US2015765A

US2015765A - Means for dispensing beverages

Info

Publication number: US2015765A
Application number: US720406A
Authority: US
Inventors: John D Strutzel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1934-04-13
Filing date: 1934-04-13
Publication date: 1935-10-01
Anticipated expiration: 1952-10-01

Description

Oct. 1, 1935. D STRUTZEL 2,015,765

MEANS FOR DISPENSING BEVERAGES Filed April 15, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v Inventor Oct. 1, 1935. J. D. STRUTZEL MEANS FOR DISPENSING BEVERAGES Filed April 13, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fra i'zel memeio 1.1935

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE m non DISPENSING BEVERAGES I JohnD. Strutzel, Maywood, m. Application April 13, 1934, Serial No. 720,406-

This invention relates to beverage dispensing and refrigeration and particularly tothe dispensing of beverages charged with gas wherein it is important to preserve the charge of gas up to the point of delivery of the beverage to the consumer. The main objectsof this inventlonare to provide an improved method and apparatus for dispensing beer, having particular reference to the condition of the same when it issues from the delivery faucets of abar; to provide an improved form and arrangement of auxiliary apparatus interposed between a beer barrel and the delivery faucets of a bar whereby the pressure conditions of the beer may be efiectivelycontrolled so as to maintain certain-desirable standards in the condition of the product and enable the economical dis-. pensing thereof to be performed even by an inexperienced operator.

Further objects are to provide an improved form of valve mechanism for controlling the flow of beer to an auxiliary storage receptacle for maintaining a constant level of the liquid therein and to generally improve the structural arrangement of apparatus of this class.

A specific embodiment of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 4 is a similar view partly in section andpartly in elevation with the section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a slightly enlarged fragmentary detail of the inlet valve mechanism. Fig. 6 is a still larger detail illustrating the structure of the inlet valve and its stem.

livery faucets.

In the form shown in the drawings the beer'is stored in the basement of the building in its original package represented by the barrel I from which it is elevated by air or gas pressure obtained from a suitable source represented by the gas tank 2.

The compartment 3 represents a. refrigerator in which the product is cooled on its way to the dee In the form shown this refrigerator is a metal lined portion of the bar having a lid 4 and intended for storing a quantityv of cracked ice and water.

Within the refrigerator compartment is an auxiliary receptacle. or tank 5 to whichthe present invention mainly relates. V

The apparatus illustrated is designed with the particular thought in view of having most of the apparatus that requires attention conveniently lo- 5 cated with respectto the beer dispensing faucets shown at 6, I, and 8 on the rear face of the bar.

'To this end the pipe 9 from the gas' supply tank is connected to a fitting l0 associated with a pressure control valve H controlling the flow of gas 10 to the pipe l2 leading to the barrel I, and having also associated with it a pressure gauge I 3 and a cut-off valve Hi. The pressure gauge I 3 enables the operator at the bar to visually check the gas pressure in the barrel l. The fitting I0 is also provided with a pressure control valve l5 and a cutofi valve l6 controlling the supply of gas through the pipe I1 to the receptacle 5.

A pipe l8 also communicating with the interior of the receptacle 5 at the top leads to a pressure gauge l9 and blow-01f valve 20 preferably located on the rear face of the bar adjacent to the dispensing faucets. The pressure regulating valves II and I5 are of well known construction, andin general public use, and are therefore not illustrated or described in detail.

The beer is drawn fromthe bottom of the barrel by means of a pipe 2|, which communicates with a coil 22, which is wrapped around the exterior of the receptacle 5 and which terminates in an inlet fitting 23 which has a passage 24 that serves as the inlet for the receptacle 5 and which inlet is located at an elevation above the bottom of the receptacle 5 which to give the best results should be about one-fourth of the normal depth of liquid in said receptacle. Within the fitting 23 at the outer end of the inlet passage 24 the passage is enlarged to provide a seat 25 having agasket 26 against which a disc valve 21 seats. This valve as illustrated in Fig. 6 is loosely swingable upon a pair of pins 28 which are spaced apart horizontally so that the valve normally assumes an exactly centered position with respect to the seat 25. The valve is normally urged into firm contact with its seat by a helicoidal conical spring 29 which fits over and is welded to a stud 30 on the valve 21 and also bears against a closure disc 3| which is held in place by a collar 32 screwed into the fitting 23. The fitting 23 is also provided with an air chamber 33 which prevents water hammer or other disturbance of the valve 21. As shown in Fig. 6 the face of the valve 21 is chamfered at its peripheral margin 34 so that it rocks rather freely on the pins 28, but there is a sufflcient plane area inward of the margin 34 to insure proper seating of the valve.

The stem 35 of the valve 21 extends through the inlet passage 24 and across the interior of the receptacle 5 and is inclined upwardly from a horizontal position when the valve is seated as shown in Fig. 5.

Within the receptacle 5 there is a float 36 which has a depending hollow stem 31 that telescopes with a rod 38 centrally fixed in the bottom of the receptacle 5 so as to guide the movements of the float 36. Fixed on the stem 31 is a disc 39 which coacts with the stem 35 for swinging the A valve 21. The object of inclining the valve stem 35 upward is to cause it to engage the disc 39 at its extreme end whereby the disc and float will exert a maximum leverage initially to force the valve ofl of its seat, and a slight further downward movement of the disc 39 causes it to engage the stem 35 at a point much nearer the valve 21, as illustrated in Fig. 3, so that the movement of the valve becomes more rapid from that point on with respect to the movement of the float.

