IE20050135U1 - A seal for a keg - Google Patents
A seal for a kegInfo
- Publication number
- IE20050135U1 IE20050135U1 IE2005/0135A IE20050135A IE20050135U1 IE 20050135 U1 IE20050135 U1 IE 20050135U1 IE 2005/0135 A IE2005/0135 A IE 2005/0135A IE 20050135 A IE20050135 A IE 20050135A IE 20050135 U1 IE20050135 U1 IE 20050135U1
- Authority
- IE
- Ireland
- Prior art keywords
- collar
- cap
- seal
- top surface
- tab
- Prior art date
Links
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 3
- 239000002699 waste material Substances 0.000 description 3
- 235000013405 beer Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 238000004140 cleaning Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000011109 contamination Methods 0.000 description 2
- 210000001138 Tears Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 230000001154 acute Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005452 bending Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010079 rubber tapping Methods 0.000 description 1
Abstract
ABSTRACT A single-use cap for sealing a keg valve, which has atop surface and a collar adapted to enlarge the valve. The cap also has a pull-tab and weakened lines extending from the pull tab through the height of the collar which, when torn, causes the collar to break initially before tearing into the top surface ensuring removal of the cap in one piece.
Description
A Seal for a Keg
The present invention relates to a seal for fitting to
a container e.g. a keg.
Kegs are well—known devices for storage and transport
of pressurised liquids e.g. beers. They are generally
cylindrical containers, having nozzles for access to
the contained liquid. It is desirable that the
contained liquid is neither tampered with nor
depressurised between the time that the kegs leave the
brewery or bottling plant where they are filled, to the
time that the contents are accessed. To this end, most
kegs are supplied with single-use seals, which are
attached to the nozzle of a keg. Once the seal is
detached from the keg, it cannot be reapplied,
indicating if the contents of the keg may have been
accessed or tampered with.
An example of a known seal for a keg is shown in Fig.
1. The seal 50 has a shallow cup—shaped body, with a
circular top surface 52. The seal is dimensioned to fit
over the nozzle or valve of a beer keg. A collar 54
extends perpendicularly from the top surface 52 and
terminates at a circular rim 53. A flat tab 56 projects
orthogonally from the side of the collar 54, located
towards the top surface 52. An aperture 58 is provided
in the collar 54 directly beneath the tab 56.
The collar 54 is of a lesser thickness than that of the
rest of the seal 50, allowing for it to be heat—shrunk
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|Eo5o135
around the nozzle or valve. On the underside 62 of the
top surface 52, two weakened lines 64 extend from the
opposite sides of the tab 56 into the underside surface
62. The weakened lines 64 are respectively located
towards the outer edges of the underside surface 62,
and generally follow the curvature of the circumference
of the surface until they reach a location 57 directly
opposite from the tab 56. On the top surface 52, the
weakened lines 64 define a generally circular removable
portion 65 which, when removed, reveals the valve
attachment for a tapping head. At location 57, the
weakened lines 64a extend in a parallel fashion from
the underside surface 62 to the rim 53 of the collar
54, defining a small finger of material which will be
removed along with tab 56 and removable portion 65
In use, the seal 50 is placed atop the nozzle of a keg
to be sealed. The seal is heat shrunk so that the
collar 54 engages the neck of the keg nozzle. When it
is desirable to open the keg, the tab 56 is pulled back
over the top surface 52 of the cap 50, breaking the
frangible sections 64 and separating the seal 50 from
the nozzle through the breakage of the frangible collar
section 60.
One disadvantage of this particular seal is that when
it is removed, the seal is generally broken into two or
resulting in several pieces of waste to be
if shards
more pieces,
cleaned up. Also, from the seal enter the
valve itself, it can result in contamination of the
“spear”, or extractor tube, which can render the keg
|Eo5o135
unusable at site. The keg must then be returned to the
brewery where, if the contamination goes unnoticed, it
can cause cleaning and filling problems in production.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a
seal for a keg that produces only a single piece of
waste when removed.
