GB1577118A

GB1577118A - Container closure units

Info

Publication number: GB1577118A
Application number: GB1925277A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: GKN Sankey Ltd
Current assignee: Sankey Holding Ltd
Priority date: 1978-04-24
Filing date: 1978-04-24
Publication date: 1980-10-22

Description

(54) CONTAINER CLOSURE UNITS (71) We, GKN SANKEY LIMITED a British Company of Albert Street, Bilston, West Midlands, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to valved closure units for containers. Such closure units are widely used in beer kegs and the units are arranged so that the containers may be emptied and filled through the closure units.

More specifically, the invention relates to closure units of the kind, hereinafter referred to as being of the kind specified, which comprises a bush arranged to be received in an opening in a container or keg (normally in an internally threaded neck on the container), a downtube supported by the bush for extending into the container and spring-loaded valve means within the bush and associated with the downtube.

When the unit is used in a beer keg, the valve means are arranged to control the entry of carbon dioxide and the exit of beer from a full keg. Moreover, the valve means can be used to control the entry and exit of washing liquid and/or steam during washing of the keg and the entry of beer during filling of the keg. Normally, the valve means will be one of two types.

The valve means will either comprise two concentric valves, one for beer and one for gas, each of the valves being separately spring loaded, or there may be a single valve member controlling separate beer and gas passages.

Heretofore the bush has been made as a one-piece casting or stamping and threadedly mounted in the neck. In our Patent Application No. 12425/76 (Cognate 34778/76 and 50660/76) (Serial No.

1 577 116) we have described a two-part bush comprising a first, annular, metal part which has been formed by casting or hot stamping and having, in one end, a counterbore; a second part in the form of a stainless steel tubular member having one end portion held permanently and firmly in the counterbore; and a sealant filling interstices between the first and second parts, the tubular member extending outwardly from the counterbore and being formed with support means enabling a spring abutment to be engaged therewith and supported thereon.

In some of the embodiments described in said prior application the second part of the bush provides an internal valve seat with which the valve means co-operates.

We have now found that we can have a bush comprising, in essence, only the second part of the bush described in the earlier application, with suitable modifications and that we can clamp this bush in the container neck with a separate clamping ring.

which, in effect, takes the place of the first part of the bush described in the earlier application.

According to one aspect of the invention, therefore, we provide a closure unit of the kind specified in which the bush is provided (a) at its one end (in use in a full keg its upper end) with an internal valve seat with which the valve means cooperates and (b) with oppositely facing external abutment surfaces adjacent its upper end whereby the closure unit can be clamped in position in the opening of a container or a keg.

According to another aspect of the invention we provide the combination of (1) a closure unit of the kind specified in which the bush is provided with (a) at its one end (in use in a full container its upper end) with an internal valve seat with which the valve means co-operates and (b) with oppositely facing external abutment surfaces adjacent its upper end with (2) a container having an opening in which the closure unit is received with one of the bush abutment surfaces engaging an oppositely directed abutment surface in the opening and (3) a clamping ring received in the opening and engaging the other of said bush abutment surfaces so that the edge is clamped between the abutment surface in the opening and the clamping ring.

Normally, with this second aspect of the invention the opening will be in a neck projecting from an end of the container or keg, the neck being internally threaded and the clamping ring externally threaded and engaged in the opening. In beer containers, these necks are normally made either of aluminium of steel. Where the necks are made of aluminium the thread normally has 7 threads per inch (t.p.i.) whereas in a steel neck the thread has 14 t.p.i.. Heretofore it has been necessary to provide the bushes of closure units with a thread either of 7 t.p.i. or 14 t.p.i. so the closure units are not interchangeable between kegs having different threads in their necks. By following the invention, however, the closure units can be interchangeable between kegs having different threads in their necks although it will be necessary to use clamping rings having different external threads depending on the internal threads in the neck.

