GB2328205A - Apparatus for keeping liquids fresh - Google Patents

Abstract

The apparatus includes a closure element 10, for use with a liquid container such as a beer barrel, the closure element having two apertures 15,16 and two associated closure members 30,31, the first aperture 15 being arranged to selectively allow air to be admitted to the interior of the container during a first procedure (e.g. cask conditioning), the second aperture 16 being arranged to allow a gas to be admitted to a bag 70 which in use expands to fill the container headspace as liquid is dispensed. The gas may be air at atmospheric pressure, or may be a pressurised gas. The apparatus may include an inner cap 20 which has an indented region 23 for locating the mouth of the bag using a rubber band 60 or the like. The closure members 30,31 may be interchangeable and the apertures may include with filter and sealing means 50.

Description

APPARATUS FOR KEEPING LIOUIDS FRESH The Invention relates to apparatus for keeping liquids fresh. In particular, the apparatus concerns a bung or cap which can be used with, for instance, cask conditioned ales to keep the ale fresh for an extended period of time.

GB 2,168.314 (Waddington and Duval Limited) discloses a container for a pressurised liquid such as for beer or other liquid having natural or enhanced carbon dioxide in solution. The container has a screw on lid, with the lid containing an inlet aperture, a closeable aperture for dispensing liquid and a third aperture which has an open mouth of a bag sealed to it on the container side. The bag is of material having a low permeability to oxygen and carbon dioxide and is of a size and shape which allows it, when full, to substantially fill the inside of the container. As liquid such as beer is dispensed from the container air passes into the bag so causing the bag to expand within the container and prevent direct contact between the liquid and air. A pressurized air reservoir and a pressure regulator may be attached to a nipple associated with the third aperture so as to maintain a positive pressure on the beer which helps in its dispensing and helps to inhibit evolution of carbon dioxide from the beer.

Whilst the abovementioned patent application is advantageous in that it helps to prevent contamination of the beer, it does have a number of drawbacks.

A first draw back is that the cap design requires a special purpose-built container to mate with it. Whilst such an arrangement might be convenient for the home brewer, it is no use for a commercial operation since beer is delivered in standardized barrels and to convert to the proposed system would involve inordinate expense.

Another problem which the above described arrangement has is that the bag must be physically sealed to the third aperture and this third aperture is of a relatively small size. Therefore, quite a sophisticated bag design is required.

Another problem which the abovementioned application does not properly address is the case of cask conditioned beers which, in the UK, are very popular and which require, during a conditioning stage, air to actually be able to reach the beer in the barrel during a conditioning process. Also, it has been a problem with prior designs that during the conditioning process contamination can occur from the exterior which may affect the quality of the beer.

It is an aim of preferred embodiments of the present invention to address the abovementioned disadvantages and provide an apparatus which can be used with existing standard sized containers.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for keeping liquids fresh, the apparatus comprising a closure element for use with an existing container, the closure element having a vent aperture and a flow aperture, said vent and flow apertures having closure members associated with them, the vent aperture being arranged to selectively allow air to be admitted directly to the interior of the existing container during a first procedure and the flow aperture being arranged during a second procedure to allow gas from the exterior of the container to be admitted into a bag which, in use, is provided inside the container and which, during the second procedure is arranged to expand to fill a gap in the container left by the dispensed liquid.

The gas may be air at atmospheric pressure or may be any pressurised gas.

Preferably, the first procedure is a conditioning procedure in which it is desired to allow air from the exterior to come into contact with liquid on the interior of the container.

Preferably, the liquid is a beer and the existing container is a cask or barrel so that the first procedure is a "cask conditioning" step.

During said first procedure, the closure member for the vent aperture is preferably fully removed, or even discarded, and the closure member for the flow aperture is in place blocking said flow aperture.

During said second procedure, the flow aperture is open and the vent aperture closed. The second procedure is a liquid dispensing step in which liquid, such as beer, is dispensed from the container. During said second procedure the flow aperture closure member may be used to block the vent aperture.

Preferably, the bag has a mouth region which is arranged to cooperate with an inner cap which, in turn, is associated with the closure element. Preferably, the inner cap is provided with location means to facilitate attachment of a mouth region of the bag thereto.

