GB2328682A

GB2328682A - Closure with two frangible portions

Info

Publication number: GB2328682A
Application number: GB9815980A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kevin Paul Stone
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-08-28
Filing date: 1998-07-22
Publication date: 1999-03-03
Also published as: GB9718161D0; GB9815980D0

Abstract

A closure member. e.g. for closing a beer barrel opening, has an end wall with an inner line of weakness C defining a central membrane portion A, and an outer line of weakness B defining an outer frangible membrane portion. The membrane portions can be ruptured independently, for instance by a spile or a tapping device, to create one of two different sized openings. The lines of weakness may be separated by a raised annular section D. The membrane portions may remain attached to the closure member after rupture. The closure member may have a secondary closure carried on an integrally formed arm (H fig 4).

Description

A CLOSURE MEMBER The present invention concerns a closure member and finds particular although not exclusive application as a closure member for a barrel, especially a beer barrel.

When barrels are distributed by breweries to license premises, an opening in the barrel through which the beer is to be dispensed is initially closed by a closure member known as a keystone which may be made of plastics or other material and one of a standard range of sizes and shapes. Following installation of the barrel in the appropriate storage site usually a cellar, the container has to be positioned on a stillage to be allowed to settle.

The movement of the barrel during delivery and installation initiates a secondary fermentation of the yeast in the beer and a resulting build up of carbon dioxide gas which should ideally be vented from the barrel so as to allow the beer to "condition".

An elongated peg-like member or "spile" is therefore introduced into a shive on the circumference of the barrel to facilitate this venting (diagram 2).After conditioning a tap is driven through the keystone to allow the beer to be dispensed.

This method of dispensing is used mainly in the south of the country but in the midlands and north, the barrels are stood on end and an extractor is inserted through the keystone to facilitate venting and beer dispense( diagram 3).

Barrels being conditioned in this way are at present vented either through a two piece keystone or through the extractor once it has been inserted With the two piece keystone the middle or "tut" is pushed into the barrel when the spile is inserted .These tuts cause an untold amount of damage to the cask washing machines and filters .When the extractors are used it means that you have to insert one into each barrel that needs to be conditioned ,this could mean that each cellar would have to be equipped with between 10 and 20 extractors that would be very expensive.

The present invention seeks to provide means by which these disadvantages can be overcome.

According to the present invention a closure member for a closing an opening in a container, comprises a main closure body having or being provided with two separate frangible membranes contained in a single one piece moulding .

The closure member known as a keystone is made from plastic material and is of generally known construction in the form of a hollow frustum with a closed but frangible end wall. The curved wall has a plurality of parallel cicumferential ribs on its outer surface Diagram 1B (E) for the purpose of increasing the frictional forces exerted between the keystone and the surface of an opening in the barrel into which the keystone is forced as a closure member. Preferably the curved wall is of a solid construction but due to the differing characteristics of substitute plastics the main body wall may alternatively have a series of shaped elongated openings around the circumference within the closure body wall .As shown in diagram 8 these channels may extend from either the top or the bottom of the closure member, but do not extend through the body. This arrangement allows the wall thickness to be reduced without loosing any strength The base of the closure member has two frangible membranes separated by a raised section ,diagram 1 (D) . This section serves two purposes , to strengthen the base of the closure member and to provide a location point for the spile to be inserted. In use the First (central) diaphragm may be pierced with a spile to condition the beer and then the Second (main) diaphragm is pierced on insertion of the tap or extractor. If the closure member is being used in the southern half of the country then the barrel is vented through the shive and the tap is inserted into the closure member fracturing the second diaphragm first .The First and Second membranes remain attached to the main body at all times ,even after one or both membranes have been ruptured.

Therefor no unwanted debris enters the cask.

Additionally the closure member may be provided with a separate secondary closure means (diagram 4 ). Such secondary closure means may act to close an opening in the said closure means itself. For example, if the said closure means is a beer barrel keystone, the keystone may first be vented by the spile ,then the outer membrane is pierced by the tap or extractor. Upon exhaustion of the contents the tap or extractor is removed from the barrel to allow the barrel to be returned to the brewery.

Inevitably there is residue left in the cask which can easily be spilled out through the hole left by the tap or extractor when the barrel is rolled. This is unhygienic and unwelcome. By providing a secondary closure means this problem is readily overcome.

