JPS6223184B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to a new and improved relief valve assembly, and more particularly to a new and improved relief valve assembly for use with refillable containers to limit pressure in the container and to reduce the filling of the container. The present invention relates to a relief valve assembly that can be easily cleaned during use.

Many relief valve assemblies have been used to limit pressure in various types of containers. Some of these known relief valve assemblies are described in US Pat. No. 3,002,648, US Pat. No. 1,685,918, US Pat. Although known relief valve assemblies are somewhat satisfactory for use in many different environments, there is no satisfactory relief for use in connection with pressurized containers of soft drinks or syrup for making soft drinks. Difficulties have been encountered in providing valve assemblies. This difficulty is due, in part, to the fact that if excessive pressure develops within the container, the relief valve assembly must be exposed to the atmosphere to allow the contents of the container to be evacuated. When the relief valve assembly is exposed to the atmosphere, dirt and other foreign particles from the atmosphere can enter the relief valve assembly and cause bacterial growth in cracks and crevices between the relief valve assembly components. It may cause Additionally, the inside of the relief valve assembly must be exposed to syrup within the container, which can seep into the cracks and crevices and promote bacterial growth. Bacterial growth associated with the relief valve assembly should be avoided since the soft drink syrup will be used without being treated in a manner that kills bacteria. Furthermore,
When refilling a container with soft drink syrup, it is desirable to clean the relief valve assembly with minimal difficulty.

The present invention provides a new and improved relief valve assembly for use in conjunction with containers under pressure.
The relief valve assembly includes a housing fixedly mounted on the container and a liner threaded into a cavity within the housing. Prevents dirt and other foreign particles from the atmosphere surrounding the container from entering the joint between the housing and the liner, and prevents liquid from leaking from within the container into the joint between the liner and the housing. A seal is provided to prevent bacterial growth. These seals eliminate the need to disassemble the relief valve for cleaning.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, in addition to the liner and the housing, the relief valve assembly includes a movable valve means and a spring disposed within the liner, and the arrangement of the liner, valve means and spring within the housing This is facilitated by the use of a base member to retain the valve means and spring movable within the cavity.

In the relief valve assembly according to the invention, the housing and liner are connected by a screw.
A threaded connection facilitates assembly and disassembly and is therefore advantageous for replacing internal parts, such as replacing damaged valve means. However, the threaded portion has a problem in that warp tends to accumulate.

In a relief valve assembly according to the invention, when the valve means is in the closed position, the opening in the side portion of the liner is in fluid communication with the opening in the outer end portion of the liner and the opening in the outer end portion of the housing. A cleaning fluid is directed to and from the openings in the side portions of the housing to enable the housing and liner to be at least partially cleaned. This allows for easy cleaning of internal components, such as valve means, springs, etc. In the relief valve assembly according to the present invention, the threaded portion is sealed by compressible sealing means. This prevents foreign matter from entering the threaded portion.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a relief valve assembly for use in conjunction with a container of pressurized liquid, the relief valve assembly having an external thread that engages an internal thread of the housing. a liner, and seals are provided at both ends of the thread to prevent exposure of the thread to both foreign particles from the atmosphere and, in one embodiment of the invention, liquid in the container. It is an object of the present invention to provide a relief valve assembly that has the following characteristics.

The above objects and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

1-6 illustrate a relief valve assembly in accordance with the present invention, and FIG. 7 illustrates a relief valve assembly in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Since it is useful to understand the present invention to understand the structure of the relief valve assembly shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, first, the relief valve assembly shown in FIGS. Explain.

In FIG. 1, a container 10 of liquid under pressure is shown having a relief valve assembly 12. As shown in FIG. Although container 10 can be used for many different types of fluids, this container is one used for transporting soft drink syrup. The container 10 has a main body portion 16
The cover 18 is removably connected to the cover 18 in a suitable manner. Inlet and outlet ports 20 are mounted on the end walls of the container 10 to enable the liquid in the container to be pressurized and then the cover 18 connected to the body portion 16 to be subsequently drained in a known manner. Although the relief valve assembly 12 could be mounted on the end wall of the container, it is advantageously mounted on the cover 18 to facilitate cleaning.

