EP0186709A1

EP0186709A1 - Discharger

Info

Publication number: EP0186709A1
Application number: EP85902664A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Yukio Kabushikigaisha Towa Japan Makino
Original assignee: TOWA JAPAN KK; Mitsubishi Corp
Current assignee: TOWA JAPAN KK; Mitsubishi Corp
Priority date: 1984-06-04
Filing date: 1985-06-04
Publication date: 1986-07-09
Also published as: EP0186709A4; JPS61164A; WO1985005615A1; AU4408185A; AU582756B2

Abstract

A discharger used to discharge a fluid, such as beer or a softdrink, from their containers by utilizing the pressure of a pressure fluid, such as carbon dioxide. This discharger consists of a cover for closing an opening of a container in which a material to be discharged therefrom is stored, a holder, which is joined to the cover via a joint portion provided on the cover, and which houses a cylinder fitted therein and filled with a pressure fluid, a valve, which has a needle member provided thereon in opposition to a seal member in the cylinder used to open the seal member, said needle member is disposed so that it is urged by a spring in the direction in which it leaves the seal member, a first slidable operating rod for moving the valve slidingly, a gas injection pipe connecting a gas flow passage in the holder and the container to each other, a communication passage provided in the cover so as to communicate the interior of the container and the exterior thereof with each other, a second slidable operating rod, which is provided at its free end with a valve for opening and closing the communation passage; (and which is impelled by a spring) and an operating lever secured pivotably to the joint portion of the cover so that a cam surface provided on a base end portion of the lever engages the first slidable operating rod with the inner surface of an intermediate portion of the lever engaging the second slidable operating rod. The operating lever having cam surfaces at its base end portion is turned to move the first and second slidable operating rod interlockingly in the mentioned order and open a discharge port. A pressure fluid is then injected into the container to discharge the material stored therein.

Description

Dispensing Device

Technical Field

This invention relates to a pouring out or dispensing device wherein the material is dispensed out of the vessel by making use of the pressure of the fluid pressure such as carbonic acid gas. More particularly, it relates to such device wherein a first slidable operating lever adapted to unstopper a sealing plate provided to the bombe filled with a pressurized fluid and to open or close the unstoppered sealing plate, and a-second slidable operating rod having at its formost part a value member for opening or closing a communication passage providing a communication between the vessel and the outside of the vessel, are actuated in unison by a sole actuating lever to facilitate the dispensing operation.

Background Art

Heretofore, a pouring-out or dispensing device has been known in which the beer or cola contained in a vessel is poured out or dispensed by making use of a high pressure gas. Such dispensing device is comprised of a cover member attached to an upper opening of the vessel for closing said opening, an injection pipe attached to said cover member for injecting a pressurized fluid such as carbonic acid gus into the vessel, a dispensing pipe attached to said cover member for conveying the beer outwards from the inside of said vessel, a holder provided to said injection pipe and to which is affixed a bombe filled with the pressurized fluid, and a valve member also provided to said injection pipe and adapted to open and close the bombe, wherein the pressurized fluid is injected into said vessel by the manipulation of said valve member for dispensing the beer through said dispensing pipe under the thus established fluid pressure. With such dispensing device, no beer leakage takes place in comparison with the case in which the dispensing nozzle and the valve unit adapted for opening and closing the nozzle are provided to the bottom of the vessel, while simultaneously the dispensing operation is facilitated.
It will be noted that the injection pipe of the above described device is not provided with any opening and closing means so that the vessel interior at all times communicates with atmosphere through the dispensing pipe. Therefore, when the vessel is leveled down or tilted by some external force, the beer contained in the vessel in liable to flow out through the dispensing tube. Also, since the beer contained in the vessel may contact with atmospheric air through the dispensing tube, the carbonic acid gas in the beer is dissipated into atmosphere resulting in the loss of the flavor proper to the beer.
In the case when a valve device adapted to open and close the dispensing pipe is provided for obviating the above drawback, it becomes necessary to manipulate the two valve devices at the time of beer dispensing by a dual painstaking operation.
In the case'of a failure to close the dispensing device, the pressure within the vessel is increased due to the fluid pressure thus resulting in the risk of the beer leakage and detracting from the merit of the dispensing device making use of the pressurize fluid for dispensing the beer. Also, should the beer be dispensed while the elevated pressure prevails in the vessel, there is the risk that the beer be poured out in a jet.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dispensing device wherein the dispensing operation with the aid of a pressurized fluid may be facilitated, the inside of the vessel is hermetically closed unless the dispensing operation is carried out for preventing effluence of the material stored in the vessel and deterioration of the fluid caused by its contact with atmospheric air, and wherein the pressure increase within the vessel is also prevented positively.

