Rapid connection head for a container containing a beverage under pressure

Abstract

 The invention relates to a speed coupling head for a container containing a beverage under pressure of the type comprising a stop-tap (3) of the beverages located on a delivery line (4) and having a mobile valve (2) in a complementary seating (20), as well as stop means (30) for the entry of the gas coming from the supply line (14), and further having a lever (8) with two manually-achieved stable positions freeable for the passage from one position to the other of the said stable positions. The head (5) comprises a command element (16) of the valve (2) and a transmission shaft (15) interconnected with the lever (8) in such a way as to shift it automatically on the activating of the lever (8), correlating the intercepting of the drink delivery line (4) with the position of the lever (8) in which the stop means (30) prevent the gas from acceeding to the head (5) and vice versa.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a rapid connection head for drinks containers, having a delivery line for beverages and a gas supply line, for drinks dispenser plants. The said head is of the type comprising a stop-tap of the beverages located on a delivery line and having a mobile choke-valve in a complementary seating, as well as stop means for the entry of the gas coming from the supply line, and further having a lever with two manually-achieved stable positions freeable for the passage from one position to the other of the said stable positions.

[0002] The prior art embraces connection heeds, particularly used in drinks dispensing plants, which are structured in such a way as to permit the rapid substitution of the containers or kegs of beverages which become empty during the plant's use. The said heads also permit the immediate reconnection of the delivery lines of the beverage and the supply line of the carbon dioxide which, normally, is added to the beverage to produce effervescence and the characteristic foamy head.

[0003] The activation of the lever of the above stop means has the aim of moving, internally to the head, a mobile element which permits of intercepting the gas inlet mouth before the detachment of the head from the drinks container, thus preventing the gas' exit into the atmosphere during all of the time necessary to effect the substitution of the drinks container.

[0004] The stop tap of the feed lines, which is associated to the head, has the aim of avoiding the return of the drink which has already been sent to the delivery line, in order to avoid the emptying of the relative pipe.

[0005] All of the prior art devices envisage that the stop tap is closed by means of a manual operation before the detachment of the head, the said manual operation being performed independently of the activating of the lever stopping the gas access to the head.

[0006] The fundamental disadvantage of the above solutions is represented by the fact that the substitution of the empty containers is performed without drawbacks only if a precise sequence of determined operations is performed, as follows:

• closure of the delivery tap of the drink;
• closure of the gas supply line;
• substitution of the empty container;
• connection of the container head;
• reopening of the gas line;
• reopening of the drinks delivery tap.

[0007] If this sequence is not respected, a series of drawbacks arise, the most important of which is represented by the emptying of the drinks delivery line and/or the failure of the dispensing plant to erogate the drink in the pipeline.

[0008] The aim of the present invention, as it is characterised in the claims that follow, is thus to eliminate the above-described drawbacks and solve the problem of making the closing operation of the stop tap automatic and synchronised with the activating of the lever which stops the supply of gas to the head.

[0009] The invention reaches the said aim by means of a head in which the stop-valve of the drink stop-tap is mechanically interconnected with the activating lever of the gas stop means by means of a command element and a transmission shaft connected to each other and interplaced between the valve and the lever in such a way that when the lever is activated, the valve automatically commutes in its seating, resulting in the lever position in which the stop means preventing the gas acceeding to the head corresponds to the stop position of the drink delivery line, and vice versa.

[0010] The fundamental advantage obtained by means of the invention essentially consists in the fact that the empty container substitution operation in drinks dispensing plants is considerably simplified and faster, while not requiring any special attention on the part of the operator to verify the effective state of the drinks stop-tap. Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will better emerge from the detailed description that follows, of a preferred but non-exclusive embodiment here illustrated in the form of a non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

• figures 1 and 2 show, in two partially-sectioned total views, a rapid connection head made according to the invention, represented in two important operative positions;
• figures 3 and 4 show, in lateral total views, a first embodiment of a head according to the invention, shown in two characteristic operative positions;
• figure 5 shows a second embodiment of a head according to the invention shown in a total lateral view in two characteristic operative positions, one of which is represented by a broken line.

[0011] With reference to figures 1 and 2, the invention substantially consists of a rapid connection head 5 for drinks containers 6, of delivery lines 4 and gas supply lines 14 in drinks dispensing plants.

[0012] The head 5 comprises a hollow body 51, associable to the container 6 of the drink by means of a conventional attachment system 52, equipped with a lateral connection 55 for the connection of the carbon dioxide supply line 14.

[0013] Internally to the hollow body, the head 5 envisages gas entry stop means 30 for the gas coming from the connection 55, activatable by means of a lever 8 having two stable positions, manually freeable for passage from one position to the other.

[0014] More specifically, the said stop means 30 comprise a cylindrical body 56 which is slidable associated to the hollow body 51 of the head 5 and which is crossed, over its entire length, by an axial hole 57 along which the drink passes from the container 6 to the delivery line 4, under the pressure of the gas introduced into the container 6.