With either aspect of the invention the valve seat in the bush may be provided by an internal flange thereof. The bush may be a stainless steel tubular member and the flange forming the valve seat may be the inturned end of the tubular member. The external surface of the flange may provide one of the bush abutments. The other of the bush abutments may be provided by a shoulder formed by reducing the thickness of the stainless steel tubular member forming the bush.

The invention will be be described in detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a vertical section through a closure unit embodying the invention received in the neck of a beer keg.

The keg neck is indicated at 10 and at its lower end has a flange 11. The upper end 12 of the keg is welded to the flange at 13, the neck having been externally cut away. at 14 to facilitate the welding.

The flange has a part 15 which extends inwardly and this provides an upwardly facing internal shoulder 16. The neck has an internal bore 17, the upper end of which is internally threaded at 18.

A closure unit of the kind specified is indicated at 19 and comprises a bush 20 which is formed of stainless steel and is tubular in shape. The bush may be formed from stock stainless steel tube or as a pressing. At its upper end the bush has an inturned flange 21 which provides a seat 22 for an outer valve member 23. An external shoulder 24 is formed on the bush 20 adjacent the upper end thereof and this shoulder provides an abutment surface which faces the shoulder or abutment surface 16 on the flange 11. A sealing ring 25 of square section is received between the abutment surfaces 24 and 16.

The bush 20 and thus the closure unit 19 is clamped in position in the neck 10 by a clamping ring 26 which is externally threaded to engage the internal thread 18.

The clamping ring has a lower surface 27 which faces the upper - surface 28 of the flange 21, a sealing ring 29 being interposed between the surfaces 27 and 28. The clamping ring 26 is provided with a seating 30 for a dispense head for opening the closure unit and with spaced lugs 31 for engaging the dispense head.

It will be seen that the bush 20 is effectively clamped between the shoulder or abutment surface 16 on the flange 11 at the bottom of the neck 10 and the lower surface 27 of the clamping ring. By virtue of this construction, a closure unit such as 20 can be used in any neck of a standard size bore 17 irrespective of the number of threads per inch in the thread 18. Thus, as explained above, the closure units can be used in necks having 7 t.p.i. or 14 t.p.i., all that is necessary is that the clamping ring 26 should have an external thread which is compatible with the thread 18. The arrangement also enables there to be a shorter neck 10 than in the prior constructions such as described in our application No. 12425/76 (Cognate 34778/76 and 50660/76) (Serial No. 1 577 116) where there is a two-piece bush or in the prior types of closure unit using a one-piece bush which itself is threadedly engaged in the neck.

The other features of the closure unit are described in detail in the single complete specification filed in respect of our co-pending cognated patent applications Nos.

34777/76 and 19251/77 (Serial No.

1 577 117) and will only therefore be described briefly in this specification.

The outer valve member 23 has a spigot 32 which is sealingly received in the-upper end 33 of a downtube 34. The downtube is urged upwardly by a spring 35 which engages a shoulder 36 on the downtube at one end and a washer 37 at the other end. The washer 37 surrounds the downtube to guide it but to allow it to move vertically and is engaged with a bayonet type connection with lugs 38 at the lower end of the bush 19. Full details of the bayonet type connection can be found in our patent specification No. 1,281,573.

An inner valve member 46 is provided with four legs 39 which are equiangularly spaced about the longitudinal axis of the valve. Between the legs 39 are slots 43. The legs 39 provide a peripheral wall and they are cranked to provide lower parts 48 and a shoulder 139. An upper closed end 41 of the inner valve member 46 engages a seat 42 on the outer valve member 23. The lower parts 48 of the legs 39 fit within the upper end portion of a spring 44 and the upper end of the spring 44 engages the shoulder 139. The spring 44 thus reacts between an internal shoulder 45 in the downtube and the shoulder 139 on the inner valve member 46 and urges the latter into engagement with the seat 42.

The lower parts 48 of the legs 39 fit closely within the spring 44 thus preventing the beer valve from tipping, and the spring 44 is also a close fit within a wall 40 of the downtube 34. The beer valve is thus guided for vertical movement, without tipping, due to the fit of the legs 48 in the spring 44 and the spring 44 in the downtube 34. The valve member 23 and the upper end of the downtube are guided within the bush 20 by means of an integral guide member 47 which is provided with cut-outs in its periphery to pass liquid.

