Liquid dispense head

Abstract

 A dispense head, for gas-pressure dispensing of liquid from a cask, has a centre member (5), which is depressed to open the cask closure valve, on which centre member is carried a sealing ring and seating ring valve assembly (14, 15, 22), to control admission of gas, the assembly including an axially movable flange seating ring (14) and a resilient loading and sealing ring (15) which maintains closure of the gas flow path so long as there is no axial movement of the centre member relatively to the seating ring.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to dispense heads which each comprise a connector unit for fitting to a closure valve of a cask or like container for liquid to be dispensed through the head by the pressure of gas admitted through the head.

[0002] Such a dispense head, then called a connector unit, is disclosed in GB-A-1239907 which describes a connector unit for use with a liquid container, the unit comprising a body which is adapted for ready and retentive engagement with the container and a head which is movably mounted in the body and has internal passages for pressure gas and liquid respectively, which passages terminate in concentric mouths separated by an annular wall for engaging and opening a valve fitted to the container and encircled by an annular resilient seal for sealingly contacting structure surrounding the valve, the annular resilient seal being deformable by compression by such sealing contact.

[0003] This connector unit further includes a valve assembly to control admission of gas through the head, the assembly having a valve member carried by the annular resilient seal which, due to such compressive deformation, is moved to open the gas passage in the head and, due to relaxing of such compression, is moved to close-off the gas pressure.

[0004] The disadvantage of this dispense head is that any deformation of the annular resilient seal will open the gas passage valve and such deformation could be occasioned by incorrect fitting of the dispense head to the cask or by tampering with the head by introducing a tool or the like to force up and distort the annular resilient seal.

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide a dispense head incorporating means which permit gas to pass only when the head is correctly fitted to a cask to dispense liquid and which are less prone to tampering.

[0006] According to the present invention, the dispense head has an annular centre member which, in use, is manually depressed axially to open the cask closure valve, wherein the centre member carries a valve assembly to control admission of gas through the head, the assembly comprising an axially movable flange seating ring and a loading ring of resiliently deformable material which bears on the seating ring and servies not only as a sealing ring but as an axial loading member which maintains closure of the seating ring against another sealing ring, to prevent gas flow, so long as there is no axial movement of the centre member relatively to the seating ring.

[0007] When the head is correctly fitted to a closure valve and the centre member is depressed, the seating ring initially moves with the centre member but is then stopped to allow relative movement of the centre member to open the gas flow path.

[0008] An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example, on the accompanying drawings, in which

Fig. 1 is an axial section through the dispense head alone, before being fitted to a cask closure valve, and

Fig. 2 is a part sectional elevation of the dispense head fitted to a closure valve and opened to dispense liquid.

[0009] The dispense head shown comprises a tubular body 1 of which the mouth at the base is partly surrounded by a gapped flanged skirt 2 to slide laterally into engagement with a flange 3 on a closure valve body 4 (Fig. 2). The closure valve is of a standard poppet type and is not shown.

[0010] In the bore of the body 1 a tubular centre member 5 forms the liquid-dispensing outlet, past a non-return valve 6, and is axially slidable under the control of a hand-lever 7 pivoted on a lug 8 on the body 1 and housing a spring-loaded latch 9 which engages over a keeper 10 and normally holds the lever in its raised position (Fig.1) but can be pulled up to pass the keeper and then released to engage below the keeper when th e lever is to be lowered to open the head.

[0011] Downward movement of the lever 7 slides the centre member 5 down through the flange 3 to open downwards the cask closure valve by thrust of the rim of the bell-shaped lower end 11 of the centre member 5.

[0012] The body 1 has a gas inlet branch 12 to which a gas supply pipe (not shown) is connected and which opens to the bore of the body 1 by an inlet port 13. Controlling admission of gas through the port 13 is the valve assembly provided by the present invention and including essentially an axially movable flange seating ring 14 and a loading ring 15 of resiliently deformable material housed in an enlarged bore 16 in the lower end of the body 1.

[0013] The loading ring 15 is held in an annular channel 17 in a flange 18 at the lower end of a sleeve 19 slidable on a cylindrical wall 20 of the centre member 5 and retained by a circlip 21.

[0014] The seating ring 14 rests as a freely slidable flange on the enlarged, bell-shaped, inner end 11 of the centre member 5 with an interposed O-ring 22 and, in the closed condition of the dispense head, the circlip 21 holds the sleeve 19, loading ring 15, flange seating ring 14 and O-ring 22 axially stressed in compression.