The outlet 40 for the receptacle 5 is at its bottom, as may be best seen from Fig. 4, and this outlet has two branches connecting with pipes 4| and 42 which lead upward along the sides of the receptacle 5, and are provided with valves 43 at their upper ends in convenient location for operation from the top of the refrigerator compartment. These valves are connected by pipes 44 to the faucets 6 and I. A third pipe 45 leads directly from the fitting 23 to the faucet 8.

The upper end of the receptacle 5 is closed by means of a head 46 which is held in place against a gasket 41 by means of a threaded collar 48 provided with spanner notches 49 which gives access to the interior for cleaning operations.-

Also to facilitate cleaning the head 46 carries a spray nozzle 50 connected with suitable water supply by the pipe 5|, and controlled by a valve 52. The bottom of the receptacle 5 is suitably inclined for perfect drainage into the fitting 40.

The operation of the device shown is as follows:

The liquid level within the receptacle 5 is maintained substantially constant by means of the float 36 because the capacity of the receptacle 5 is large compared with the capacity of the glasses that are filled at the dispensing faucets 6, I, and 8, and inasmuch as the pressure of gas in the receptacle 5 is but slightly lessthan the pressure of gas in the barrel I, the beer will flow from the barrel I to the receptacle 5 with a minimum of agitation, such as might tend to release its'gaseous content. 7

Similarly, the fact that the inlet 24 is well below thesurface of the liquid receptacle 5 and also above the bottom, serves to cause the liquid to enter the receptacle 5 without creating foam forming eddies or disturbing the flow of liquid passing out of the outlet 40 to the dispensing nozzles I and 6. The gas'pressure in the receptacle 50 prevents the loss of gaseous content of the beer that is stored ,therein during intervals between the operations of the faucets 6 and I.

By means of this apparatus it is possible to control the pressures so as to produce any desired amount of foam in the receptacles that are fed by the faucets 6 and I so that each glass will have exactly the desired amount of bead, and will not have the excessive overflow that requires the bar tender to waste a large percentage of the product by sweeping the foam off of the top of the glass.

different barrels.

It is customary to clean the apparatus thor- 5 oughly after the dispensing of each barrel of the product. With the apparatus herein shown this operation is especially facilitated as it is merely necessary for the operator to open the spray valve 52 and allow the water to run through the ap- 10 paratus and faucets by opening suitable valves to direct the water first through the faucets and then through the inlet connections to the basement.

After-rinsing in this fashion, the head 46 may 15 be removed from the receptacle and the float lifted out and washed and the interior of the receptacle 5 may be scrubbed.

The mounting of the valve 21 is particularly advantageous in a device of this kind, because 20 there is no danger of the valve or its stem becoming injured during such cleaning operations since the valve yields readily and allows the stem to be moved in any direction, and is returned to its normal position by the spring 29. 5 By reason of the fact that the gasket 26 is in a vertical plane no grit or sediment of any kind can come to rest on its face. For like reason it is advantageous to swing the valve from above so that its face is either vertical or slanting and 30 no particle of grit can lodge on it and anything falling from it would clear both the valve and its gasket.

After the scrubbing operations the float 36 is returned to its place by telescoping the stem 31 35 with the rod 38. The head 46 is replaced, fresh rinsing water is passed through the apparatus by out by means of gas or air pressure from the pipe 40 I1, and the apparatus is then ready for connection to a new barrel.

It is desirable to use carbon dioxide gas as a pressure medium in both the receptacle 5 and in barrel l, but any other inert gas or air will serve 45 the purpose and I do not wish the fact that I have illustrated both these gas bodies supplied from a common source to be construed as implying a limitation to such arrangement.

Although but one specific embodiment of this 50 invention is herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of my invention, as defined by the following claims:

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a vertically disposed valve seat, a pair of studs spaced apart horizontally adjacent the upper part of said seat, a valve swingably mounted on said studs at the 60 inlet side of said seat, and having a stem extending through said seat, and a float having a disc coacting with said stem to tilt said valve, said stem being upwardly inclined, and said disc and stem having camming relation to each other for 55 engagement first at a distant point and then at a point nearer to said valve within the range of said stem, for accelerating the rate of movement of said valve with respect to the rate of movement'of said float after the valve opens.

2. In a device of the class described, a receptacle having an outlet connection at the bottom and having a horizontally dsposed inlet in one side above the bottom, a valve seat surrounding the outer end of said inlet, a valve swingably sus-- pended adjacent the top of said seat and normally urged into contact with said seat, for closing said inlet, a stem extending from said valve through said inlet and having a portion thereof within said receptacle that is upwardly inclined when said valve is closed, a float in said receptacle positioned above said stem and having a horizontally disposed member positioned to engage said stem when the level of the liquid supporting said float falls below a prede'termiend height, said float having a depending tubular extension, and a rod telescoping with said tubular extension for guiding the vertical movement of said float.

3. In a device of the class described a receptacle having an outlet connection at the bottom and having a horizontally disposed inlet in one side above the bottom, a valve seat surrounding the outer end 01' said inlet, a valve swingably suspended adjacent the top of said seat and normally urged into contact with said seat for closing said inlet, a stem extending from said valve through said inlet and having a portion thereof within said receptacle that is upwardly inclined when said valve is closed, a float in said receptacle positioned above said stem and having a horizontally disposed member positioned to engage said stem when the level of the liquid supporting 10 sion being adapted to stop the downward move- 15 ment of said float at a point above the lower limit of movement of said valve stem.

JOHN D. S'I'RU'I'ZEL.