GB2283967A - Pressure container valve with safety device - Google Patents

Abstract

A valve for a fizzy drink (eg beer, coke) barrel includes a safety device which consists of two arms 17 emerging from a resilient washer 16, the arms broadening and bending at their ends to form wings 19, 21 which incorporate teeth 18. The wings are bent and the teeth project beyond the edge of the opening 22 for the valve element so that they prevent it from being expelled by gas pressure through a ring 4 to which it is threaded. The bending of the arms assists when assembling the valve and, through an external tool, it is possible to operate on both ends of the arms to extract the whole valve assembly. The valve includes a spring between a base 14 and a sliding shutter 8, the washer fitting around a tubular element 6 between the spring and base 14. <IMAGE>

Description

VALVE INCORPORATING A SAFETY DEVICE FOR CONTAINERS FOR FIZZY DRINKS: OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The object of the invention is a valve with a safety device for fizzy drinks on draught i.e. beer, coke, tonic and, in general, for all kinds of drinks on draught which by means of pressurised carbon dioxide gas mixed with the liquid in question enable the serving of such a drink.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The inventor, the holder of the Spanish utility model no.

268.937 applied for in 1982, filed, at that time, a valve consisting of a hollow assembly inside which, and concentrically, incorporated a tubular element with a blind end and outlet orifices closed by means of a sliding shutter.

The hollow assembly has a filleted funnel which secures it to a ring, which is also threaded to the barrel containing the drink.

A spring pushes the shutter towards its closing position.

Such spring is supported on its lower side by a tubular holder clamped to the central blind tubular element and threaded to the lower part of the hollow assembly.

It is worth noting that the fillet of the hollow assembly presents recesses so that when the valve assembly is loosed from the ring threaded to the barrel, the eventual overpressure could cause the liquid inside the barrel overflows before the whole fillet is unthreaded thus avoiding the risk of an eventual sudden and hazardous spillage.

Users of fizzy drink barrels are forced, on many occasions, to refill barrels using the liquid unavoidably spilled during the tests of the piping circuit or during the setting of the assembly.

To refill the barrel it is necessary to first release the valve.

However, there is a high gas pressure inside the barrel and, therefore, many valves are violently expelled when released causing serious impacts which could even entail serious personal injuries.

The recesses made on the fillet securing the valve to the ring have avoided many accidents by allowing a fast decompression.

However, there is still a hazardous situation and, therefore, it is necessary to incorporate a safety device to prevent such risk.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention consists of a valve which, being essentially similar to that proposed by the Spanish utility model no.

268.937 and keeping recesses that allow to obtain a fast decompression, incorporates clamping means that the valve can be expelled from the ring thus avoiding the accidental release of the valve.

For that purpose and in accordance with the invention, the central hollow element threaded to the ring of the barrel which contains the liquid presents a cylindrical section with orifices to enable the flow of carbon dioxide gas when injected inside the barrel.

The outflow of the liquid plus the carbon dioxide is achieved when the shutter that prevents the spillage of liquid plus gas through the relevant openings practised at the tubular blindend assembly drops under pressure through an appropriate device.

The shutter is kept in a closing position by means of a spiral spring supported on base threaded to the hollow assembly.

Between the shutter and the base there is a washer incorporating at least two radial arms with recessed and curve ends to form harpoon or hook heads. The whole assembly is indurated in the same way as a laminated spring and each head emerges through the orifices which enable the flowing of the carbon dioxide gas. When the valve is threaded to the ring of the barrel, the teeth that form the outer part of the harpoon or hook head are released thanks to the head which presents the adequate profile at the side. Once the tooth formed by such head is overpassed it emerges outside and takes such a position that it prevents the central element to pass through the orifice of the barrel ring.

The washer may have as many arms as orifices foreseen in the central element although the preferred number would be of two diametrically opposed arms as this, in turn, enables an easier access from outside to hide them inside the central assembly thus enabling the extraction.