Relief valve assembly 12 limits the pressure available in container 10 to a predetermined maximum pressure. When this predetermined maximum pressure is exceeded, the relief valve assembly 12 opens, allowing a sufficient volume of fluid pressure to escape from the container 10 to reduce the pressure within the container to a pressure below the predetermined pressure that opens the relief valve. make it possible to

Relief valve assembly 12 includes a stainless steel housing 28 (see FIG. 2) fixedly mounted on wall 24 of cover 18. The stainless steel housing 28 has a circular shoulder 30 that engages the inner surface 32 of the cover wall. A generally cylindrical outer end portion 34 of housing 28 projects through a circular opening 36 in cover wall 24 and is exposed to the atmosphere surrounding the container. Outer end portion 3 of housing 28
4 is a circular discharge opening for discharging fluid to the atmosphere when the relief valve assembly 12 is operated from the closed position of FIG. 2 to the open position of FIG. 3 under the influence of excess fluid pressure within the container 10; Has 38.

Relief valve assembly 12 includes a cartridge assembly 42 movably mounted within a generally cylindrical housing cavity 44 . Cartridge assembly 42 has internal threads 50 formed in housing 28.
It includes a generally cylindrical liner 46 formed from a polymeric material and having external threads 48 that engage the liner. liner 4
6 has a generally cylindrical valve cavity 54 disposed in coaxial relationship with the housing cavity 44 and the external and internal threads 48 and 50, respectively.

The axially movable main means 56 is arranged along a central axis 58 of the valve cavity 54 and the housing cavity 44. Valve means 56 is constructed from a polymeric material and includes a removable resilient sealing cap 60 having a circular end surface 62 that sealingly engages an annular valve seat 64 that is integrally formed with liner 46. It is equipped with When movable valve means 56 is in the closed position of FIG. 2, fluid flow through relief valve assembly 12 is prevented by the sealing engagement of valve means 56 and valve seat 64.

The movable valve means 56 is forced toward the closed position of FIG. 2 by a coil spring 66. Coil spring 66 is disposed between circular base portion 68 and a radially outwardly projecting guide 70 formed in body 72 of valve means 56 . Base member 68 is formed from a polymeric material and is held against axial movement under the influence of spring 66 by a plurality of resiliently deflectable grip fingers 74. Grizpuffinga 74 is liner 4
6 and extends axially outwardly from the rim (circular outer end surface) 76 of liner 46 to engage an annular wall 78 of base member 68 . An annular wall 78 of base member 68 is connected to a generally cylindrical body portion 80 of base member 68 by a plurality of spaced apart radially extending arms (spokes) 82 .

When assembling the cartridge assembly 42,
First, the valve means 56 is positioned to engage the annular valve seat 64. The coil spring 66 is then positioned relative to the guide 70 of the valve means 56.
The inner surface 86 of the radially extending arm 82 is then pressed against the outer end of the coil spring 66. As this occurs, annular wall 78 of base member 68 engages inclined cam surface 88 of resiliently deflectable finger 74 . Continued inward movement of base member 68 causes annular wall 78 to react against cam surface 88 to align central axis 5 of cartridge assembly 42.
The fingers 74 are elastically deflected inwardly toward 8. After the annular wall 78 moves inwardly from the radially outwardly extending gripper surface 90 of the fingers 74, the fingers 74 snap outwardly into gripping engagement with the base member 68 under the influence of their own elasticity. 2 to hold the base member 68 in the position shown in FIG. At this time, the spring 66 is connected to the outwardly extending guide 70 of the movable valve means 56 and the radially extending surface 82 of the arm 82 of the base member 68.
6, pressing the seal cap 60 against the valve seat 64.

