WO2009071917A2

WO2009071917A2 - Beverage dispense tap

Info

Publication number: WO2009071917A2
Application number: PCT/GB2008/004038
Authority: WO
Inventors: Simon Manser; Graham Hyde
Original assignee: Alumasc Dispense Limited
Priority date: 2007-12-07
Filing date: 2008-12-08
Publication date: 2009-06-11
Also published as: GB2455349A; GB0723944D0; WO2009071917A3

Abstract

A beverage dispensing tap, including a beverage inlet (1), a beverage outlet (2) and a valve mechanism including a plunger (4) for selectively enabling beverage to be dispensed from the output or not, wherein the plunger has a hydrodynamic profile.

Description

Beveraee Dispense Tap

This invention relates to a beverage dispense tap. In particular, but not exclusively, it relates to a tap for dispensing carbonated drinks but a tap body in the invention may also be used for dispensing any type of drink from a bar or similar environment.

Carbonated soft drinks, such as colas, lemonade or similar, are generally provided either bottled, canned or dispensed from a tap. The level of carbonation is important to ensure customer satisfaction. If the beverage, when it reaches the customer, is insufficiently carbonated, then this will be unsatisfactory. The act of dispensing a carbonated drink from a tap inevitably causes a loss of some carbonation. Generally, the greater the foaming effect caused by the drink streaming at high velocity from the tap, the greater the loss of carbonation. This, of course, has to be balanced against the speed of dispensing since it is also unsatisfactory for a customer to have to wait an excessively long time for the drink to be poured.

Presently available taps are generally adequate for sufficiently quick dispensing of a drink whilst retaining carbonation although problems do still remain. These are particularly evident when so-called diet or light versions of colas or other drinks are dispensed, since these products have low or negligible amounts of sugar and sugar in beverages helps to retain the carbonation in solution. Thus problems can arise in particular when low or no- sugar drinks are dispensed with carbonation being lost.

Existing designs tend to introduce turbulence, or to break up the flow of beverage. One problem can be the design of the plunger within the tap.

The present invention arose in an attempt to improve a tap for dispensing such drinks which retains as much carbonation as possible yet still retains a fast dispense time.

The invention is also found to be useful for dispensing alcoholic beverages as well such as beers. According to the present invention there is provided a beverage dispensing tap, including a beverage inlet, a beverage outlet and a valve mechanism including a plunger for selectively enabling beverage to be dispensed from the output or not, wherein the profile of the plunger is hydrodynamic.

Preferably, part of the plunger across which beverage flows has a cross-section that is generally diamond shaped.

Most preferably, the diamond shape has a longer dimension and a shorter dimension and the apices in the shorter dimension are curved.

It may be other non-cylindrical shapes.

The longer dimension is intended to fit snugly within an elongate cavity within the tap through which beverage flows and the shorter dimension is shaped to provide a gap between the plunger and wall of the cavity to enable beverage to flow across this.

Preferably, the plunger has a portion which receives a spindle pivotably actuable by a user to cause the plunger to move axially, enabling dispensing of a beverage.

In a preferred embodiment, the outlet is a rotational cored spout.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a view of a beverage dispenser;

Figure 2 shows a front view;

Figure 3 shows a cross-section through A-A;

Figure 4 shows a cross-section through B-B;

Figure 5 shows a plunger; and Figure 6 shows a cross-section through C-C through the plunger. Referring now to the drawings, a tap for dispensing beverages, particular carbonated soft drinks such as colas, lemonade, etc, is shown schematically in Figure 1. The tap includes an inlet 1 connected via a dispensing line to a source of beverage which is pre- carbonated and an outlet 2 in the form of a spout which has a rotational (curved) axis as shown. A tap handle 3 is used to dispense beverage in combination with a plunger mechanism, as will be described further below.

Figure 2 shows a front view showing the tap handle 3 and spout 2 and Figures 3 and 4 are, respectively, cross-sections through A-A and B-B of Figure 2 showing the mechanism more clearly.