[0015] Above and below the gas inlet port 13, the bore of the body 1 is sealed respectively by an O-ring 23, against the wall 20, and an O-ring 24, against the sleeve 19.

[0016] Gas-flow passages, formed by flutes 25, in the bore of the sleeve 19, and notches 26, in the inner rim of the ring 14, provide a path (indicated by arrows in Fig. 2) for gas from the port 13, past the lower end 11 of the centre member 5 and into the cask, to displace liquid, only when the centre member 5 has been moved down, by the lever 7, relatively to the seating ring 14 (Fig.2).

[0017] Fig. 2 shows how the ring 14, loaded by the ring 15, is stopped by and seals against a resilient gasket 27, which in turn seals against the cask valve flange 3 to provide an atmospheric seal and prevent leakage of liquid.

[0018] In use, the dispense head is fitted to the closure valve of a cask, a gas supply pipe is connected to the inlet branch 12 and a delivery pipe (not shown), connected to the upper end 28 of the centre member 5, leads to a service tap for the liquid to be dispensed.

[0019] So long as the lever 7 is in its raised position the cask closure valve remains closed, the gas inlet port is closed by the sleeve 19 and the gas flow path is closed and sealed by the O-ring 22, the loading ring 15 and O-rings 23 and 24 preventing leakage of gas from the valve assembly.

[0020] To set the dispense head in condition ready for liquid to be served from a tap fed through a pipe connected to the upper end 28 of the centre member 5, the latch 9 is pulled upward and the lever 7 turned down for the latch 9 to engage below the keeper 10.

[0021] This lever movement thrusts the centre member 5 down to open the cask closure valve and open the gas inlet path past the O-ring 22 as the seating ring 14 is stopped by and seals against the gasket 27 held against the flange 3.

[0022] When the lever 7 is raised, the centre member is lifted to allow the cask valve to close and to close off the gas flow path by the O-ring 22 against the seating ring 14.

[0023] The shape of the flange seating ring 14 is an important feature of the invention. The lower side of the ring has inner and outer peripheral bevels 29 and 30 so that not only does the bevel 29 seal against the O-ring 22 but, in the open condition of the head, the bevel 30 stops and seals against the gasket 27. This ensures that the centre member moves through the seating ring 14, to open the gas flow path past the O-ring 22, only when the dispense head is correctly fitted to a closure valve flange 3 and gasket 27.

[0024] When disconnected, gasket 27 also provides an anti-tamper seal as, to force the gas path open, an instrument would have to be introduced to pass gasket 27, lift ring 14 to compr ess ring 15 and prevent the centre member 5 from lifting with sleeve 19.

Claims

1. A dispense head (1), for fitting to a closure valve (4) of a cask or like container for liquid to be dispensed through the head by the pressure of gas admitted through the head, having in the head an annular centre member (5) which, in use, is manually depressed axially to open the gas closure valve, the centre member carrying a valve assembly to control admission of gas through the head, characterised in that the valve assembly includes an axially movable flange seating ring (14) and a loading ring (15) of resiliently deformable material which bears on the seating ring and serves not only as a sealing ring but as an axial loading member which maintains closure of the seating ring against another sealing ring (22), to prevent gas flow so long as there is no axial movement of the centre member (5) relative to the seating ring (14).

2. A dispense head according to claim 1 characterised in that the valve assembly (14, 15, 22) comprises a sleeve (19) slidable on the centre member (5) and housing the loading ring (15) to bear against the flange seating ring (14) which rests, with an interposed valve sealing ring (22), as a freely slidable flange on an enlarged inner end (11) of the centre member and controls the gas flow path.

3. A dispense head according to claim 2 characterised in that the loading ring (15) is held in an annular channel (17) of a flange (18) on the lower end of the sleeve (19).

4. A dispense head according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that the head body (1) carries a resilient gasket (27) to seal against the cask closure valve body (3) and the flange seating ring (14) is arranged to be stopped and seal against the gasket when the centre member (5) is depressed to open the head.

5. A dispense head according to claim 4, characterised in that the flange seating ring (14) has inner and outer peripheral bevels (29, 30) respectively to seal against the valve sealing ring (22), to control the gas flow path, and the gasket (27).

6. A dispense head according to any of claims 2 to 5, characterised in that the sleeve (19) has flutes (25) and the inner rim of the flange seating ring (14) has notches (26) to provide a gas flow path.

Drawing