WO2016159795A1

WO2016159795A1 - Dispensing valve for containers with carbonated beverages

Info

Publication number: WO2016159795A1
Application number: PCT/PL2015/000059
Authority: WO
Inventors: Aleksandra DUDASZ
Original assignee: Admi Spółka Z Ograniczoną Odpowiedzialnością
Priority date: 2015-03-31
Filing date: 2015-03-31
Publication date: 2016-10-06

Abstract

A valve for containers with carbonated beverages including a casing (1) with an integrated drain spout and provided with a piston (8), sealing elements (15) as well as a beverage a pipe (3) to supply the fluid from the container and a manual valve actuating mechanism. The invention is distinguished by a piston (8) horizontal chamber (5) and by a horizontally mounted piston (8). According to the invention, the valve includes a main body (1) equipped with a horizontal chamber (5) inside which a cylindrical piston (8) is embedded that is provided with an inlet duct (9) consisting of two sections that are perpendicular to one another, forming a letter 'L' shape, and furthermore, in a rear part of piston (8), there are located technical means (10), (11), (18) that connect piston (8) with a manual throttle lever (12), (16) to actuate the valve.

Description

DISPENSING VALVE FOR CONTAINERS WITH CARBONATED BEVERAGES

An object of the invention is a valve for containers with carbonated beverages. The device according to the invention is used for dispensing drinks saturated with gas, especially with carbon dioxide. The valve according to the invention may be used in catering industry as well and in ordinary households. The valve design, durable and resistant for multiple use and for increased loads, makes it possible both the professional use of valve acc. to the invention in restaurants, bars and hotels, and the occasional use of this device in households as well.

From the description of Polish Patent No. 171241 , known is the valve for containers with carbonated beverages that has a poppet in its body, sealed with two packing elements. The poppet is pressed to the valve body using a spring element seated under the poppet. The spring element abuts against a bottom clamped inside the body. The poppet stem is in contact with a lever arm embedded in a top part of the valve body. The poppet stem in this solution is made in a form of stepped shaft. On the poppet stem/pin, there is a tapered flange to secure the location of resilient element. The top valve body has a form of sphere, where an opening lever is seated.

Description of French Patent No. FR2537092 discloses a dispenser for bottles with carbonated beverages, mounted on bottle necks. The design includes a detachable body with a spout to distribute a liquid contained in the bottle/container. The solution in question is that it contains an integrated body with a supplying liquid immersion tube that is inserted into the bottle with the liquid do be dispensed. Furthermore, the dispenser includes a valve a movable membrane and a piston. The solution is characterised of the use of the spring element over the drain spout. The valve acc. to this solution is opened by pressing a top cover seated on a spring that moves the piston vertically down and opens the valve by opening a suction duct.

A technical problem encountered in the valves for carbonated beverages is to achieve a permanent seal while maintaining a simplicity of the entire valve design. In fact, the construction simplicity is important both in the production process and in use and maintenance the device under the conditions of professional catering.

According to the invention, the valve for containers with carbonated beverages includes a valve body provided in its front part with a drain spout integrated with the body, and a tube pressed into the body that supplied a liquid from the container. Moreover, the valve according to the invention includes a piston, a resilient element, sealing elements as well as a valve actuating lever that can optionally be connected with an additional pivot with a piston. The construction according to the invention is characterised of the factthat the valve body is equipped with a horizontal chamber, favourably with a circular cross-section. Inside the chamber, in its front part a resilient element is seated, for example, a spring made of stainless steel that abuts against a butt of drain spout from the front. The other end of the resilient element abuts against a front of piston, favourably in a shape of cylinder seated horizontally in the chamber. In a closed position of the valve, in which the resilient element is stretched, a rear wall of piston extends beyond a rear wall of valve body. The piston has a rod in its face centre that plays a role of aligning spline that stabilizes the position of the resilient element. The remaining frontal piston surface around the rod forms a seat for the resilient element, e.g. a spring. Moreover, the piston is provided with a passage (a suction duct), the inlet of which is from the lower side of piston and the outlet is located on its frontal wall, favourably in the aligning rod. In the optimum version of supply passage (suction duct) is composed of two orthogonal sections connected to each other at right angle to form the letter 'L'. Furthermore, on the rear face of the piston are located two parallel splines to prevent piston from rotating inside the chamber around its longitudinal axis. Between the splines located on the rear face of the piston, a profiled spline is located on the inner side of the lever. The spline on the lever enters between the splines on the piston precluding the piston rotational movement and stabilizing its position. A reversed solution is also possible, in which a single spline is located on the rear face of the piston and the lever has two splines that embrace it from two sides. The lever is attached to the body by a joint, e.g. a hinge or another type of joint with one degree of freedom. In addition, in its top part over the lever fixing, the body is provided with an element that blocks an excessive deflection of the lever upwards. The blocking element is a stop for the movement of the lever to prevent its excessive deflection upwards, which could result in a protrusion of piston from its chamber and its falling out of the body. The chamber is provided with at least two sealing elements. One of the seal is located at a rear part of the chamber, in a section behind the duct inlet of piston in the position 'valve closed', where the piston is in the extremely retracted position. The second sealing element is located at a frontal part of the chamber, in a section between the tube inlet and the start of the chamber. Favourably the sealing element is a rubber torus seal of O-ring type, located in the recess in the body that extends around the chamber. Since the liquid that flows through the chamber is in contact with the resilient element, the resilient element is a spring made of stainless steel in its optimum variant of the embodiment. In a variant of embodiment, the piston may be engaged with the lever via a connector or a joint with one degree of freedom that prevents extending the piston on the outside of the valve body.