Disclosure of the Invention

For accomplishing the above object, the present invention is characterized in that the opening and closure of the dispensing passage of the vessel in which the material to be dispensed is stored, and the opening and closure of the bombe filled with the pressurized fluid used for dispensing the material out'of the vessel, are carried out in unison by a sole operating lever.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of as dispensing device according to the present invention, showing the state of not dispensing the material; and Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the state of dispensing operation of the dispensing device.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing essential parts of the dispensing device wherein the state in which the bombe is closed is shown, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing essential parts of the dispensing device wherein the state in which the bombe is opened is shown.

Best Mode for Executing the Invention

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be explained in detail by referring to the accompanying drawings.
A dispensing device of the present embodiment is designed to pour out or dispense the contents stored in a vessel, which is the beer in the present embodiment as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A cover member 3 attached to an upper opening 2 in the- vessel 1 for closing the opening is fitted with an injection pipe 4 and a dispensing pipe 5. The fluid such as carbonic acid gas contained under pressure within a gas bombe 7 provided to a holder 6 provided in turn to the injection pipe 4 is injected into the vessel 1 through the injection pipe 4 for conveying the beer stored in the vessel 1 out of the vessel through the dispensing tube 5.
The cover member 3 is a molded product formed of, for example, synthetic resin. On the outer periphery of the tubular section 8 forming the opening 2 of the vessel 1, there is formed a male threaded portion. The cover member is clamped to the tubular section 8 through a ring-like rubber packing a for hermetically sealing the interior of the vessel 1. On the top of the cover member 3 is an obliquely upwardly extending connecting portion 10. On the top of the connecting portion 10, there is provided a substantially cylindrical holder 6 to which the gas bombe 7 is affixed. To the one end of the holder 6 is mounted a bombe housing 11 in which the gas bombe 7 is accommodated.
The gas bombe 7 is filled will, for example, a liquefied carbonic acid gas under an elevated pressure (75 kg/cm²) and has a sealing end plate 12 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The bombe housing 11 is comprised of a front side half 11a and a rear side half 11b connected to each other at their threaded end portions for accommodating and securing the gas bombe 7 in position. The both halves are profiled to conform to the outer profile of the gas bombe 7, and the front side half 11a is adapted to accommodate and hold the front end side of the gas bombe 7 while the rear side half 11b is adapted to accommodate and hold the rear end side of the gas bombe 7.
The front side half 11a is provided, at a position facing to the sealing plate 12 of the gas bombe 7, a value member 13 constituting a valve device addapted for opening or closing the gas bombe 7, the valve member 1 3 being movable in a direction towards and away from the sealing plate 12. The valve body 13 is comprised of a slidable member 15 of synthetic resin having a longitudinal peripheral gas communication passage 14 and a pointed-end member 16 of metallic material disposed at the center of the slidable member and projecting towards the sealing plate 12. The valve member 13 is biased in a direction away from the sealing plate 12 by a compression spring 17 installed between the sealing plate 12 and the slidable member 15. The valve member 13 is biased and pressured against the force of the spring 17 by a first slidable operating rod 18 provided to the holder 6 in such a manner that the pointed-end member 16 applied to the sealing plate 12 will from as discharge opening 19 in the plate 12 with the pointed-end member 16 abutting on the discharge orifice 19 for hermetically sealing the discharge orifice in the pressuring operative state and that the pointed=end member 16 is moved away from the orifice 19 upon releasing the pressuring operation under the restoring force of the coil spring 17 to permit discharge of the carbonic acid gas out of the gas bombe 7 through the discharge orifice 19.
