GB2174375A - Closure valve-beer keys - Google Patents

Abstract

A self-closing poppet valve (14) for a gas-pressure dispensed, beverage vessel (2) comprises a threaded tubular valve body (16) to screw into the neck of the vessel, the inner periphery of the upper end (20) of the valve body being formed as a first, downwardly directed annular valve seat (22) and a flange (28) extending radially outwardly from near said upper end. A cup member (38) is attached to a delivery tube (30) and is removably fitted to the valve body to locate and support the tube co-axially therewith. A cap (34) closes the upper end of the delivery tube and presents around the tube a second, downwardly- directed annular valve seat (36) co-axial and co-planar with said first valve seat. An annular valve member (56) of resiliently deformable material is mounted about the delivery tube and spring-loaded to seal axially against said first and second valve seats. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Closure valve This invention relates to closure valves for a gas pressure dispensed, beverage vessel such as a beer keg or cask.

Whilst there are many different types of closure valve, one type known as a 'self-closing poppet valve', for a gas-pressure dispensed, beverage vessel having a neck, an internal thread and a radially inwardly extending seating flange for a sealing ring to be trapped between the valve and the seating flange; generally comprises: a) a threaded tubular valve body housing the valve and to screw into the neck of the vessel, the inner periphery of the upper end of the valve body being formed as a first, downwardly-directed annular valve seat; b) A delivery tube having a port or ports through the tube wall at the upper end portion thereof; c) a cup member attached to the delivery tube and secured to the valve body so that the delivery tube is located and supported coaxially of the valve body; d) a cap closing the upper end of the delivery tube and presenting around the tube a second, downwardly-directed annular valve seat co-axial and co-planar with said first valve seat; e) an annular valve member of resiliently deformable material mounted on a support washer to be axially slideable along the delivery tube; and, f) a spring trapped between the support washer and the bottom of the cup member and acting to urge the valve member axially into sealing engagement with said first and second valve seats.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a self-closing poppet valve of the above type that has a readily replaceable valve body, both for ease and speed of assembly and so that variation of keg neck parameters of thread and depth (within a given range) can be accommodated by change of only the valve body.

According to the present invention, in a selfclosing poppet valve for a gas-pressure dispensed, beverage vessel having a neck with an internal thread and a radially inwardly extending seating flange for a sealing ring to be trapped between the valve and the seating flange; the valve comprises:: i) a threaded tubular valve body housing the valve and to screw into the neck of the vessel, the inner periphery of the upper end of the valve body being formed as a first, downwardly-directed annular valve seat and a flange extending radially outwardly from near said upper end; ii) a delivery tube having a port or ports through a delivery tube having a port or ports through the tube wall at the upper end portion thereof; iii) a cup member attached to the delivery tube and removably fitted to the valve body to locate and support the tube co-axially therewith; iv) a cap closing the upper end of the delivery tube and presenting around the tube a second, downwardly-directed annular valve seat co-axial and co-planar with said first valve seat; and, v) an annular valve member of resiliently deformable material mounted about the delivery tube and spring-loaded to seal axially against said first and second valve seats; the sealing ring, in use, being trapped between the bottom of the valve body and the neck seating flange with the valve body flange abutting the top of the neck so that, for a given neck, the axial length of the valve body will limit the compression of the sealing ring.

By this means, vessel necks having differing parameters of thread and/or depth can be accommodated by simply changing the removable valve body, the rest of the valve remaining unchanged.

In a preferred embodiment, the cup member is removably fitted to the valve body by means of a three-point bayonet fitting, the slots for which are designed to prevent the delivery tube from lifting or rotating relative to the valve body thereby to maintain the position of the second valve beat with respect to the first valve seat.

In a further embodiment of the present invention a security ring is provided, the ring having an inner periphery shaped to engage the upper end of the valve body above the radial flange, an upper surface shaped to be flush with the upper end of the valve body, and a relatively thin outer peripheral skirt shaped to be deformed, by a power tool, into fitting engagement about an external beaded rim of the keg neck. By this means, even though the valve is inserted into the keg by means of a screw-thread, the thread cannot be used as a jacking means to remove the security collar.

The invention is illustrated, by way of example, in the Drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a self-closing poppet valve in accordance with the invention, installed in a keg; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cup and delivery tube of the valve of Fig. 1; and, Figs. 3 and 4 are details showing differing bayonet slots.

As shown, a keg 2 has a neck 4 with an externally beaded rim 6, an internal thread 8 and a radially inwardly extending seating flange 10 for a sealing O-ring 12 trapped between a self-closing poppet valve 14 and the seating flange. For example the neck may be of the known 'standard' 2" diameter and 15 t.p.i.

The valve 14 consists of a tubular body 16 having an external thread 18 that is screwed into the keg neck 4. The inner periphery of the upper end 20 of the valve body 16 is formed as a first downwardly-directed annular valve seat 22, the inner periphery of the lower end 24 of the valve body has three radially inwardly-directed, equispaced bayonet lugs 26, and a hexagonal flange 28 extends radially outwardly from near the upper end 20.

A delivery tube 30 has a series of ports 32, for the flow of beverage, about its upper end which is closed by a welded on cap 34 that presents around the tube a second, downwardly-directed annular valve seat 36.

