EP2926878A1 - Closing means and unit for ejecting objects powered by propellant, in particular a confetti shooter - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a closure means having a closure element (10) which can be moved from a closed position into an open position and a holding element (11) for holding the closure element (10) in its closed position, the holding element (11) being in a holding position in which it holds the closure element (10) in its closed position, in a release position, which allows opening of the closure element (10) is movable. In order to reliably prevent inadvertent opening, either by the operator or, for example, during transport, the closure means according to the invention is characterized in that the retaining element (11) is secured in the retaining position in a form-fitting manner.

Such a closure means is particularly suitable for securing confetti shooters.

Description

The invention relates to a closure means having a closure element which can be moved from a closed position into an open position and a holding element for holding the closure element in its closed position, the holding element being moved from a holding position in which it holds the closure element in its closed position into a release position which opens allows the closure element is movable, wherein the retaining element is positively secured in the holding position, and the closure element. Furthermore, the invention relates to a fluid-operated ejection unit for objects, in particular a confetti shooter, with such a closure means.

Such a fluid-operated ejection unit, namely a confetti shooter, which has such a closure means is known from US 2002/0077027 A1 known.

Pressure fluid driven confetti shooters are available in two versions, namely as electrically triggered and manually triggered confetti shooter. The present invention is concerned with the manual variations of confetti shooters, without being limited thereto. Rather, the closure means according to the invention can be used quite generally for closing any things advantageous.

The US 2002/0077027 A1 shows different embodiments of manually triggered fluid-operated Konfettishooter. This is common that in a lower part of a pressure fluid container, specifically a compressed air tank, is added. This compressed air tank has an outlet opening for the compressed air, which is closed with a rubber stopper or a silicone stopper. In In this position, the plug is secured by a closure element, namely a closure flap, which in turn is held in this closed position by a holding element. Above this structure, a chamber is provided, in which the ejected by the compressed air objects, concrete confetti, are filled. The whole is housed in a mostly circular cylindrical tube as a housing.

Due to the pressure prevailing in the compressed air tank, the plug is constantly pressed against the closure flap. As soon as it is no longer held by the retaining element in its closed position by actuation of the retaining element, the sealing plug is "shot" out of the outlet opening by the compressed air and thereby also the closure flap is moved in its open position. The air escaping from the compressed air tank "shoots" now also the objects contained in the upper part, in particular the confetti, from the confetti shooter.

In the US 2002/0077027 A1 Different release mechanisms for the confetti shooter are shown. All have in common that the closure flap is held by a bolt as a holding element in the closed position. According to the embodiment according to Fig. 1 and 2 the font, the latch is connected to a pull cord, which is guided through a hole in the cylindrical housing to the outside. The operator pulls on the pull cord, which unlocks the latch and the flap, thereby releasing the flap. In the embodiment according to 3 and 4 said document is used to unlock a plunger, which is also guided through a hole in the cylindrical housing and pressed by the operator into the hole. In the embodiment of FIG. 5 to 8 of the document, the cylindrical housing is formed in two parts, namely with an upper, the confetti receiving housing part and a lower, the compressed air tank receiving housing part. The two housing parts are mutually rotatable connected to each other. By turning the upper housing part relative to the lower housing part (and / or vice versa) is the Closing flap, similar to a bayonet lock, released and then opened by the pressure medium loaded stopper.

A disadvantage of all variants is that only a single trigger mechanism must be operated. The risk of incorrect operation or unintentional opening during transport (for example, due to shaking movements) is therefore given. From the confetti shooters therefore goes from a latent danger.

From the US 7,293,558 B2 is a Konfettishooter known which has two trigger mechanisms, which are simultaneously operated by the operator. Although this reduces the risk of accidental release of confetti shooter. Unintentional opening during transport is not avoided. The same applies to the in the US Pat. No. 6,450,160 B1 Konfettishooter shown, which is wrapped in a protective film. The operator must first remove the protective film before the triggering mechanism becomes accessible, which in turn reduces the risk of operator misoperation, but in no way prevents inadvertent opening during transport by, for example, shaking movements.

In electrically triggered confetti shooters, the flap is held by a thread in the closed position. The thread is wrapped in a filament. By applying an electrical voltage to the filament, the thread is severed and gives the flap fei. Again, it can happen that the thread breaks unintentionally and thus the confetti shooter is triggered uncontrollably.