For this purpose, the end of the hook or harpoon head is bent backwards so that when the head is pressed by means of an adequate tool it drops inwards allowing the complete extraction of the valve.

This evidence that the safety device which is the object matter of this invention is essentially formed by the set of spring arms with bent ends and with a harpoon or hook shape incorporating a retention tooth which can be withdrawn towards the inner part of the valve.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 - and as an example - shows a partially-sectioned front view which enables the representation of the inner part.

Figure 2 shows a perspective of the safety device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED OPERATING PROCEDURE On the basis of the drawings we can appreciate that the valve assembly is formed by a hollow central element 1 presenting a filleted head 2 the diameter of which is larger than that of the central element 1 and which is threaded to the ring 4 of the barrel 3 which contains the liquid and the carbon dioxide gas.

On the threaded section of the head 2 the recesses 5 can be appreciated which, eventually, when the valve assembly is loosed, release the pressurised gas.

A central tubular element 6, with a blind end 7, is fixed inside the central part 1 and constitutes the support for a shutter 8.

Close to the blind end 7, and within the tubular element 6, there are two side openings 9 to enable the flow of liquid and carbon dioxide gas. Such openings 9 are closed by the shutter 8 which is also supported by a flange 10 formed by the threaded head 2 itself.

The shutter 8 is assembled on a metallic dish 11 where a spiral spring 12 is centred the function of which is to maintain the shutter 8 in a closed position.

The central element 1 incorporates orifices 13 which in the case of the example are four but could also be three or two.

The bottom end part of element 1 is threaded and connected to a base 14 incorporating orifices 15 which enable the introduction of the tip of a tool.

The safety device which is the object of the invention is located between the base 14 and the end of the spiral spring.

Such device consists - as evidenced in figure 2 - of a washer 16 incorporating radial arms 17 placed on a diametrical position. In case that the central tubular element incorporates three orifices, the radial arms 17 would have to be three. The whole assembly is formed by a steel plate similar to a laminated spring and acts as a spring. The arms 17 broaden at their ends forming teeth 18 which, in turn, are recessed to form the relevant wings. Simultaneously to the wing forming there is an inwards bending at 20 and 21.

When the whole valve assembly is mounted, the bending 29 forces the arm 17 to bend inwards and, then, through the spring effect, it expands outwards so that the front parts 19 interfere with the orifice 22 of ring 4.

When the valve set is disassembled and the plane of the front parts 19 is under the orifice 22, the whole assembly is held even in the case of the occurrence of a sudden gas outburst so that the valve could never be expelled even when recesses 5 had not allowed a decompression.

In the case that the valve has to be removed and once the shutter 8 has been displaced, it suffices to use an appropriate tool to push bendings 21 of arms 17 so that the shutter is hidden, the front part 19 does not interfere any longer and the whole set can be removed.

Claims (4)

1. A VALVE INCORPORATING A SAFETY DEVICE FOR FIZZY DRINK CONTAINERS including a central element threaded to a ring which is connected to the container and incorporating a tubular element blind at one of its ends but having side outlet openings, the central element forming a flange against which a shutter closing the side outlet openings of the tubular element is urged by a spring supported by a base located under the opening of the central element, the valve being characterized in that the safety device is formed, at least, by two diametral arms emerging from a washer formed by an indurated plate which can bend as a laminated spring, the arms presenting at their sides protuberances which form inclined teeth to prevent the opening of the orifice of the ring connected to the barrel.

2. A valve according to claim 1 characterized in that the ends of the arms are bent inwards so that between each tooth and the base of the arm there is a bending which when the valve is assembled enables the arm to bend and the tooth releases the whole assembly.

3. A valve according to claims 1 and 2 characterized in that from each tooth to the end of the arm there is a bending that when subject to an external pressure by means of the appropriate tool releases the arm and the tooth bends inwards to release, in turn, the whole assembly.

4. A valve substantially is hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.