GB2046216A

GB2046216A - Liquid metering device actuating mechanism

Info

Publication number: GB2046216A
Application number: GB8005949A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1979-04-10
Filing date: 1980-02-21
Publication date: 1980-11-12

Abstract

An actuating mechanism for operating a liquid metering device comprising a support (10), a first generally horizontally extending arm (21) mounted on the support and having a free end (20) engageable with an actuating portion of the device, a generally downwardly extending lever arm (16) pivotally mounted on the support and having a manually operable free end (28) located below the level of, and adjacent to, the free end of the first arm, and means (17, 22, 25) cooperating with the arms so that movement of the free end of the lever arm in a direction away from the free end of the first arm causes upward movement of the latter to actuate the device. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Optic actuating mechanism This invention is concerned with an actuating mechanism for operating a drink dispenser of the type known as an optic (Registered Trade Mark).

The optic is a common sight in public houses for the dispensing of a measured quantity of, for example, spirits. Typically the optic is fitted by means of a hollow stopper in the neck of an inverted bottle supported by a bracket. The transparent body of the optic defines the desired volume or "measure" and communicates with the stopper and an outlet nozzle by means of respective valves. In operation, the nozzle is moved upwardly to open the lower of the two valves and allow the liquid in the optic body to flow out of the nozzle, the upper of the two valves being at this time closed. When the reservoir is empty, the nozzle is released which closes the lower valve and then opens the upper valve to allow a fresh measure to pass from the bottle into the body of the optic.

Typically a pair of pegs is provided on the nozzle to be engaged by the rim of a glass, upward movement of the glass then causing the measure to be dispensed into the glass.

This system is however somewhat unhygienic because of the contact between the pegs and the rims of successive drinking glasses.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided an actuating mechanism for operating an optic, comprising, a support, a first generally horizontally extending arm mounted on the support and having a free end engageable with an actuating portion of an optic, a generally downwardly extending lever arm pivotally mounted on the support and having a manually operable free end located below the level of, and adjacent to, the free end of the first arm, and means cooperating with the arms so that movement of the free end of the lever arm in a direction away from the free end of the first arm causes upward movement of the latter to actuate the optic.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a first embodiment of an actuating mechanism, according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 1; and Figure 3 is a side elevation of a second embodiment of an actuating mechanism.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, an optic actuating mechanism has a body or support 10 which may be secured, as indicated in Fig.

1, to an upright 1 1. The body 10 has a Ushaped base from which extend first and second brackets 1 2 and 1 3. Pivotally mounted at 1 5 in the first bracket 1 2 is a lever arm 1 6 and a second bell crank lever arm 1 7 is pivotally mounted at 1 8 in the second bracket 1 3. As seen best in Fig. 2 the free end 20 of the lower arm 21 of the bell crank lever 1 7 is forked while the free end 22 of the upper arm 23 is formed as a rounded bearing surface in engagement with a curved cam.surface 25 on the lever arm 16.The free end 28 of the lever arm 1 6 is disposed beneath the free end 20 of the arm 21 and, in this embodiment is provided with ribs 26 to give a better frictional engagement with an operator's fingers as will now be described.

As indicated by the chain dotted lines in Fig. 1, the mechanism is mounted so that the nozzle of an optic 30 is embraced by the forked free end 20 of the arm 21, the pegs 31 of the optic resting on or being slightly above the free end 20. From this position, in which it is assumed that the optic contains a measure, it can be seen that the insertion of a glass (from the left in Fig. 1) beneath the discharge nozzle automatically causes the operator's fingers at the back of the glass to engage the free end 28 of the lever arm 1 6 and displace it to the right causing an anticlockwise pivoting movement of the lever arm 16.Because of the cooperation between the cam surface 25 and the bearing surface 22, the bell crank lever 1 7 is thus caused to pivot clockwise, the forked end of the lever arm 21 thus moving upwardly to operate the optic and discharge the measure into the glass.

When the measure has been discharged the normal spring bias in the optic will return everything to the position shown in Fig. 1 as the operator removes the glass from beneath the optic and his fingers move out of engagement with the free end 28 of the lever arm 16.

If desired the embodiment described may, of course, be modified to include a spring or other resilient means biassing the mechanism to the configuration shown in Fig. 1.

Referring now to Fig. 3, a second and preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated as having a U-shaped body or support 40 by means of which the operating mechanism may be mounted in position.

A flange 41 extends from the base and defines a T-shaped slide 42. An actuator 43 comprises a body 44 engaged with and movable on the slide 42, the rear face of the slide 42 being formed as a rack 45. Extending forwardly from the body 44 is an arm 46 having a forked free end 47.

A pinion 50 is rotatably mounted on the flange 41 and engages both the rack 45 and a toothed sector 51 on a lever arm 52 which in turn is pivotally mounted at 53 on the flange 41. The free end of the lever arm 52 is disposed beneath the forked end 47 of the arm 46. A tension spring 60 extends between the body 40 of the mechanism and a pin 61 on the lever arm 52 to bias the mechanism to the configuration shown in Fig. 3 in which the forked free end 47 exerts no pressure on the pegs of the optic. This helps to avoid drops from the optic.

In use, the mechanism functions much as the first embodiment. Insertion of a glass beneath the arm 46 moves the lever arm anticlockwise causing its toothed sector 51 to rotate the pinion 50 clockwise thus moving the rack 45 and the rest of the actuator up to operate the optic. It should be noted however that the movement of the forked end 47 of the arm 46 is linear in contrast to the less desirable arcuate movement of the forked end 20 of the arm 21 of Figs. 1 and 2.

The actuating mechanism of the present invention is preferably moulded of a rigid plastics material, and the various bearing elements are preferably formed of a low friction plastics material such as polytetrafluorethylene (P.T. F. E.).

The invention described may be modified by providing two pinion wheels 50, one on each side of the flange 41 and each engaging a respective toothed sector 51 on the lever arm 46 and a respective rack 45 formed on the actuator. This arrangement obviates any tendency for the actuator to jam on the slide because of an unbalanced drive from the pinion.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An actuating mechanism for operating an optic, comprising a support, a first generally horizontally extending arm mounted on the support and having a free end engageable with an actuating portion of an optic, a generally downwardly extending lever arm pivotally mounted on the support and having a manually operable free end located below the level of, and adjacent to, the free end of the first arm, and means cooperating with the arms so that movement of the free end of the lever arm in a direction away from the free end of the first arm causes upward movement of the latter to actuate the optic.

2. A mechanism as claimed in claim 1, in which said lever arm is one arm of a bell crank lever, a second arm of the bell crank lever constituting said means and cooperating with the first arm.

3. A mechanism as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the free end of the first arm is forked.

4. A mechanism as claimed in any preceding claim, in which resilient bias means are provided to bias the lever arm towards the free end of the first arm.

5. A mechanism as claimed in claim 1, in which said first arm is provided on an actuator linearly movable on a slide on the support.

6. A mechanism as claimed in claim 5, in which said actuator comprises a rack, a pinion being provided on the support and in engagement with the rack.

7. A mechanism as claimed in claim 6, in which said means includes a toothed sector movable with said lever arm and in engagement with said pinion.

8. An actuating mechanism for operating an optic substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

9. An actuating mechanism for operating an optic, comprising a first generally horizontally extending pivotally mounted lever arm with a free end for engagement with an actuating portion of the optic, and a second generally downwardly extending pivotally mounted lever with a free end for manual operation located below the level of, and adjacent to, the free end of the first lever, the first and second levers being arranged to cooperate so that movement of the free end of the second lever in a direction away from the free end of the first causes upward movement of the latter for actuation of the optic.