Proceeding from this, the present invention is based on the problem, a closure means and a fluid-actuated ejection unit of the type mentioned in such a way that unintentional opening, be it by the operator or, for example, during transport, reliably avoided.

To solve this problem, the closure means according to the invention is characterized in that a means is provided which generates due to a biasing force on the retaining element in the direction of its holding position.

The fuse according to the invention both prevents the operator when handling the Konfettishooter accidentally actuates the retaining element, because he feels a corresponding resistance, as well as unintentional actuation of the retaining element by, for example, shaking movements during transport. Another advantage of this solution is that it can be manufactured with the same number of components as the conventional closure means of the prior art.

In this case, the holding element is biased in the direction of its holding position. Due to the bias of the holding means, the operator must first overcome the resistance due to the biasing force. Should the holding element still easily move out of the holding position (be it during transport or because the operator inadvertently rotates the holding element and then let go again due to the resistance), then the holding element is immediately pushed back into the holding position by the bias.

According to a particularly simple embodiment of the invention, the closure element and the holding element have mutually corresponding bevels, which are configured such that a part of the biasing force acts in the opposite direction to an actuating direction for opening the closure element.

The bias on the retaining element can be generated for example by separate springs. In this case, the bias voltage is preferably generated by a force transmitted from the closure element, for example by biasing the closure element in the direction of its open position.

According to a constructive embodiment of the invention, however, an internal pressure in a closed pressure vessel of the closure means can be used in a very particularly advantageous manner, which transfers to the closure element via the closure plug of the pressure vessel. Separate biasing means, such as springs, are then not required.

• Fig. 1 eine Ausführungsform für ein Verschlussmittel mit den Erfindungsmerkmalen in Vorderansicht;
• Fig. 2 das Verschlussmittel gemäß Fig. 1 in Längsschnitt in der Ebene II - II;
• Fig. 3 das Verschlussmittel gemäß Fig. 1 in Draufsicht;
• Fig. 4 das Verschlussmittel gemäß Fig. 1 in Rückansicht, teilweise geschnitten.

The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawing. In the drawing show:

• Fig. 1 an embodiment of a closure means with the features of the invention in front view;
• Fig. 2 the closure means according to Fig. 1 in longitudinal section in the plane II - II;
• Fig. 3 the closure means according to Fig. 1 in plan view;
• Fig. 4 the closure means according to Fig. 1 in rear view, partially cut.

That in the Fig. 1 to 4 shown embodiment of a closure means consists essentially of a closure element, which is formed in the present case as a closure flap 10, and a holding element 11. This closure means is used in the present case for closing a pressure medium container, not shown Konfettishooters, although the closure means are of course also used elsewhere , The closure flap 10 has a shape adapted to the shape of an outlet opening of the pressure medium container, for example in the present case a round, center section 12. On one side of this central portion 12, a hinge portion 13 is arranged, which has on its two sides approximately perpendicular to the plane of the central portion 12 ears 14 standing. Both ears 14 have mutually aligned bores 15, 16. Through these bores 15, 16 engages in each case from the outside an axis 25 or a shaft to pivotally mount the closure flap 10. Concretely, the flap 10 is over the axes 25 hingedly connected to a connecting sleeve 26, which in practice a receiving tube for the confetti or other shootable with the shooter objects and connected to the connecting sleeve 26, for example, is glued.

At the hinge portion 13 diametrically opposite side of the central portion 12, a holding portion 17 is arranged, although it does not have to be arranged directly opposite one another. The holding portion 17 is tongue-like integrally formed on the central portion 12 and initially bent by about 90 ° down. Subsequently, the holding portion 17 is bent back by 90 ° back, so that a kind of Z-fold is formed. This results in a free web 18, which, in particular in Fig. 2 can be seen very well, ramped to one side, in the present case according to Fig. 2 to the right, falls off. The web 18 thus does not extend parallel to an axis formed by the holes 15 and 16, but at a suitable angle to this.

As in Fig. 4 Furthermore, it can be seen, a bore 19 is provided in the closure flap 10 approximately centrally in the middle section 12. This bore 19 serves, as already known from the prior art, to introduce a filling lance through a sealing plug in order to fill the pressure medium container with, for example, compressed air.