When cartridge assembly 42 is assembled in this manner, it forms a unit that can be easily pretested and/or installed within housing 28 with minimal difficulty. To install cartridge assembly 42 within housing 28, the outer end portion of cartridge assembly 42 is first inserted into housing cavity 44 through circular inner opening 94. Male thread 4 of liner 46
8 engages the internal threads 50 of the housing 28.
6 and rotate to screw cartridge assembly 42 into housing 28. The preassembled cartridge assembly 42 not only facilitates assembly of the relief valve assembly 12, but also allows the cartridge assembly 42 to be easily removed from the housing 28 and, if for some unforeseen reason, the cartridge assembly 42 is removed from the housing 28. If body 42 is damaged during use of container 10, a replacement cartridge can be inserted.

When the container 10 is to be filled, the cover 1
8 is removed and a liquid such as soft drink syrup is placed in container 10. Then cover 18
is connected to the container 10, and the inside of the container is charged with gas through the inlet and outlet 20 to achieve the desired pressure. This charge pressure is controlled by the valve means 5.
6 but cannot move the valve means 56 against the spring 66.

If the interior of the container 10 is charged to a pressure greater than the desired pressure due to failure of the charging device or for other reasons, the fluid pressure against the end surface 62 of the valve means 56 will cause the valve to discharge against the influence of the spring 66. 2
The valve means 56 is moved axially to the right from the closed position shown in the figures to the open position shown in FIG. When this occurs, gas flows from the inside of container 10 through cavity 54 and base member 68 to housing 2.
circular discharge opening 38 in the outer end portion 34 of 8;
3 as indicated by arrow 100 in FIG.

During movement of the valve means 56 from the closed position of FIG. 2 to the open position of FIG. Guide the movement of 56.
Additionally, the cylindrical inner surface 104 of the body portion 80 of the base member 68 engages the cylindrical outer surface 106 of the stem 108 of the valve means 56 to further guide axial outward movement of the valve means 56. When the valve means 56 reaches the fully open position, the circular end surface 110 of the body portion 80 of the base member 68 aligns with the circular end surface 1 of the mandrel 108.
12 to limit outward movement of the valve means 56. Of course, when the fluid pressure in container 10 falls to the desired level, spring 66 moves valve means 56 from the open position of FIG. 3 to the closed position of FIG. 2.

During use of container 10, the interior portions of housing 28 and cartridge assembly 42 are exposed to the liquid in the container. If the joint between the liner 46 and the housing 28 were exposed to this liquid, the liquid would seep into the crack between the liner and the housing and between the mating screws 48 and 50. . This tends to promote bacterial growth in the cracks and gaps between liner 46 and housing 28. Additionally, the cartridge assembly 42 and housing cavity 44 are exposed to atmospheric dirt and other foreign particles through the opening 38 in the outer end portion of the housing. If the external threads 48 and internal threads 50 were exposed to this dirt and contaminants, bacterial growth between these threads would be further promoted. Since container 10 is intended to be used to hold soft drink syrup that is used directly from the container with minimal processing, it is necessary to eliminate bacterial growth associated with relief valve assembly 12. be.

Seals are provided between liner 46 and housing 28 at the axially inner and outer ends of liner 46 to prevent bacterial growth in cracks and gaps between liner 46 and housing 28. The seal between liner 46 and the inner end of housing 28 prevents external threads 48 and internal threads 50 from being exposed to liquid in the container. Similarly,
The seal between the outer ends of liner 46 and housing 28 prevents external threads 48 and internal threads 50 from being exposed to atmospheric contaminants surrounding the container.

A seal at the inner end portion of the liner 46 is formed between the frusto-conical inner end 116 of the liner 46 and the frusto-conical inner surface 120 of the housing cavity 44 (see FIG. 4). The frusto-conical end portion 116 has a surface 118 of the liner 46 in flatt abutting engagement with the frusto-conical inner surface 120.
The frusto-conical inner surface 120 may be sloped at the same angle as the slope of the frusto-conical inner surface 120 so as to abutting engagement. However, by forming the frusto-conical inner end 116 of the liner with a slope or angle that is different than the slope or angle of the frusto-conical inner surface 120, A reliable fluid-tight seal can be obtained.
This is illustrated in FIG. 4, in which the surface 118 of the liner 46 extends at a first angle 124 with respect to the central axis 58 of the liner 46 while the frusto-conical interior of the circular interior opening 94 The surface 120 is at a second angle 1 with respect to the central axis 58 of the liner 46.
It extends at 26.

