US2917906A

US2917906A - Portable cooler, gasser, and dispenser for keg beer and the like

Info

Publication number: US2917906A
Application number: US611463A
Authority: US
Inventors: Woolley George Craig
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1956-09-24
Filing date: 1956-09-24
Publication date: 1959-12-22
Anticipated expiration: 1976-12-22

Description

Dec. 22, 1959 G. c. WOOLLEY PORTABLE COOLER, GASSER AND DISPENSER FOR KEG BEER AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 24, 1956 INVENTOR. i fl f ew/awouir United States Patent PORTABLE COOLER, GASSER, ANT) DISPENSER FOR KEG BEER AND THE LIKE George Craig Woolley, St. Paul, Minn. Application September 24, 1956, Serial No. 611,463

2 Claims. (Cl. 62-306) This invention relates to a readily portable device for supporting and completelyservicing a keg or small barrel of beer or other beverage which requires for proper draughtand taste characteristics, cooling, gassing and controlled dispensing. My present invention is particularly designed and conceived for home rather than commercial usewhere it is desired to dispense a draught beverage suchas beer to a group of people, from a keg.

At the present time the distributors ofvarious malt beverages supply to their customers, cooling and gassing apparatus for small gatherings, usually employing a helical coil to'be placed in a box of ice and an air pump or carbon dioxide cylinder of heavy construction. The apparatus is hooked up at the home and in many instances, the keg heats up (since only the discharge through the coil is cooled), the saturation level of the gas is consequently decreased in the beer and more gas is released, resulting in foam when the beverage is dispensed. The coil, if not thoroughly cleaned and sterilized after each use, is unsanitary and gives the next user an offtaste beer; Cleaning time of such-coil requires from a half to a full hour and is often disregarded by the dissumption of the entire contents of the keg.

A further object is the provision of a device of the class described wherein a simple, compact wheeled chassis serves the multiple functions of a keg-support, a refrigerating chamber, a mounting for controlled gassing and dispensing mechanism and in addition, a valuable source of advertising for the distributor or manufacturer of the beverage. I

Another object is to provide a compact, rugged device of the class described of simple and inexpensive construction affording a high degree of sanitation and provision for sterilizing of the few dispensing parts.

- These and other objects and advantages of my inventionwill'more fully appear from the following description madein conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views thereof, and in which:

Fig. l is a rear elevation of an embodiment of my invention showing a keg of beer installed within the multipurpose chassis with the operating mechanism of the device properly connected for dispensing the beer on draught and for controllably gassing the same;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; and

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of my device showing the convenient location of the dispensing tap and the handheld for manipulating and moving the chassis and also, showing the favorable location of a large advertising space at the front of the chassis.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated, a multifunctional, chassis body is employed preferably in the formof an integral housing indicated as an entirety by the numeral 5 and having a lower, open topped, cylindrical chamber-forming portion 5a and a supporting bottom 5b. The housing 5 as shown, has an integrally formed, upstanding portion 50 which rises a considerable distance above the chamber-forming portion 5a and preferably is defined at its side edges by reversely curved lines merging into the rear of the lower portion 5a and likewise merging into a horizontal, arcuate edge 5d at the upper and forward terminal of the housing. The entire housing may be conveniently constructed from a suit able cylindricaldrum having a bottom therein, by cutting along the lines from top to an intermediate rear portion, as clearly indicated in the three figures of the drawing. The exposed edges of the open top of the housing in cluding the side edges, upper edge and lower edge defining the top portion of the rear of the compartmentforming section, are preferably covered by a continuous trim 6 of compressible cushioning material such as split rubber tubing, cemented to the curved edges previously referred to.

The housing 5 at least in the lower chamber-forming portion 5a thereof, is of a cross sectional shape substan tially larger than the maximum cross sectional area of a keg or other container to be housed and supported therein, thereby leaving when the keg or container is sup;

ported centrally upon the bottom of the housing, an annular cooling chamber which may be filled with ice or other suitable refrigerant, as indicated in dotted lines in spaced wheels 8 preferably constructed of hard rubber or equivalent, non-abrasive material journaled on fixed axles 8a which are secured between the depending ends of a U-shaped bracket 9 in each instance. The brackets 9 and wheels 8 as shown, are disposed in spaced relation at the forward portion of the housing bottom and are axially aligned. At the opposite portion of the bottom, a suitable supporting stand 10 is provided, as shown in the shape of a 'U-shaped rod having the upper ends of its two legs welded or otherwise rigidly afiixed to the housing bottom. The height of the stand is preferably approximately equal to the combined height of the wheels with their mounting brackets to maintain the chassis body upright with the bottom thereof disposed substantially horizontally. A water drain and cock 11 is mounted at the rear portion of the chamber section 5a near the bottom of the housing and of course, in communication with the interior thereof.

The upstanding portion 5c of the chassis body forms a wide supporting post and is provided with suitable handle means for facilitating ready tilting of the body from its normally resting erect position to place the weight upon the wheels 8 for wheeling of the chassis forwardly or rearwardly as desired. To this end, in the form illustrated, hand holds 5e are formed through the upper end of the upstanding housing post 5c and adjacent the longitudinal edges thereof; and the upper and horizontal edges defining these hand holds are preferably cushioned by suitable rubber trim 12.