A cup shaped member 38 is welded to the delivery tube and supports the tube co-axially of the valve body so that the first and second valve seats 22 and 36 are co-planar. The cup member 38 has ports 40, for the flow of beverage-dispensing gas and a series of three bayonet slots 42, 44 and 46 about the cup mouth 50. The slots are arranged to mate with the bayonet lugs 26 on the valve body and are designed to prevent delivery tube lift and rotation relative to the valve body. This is achieved by providing one slot 42 (Fig. 3) with a downwardly projecting stop 52 that, when engaged with a lug 26, prevents rotation. The remaining two slots 54 and 46 are plain.The tops of the slots are all at the same depth 'A' from the mouth of cup, to ensure that the slot tops (against which the lugs engage) are all in the same plane X-X; thus maintaining constant the position of the cup and tube within the valve body. Plain slots 45 and 46 have a depth 'B' which is a sliding fit for the lugs, whilst the clearance below the stop 52 is equal to depth 'B'.

Finally the entrance to each slot is chamfered at 54 to ease fitment of the lugs into the slots. By this means, the delivery tube is held co-axial within the valve body and rise and/or rotation of the delivery tube is prevented; thus maintaining the relative positions of the external valve seat 22 and the internal valve seat 36 within the fine limits necessary to maintain the seal between the two seats and a valve member 56.

The valve member 56 is an annulus of resiliently deformable material mounted on a support washer 58 to be axially slideable along the delivery tube 30. A coil spring 60 is compressed and trapped between the support washer 58 and the bottom of the cup member 38 and acts to urge the valve member 56 into sealing engagement with the first and second valve seats 22 and.36.

The valve is operated by a compatable connector unit (indicated at 62 in Fig. 1) that depresses the valve member 56 against the spring 60 to a new position such that the top face of the valve member is below and exposes the tube porting 32. In this position it is necessary to prevent gas tracking from the gas space 64 within the keg into the beverage delivery line and this is prevented by an internal lip seal 68 on the valve member 56 which slides in sealing contact with the delivery tube 30. This lip seal 68 provides a seal between the gas space and the beverage delivery line for any operational stroke of the valve member down the delivery tube 30.

Upon insertion of the valve into the keg neck, the parameters of the valve body 16 and the keg neck 4 predetermine the compression given to the O-ring seal 12. This is set by the abutment of the valve body flange 28 with the top of the neck 4 and is controlled by the length of the valve body in relation to the depth of the seating flange 10.

Clearly, differing keg necks and variations of sealing ring 12 can be accommodated by simply changing the valve body; the rest of the valve remaining the same. Other variations in keg neck parameters, such as thread size, can be accommodated in the same way. This means that it is not necessary to replace in old kegs or fit to new kegs necks of a dedicated pattern.

Where possible it is considered advantageous to control the compression of the seal 12 to that of O-ring parameters to discourage long-term permanent set within the material.

The valve is also supplied with a security closure feature that prevents both the accidental unscrewing and unauthorised removal of the valve from the keg.

Following insertion and tightening of the valve within the keg neck, the skirt 70 of a security ring 72 is crimped and turned under the lip 6 of the keg neck by special hydraulic equipment to provide positive valve retention.

Removal of the crimped skirted flange 70 requires the use of further special hydraulic equipment. The security ring 72 has an inner periphery shaped to engage the upper end 20 of the valve body above the flange 28 and is shaped so that the upper surface of the ring is flush with the upper end surface of the valve body 16 and the top of the delivery tube cap 34. The ring thus covers the hexagonal flange so that the valve cannot be unscrewed from the keg neck. The skirt 70 is of a thinner, different material to the ring 72 and is, itself, crimped and folded to the lower peripheral edge of the ring.

Claims (5)

1. A self-closing poppet valve for a gaspressure dispensed, beverage vessel having a neck with an internal thread and a radially inwardly extending seating flange for a sealing ring to be trapped between the valve and the seating flange; the valve comprising: i) a threaded tubular valve body housing the valve and to screw into the neck of the vessel, the inner periphery of the upper end of the valve body being formed as a first, down wardly-directed annular valve seat and a flange extending radially outwardly from near said upper end; ii) a delivery tube having a port or ports through the tube wall at the upper end portion thereof; iii) a cup member attached to the delivery tube and removably fitted to the valve body to locate and support the tube co-axially therewith;; iv) a cap closing the upper end of the delivery tube and presenting around the tube a second, downwardly-directed annular valve seat co-axial and co-planar with said first valve seat; and, v) an annular valve member of resiliently deformable material mounted about the delivery tube and spring-loaded to seal axially against said first and second valve seats; the sealing ring, in use, being trapped between the bottom of the valve body and the neck seating flange with the valve body flange abutting the top of the neck so that, for a given neck, the axial length of the valve body will limit the compression of the sealing ring.

2. A valve as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the cup member is removably fitted to the valve body by means of a three-point bayonet fitting, the slots for which are designed to prevent the delivery tube from lifting or rotating relative to the valve body thereby to maintain the position of the second valve seat with respect to the first valve seat.

3. A valve as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the valve body has three inwardly-directed bayonet lugs to mat with three bayonet slots in the cup member; one only of the bayonet slots being provided with a downwardly projecting stop.

4. A valve as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein a security ring is provided, the ring having an inner periphery shaped to engage the upper end of the valve body above the radial flange, an upper surface shaped to be flush with the upper end of the valve body, and a relatively thin outer peripheral skirt shaped to be deformed, by a power tool, into fitting engagement about an external beaded rim of the keg neck.

5. A self-closing poppet valve substantially as described with reference to or as shown by the Drawings.