The angle 124 formed by the liner surface 118 is the angle 12 formed by the inner surface 120 of the housing 28.
6 at a somewhat greater angle to the central axis 58. In one particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, a frusto-conical liner surface 11
8 extends at an angle 124 of approximately 32° relative to the central axis 58, while the frusto-conical inner surface 120 of the housing 28 extends at an angle 126 of approximately 30° relative to the central axis 58. It should be understood that the specific angles mentioned above are for clarity of explanation and that different angles can be used if desired.

The different slopes of liner surface 118 and inner surface 120 cause annular end corner 130 of liner 46 to abutting surface 120 of housing 28 as screws 48 and 50 engage each other.
engagement). Liner 4 by tool inserted into opening 96
6 compresses the annular end corner 130 firmly against the surface 120 to provide a positive fluid-tight seal between the end of the liner 46 and the housing 28. The corner 130 forms a positive, fluid-tight annular seal between the short length liner surface 118 and the inner surface 120 at the outermost end portion of the liner 46, thereby forming a tight annular seal between the screws 48 and 5.
0 from being exposed to the liquid in the container.

A second seal 133 is formed at the axially outer end of liner 46 adjacent rim 76 . An annular bead 134 is formed on the outside of liner 46 to form a seal 133. Bead 134 has an initial outer diameter slightly larger than the diameter of cylindrical inner housing surface 136. As cartridge assembly 42 moves axially into housing cavity 44 due to the interaction between screws 48 and 50, bead 134
38 and surface 136
is compressed elastically by Thus, continued inward movement of the cartridge assembly 42 causes the bead 134 to form a leak-tight seal with the surface 136, thereby preventing dirt and other foreign particles in the environment around the container 10 from being exposed to the screws 48 and To prevent the female thread 50 from being exposed.

Container 10 is refilled with liquid from time to time. The liquid that refills the container 10 may have a different composition than the liquid originally held within the container. After emptying the container 10, the interior and exterior portions of the relief valve assembly 12 may be exposed to contaminants. Therefore, container 1
It is necessary to clean the relief valve assembly 12 between zero fills. Cleaning the relief valve assembly 12 prevents bacterial growth on the various components and connections of the relief valve assembly 12.

To facilitate cleaning of the relief valve assembly 12, the inner portion of the housing 28 is advantageously formed as a coupling plug element. A coupling socket 144 (FIG. 6) connects with a conduit 146 leading to a source of cleaning fluid under pressure. When socket 144 is connected to valve housing 28 in the manner shown in FIG.
and an annular groove 1 formed on the outside of the housing 28.
50, it is firmly locked into the valve housing.

Once this connection is made, a valve (not shown) opens and the cleaning liquid under pressure flows into conduit 1.
46 and an open socket valve 154 from a suitable source to the relief valve assembly 12. The cleaning liquid has sufficient pressure to actuate the relief valve assembly 12 from the closed position of FIG. 6 to the open position of FIG. 3. When this occurs, the cleaning solution is transferred through the cavity 54 of the open relief valve assembly 12 around the movable valve means 56 and through the base member 68 as illustrated by arrow 100 in FIG. Opening 3 of housing 28
Flows to 8. This flow of cleaning solution is transferred to container 10.
Cleaning surfaces of the relief valve assembly that are exposed to contaminants from the surrounding environment and liquid within the container.