On the other side of the holder 6, there is disposed a first slidable operating rod 18 for pressuring and operating the valve member 13. As shown in Fig. 3, the rod 18 has an operating portion 20 of a slightly reduced diameter at the end thereof facing to the slidable member 15. The operating portion 20 abuts on the valve member 13 through an opening 21 provided to the bombe housing 11. Between the first slidable operating rod 18 and the holder 7, there is disposed an 0 ring 22 designed to prevent the carbonic acid gus discharged from the gas bombe 7 from exiting out of the holder 7.
The injection pipe 4 is disposed at the inner side of the connecting portion 10 for the sake of protection and adapted for establishing communication between the gas injection passage 6a within the holder 6 and the inside of the vessel 1.
The dispensing pipe 5 is used as an exit through which the beer is to be dispensed out of the vessel 1. The dispensing pipe 5 is connected to one end of a communication passage 23 provided in the inside of the cover member 3. The passage 23 is comprised of a funnel-shaped tapering tabular portion 23a integrally connected to the cover member 3 therein, and a dispensing passage 23b communicating with the tapering tubular portion 23a, said passage 23b being opened at one upper side of the cover member 3 and connected to the dispensing pipe 5. To the tapered end of the tubular portion 23a is affixed a suction pipe 5a extending to the bottom of the vessel 1. The beer contained in the vessel 1 is dispensed via the suction pipe 5a and the dispensing pipe 5b under the pressure of the pressurized carbonic acid gas injected from the aforementioned gas bombe 7 into the vessel 1 .
It will be noted that the cover member 3 is provided with a value device for opening and closing the communication passage 23. The valve device is comprised of a valve member 26 provided to the foremost part of a second slidable operating rod 25 fitted in a through-hole 24 formed in the cover member 3 for facing to the communication passage 23. As the operating rod 25 is reciprocated, the communication passage 23 is opened or closed by the valve member 26. More specifically, the valve member 26 is formed at one end of the second operating rod 25 projecting into the communication passage 23, said valve member 26 being designed to abut on or be relased from a step 27 by the medium of an O-ring 28, said step 27 being formed in said connecting portion 23. To the other end of the-second slidable operating rod 25 projecting from the cover member 3, there is provided a retainer ring 29 adapted for holding a compression coil spring 30 between it and the cover member 3. The second slidable operating rod 25 is so designed as to close the communication passage 23 when the valve member 26 biased by the compression spring 20 upwards in Figs.1 and 2 intimately abuts on the step 27 through the medium of the O-ring 28, and to open the passage 23 when the valve member is moved against the bias of the compression coil spring 30. It will be noted that the beer leakage via the through-hole 24 may be prevented in this manner from occurring.
It will be noted that an operating lever 32 is provided on top of the connecting portion 10 for actuating the first and second operating rods 18, 23. The bottom portion of the operating lever 32 is rotatably mounted about a pivot shaft 33 provided in the vicinity of the other end of the holder 6. The bottom portion of the operating lever 32 is formed with a cam surface 34 designed to abut on the other end of the first slidable operating rod 18 from the other end of the holder 6 to actuate the operating rod 18, while the intermediate inner wall surface of the operating rod 32 is formed as an abutment surface 35 designed to abut on one end of the second slidable operating rod 25 to actuate the slidable operating rod 25. The cam surface 34 is designed to rotate in unison with the operating lever 32 to pressure and shift the first operating rod 18. When the operating lever 32 is not actuated into rotation, that is, when the lever 32 is in its inoperative position, the cam surface 34 acts to pressure the first slidable operating rod 18 in the direction of the valve member 13 for fitting the pointed-end member 16 into the discharge orifice 19 formed in the sealing plate 12 for sealing the discharge opening 19 by the pointed-end member 16 and the valve member 13. The cam surface 34 is so profiled as to pressure the first slidable operating rod 18 until the operating lever 32 is turned a small angle for slightly opening the second operating rod 25. In other words, the cam surface 34 is so designed as to pressure the second slidable operating rod 25 for sealing the discharge orifice 19 starting from the inoperative position of the operating lever 32 and until such time that the operating rod 32 is slightly turned for slightly opening the communication passage. In addition, the cam surface 34 is so designed that, when the operating lever 32 is turned further from the state in which it has been turned for slightly sliding the second slidable operating rod 25, the first operating rod 18 is relased from the pressure imparted from the cam surface 34. When the operating rod 18 is released in this manner from pressuring by the cam surface 34, the valve member 13 is slid under the force of the compression spring 17 in a direction away from the sealing plate 12 for opening the discharge orifice 19 for causing injection of the pressurized gas into the vessel 1.