The location means may comprise, for instance, an indented region formed around the periphery of the inner cap, in which, resilient biasing means associated with the mouth region of the bag may locate.

The resilient biasing means may comprise a rubber or elasticated band or other like member which may be passed over the periphery of the inner cap and adapted to overlay the mouth region of the bag and sit within the location means.

The inner cap may be provided with a projection, the projection being arranged to cooperate with a recess formed in the closure element. The recess in the closure element preferably forms a lower portion of the flow aperture, and defines a flow passage through the closure element.

The flow aperture may have an upper portion of a first internal diameter, a lower portion of a second internal diameter and a mid portion of a third internal diameter, the third diameter being less than the first and second internal diameters.

Preferably, said vent aperture and said flow aperture have identical internal formation. Preferably, the closure member for the flow aperture is of such a formation that it is interchangeable with the closure member of the vent aperture.

Preferably, the vent aperture is provided with a filter and sealing means.

Preferably, the flow passage has a mid-region which has abutment means therein to form an upper shoulder against which the closure member for the flow aperture is arranged to seal and, preferably, to form a lower shoulder against which an upper part of the projection is to abut.

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how embodiments of the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 to 3 are top plan, cross-sectional and bottom plan views respectively of a closure element of the apparatus; Figures 4 and 5 are side elevation and top plan view of an inner cap of the apparatus; Figures 6 and 7 are side elevation and plan view respectively of closure members associated with vent and flow valves of the apparatus; Figures 8 and 9 are side elevation and plan view respectively of a seal for use with the closure element of the apparatus; Figures 10 and 11 are plan and side elevation views of the filter for use with the vent aperture; Figures 12 and 13 are plan view and side elevations of a locator for use with the inner cap; Figure 14 illustrates how the various different elements of the apparatus cooperate with one another; and Figures 15a to 15c illustrate a preferred application of the apparatus.

Referring initially to Figures 1 to 3, there is shown a closure element 1 of the apparatus. The closure element 1 has an exterior form similar to that of conventional bungs for use with beer barrels, it has a tapered portion 11 to facilitate entry of the bung closure element 1 into a barrel or the like, a circumferential surrounding wall 12 which is adapted to receive a seal of the type shown in Figure 8 and 9. The closure element 1 further has an upper lip 13 with a top surface 14 having a pair of apertures 15 and 16, respectively referred to as vent aperture and flow aperture formed therein, these apertures 15 and 16 extend through the closure element 1 so as to provide a passage which communicates from the top surface of the closure element 14 through to a bottom most surface of the element. A lower surface 17 of the lip 13 is arranged, in use, to abut against a surface of a container, such as a beer barrel, with which the closure element 1 is arranged to cooperate. Also shown in Figures 1 to 3 are closure members 30, 31 associated with the vent aperture 15 and flow aperture 16 respectively. These closure members 30, 31 are preferably of identical construction and will be described further hereinafter.

The bottom plan view of Figure 3, as well as the abovementioned identified elements, shows core voids 18 which are provided for constructional reasons so as to save on material.

Referring now to Figures 4 and 5, there is shown a side elevation and plan view of an inner cap 20. The inner cap 20 comprises a disc of material with a projection or extension region 21 formed thereon, in which there is formed a through bore 22 which extends all the way through the inner cap. The inner cap also features an indentation 23 which extends circumferentially around the main disc-like body 24 and provides a seat for a mouth region of a bag (to be described later) and locating ring 60 (see Figures 12 and 13). The extension 21 is provided with a number of flanges 25, 26, 27 which act, in use, to retain the extension 21 within a lower region 16A of the flow aperture 16.

Figure 6 and 7 show, in more detail, a closure member 30 or 31 for use with the vent or flow apertures 15, 16.

The closure member 30 comprises a threaded screw 31 having a slot 32 formed in an upper face 33 thereof.

Figures 8 and 9 show a seal 40 which, in use, is arranged to sit within region 12 of the closure element 1.

The seal 40 is preferably of a rubber or other suitable type material which may have ribbed portions 41 formed thereon.

Figures 10 and 11 show a filter and seal element 50.