Once relief valve assembly 12 has been thoroughly flushed with cleaning fluid, the appropriate control valve is closed to interrupt the flow of cleaning fluid through conduit 146. Socket 14 is then removed by pulling back on cylindrical locking sleeve 156 to release locking ball 148 to allow movement from annular groove 150.
4 from the relief valve assembly 12. Of course, if the flow of cleaning liquid is interrupted, spring 6
6 would be effective to close the relief valve assembly 12. Socket 144 connects relief valve assembly 12
After being separated from the housing 28 and the cover 1
The outside of 8 is cleaned in a known manner. socket 1
Although it is contemplated that 44 can have many different configurations, the socket is advantageously constructed in a manner similar to that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,245,423.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a relief valve assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described. The relief valve assembly of FIG. 7 is substantially similar to the relief valve assemblies illustrated in FIGS. 1-6. However, the relief valve assembly of FIG. 7 is located primarily on the outside of the container cover and has a side slot that allows cleaning of the relief valve assembly during cover cleaning without disassembling the relief valve assembly. possible.

Since the relief valve assembly of FIG. 7 is substantially similar to the relief valve assembly of FIGS. 1-6, similar numbers will be used to represent the same components. The appended letter "a" refers to the number used with respect to the relief valve assembly of FIG. 7 to avoid confusion.

Relief valve assembly 12a (see FIG. 7) includes a stainless steel housing 28a that is fixedly mounted on the wall of cover 18a. The housing 28a has a circular shoulder 30 that engages the cover.
have a. Housing 29a extends through a circular opening in cover 18a and is exposed to the atmosphere surrounding the container. The outer end portion of the housing 28a vents fluid pressure to the atmosphere when the relief valve assembly 12a is operated from the closed position (the position shown in FIG. 7) to the open position due to excess fluid pressure within the container. It has a circular discharge opening 38a for discharge.

Relief valve assembly 12a includes a cartridge assembly 42a removably mounted within a generally cylindrical housing cavity 44a. Cartridge assembly 42a is formed from a polymeric material and includes a generally cylindrical liner 46a having external threads 48a that engage internal threads 50a formed in housing 28a. Liner 46a is housing cavity 44a
and a generally cylindrical valve cavity 54a disposed in coaxial relationship with threads 48a and female threads 50a.

An axially movable valve means 56a is disposed along the central axis of the valve cavity 54a and the housing cavity 44a. The valve means 56a is made of a polymeric material and is connected to the liner 4.
6a is provided with a removable resilient sealing cap that sealingly engages an annular valve seat 64a integrally formed with the valve seat 64a. When movable valve means 56a is in the closed position of FIG. 7, fluid flow through relief valve assembly 12a is prevented by the sealing engagement of movable valve means 56a and valve seat 64a.

The movable valve means 56a is forced toward the closed position of FIG. 7 under the influence of a coil spring 66a.
Coil spring 66a is disposed between base member 68a and a radially outwardly projecting guide 70a formed on the body of movable valve means 56a. Base member 58a is formed from a polymeric material and is held against axial movement by a plurality of resiliently deflectable grippuff fingers 74a under the influence of spring 66a. The grippuff finger 74a is integrally formed with the liner 46a,
and extends axially outwardly from the outer end surface of liner 46a to engage the outer side of base member 68a. If the interior of the vessel with which relief valve assembly 12a is associated is charged to a pressure greater than desired due to malfunction of the charging device or for other reasons, fluid pressure at the end surface of valve means 56a causes the valve to The means 56a is moved axially to the right from the closed position of FIG. 7 to the open position in which it is spaced apart from the valve seat 64a. As this occurs, gas flows from the inside of the vessel around valve seat 64a and outwardly through a pair of arcuate slots 159 formed in liner 46a and a pair of arcuate slots 160 formed in housing 28a. flows. slot 159 if desired
and 160 can be replaced by openings with different shapes.

