GB2127779A - Improvements relating to liquid dispensers - Google Patents

Abstract

A liquid dispenser for measuring out accurate quantities of alcoholic drink supports an inverted bottle and has a valve (8) housed in a transparent flask (12). The valve is operated by a finger trigger (4) and as the liquid is being dispensed the flask must be vented. The connection between the trigger and the valve includes a rod (9) passing down into the flask through a guide and seal assembly (25, 26) with a close sliding fit, except when the valve is raised to the dispensing position, when a reduced diameter portion (27) in the rod provides a vent. The dispenser is mountable on a shelf bracket by a locating formation (37) and a catch device (39) enabling quick and easy removal and fitting to a fresh bottle. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to liquid dispensers This invention relates to liquid dispensers and is primarily concerned with those for measuring out a specific quantity of spirits from an inverted bottle, such as seen in virtually every public house and club bar.

The invention is concerned with a liquid dispenser of the type comprising a mounting, a hollow spigot upstanding from the mounting for entry into the mouth of an inverted bottle, the bottle then being partially supported by the mounting, a passage from the spigot to a first port in the underside of the mounting, a translucent flask with a second port in its base sealed to the underside of the mounting over said first port, a valve within the flask having two operative positions, one opening the first port and closing the second port, the other opening the second port and closing the first port, and a spring loaded trigger mechanism operating via a connector normally to bias the valve to said one position but actuable to snap the valve to said other position, the connector being arranged to vent the interior of the flask when the valve is in said other position.

In known dispensers of this type, the venting arrangements have been somewhat complicated using spring loaded valves. It is the aim of this invention to simplify the construction and substantially reduce the number of components and fitting-together operations.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a liquid dispenser of the type described, wherein the connector passes through an aperture into the valve chamber with a close sliding fit, except when said valve member is at said other position.

Conveniently, the connector is a rod with a locally reduced diameter or flat or groove which spans the depth of the aperture into the valve chamber when the valve is at said other position.

Thus, air can enter the cup along the side of the rod when the bottom part of the cup is open and filling a glass.

Another problem associated with such dispensers is their mounting, with the bottle, to a suitable fixture at the back of the bar. Obviously, the dispenser, or at least a part of it which can be temporarily closed, has to be fitted to the bottle when the latter has its neck uppermost. It can then be inverted and installed in the bar. The present arrangements are somewhat cumbersome and difficult, and a further aim is to provide a mounting which can quickly and easily secure a bottle and its dispenser.According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a mounting assembly for a liquid dispenser comprising a bracket securable to a shelf or other fixture, and a bottle mounting securable to the bracket, the bottle mounting having an upstanding spigot for entry into the mouth of an inverted bottle and mechanism for dispensing liquid from a bottle so mounted, wherein the bracket has means for locating and at least partially supporting said mounting, and wherein means are provided for mutually interlocking the bracket and mounting when the latter is located and supported on the bracket.

Thus the bracket can be virtually permanently fixed, while the mounting can quickly and easily be released for changing bottles and then replaced.

The locating and supporting means is preferably a cupped shelf projecting from the lower end of the bracket and in which the bottle mounting seats.

The interlocking means is conveniently a catch member on the bracket movable positively to engage detents in the mounting. It may be spring biased into the engaged position, and in one preferred form it is rotary.

The bracket may also carry an upright, downwardly spring-loaded arm with a finger at the top that bears on the base of an inverted bottle carried by the mounting. This would simply steady the bottle on the mounting.

For a better understanding of the invention one embodiment will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a liquid dispenser, Figure 2 is a plan view, with a top cover removed, of the dispenser of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a vertical section, corresponding to part of Figure 1, of the dispenser in a different operative position, Figure 4 is a front elevation of the dispenser, with parts removed, and Figure 5 is a front view of a bracket for mounting the dispenser.

The dispenser has a horizontal base plate 1 with, at the rear end (to the left in Figure 1) a downwardly projecting leg 2, these being integrally moulded in hard plastics material. A parallel linkage 3 connects a finger trigger 4 to the leg 2, and a cranked arm 5 leads up from about the mid-point of the lower link through the base plate 1 to a C-spring 6 by which it is coupled to one end of a toggle lever 7. The other end of this lever operates a control valve 8.

The valve 8 is of generally cylindrical form with its axis vertical. It is supported below the plate 1 in front of the trigger mechanism by an L-shaped rod 9 whose shorter arm extends through a cross bore in the valve and whose other, longer arm extends vertically to above the plate 1, where it is coupled to the toggle lever 7. The valve 8 has a domed or conical enlarged lower end 10, preferably of silicon rubber material, which normally seats over a port 11 in the centre of the base of a transparent flask 12 of generally frusto-conical form, carried beneath the plate 1. At its upper end the valve 8 has a flat disc-like seal 13, also of silicon rubber material, and a coaxial extension rod 14 which projects up through the plate 1.

The flask 12 screws up on and seals against the circular base 1 5 of an inverted-mushroom-shaped fitting 1 6. This has a hollow stem 17 which extends up through the plate 1 to project in a slightly reduced diameter portion 1 8 above a cover 19, indicated in outline. The base 15, which is screwed or otherwise attached to the underside of the plate 1, has a central port 20 which opens into this tubular stem 17, and which is normally left open by the valve 8. Just above the port, the through passage is spanned by a spider 21 with a central aperture which receives the extension rod 14 and thereby guides the valve 8.