Preferably the secondary closure means is carried on the said closure, for example by means of an integrally moulded arm diagram 4 (H) Indeed the secondary closure means itself may be integrally moulded with the said closure means. Suitably, if the said closure is a beer barrel keystone which typically has a membrane pierced, in use, by the tap or extractor located at the bottom of a recess, the secondary closure means may be in the form of a plug, the sides of which are frictionally engageable Diagram 4 (G) with the sides of the socket in the keystone.

Additionally or alternatively the closure member may carry an integrally moulded arm designed to carry a spile for use with the keystone Diagram 7.

Preferably the closure member according to the invention has frangible diaphragms A and B (diagram 1) and are of differing thickness, diaphragm A being thinner than diaphragm B.

Preferably the base of the closure member is provided with a circular recess (Diagram 1/C ) to assist in the rupturing of diaphragm A (diagram 1/A ) .This recess may have part of its circumference strengthened to help retain the diaphragm on the raised section D once it has been pierced , Diagram lB/K.

Preferably the raised section D (diagram 1) can be of varying depth and width and can additionally be engraved with the words Spile Here and two arrows.

Two embodiments of the invention will now be described more flilly with reference to the accompanying drawings: Diagram 1 is a sectioned view of an integrally moulded closure member, showing the First diaphragm A, Second diaphragm B, circular recess C, and a raised section D to provide a reference point in the center for the spile to be inserted.

Diagram 1B shows a sectioned View and a plan view of the closure member, including ribs on the inner circumference to provide a grip when the tap is inserted (F) Diagram 2 shows the position used to vent and dispense beer from barrels in the southern area of the UK.

Diagram 3 shows the position used to vent and dispense beer from barrels in the midlands and the north of the UK.

Diagram 4 shows the closure member with secondary closure means attached. The ribs (G) on the external surface of the secondary closure means are to provide grip when sealing the opening left by the fractured membrane of the keystone after the tap or extractor has been removed .The integrally moulded arm (H) connects the secondary closure means to the closure member Diagram 5 shows the closure member with the spile inserted, piercing the first membrane so as to facilitate venting and conditioning of the beer. The inner diaphragm stays attached even when pierced.

Diagram 6 shows the spile removed after conditioning and the second diaphragm ruptured by the tap to allow the dispensing of the beer.The inner diaphragm and outer diaphragm remain attached to the main body of the closure member.

Diagram 7 shows the closure member with an alternative arrangement where the closure member carries an integrally moulded arm designed to carry a spile .Preferably, the said arm is in the form of an elongated strip lying substantially in the plane defined by an end face of the main closure body from which the arm extends, although other suitable structures can be used as appropriate. The said arm is preferably flexible.

The resiliently deformable member may be in the form of a split loop ; its primary purpose is to carry a spile although other items may be carried if this is considered appropriate or desirable.

Structures other than a split loop may also be used.

The closure member according to the invention when applied specifically to beer barrel therefore ensures that no parts of the keystone are left in the barrel when the keystone is removed due to the fact that the closure member is a single moulding with two frangible diaphragms.

Diagram 8 shows two embodiments where by the main body of the closure member has a circular arrangement of tapered holes within the wall of the main closure body. Diagram A shows the holes open through the top of the wall of the closure body, whereas diagram B shows an alternative arrangement with the holes open to the bottom of the Closure body. Either of these arrangements will allow the wall thickness to be reduced reducing shrinkage and cycle times.

The brewery will also benefit from using a keystone that can be applied to each of the two dispensing systems.

Claims

Claims

A A closure member for closing an opening in a container comprising a main closure body having an internal passage extending therethrough, with first and second frangible membranes that can be ruptured independently, integrally formed in a single moulding with the main closure one end of the passage.
2 A closure member as in claim one where the closure member has more than one frangible membrane integrally formed in the closed end of the passage.
3 A closure member as in claim one where the first and second membranes remain attached to the main body during and after being ruptured
4 A closure member as claimed in any preceding claim where the two frangible membranes are separated by a circular raised section.
5 A closure member as in any preceding claim where the said main closure body is barrel keystone, and the central membrane can be pierced to receive a spile and the outer membrane can can be pierced to accept a tap.
6 A closure member as in any preceding claim where the main body wall has a series of shaped holes around its top circumference extending into the wall and closed at the opposite end
7 A closure member as in any preceding claim where the main body wall has a series of shaped holes around its bottom circumference extending into the wall and closed at the opposite end
8 A closure member as claimed in any preceding claim further including separate secondary closure means.
9 A closure member as claimed in any preceding claim in which a secondary closure means is carried on an integrally formed arm.
10 A closure member as in any preceding claims in which the secondary closure is tapered.

ii A closure member as in any preceding claim in which the secondary closure means has a ribbed external surface.