During the movement of the valve means 56a from the closed position to the open position, the radially extending guide 7 in the valve means
0a cooperates with the cylindrical inner surface of cavity 54a of liner 46a to guide movement of valve means 56a. Additionally, the body portion 80a of the base member 68a engages the cylindrical outer surface of the stem of the valve member 56a to further guide axially outward movement of the valve means 56a. When the valve means 56 reaches the fully open position, the circular end surface of the body portion 80a of the base member 68a engages the circular end surface of the stem of the valve means 56a to prevent outward movement of the valve means 56a. Restrict. Of course, when the fluid pressure in the container drops to the desired level, the spring 66a will move the valve means 56a from the open position to the seventh position.
This is effective for moving it back to the closed position shown in the figure.

A sealing means is provided between liner 46a and housing 28a to prevent bacterial growth in the cracks and gaps between liner 46a and housing 28a. The sealing means includes a first seal (frusto-conical inner end 116a) disposed between the inner end portion of the housing 28a and the inner end portion of the liner 46a; a second seal (annular bead 16
4) between a portion of the side portion of the housing toward the outside of the opening and the female thread, and a portion of the side portion of the liner toward the outside of the opening and the male screw; a third seal (circular bead 166) disposed between a portion of the housing and the external end portion of the liner; and a fourth seal (annular bead 133a) disposed between the inner and outer portions. A seal at the inner end portion of liner 46a is formed between frustoconical inner end 116a and frustoconical inner surface 120a of housing 28a. The frusto-conical end portion 116a may be formed at the same angle of slope as the slope of the frusto-conical surface 120a. However, a reliable fluid-tight seal is achieved by forming the liner's frusto-conical surface 116a with a slope or angle that is different from the slope of the frusto-conical housing surface 120 in the manner described above in connection with FIG. By doing liner 4
6a and the housing 28a.

A seal is provided between liner 46a and housing 28a to prevent foreign materials from entering the joint between liner 46a and housing 28a at arcuate slot 160. An annular bead 164 is thus formed on the liner 46a;
It then sealingly engages the cylindrical inner surface of housing 28a to seal the joint in housing 28a and liner 54a against the ingress of foreign particles.

Other seals are slot 160 and liner 46a.
It is also provided on the outer frosted part in the axial direction. This seal is formed by an annular bead 166 on liner 46a. The annular bead 166 has a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the cylindrical surface of the cavity 54a;
Therefore, a tight sealing engagement between the circular bead 166 and the cylindrical surface is achieved.
engagement). An axially outermost seal 133a is formed on the axially outer and upper end portion of liner 46a. Seal 133a
An annular bead is formed on liner 46a to form. This bead has an initial outer diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the cylindrical surface of cavity 54a. As cartridge assembly 42a moves axially into housing cavity 44a by interaction between screws 48a and 50a,
This bead moves axially along the cam surface and is elastically compressed to the diameter of cavity 54a. Therefore, this bead is connected to the housing 28a.
and liner 46a. Threads 48a and 50a are provided with seals 133a and 16 to prevent foreign particles from entering between the threads.
It should be noted that it is located between 6 and 6.

Seals 116a, 164, 166 and 133a
relief valve assembly 12a by using
can be cleaned without disassembling it. This is accomplished by spraying both the inner and outer end portions of the relief valve assembly 12a with a suitable cleaning liquid. Cleaning liquid enters drain opening 38a and flows through an opening (not shown) in base member 68a. The cleaning liquid flows around valve means 56a and through slot 160.
flows out from

Two annular seals 166 and 133a prevent cleaning liquid from entering the connection between liner 46a and housing 28a. An annular seal 164 seals the liner 4 axially inwardly of the slot 160.
Preventing cleaning solution from entering the connection between 6a and housing 28a. Relief valve assembly 12
The axially inner end portion of a is also sprayed with cleaning liquid to clean the inner end portion of liner 46a and valve means 56a. Seal 116a prevents this liquid from entering the joint between liner 46a and housing 28a.

In view of the foregoing, the relief valve assembly 12a includes a housing 28a fixedly mounted on the container cover 18a and a housing cavity 54.
includes liner 46a that is threaded into a. Seals are provided at both ends of liner 46a to prevent the screws from being exposed to dirt and other foreign particles in the atmosphere surrounding the container. Furthermore, liner 46
A seal is provided to prevent the connection between a and housing 28a from being exposed to liquid within the container, thereby inhibiting bacterial growth.