When the cover 1 9 is in place, a hollow cork-like seal 22, preferably of silicon rubber material, is forced down over the portion 1 8 to seat against the cover. For use, the seal 22 is pressed into the neck of an uncorked bottle, which can then be inverted and fixed as described below. Since there is a through passage normally opened by the valve 8 the flask 12 fills from the bottle. When a glass is held under the cup and a finger holding it presses the trigger 4 upwards, the spring 6 and toggle lever 7, acting through the rod 9, snap the valve 8 upwards to close the port 20 and open the port 11 in the base of the flask. The glass is therefore filled with a measured quantity as the flask empties.

Release of the trigger 4 allows a spring 23 to return the valve 8 rapidly to the lower position and the flask 12 is re-filled. The member 24 is a link coupled to the upper end of the arm 5 to guide the latter's movement.

The flask 12 requires venting while a glass is being filled, but its chamber must be completely closed once the port 20 is open. Previous arrangements have included spring-loaded valve members on the rod 9. However, a much simpler arrangement is provided here. The vertical leg of the rod 9 passes down through a support guide 25 and then through a cup-like seal 26 captive between the base 1 5 and the plate 1. The upper end of this leg is a close sliding fit with the seal 26 when the valve 8 is towards and at its lowermost position, but it has a reduced diameter portion 27 which registers with the seal when the valve is in the uppermost position sealing the port 20, as shown in Figure 3.This reduced diameter portion also passes with clearance through an aperture 28 in the base 15 and allows the chanber within the flask to be vented, the fit of the rod 9 in the guide 25 being loose.

It should be understood that instead of maintaining a circular cross section, the vertical leg of the rod 9 may have a flat or groove cut in it, for example, sufficient to provide an air passage from above the seal 26 to below the base 1 5 when the valve 8 is fully raised.

The trigger mechanism will largely be covered by a casing 29 secured to the bottom of the leg 2 in common with a rear mounting plate 30. This plate is of vertically elongated form, and its middle portion is stepped to the rear so that there is a shallow space between it and the rear of the plate and leg moulding 1,2. This portion has a central circular aperture 31 and keyhole apertures 32 above and below it. These are shown in outline in Figure 5.

A bracket 33 can be clamped to a shelf or the like by a screw 34. On its forward side it has a bottle support stand 35 and a cradle 36 screwed to it, the latter having a cupped shelf 37 on which the bottom of the casing 29 will seat. As best seen in Figure 5, a bolt 38 forms a central horizontal pivot for a locking plate 39 on the forward side of the cradle above the shelf 37. This plate has forwardly projecting mushroom-shaped studs 40 above and below the pivot axis and spaced to register with the apertures 32 when the nut on the bolt 38 enters the aperture 31. At each side, the plate 39 has a projecting finger 41 and it may be spring biased in the anti-clockwise direction as seen in Figure 5.

When the dispenser is offered up, it is seated on the shelf 37 and the plate 39 is pivoted so that the heads of the studs 40 register with the circular portions of the apertures 32. The dispenser is pressed back, and the plate 39 is moved either by the fingers 41 or the spring mechanism so that the stems of the studs 40 move into the narrow portions of the apertures 32, with the heads engaging in front of the stepped-out portion of the plate 30. The dispenser is thus firmly supported and locked in place. Release is equally simple, requiring actuation of one of the fingers 41 and removal of the dispenser and bottle.

Thus, for replacing a bottle, the bracket 33 is left on the shelf and the dispensing unit is removed in its entirety with the old bottle. That will be quickly uncorked, the unit fitted to an upright bottle, and the assembly inverted and replaced on the shelf bracket.

The bottle support stand 34 is of hollow rectangular section forming a tube which will receive the longer leg of an L-shaped member, entered from the top. It will be urged downwardly by a spring within the tube. The shorter arm will extend forwards, and be provided with a pad for resting on the base of an inverted bottle, the spring maintaining a steady pressure.

Claims (9)

1. A liquid dispenser of the type described, wherein the connector passes through an aperture into the valve chamber with a close sliding fit, except when said valve member is at said other position.

2. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connector is a rod with a locally reduced diameter, flat or groove which spans the depth of the aperture into the valve chamber when the valve is at said other position.

3. A mounting assembly for a liquid dispenser comprising a bracket securable to a shelf or other fixture, and a bottle mounting securable to the bracket, the bottle mounting having an upstanding spigot for entry into the mouth of an inverted bottle and mechanism for dispensing liquid from a bottle so mounted, wherein the bracket has means for locating and at least partially supporting said mounting, and wherein means are provided for mutually interlocking the bracket and mounting when the latter is located and supported on the bracket.

4. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the locating and supporting means is a cupped shelf projecting from the lower end of the bracket and in which the bottle mounting seats.

5. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein the interlocking means is a catch member on the bracket movable positively to engage detents in the mounting.

6. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the catch member is spring biased into the engaged position.

7. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein the catch member is rotary.

8. A mounting assembly as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the bracket carries an upright, downwardly spring-loaded arm with a finger at the top which bears on the base of an inverted bottle carried by the mounting.

9. A liquid dispenser substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.