The upstanding portion 50 of the chassis body further serves as a mounting and support for a detachably connected tap 13 which may be of conventional construction having the valve handle 13a and a conventional discharge spout 13b. Such a tap has an inner tubular portion externally threaded for attachment to a threaded socket l4, tapped through top central port of the upstanding chassis portion 50.

The interior or rear wall of the upstanding chassis portion 5c functions as a medium for supporting and housing a carbon dioxide supply tank and its valved connections with the upper portion of a keg K. To this'end, as shown, a heavy, resilient, split-gripping collar 15 is secured to the intermediate rear surface of upstanding housing portion 50, constructed to tightly grip and support a small compressed-gas tank G of conventional structure. For malt beverages such as beer and ale the gas medium is usually carbon dioxide, which is'obtainable in small tanks highly'pressurized, weighing as'little asa pound or pound and one-half. The tank G isvalved at its upper end and has afiixed thereto .a small gas discharge pipe 16 which is equipped with a regulator and gauge combination 17 and hasfurther interposed therein, as shown, a cock 18. A conduit 19 which'may be a flexible hose, connects cock 18 with a conventional tap rod R, which is tightly fitted into the bung hole of the keg after the bung is removed. As shown, a regulator and gauge combination 20 is interposed in the line of conduit 19. v

.The conventional tap rods mentioned employa fitting having an annular or other passage for the gas through the shank thereof, said fitting surrounding and being-out of communication with theelongated beer discharge pipe 21which is affixed axially to the fitting and extends downwardly to a point close to the bottom of the keg. The upper end of beer discharge pipe 21 communicates with a discharge head 21a which is connected as shown by a once used or disposable hose section 22, the upper end of said section being engaged with the inlet pipe 13c of the tap 13 mounted forwardly and externally of the chassis body near the top thereof.

Operation and advantages From the foregoing description it will be seen that -I have provided a portable chassis which is adapted to normally stand in erect position with the bottom thereof supporting a keg or other container containing a draft beverage such as beer. Present day kegs are for the most part constructed of metal so that chilling of the contents by packing the annular space between keg and the lower housing portion 5a with ice is readily accomplished. The chassis body thus serves as a support for the keg and as a refrigeration compartment to receive ice and thus obtain uniform chilling of the contents of the keg.

The device may be readily wheeled from place to place bygrasping the top part of the upstanding portion 50 of the housing and tilting the same slightly forward to place the weight of the keg and housing on the wheels 8.

After the keg is chilled the gas supply and itsline is regulated at the proper predetermined pressure, and the beer or other beverage may be withdrawn as desired by actuating the tap 13, the discharge being disposed at a convenient height at the top portion and front of the chassis body.

A substantially uniform temperature of the beverage is .secured through the cooling of the keg rather than the conventional dispensing coil. Therefore uniform 4- gassification of the beverage during consumption of the entire contents of the keg is assured, since the saturation level of the gas by the beverage is substantially constant.

The parts of my device or apparatus are few, being with exception of the unique multi-functional chassis of conventional structure which can be easily obtained from present manufacturers.

While obtaining 118W and superior results in the uniform and excellent draft characteristics of the'beverages served, my device adds no additional media such as elongated coils or otherparts which are diflicult to sterilize. The tap .13 is readily removable from the chassis for sterilization, as is the conventional tap rod R.

My improved device is particularly adapted for use at small gatherings where it is desired to portably support, chill, gas and dispense malt beverages and the like to a number of people at different points in a room or suite of rooms orin a yard.

The front of the chassis body offersian excellent medium of advertising for a manufacturer or distributor, :being disposed directly below the tapfrom whichthe beverage is withdrawn.

It will of course .be .understood that various changes may be made in the proportions and arrangements of the parts and in the substitution of equivalents all .within the scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for cooling, gassing, transporting and dispensing keg beverages comprising a chassis body Ientirely open at its upper end and in the form of a housing having a bottom and cylindrical lower chamber of a cross sectional shape larger than that of a keg to be accommodated to provide an'annular ice-packing space, said chamber being of a mean height .less than that of the height of the keg to be accommodated therein said body being continuous and .having an upwardly tapered, upstanding supporting post rising substantially above said chamber portion and above a keg mounted upon the bot tom of said body, a dispensing tap mounted 'exteriorly at the top of said upstanding post, means for detachably supporting a small tank of charging gas on the interior of said upstanding supporting post, a conventional gasdischarging and beverage withdrawal tap for positioning in the bung-hole of a beverage keg, regulating valve connections for connection between said gas-charging tank and said keg tap and means connected with the lower portion of said body for facilitating travel of said body over the ground or other supporting surface.

2. The structure set :forth in claim 1 and said last mentioned means constituting a pair of wheels below-one side of the bottom of said :body and a supporting stand I below the opposite side of said body.

References Cited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 196,297 Hovey Oct. 23, 1877 2,046,953 Kellogg July 7, 1936 2,774,229 Thau et a1. Dec. l8, 1956 2,792,692 Bryan May 21, 1957