The holding member 11 is formed in the present embodiment as a retaining ring, but may also have any other suitable shape. The holding member 11 forms a part of the housing of the Confetti shooter and is mounted rotatably relative to at least one of the housing parts. An outer surface 20 of the support member 11 is provided with corrugations or other suitable roughening of the surface to allow a secure grip for the operator. On the inside of the holding element 11, a projection 22 is arranged, which is arranged in the present case at the upper edge of the holding element, but can be arranged at any other location. The projection 22 has at its Bottom one to the cross-sectional plane of the support member 11 (perpendicular to the longitudinal center axis of the same) extending at an angle, ramp-like bottom 23. The angle at which the ramp-like underside 23 is pivoted, corresponds to the angle of the ramp-like web 18. In the holding position of the holding element 11, the ramp-like underside 23 of the holding element 11 cooperates with the web 18 of the closure flap 10. In this case, as in the prior art, the compressed air contained in a pressure vessel pushes a sealing plug in the upward direction out of the pressure vessel against the closure flap 10, specifically against its center portion 12. The stopper thus tries to open the closure flap 10, which the projection 22 of the holding element 11 is prevented. The projection 22 or its underside 23 thus forms a counter-pressure element for the closure flap 10 or its web 18. The corresponding slopes of the web 18 and the underside 23 also exerts a force component in the web 18 one of the actuating direction (arrow 24) of the holding element 11 for opening the closure means opposite direction and thus one of the actuating direction 24 opposite moment on the holding element 11 from. As a result, the nose 22 is rotated in the direction opposite to the actual actuating direction (arrows 24), which, however, is prevented by suitable stop means on the holding element 11. As a result, the retaining element 11 thus receives a bias which acts in the opposite direction to the actual actuating direction (arrows 24) for actuating the confetti shooter by turning the retaining element 11.

If the operator now wants to trigger the confetti shooter, ie open the closure, he rotates the retaining ring, that is to say the retaining element 11, in the actuating direction 24. As a result, the web 18 is pushed away from the nose 22 due to the oblique underside 23 of the nose 22 and its own bevel. So the flap 10 is first pressed over the closed position against the stopper. For this purpose, the operator must therefore spend a certain amount of force, which prevents him from a malfunction. Only when the web 18 is released behind the nose 22, the pressure medium-loaded stopper pushes the flap 10 in her Open position and the compressed air escapes jerkily while blowing the objects contained in the receiving tube out of this.

In the embodiment described above, the bevels extend over the entire width of the web 18 and the projection 22. However, this is not necessary for the solution of the problem underlying the invention. It is sufficient if the ramp-like slopes do not extend over the entire length or width of the web 18 and the projection 22. Rather, it is also sufficient if the bevels are provided only over a part of the width and both the web 18 and the bottom 23, moreover, horizontally, that is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the holding element 11, extend.

It is understood that further variations are conceivable without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the holding member 11 need not be formed as a retaining ring according to the present embodiments. There are also pivotable catches conceivable, analogous to the two in the Fig. 1 and 2 or 3 and 4 of US 2002/0077027 A1 shown notches. In the embodiment according to Fig. 1 to 4 The present invention would then be the shutter on the one hand and the latching element on the other hand analog form with mutually corresponding, ramp-like bevels, which bias the locking element as a holding element in the direction of its holding position.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

flap

11

retaining element

12

mid section

13

hinge section

14

ears

15

drilling

16

drilling

17

holding section

18

web

19

drilling

20

coat

22

head Start

23

bottom

24

operating direction

25

axis

26

connecting sleeve

Claims (4)

Locking means having a closure element (10) which can be moved from a closed position into an open position and a holding element (11) for holding the closure element (10) in its closed position, wherein the holding element (11) moves from a holding position in which it engages the closure element (10) holds its closed position, in a release position, which allows an opening of the closure element (10) is movable, wherein
the holding element (11) is secured in a form-fitting manner in the holding position,
characterized in that
a means is provided which generates a biasing force on the holding element (11) in the direction of its holding position. Closure means make claim 1, characterized in that the closure element (10) and the holding element (11) mutually corresponding bevels (18, 23) which are designed such that a part of the biasing force in the opposite direction to an actuating direction (24) for opening the closure element (10) acts Pressure-medium-operated ejection unit for objects, in particular confetti shooters, with a closure means according to claim 1 or 2. Pressure-medium-operated ejection unit according to claim 3, characterized in that a pressure prevailing in a pressure medium container exerts a force on the closure element (10), which generates the biasing force on the holding element (11).

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