Accordingly, there is provided a single—use cap for
sealing a keg valve, said cap having a continuous
collar which is adapted to surround and engage said
valve, a top surface which is integral with said collar
and covering said valve, and a pull—tab which co-
operates with one or more weakened lines in the collar
and top surface to facilitate the tearing of said cap,
said pull—tab and weakened lines adapted for tearing
such that said collar is initially broken, and further
tearing results in tearing of the top surface, which
allows for removal of said cap in one piece.
Because the collar is broken initially when the tab is
pulled, with the seal in one continuous piece, the
collar is freed from its engagement with the valve.
Further pulling opens up the seal until it comes away
in a single piece.
Preferably, one or more stiffening columns act to
strengthen said pull—tab.
Preferably, a plurality of weakened lines are located
adjacent to said stiffening columns, and are defined in
|E050135
a substantially parallel fashion on said collar and
diverge at an angle on said top surface.
An embodiment of the invention will now be described,
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 (a) is a perspective view of the top of a
known seal for a keg;
Fig. 1 (b) is a perspective View of the underside
of the known seal of Fig. 1(a);
Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the top of a seal for
a keg according to the invention;
Fig. 3 is a cross—sectional side view of the seal
for a keg of Fig. 2, taken along the line III—III;
Fig. 4 is a cross—sectional side view of the seal
for a keg of Fig. 2, taken along the line 1V—1V;
Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional side View of the seal
of Fig. 2 after heat shrinking has been performed; and
Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the seal of Fig. 2
after the frangible sections of the seal have been
torn;
Referring to Figs. 2-4, a seal for a keg is indicated
generally at 10. The seal 10 comprises a shallow
Circular cup-shaped body, having a top surface 12. A
collar 14 extends downwardly from the top surface 12,
the collar having an open circular free end 11 and a
top closed end 13.
A tab 16 is located at the open end 11 of the collar
14. The tab 16 projects away from the collar 14, along
the axis indicated as III—III, and parallel to the top
|Eo5o135
surface 12. A pair of stiffening columns 18 extend from
either side of the tab 16 to the closed top end 13 of
the collar 14, defining a rigid strip 20 which runs
from the tab 16 to the top surface 12. A pair of
weakened lines 22 on either side of the rigid strip 20
assist in breaking the rigid strip 20 from the collar.
The weakened lines 22 continue as a pair of frangible
13 of the
collar 14 into the top surface 12 of the body 10.
grooves 24 extending from the closed end
Each
of the frangible grooves 24 extends in a generally
straight line at an acute angle relative to the line
III-III.
During application (Fig. 5), the seal 10 is heat shrunk
onto the neck of a cylindrical keg nozzle (not shown),
the collar 14 bending inwards to engage the neck of the
nozzle, with the top surface 12 and collar 14 enclosing
the dispensing valve of the nozzle.
when it is desirable to remove the seal, the tab 16 is
grasped and pulled back over the top surface 12 of the
cap in the direction shown by the arrow 25. This causes
the seal to tear first along the weakened lines 22 and
then along the frangible grooves 24, allowing for the
seal to be removed (Fig. 6). The advantage of this
design is that by tearing the collar 14 first, the cap
is removed through the act of further tearing,
meaning that the cap 10, when removed, is a single
piece of waste.
Claims (4)
1. A single—use cap for sealing a keg valve, said cap having a continuous collar which is adapted to surround and engage said valve, a top surface which is integral with said collar and covering said valve, and a pull—tab which co-operates with one or more weakened lines in the collar and top surface to facilitate the tearing of said cap, said pull—tab and weakened lines adapted for tearing such that said collar is initially broken, and further tearing results in tearing of the top surface, which allows for removal of said cap in one piece.
2. A single—use cap as claimed in claim 1, wherein a pair of said weakened lines extend from the tab, through the height of the collar and onto the top surface, said lines being substantially parallel to one another on said collar and diverging from one another at an angle on said top surface.
3. A single—use cap as claimed in claim 1, further comprising one or more stiffening elements in the collar to strengthen said pull—tab during removal.
4. A single-use cap for sealing a keg valve, substantially as described herein with reference to
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
IE20050135U1 true IE20050135U1 (en) | 2006-09-20 |
IES84459Y1 IES84459Y1 (en) | 2006-12-29 |
Family
ID=
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