This element comprises an upper gauze or mesh 51 on a rubberized ring of material 52. The filter and sealing element 50 are adapted to fit within the flow aperture 15 and sit on projecting shoulder 15B so that as the closure member 30 for the vent aperture 15 is screwed down into the aperture 15, an end region of the closure member 30 comes into contact with the filter/sealing element 50 to form a good seal on shoulder 15B. When closure member 30 is removed, and there is then an open through passage formed by the vent aperture 15, the gauze filter element 51 stops extraneous matter from entering into the container.

Figures 12 and 13 show the locator element 60 which can be used in conjunction with the inner cap 20 to seal a bag to the inner bag 20 by seating the locator ring 60 onto of a mouth region of the bag within indentation 23.

The interaction of the above elements will now be described with reference to Figure 14. Referring to Figure 14, it can be seen that the closure element 10 is adapted to receive the sealing member 40 and to receive combined filter/sealing members 50 within the vent and flow apertures 15, 16 and, thereafter, to receive closure members 30, 31 within those apertures 15, 16 by screwing the closure members in.

A lower region 16A of the flow aperture 16 is adapted to receive the extension 21 of inner cap 20 therein and this extension 21 is held in place by retaining flanges 25 to 27. A bag 70 having mouth region 71 is attached to the inner cap 20 by inserting the disc-like body of the inner cap 20 into the mouth region 71 and then securing the mouth region 71 of the bag 70 to the inner cap 20 by using the locator ring 60 which is a stretch fit over the disclike body portion of the inner cap 20 and dimensioned to fit within retaining locating groove 23.

In use, the apparatus is fitted to a barrel or cask, in place of a conventional stopper. Firstly, the procedure with a conventional stopper will be described and, thereafter, the operation of the above described particular arrangements will be explained in detail with reference to Figures 15a to 15c.

With a conventional stopper, there is provided a single passageway which is sealed with a bung which may have an associated wooden peg or similar. Casks or barrels are delivered to the point of sale and laid to rest in the cellar with the barrel resting on its side, and the bung uppermost. In order to provide conditioning within the barrel, air needs to be admitted to the barrel so as to promote the secondary fermentation. Air is admitted to the barrel by hammering in the wooden peg of the bung so that it drops into the barrel of beer and air can be admitted through the conventional bung. Once the beer has had sufficient amount of time to condition, it can be drawn off through an outlet (positioned low down in an end face of the barrel) which may then lead to a hand pump or similar. A disadvantage of the conventional method is that once the beer has been conditioned, air (which is necessary to allow fluid to be displaced from the barrel 80) is allowed to continue to come into contact with the beer in the cask during the dispensing procedure.

The beer then rapidly starts to go off and its quality deteriorates. Traditionally, therefore cask conditioned ales need to be drunk within a very short amount of time leading to the necessity of a relatively quick turnover.

In many smaller public houses, the ale needs to be discarded as it passes its sell by date quite quickly and much wastage occurs.

The improved system as proposed by the present invention will now be described with reference to Figures 15A to 15C. The barrel or cask 80 shown is of a conventional existing type and the apparatus fits in the place of a conventional upper bring with bag 70 inserted into the barrel in a neatly folded fashion.

Figure 15B shows the cask conditioning step in which the vent closure element 15 is discarded so as to allow air to reach the beer 90 within the barrel 80 to carry out the cask conditioning step. One point of note here is that the combined filter/sealing element 50 within the aperture 15 acts so as to prevent unwanted debris from falling into the barrel 80 and possibly contaminating the beer.

At the end of the cask conditioning procedure, the closure element 31 is removed from the flow aperture 16 and replaced within the vent aperture 15 so as to seal the interior of the cask 80 from external air. Ale can then be drawn from the discharge bung 81 and conveyed to hand pumps. As beer is discharged, air from the exterior is admitted through aperture 16 to inflate bag 70 which then adapts to conform to the interior area of the barrel 80.

The bag 70 is designed to be impervious to carbon dioxide and oxygen so as to prevent any further air from reaching the beer 90 and to ensure a longer life for the cask conditioned ale. The bag may, in fact, be of quite simple construction and the volume of the bag when full needs to be approximately the volume of the barrel or can be greater. Due to the simple means of attaching the bag to the apparatus, there does not have to be a complicated seal arrangement as is the case of the prior arrangement of GB 2 168 314.