In addition to liner 46a and housing 28a, relief valve assembly 12a includes movable valve member 56a and spring 66 disposed within the liner.
Contains a. Liner 46 into housing 28a
a. Installation of valve means 56a and spring 66a is accomplished using base member 68a to move valve member 56a and spring 66 within cavity 54a of liner 46a.
This is preferably carried out by holding a. Base member 68a is removably connected to liner 46a by a resiliently deflectable finger 74a extending from an end portion of liner 46a.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 shows a container having a relief valve assembly associated with the present invention; FIG. 2 shows a relief valve assembly for use in conjunction with the container of FIG. 1, shown in a closed position; FIG. Enlarged sectional view showing the structure of 3rd
Figure 4 is a sectional view substantially similar to Figure 2 showing the relief valve assembly in the open state; Figure 4 is a diagram showing the structure of the seal between the liner and the housing of the relief valve assembly; circle 4 in Figure 2; 5 shows the structure of the second seal between the liner and the housing of the relief valve assembly; FIG.
An enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the area enclosed by circle 5--5 in Figure 3, and Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the conduit socket assembly connected to the source of cleaning fluid connected to the relief valve assembly. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a relief valve assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 10... Container, 12... Relief valve assembly, 18... Cover, 28... Housing, 38... Discharge opening, 44... Housing cavity, 46... Liner, 54... Valve cavity ( liner cavity), 56...valve means, 60...
Elastic seal cap, 66...Coil spring, 68
... Base member, 70 ... Guide, 74 ... Gritsupfinga.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a relief valve assembly for use in conjunction with a container: a housing coupled to the container, the housing including a housing cavity, the housing cavity being in communication with the atmosphere outside the container; an outer end portion with an opening in communication therewith, an inner end portion coupled in fluid communication with an interior of the container, the outer end portion and the inner end portion of the housing; a housing having a side portion disposed between the housing and the housing having a side portion having an opening that places the housing cavity in fluid communication with the atmosphere outside the container; a liner disposed at least partially within the housing cavity; , including a liner cavity, an outer end portion with an opening bringing the liner cavity into fluid communication with the opening in the outer end portion of the housing, and an opening bringing the liner cavity into fluid communication with the inside of the container. an inner end portion, and an opening disposed between the outer end portion and the inner end portion of the liner, the liner cavity being in fluid communication with the opening in the side portion of the housing. a liner having side portions; a valve means disposed within the liner cavity for at least partially controlling fluid flow from the inside of the container through the liner and the housing to the outside of the container; a closed position that prevents fluid flow from the container through the liner and the housing; from the inside of the container, the opening in the inner end portion of the liner; the opening in the side portion of the liner; a flow of fluid flowing outside the container through at least one of the openings in the outer end portion and through at least one of the openings in the side portion of the housing and the opening in the outer end portion; and valve means movable between an open position and an open position allowing: when the valve means is in the closed position, the opening in the side portion of the liner closes the outer end of the liner. the housing, the housing being in fluid communication with the opening in the outer end portion of the housing and the opening in the side portion of the housing; and the liner can be at least partially cleaned; the housing has internal threads disposed in the housing cavity, and the liner is arranged to threadably engage the internal threads of the housing. and further comprising a compressible sealing means disposed between the liner and the housing that is compressed upon threading of the liner and the housing, the sealing means comprising: a first seal disposed between the inner end portion of the housing and the inner end portion of the liner; and a portion of the side portion of the housing inwardly of the opening and the side of the liner. a second seal disposed between a portion of the side portion of the housing inwardly of the opening and a portion of the side portion of the housing between the portion of the side portion outwardly of the opening and the internal thread; a third seal disposed between a portion of the side portion of the housing toward the outside of the opening and the external thread; and between the female thread and the outer end portion of the housing. and a fourth seal disposed between a portion of the liner between the external thread and the outer end portion.