The closure unit operates in a well known manner. It is shown in the drawing as closed.

When it is engaged both valves are moved off their seats and, for example, carbon dioxide can pass between the downtube and the bush and force beer up the downtube past the inner valve member. For filling, beer can be passed between the bush 20 and the downtube and force carbon dioxide out of the downtube. Filling is often, but not always, carried out with the closure unit in an inverted position with respect to that shown in the drawing.

The invention provides a closure unit and a combination of a closure unit and a container or keg which has certain advantages over those heretofore used and described.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A closure unit of the kind specified in which the bush is provided (a) at its one end (in use in a full keg its upper end) with an internal valve seat with which the valve means co-operates and (b) with oppositely facing external abutment surfaces adjacent said one end whereby the closure unit can be clamped in position in the opening of a container or a keg.

2. A closure unit according to Claim 1 in which the valve seat in the bush is provided by an internal flange thereof.

3. A closure unit according to Claim 2 in which the external surface of the flange provides one of the bush abutment surfaces.

4. The combination of (1) a closure unit of the kind specified in which the bush is provided (a) at its one end (in use in a full container its upper end) with an internal valve seat with which the valve means cooperate and (b) with oppositely facing external abutment surfaces adjacent said one end; (2) a container having an opening in which the closure unit is received with one of the bush abutment surfaces engaging an oppositely directly abutment surface in the opening and (3) a clamping ring received in the opening and engaging the other of said bush abutment surfaces so that the unit is clamped between the abutment surface in the opening and the clamping ring.

5. A combination according to Claim 4 in which the opening is in a neck projecting from an end of the container, the neck being internally threaded and the clamping ring externally threaded and engaged in the opening.

6. A combination according to Claim 4 or Claim 5 in which the valve seat in the bush is provided by an internal flange thereof.

7. A combination according to Claim 6 in which the external surface of the flange provides one of the bush abutment surfaces.

8. A closure unit of the kind specified arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.

9. A combination of a closure unit of the kind specified and a container arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. spaced about the longitudinal axis of the valve. Between the legs 39 are slots 43. The legs 39 provide a peripheral wall and they are cranked to provide lower parts 48 and a shoulder 139. An upper closed end 41 of the inner valve member 46 engages a seat 42 on the outer valve member 23. The lower parts 48 of the legs 39 fit within the upper end portion of a spring 44 and the upper end of the spring 44 engages the shoulder 139. The spring 44 thus reacts between an internal shoulder 45 in the downtube and the shoulder 139 on the inner valve member 46 and urges the latter into engagement with the seat 42. The lower parts 48 of the legs 39 fit closely within the spring 44 thus preventing the beer valve from tipping, and the spring 44 is also a close fit within a wall 40 of the downtube 34. The beer valve is thus guided for vertical movement, without tipping, due to the fit of the legs 48 in the spring 44 and the spring 44 in the downtube 34. The valve member 23 and the upper end of the downtube are guided within the bush 20 by means of an integral guide member 47 which is provided with cut-outs in its periphery to pass liquid. The closure unit operates in a well known manner. It is shown in the drawing as closed. When it is engaged both valves are moved off their seats and, for example, carbon dioxide can pass between the downtube and the bush and force beer up the downtube past the inner valve member. For filling, beer can be passed between the bush 20 and the downtube and force carbon dioxide out of the downtube. Filling is often, but not always, carried out with the closure unit in an inverted position with respect to that shown in the drawing. The invention provides a closure unit and a combination of a closure unit and a container or keg which has certain advantages over those heretofore used and described. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A closure unit of the kind specified in which the bush is provided (a) at its one end (in use in a full keg its upper end) with an internal valve seat with which the valve means co-operates and (b) with oppositely facing external abutment surfaces adjacent said one end whereby the closure unit can be clamped in position in the opening of a container or a keg.