Bags and closure elements etc. may be supplied in bulk to public houses so that individual landlords can implement the system readily. Alternatively barrels may be delivered to public houses with the new bung and bag system already in place. The apparatus of the invention could therefore either be applied to the barrel at a brewery dispensing point or at the point of sale.

Whilst the invention has been described under the assumption that normal air at atmospheric pressure is admitted through aperture 16, compressed air or some other gas could be connected to that aperture to aid delivery of the beer from discharge bung 81. In this regard, it would be noted that when the barrel is nearing the dregs, there is no need to tilt the barrel (as was previously the case) to allow the last drops of beer to be dispensed since the positive pressure in the bag 70 will achieve the same result. This means that the sediment which will naturally form at the bottom of the barrel is not unduly disturbed.

Furthermore, since the volume of gas within the bag 70 bears down upon the liquid in the barrel, the effects of external vibrations and movements etc., are minimized since movement of the body of liquid is effectively damped and therefore, the chances of cloudy beer being dispensed are reduced.

In the arrangement described above, it has been assumed that the ale is to be conditioned at the point of sale. However, it could of course be conditioned prior to dispensing to public houses by carrying out the step of Figure 15B and then replacing the vent closure element 30 within the vent aperture 15 so that the beer could be dispensed to pubs in a ready to drink form.

It will be appreciated that the apparatus of the present invention incorporates many advantageous features.

Shelf life of the beer is increased, there is the possibility of pre-cask conditioning the ale at a warehouse and contamination possibilities are reduced.

Further, the layer of gas held physically within the bag over the liquid while it is being dispensed cuts down the effects of external vibrations and a better, consistent product is available.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), andtor all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Claims (20)

1. An apparatus for keeping liquids fresh, the apparatus comprising a closure element for use with an existing container, the closure element having a vent aperture and a flow aperture, said vent and flow apertures having closure members associated with them, the vent aperture being arranged to selectively allow air to be admitted directly to the interior of the existing container during a first procedure and the flow aperture being arranged during a second procedure in which liquid is dispensed from the existing container to allow gas from the exterior of the container to be admitted into a bag which, in use, is provided inside the container and which, during the second procedure is arranged to expand to fill a gap in the container left by the dispensed liquid.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas comprises air at atmospheric pressure.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas is pressurised.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the first procedure is a conditioning procedure in which it is desired to allow air from the exterior to come into contact with liquid on the interior of the container.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the liquid is a beer and the existing container is a cask or barrel so that the first procedure is a "cask conditioning" step.

6. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, where in said first procedure, the closure member for the vent aperture is fully removed, and the closure member for the flow aperture is in place blocking said flow aperture.

7. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein during said second procedure, the flow aperture is open and the vent aperture closed.

8. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein during said second procedure the flow aperture closure member is used to block the vent aperture.

9. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the bag has a mouth region which is arranged to cooperate with an inner cap which, in turn, is associated with the closure element.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, in which the inner cap is provided with location means to facilitate attachment of a mouth region of the bag thereto.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the location means comprises, for instance, an indented region formed around the periphery of the inner cap, in which, resilient biasing means associated with the mouth region of the bag locates.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the resilient biasing means comprises a rubber or elasticated band or other like member which may be passed over the periphery of the inner cap and adapted to overlay the mouth region of the bag and sit within the location means.

13. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein inner cap is provided with a projection, the projection being arranged to cooperate with a recess formed in the closure element.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the recess in the closure element forms a lower portion of the flow aperture, and defines a flow passage through the closure element.

15. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the flow aperture has an upper portion of a first internal diameter, a lower portion of a second internal diameter and a mid portion of a third internal diameter, the third diameter being less than the first and second internal diameters.

16. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said vent aperture and said flow aperture have identical internal formation.

17. Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the closure member for the flow aperture is of such a formation that it is interchangeable with the closure member of the vent aperture.

18. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the vent aperture is provided with a filter and sealing means.

19. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, in which the flow passage has a mid-region which has abutment means therein to form an upper shoulder against which the closure member for the flow aperture is arranged to seal.

20. Apparatus for keeping liquids fresh, the apparatus being substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.