Ltd A safety plug for a container generating high pressure fluid

    Families Citing this family (1)

    * Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
    Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
    ITUB20156033A1 (en) * 2015-11-10 2017-05-10 Scandellari Components S N C SELF-LOCKING CAP

    Family Cites Families (6)

    * Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
    Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
    DE2216343B2 (en) * 1972-04-05 1975-05-15 Hermann 7071 Lindach Grau Safety screw cap
    US3815776A (en) * 1972-06-26 1974-06-11 Mccord Corp Gas cap assembly
    DE8119446U1 (en) * 1981-07-03 1981-11-05 Alcoa Deutschland Gmbh Verpackungswerke, 6520 Worms Kit for a cap lock
    US4729487A (en) * 1987-05-22 1988-03-08 Wright Frank S Push and lock child-resistant closure
    US5197616A (en) * 1992-06-23 1993-03-30 Van Blarcom Closures, Inc. Child-resistant closure with audible click close indicator
    US5370251A (en) * 1993-07-22 1994-12-06 Van Blarcom Closures, Incorporated Child-resistant closure

    Cited By (2)

    * Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
    Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
    WO2008017245A1 (en) 2006-08-02 2008-02-14 Tsann Kuen (China) Enterprise Co., Ltd A safety plug for a container generating high pressure fluid
    CN101118029B (en) * 2006-08-02 2011-04-20 厦门灿坤实业股份有限公司 Safety stopper device of container for producing highly pressurized fluid

    Also Published As

    Publication number Publication date
    DE60301128D1 (en) 2005-09-01
    DE60301128T2 (en) 2006-01-05
    EP1471293A1 (en) 2004-10-27
    ATE300690T1 (en) 2005-08-15

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