The object of the invention has been presented in one of the embodiments in

Fig. 1 that shows a longitudinal section of the valve in closed position a first example of the embodiment with a spring and a lever mechanism; Fig 2 illustrates an optional engagement of the lever with the valve body and a contact of lever with piston, and Fig. 3 shows a longitudinal section of the valve in its closed position in a second example of the embodiment with a poppet piston and a knob instead of lever; Fig. 4 illustrates a longitudinal section of the poppet piston in the second embodiment.

The valve for containers with carbonated beverages, in its first embodiment, consists of a body (1) including an integrated drain spout (2) in the front part of the body and a tube (3) that supplies the liquid from its container. Tube (3) in its upper part is equipped with a poppet (4) that is pressed into the body (1) and disables extending the tube (3) out of the body (1). Body (1) has a horizontal chamber (5) with a circular cross-section. Inside the chamber (5), spring (6) made of stainless steel that abuts against a butt of drain spout (2) from the front. The other end of spring (6) is seated around the rod (7) of the piston (8). A rear face of piston (8) in the closed position extends out of the rear face of the body (1). Piston (8) is provided with a suction duct (9) consisting of two perpendicular sections that are connected with one another forming a shape of letter 'L'. The duct inlet (9) is located on a bottom side of piston (8), whereas the duct outlet is located in the rod (7). On the rear face of piston (8), two parallel splines (10) are located, between which a profiled protrusion (11) of loo lever (12) is inserted. The drain Lever (12) is attached to the body (1) via hinge (13).

The movement of the lever to the top is limited by a blocking element (14) attached to the body (1) above the hinge (13). From the body (1) side, the lever (12) is equipped with a projection (11.) profiled in such a way that, when it enters between the splines (10), it blocks itself between them. The chamber (5), in its rear part, is provided with a 105 sealing element (15), in a form of a round torus seal of O-ring type. In an alternative variant of embodiment, the piston (8) of valve for containers with carbonated beverages according to the invention can be optionally connected with the lever (12) via a joint with one degree of freedom. Spring (6) provides the return of valve to its initial position in which the valve is closed. In another option of embodiment, the body no (1) may be equipped from its bottom in a thread or in clamps that fasten it to a container filled with carbonated beverage. In its first example of embodiment, the invention is characterised of a user comfort due to the use of spring (6) that automatically closes the valve by moving the piston (8) to the rear part of chamber

(5) to the closed position as soon as the lever (12) is released by user.

115 The valve for containers with carbonated beverages in the second example of embodiment differs from the first example in a fact that the piston (8) reciprocating movement has been replaced by rotation. This means that the valve opening occurs not by the reciprocal motion of horizontal piston (8) to the front, but by the rotation of piston around its own axis. As a result of this change, in the second example

120 embodiment the valve design has been simplified by eliminating the resilient element

(6) , the rod (7) and the lever mechanism (12). The operation of opening the valve occurs by the rotation of piston (8) around its longitudinal axis, in chamber (5) that is caused by turning a knob (16) by user. In this example of embodiment, the valve opening occurs by the alignment of duct inlet (9) with the tube outlet (3). The rotation

125 of knob (16) is limited by a pair of locking elements (14a) fixed to the top part of body on both sides of the knob (16). Favourably the knob is equipped with an ergonomic flap (17) to help gripping and turning the knob (16). The piston (8) in this variant of embodiment is in a form of poppet on the stem/pin of which (18) is a segment of polygon cross-section (19), e.g. hexagonal, to embed the knob (16). Te stem/pin tip

130 (18) is provided with a thread (20) to install a nut (21).

The valve in the second example of embodiment, in view of the use of rotary movement of the piston instead the reciprocating motion, is characterised of a high leaktigthtness. The construction of the invention is characterised of a simple design and a result of which is in easy manufacturing process and easy servicing of the product. Moreover, the valves for containers with carbonated beverages are leaktight and durable in use.

Claims

Patent claims

1. A valve for containers with carbonated beverages including a body with an integrated drain spout and provided with a piston, sealing elements as well as a tube to supply a liquid from its container and a manual mechanism to actuate the valve, wherein the body (1) has a horizontal chamber (5) inside which there is the horizontal, cylindrical piston (8) equipped with a supply duct (9) consisting of two mutually perpendicular sections that are connected with one another to form 'L' letter shape, at the same time, in a rear part of piston (8) there are located technical means (10), (11), (18) that connect piston (8) with a manual throttle lever (12), (16) to actuate the valve.

2. The valve for containers with carbonated beverages as per Claim No. 1. herein the resilient element (6) is a spring made of stainless steel and the sealing element is a torus packing of O-ring type.

3. The valve for containers with carbonated beverages acc. to Claim No.1 , wherein the body (1) is provided with a locking element (14), (14a) a throttle lever (12),