As is shown in Figure 3, the spout 2 has a rotational axis Z and extends generally downwardly from the axis of inlet 1. In line with the axis A of inlet 1 is a plunger 4 (shown more clearly in Figure 5) having towards one end a bullet 5 which seals against a ledge 6 within an internal cavity within a tap. The plunger may be mounted via a spring which biases it towards the left-hand side in Figure 3. This is a closed position where bullet 5 abuts ledge 6 and therefore in this position the fluid path connecting the inlet A with the spout 2 is closed. In other embodiments, beverage pressure alone maybe sufficient to cause the plunger to return to a closed position when pressure on the handle is released, or the handle may be used to open and close without any biasing.

The handle 3 includes a central spindle 4 which includes, towards one end, an enlarged rounded portion 5 which fits within a space 6 within the body 7 of the dispenser and a portion extending beyond the rounded portion 5 towards the end 8 of the spindle. This locates, in use, within a slot 9 formed within an enlarged head portion 10 of the plunger 4. The arrangement, as shown in Figure 3, is therefore such that movement of the top end 9 of the handle tap 3 in the direction X causes this to rotate around a pivot defined by the wall part 5 being arranged to rotate within space 6. This therefore causes the other end 8 to push in opposite direction Y on the plunger 9. End 8 sits within the slot 9 in the plunger against the biasing force of the spring and therefore pushes the plunger towards the right (in direction Y) of the figure. This in turn releases the sealing washer/bullet 5 and allows fluid, in this case a beverage to be dispensed, to flow over and around bullet/sealing - A - washer 5 and plunger 4 in the direction A and this then follows the axis Z down the spout and can then exit through a flow straightner 10.

The spout 2 is most preferably a rotational cored spout. That is, the spout is formed by a rotational inner core 1 1 , intersecting with the main body core operating along the horizontal axis (in direction A). This rotationally formed core provides an effective way of achieving very fast flow with reduced turbulence which could cause carbonation to be lost.

Figure 4 shows a horizontal section along B-B viewed from below and illustrates more clearly the plunger 4 fitted within the tap.

Figures 5 and 6 shows one possible configuration of the plunger having a hydrodynamic structure. That is, having a structure which is hydrodynamic in profile and thus enables beverage to smoothly flow. As is shown in the figures, a part of the plunger 12 across which beverage flows when dispensed has a shape in cross-section (Figure 6) that is longer in one dimension X than in the other dimension Y. In dimension X, the shaft part 12 of the plunger is of maximum width and fits snugly within the dispenser tube 13 within the tap. In the other dimension Y, the cross-section increases from the peripheral ends 14, 15 to a maximum width at its midpoint 16 and 17. Thus, the cross-section is generally diamond shaped. The apices at 16 and 17 are curved as shown. In use, it should be remembered that, fluid will flow down the plunger (ie in a plane perpendicular to the paper in Figure 6 and by having no sharp edges or angled corners, the plunger is hydrodynamic since it provides smooth flow to a beverage). The beverage may flow either side 18, 19 of the plunger.

Other curved cross-sections, especially aerofoil shaped ones (eg non-cylindrical), may be used for the plunger.

Claims

CIaims

1. A beverage dispensing tap, including a beverage inlet, a beverage outlet and a valve mechanism including a plunger for selectively enabling beverage to be dispensed from the output or not, wherein part of the plunger across which beverage flows is hydrodynamic.

2. A dispensing tap as claimed in Claim 1, wherein part of the plunger across which beverage flows has a cross-section that is generally diamond shaped.

3. A dispensing tap as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the diamond shape has a longer dimension and a shorter dimension.

4. A dispensing tap as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the apices in the shorter dimension are curved.

5. A dispensing tap as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the plunger has a portion, across which beverage flows when dispensed, which is arcuate.

6. A dispensing tap as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the plunger has a portion which receives a spindle pivotably actuable by a user to cause the plunger to move axially, enabling dispensing of a beverage.

7. A dispensing tap as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the beverage outlet is a rotationally cored spout.

8. A dispensing tap as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the beverage outlet is a spout which is at least partially arcuate.

9. A hydrodynamic plunger for a dispensing tap.

10. A dispensing tap substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to, and as illustrated by, the accompanying drawings.