It will be noted that the stepped portions 32a provided to the side edge of the operating lever 32 is designed to abut on the restricting portions 36 provided to the holder 6 for restricting the rotation of the operating lever 32 in such a manner that the pressuring surface 35 is not markeadly spaced apart from the second slidable operating rod 25.
When the above construction of the dispensing device, the rotational manipulation of the operating rod 32 causes the second slidable operating rod to be shifted and the first slidable operating rod 18 as well as the valve member 13 to be retracted in a direction away from the gas bombe 7, so that the carabonic acid gas in injected into the vessel 1 through the injection pipe 4. This causes the bear to be dispensed out of the vessel through the communication passage 23 and the injection pipe 5 under the pressure of the carbonic gas.
Upon termination of the rotational manipulation of the operating lever 32, the second slidable operating rod 25 acts on the second operating lever 25 under the force of the compresion coil upring 30 urging said operating rod 25, so that the operating lever 32 is returned to the original position the operating lever occupied prior to its rotational manipulation. At this time, the cam surface 34 acts on the first slidable operating rod 18 for pressuring the valve member 13 towards the gas bombe 7 to open the discharge port 19, the second slidable operating rod 25 then opening the communication passage 23.
In this manner, in accordance with the dispensing device of the present invention, the first slidable operating rod 18 of the valve device provided to the gas bombe 7 and the second slidable operating rod 25 of the valve device provided to the dispensing pipe 5 can be actuated in unison by the manipulation of the sole operating lever 32, resulting in as bacilitated optimum beer dispensing operation.
When the dispensing operating is not performed, the dispensing pipe 5 is sealed by the second operating rod 25, so that there is no risk of the beer being poured out via dispensing pipe 5 even if the vessel 1 is leveled down or title under the force acting from outside. Also, since the beer is not contacted with the atmosphere through the dispensing pipe 5, there is no risk that the carbonic acid gus in the beer is discharged into atmosphere thus causing the loss of the beer flavor.
In addition, when beer dispensing operation is not performed, no carbonic acid gas pressure is applied to the inside of the vessel 1 to obviate the risk of beer leakage through the valve unit of the dispensing device 5. Above all, in the present embodiment, the opening operation of the first slidable operating rod 18 is carried out after the opening operation of the second slidable operating rod 25, whereas the closing operation of the first slidable operating rod 18 is carried out before the closing operation of the second slidable operating rod 25, so that the gas bombe 7 is positively sealed by the first slidable operating rod 18 at the time of the closure of the second slidable operating rod 5, resulting in positive prevention of the beer leakage. Also, since the first slidable operating rod 18 is manipulated by the cam surface 34 provided to the operating lever 32, the operation of the first slidable operating rod 18 with respect to the rotational displacement of the operating lever 32 becomes more stable resulting in more positive prevention of the beer leakage.
In addition, when the dispensing operation is not performed, the pressure within the vessel 1 is not increased notably due to the carbonic gas, so that there is no risk that the beer contained in the vessel 1 be poured out suddenly under the elevated gas pressure, thus assuring an optimum dispensing operation.
The present invention is not limited to be above described embodiment, but may comprise a number of modifications. For example, the first slidable operating rod 18 and the valve member 13 may be formed as one unit and provided to the holder 7, depending on the type of the gas bombe 7 employed:

Also, the present invention is not limited to the beer dispensing device such as described above, but may be extensively applied as a device for facilitated and optimal dispensing of a variety of liquid contents stored in a variety of vessels.

Industrial Utilizability

According to the present invention, as will be clear from the description of the above embodiment, since the opening and closure of the dispensing passage of the vessel in which the liquid contents are stored, and the opening and closure of the bombe filled with the pressurized fluid to be used for dispensing the liquid contents out of the vessel, are carried out in unison, the dispensing operation of the liquid contents can be easily performed without the necessity of separately adjusting the two valve devices.
Since the dispensing passage in closed in the case the dispensing operation is not performed, there is no risk that the liquid contents be leaked through the dispensing passage even when the vessel should be titled or leveled down by a force applied from outside. There is also no risk of deterioration of the liquid contents due to contact thereof with atmosphere.
Also, when the dispensing operation is not performed, no fluid pressure acts from the bombe to the liquid, so that there is no risk that the liquid be leaked under the fluid pressure through the dispensing passage.
In addition, since the pressure within the vessel is not notably increased due to the pressurized fluid, so far as the dispensing operation is not performed, there is no vessel be poured out suddenly under an elevated pressure upon starting the dispensing operation for providing an optimum dispensing operation.

Claims

1. A dispensing device comprising a cover member (3) adapted to close an opening (2) of a vessel (1) in which the material to be dispensed is stored, a holder (6) to which a bombe (7) filled with a pressurized fluid is attached through a connecting portion (10) provided to the cover member (3), a valve member (13) having a pointed-end member (16) adapted to unstopper a sealing plate (12) of the bombe (7) disposed in opposition thereto, said valve member urged by a spring (17) in a direction away from said sealing plate (12), a first slidable operating rod (18) slidingly actuating said valve member, a gas injection pipe (4) interconnecting the vessel (1) and the gas communication passage (14) in the holder (6), a communication passage (23) formed in the cover member (3) and providing a communication between the vessel (1) and the outside of the vessel (1), a second slidable operating rod (25) urged by a spring (30) and having a valve member (26) attached to the foremost part thereof, said valve member adapted for opening and closing the communication passage (23), an operating lever (32) rotatably mounted to the connecting member (10) with a cam surface (34) at the bottom thereof abutting on said first slidable operating rod (18) and with the intermediate inner surface abutting on the second slidable operating rod (25).

2. The dispensing device according to claim 1 wherein the pressurized fluid filled in the valve member bombe (7) is the liquefied carbonic acid gas.

3. The dispensing device according to claim 1 wherein said bombe (7) is enclosed in a bombe housing (11) consisting of a front side half (11a) and a rear side half (llb) supplied to each other, said bombe being mounted to said holder (6) through said bombe housing (11).

4. The dispensing device according to claim 2 wherein said valve member (13) is disposed within said bombe housing (11).

5. The dispensing device according to claim 1 wherein said valve member (13) is integrally mounted to the foremost part of the first slidable operating rod (18).

6. The dispensing device according to claim 1 wherein a discharge pipe (5) is connected to one end of said communication passage (23) and wherein a suction pipe (5a) leading to the bottom of the vessel (1) is connected to the other end of said passage within the interior of said vessel (1).

7. The dispensing device according to claim 1 wherein said first slidable operating rod (18) urges said first slidable operating rod (18) in the direction of the sealing plate (12) of the bombe (7) unless the operating lever (32) is actuated.

8. The dispensing device according to claim 1 wherein said cam surface (34) is so profiled that, upon rotational manipulation of the operating lever (32), the second slidable operating rod (25) is slid by said operating lever (32) to open the communication passage (23), after which the second slidable operating rod (25) is slid in the direction of the sealing plate (12) against the spring (17), after which the pressuring of said second slidable operating rod (25) is released.