[0015] The cylindrical body 56 bears, at one of its heads 58 and turned towards the underlying drink container 6, a ring sealing gasket 59 for the drink and a ring gasket 60 for the gas. The gas ring gasket 60, operating in combination with a shaped internal wall 61 of the hollow body 51, permits, after the translation of the body 56, of intercepting or not the gas entering into the container 6 through the lateral connection 55.

[0016] The lever 8 is fork-shaped, exhibiting tines 63 hinged to the hollow body 51 of the head 5 at a bilateral pivot 62. The lever 8 is further hinged, at an end 81, eccentrically with respect to the pivot 62 to a curved connecting rod 64, which connecting rod 64 is in its turn hinged by means of an end 641 to the cylindrical body 56; so that by activating the lever 8 as shown in figure 2 the cylindrical body 56 is raised and viceversa, internally to the hollow body 51 and correspondingly to the intercepting of the gas by the interaction between the gasket 60 and the wall 61.

[0017] The head 58 of the cylindrical body 56 is inferiorly contrasted by a spring 65 which, meeting with the container in a known way, pushes the cylindrical body 56 constantly upwards. The spring 65, interacting with the eccentric head 81 of the lever 8, enables the stable maintaining of the extreme lowered position of the lever 8 at which the gas can enter the container 6. As can be seen in figure 1, the above position is kept stable because the hinge 642 between the connecting rod 64 and the eccentric head 81 of the lever 8 is laterally displaced with respect to the overlying bilateral pivot 62.

[0018] The spring 65 ensures the raising of the cylindrical body 56 which determines the interruption of the access of the gas (figure 2) since the lever 8 is manually unblocked from its lower equilibrium position.

[0019] The head 5 further comprises, superiorly to the cylindrical body 56, a drinks stop-tap 3, located on the delivery line 4 and having a mobile valve 2 rotoidally associated to an extra seating 20 in two opposite operative positions in which the drink is stopped or allowed to pass freely through the cylindrical body 56. Preferably, as shown in figure 1, the tap 3 is made in a single body with the cylindrical body 56.

[0020] Between the tap 3 and the lever 8, the head 5 comprises a valve command element 16 and a transmission shaft 15 rotoidally interconnected, at opposite ends of the hinged ends 151, 152, to the command element 16 and to the lever 8. More specifically, as can be seen in figure 1, the command element 16 of the valve 2 exhibits a first end 161 which is hinged on the transmission shaft 15 and a second end 162 which is solidly interconnected to the valve 2.

[0021] In figures 1 and 2, it can be seen that by means of a kinematism 7 substantially conformed as an articulated quadrilateral, the transmission shaft 15 automatically commutes the valve 2 in its seating 20 on the activating of the lever 8.

[0022] More specifically, the intercepting of the drink delivery line 4 is made to correspond with the raised position of the lever 8 (figure 2) in which the stop means 30 prevent the gas acceeding to the head 5; vice versa, the free passage of the drink through the tap 3 corresponds to the lowered position of the lever 8 (figure 1).

[0023] In figures 3 and 4 a further embodiment of the head is presented, also applicable to taps 3 with rotoidally associated valves 2 and complementary seating 20, of the spherical or cylindrical type.

[0024] The head 5, represented in the said figures, envisages that the lever is pivoted to an end 62 of the body 51 of the head, further associating with the cylindrical body in such a way as to impress on it its characteristic movement with respect to the hollow body 51.

[0025] The command element 16 of the valve 2 is rotatably supported by the head 5 in such a way as to oscillate and it is further rotatably interconnected with the transmission shaft 15 at a first hinged end 161. It further exhibits, at a second, opposite end 162, a rack 18 meshing with a cogged wheel 19, solid to the valve 2, in such a way as to correlate the rotation of the valve 2 with respect to its seating 20 with the movement transmitted to the lever 8.

[0026] From figures 3 and 4 it can be seen that the lever 8 is equipped with an arrest element 66 in a stable position having a cavity 67 in which a pin 68 is insertable, elastically checked and manually freeable each time that the position of the lever 8 is to be changed.

[0027] With reference to figure 5 a still further embodiment of the head 8 can be seen, applicable in this case to a tap 3 having a valve 2 which is slidably associated to its complementary seating 20.

[0028] According to the above embodiment, the command element 16 is elastically checked internally to the seating 20 of the tap 3, in such a way as to have a single stable rest position to which the open tap 3 position is made to correspond.

[0029] The transmission shaft 15 is rigidly interconnected with the lever 8 at its second end 152, and the is associable to the command element 16, by means of its opposite first end 151. From a functional point of view, on the activation of the lever 8, when the cylindrical body 56 is raised with respect to the hollow body of the head 5, the valve 2 of the tap 3 is made to advance along its seating 20, determining the intercepting of the drink while the gas flow to the head 5 is interrupted.

Claims

1. A rapid connection head for drinks containers, having a delivery line for beverages and a gas supply line, for drinks dispenser plants, of the type comprising a drinks stop tap (3) located on the said delivery line (4) and having a mobile valve (2) in a complementary seating (20); stop mans (30) of the entry of gas coming from a supply line (14), having a lever (8) with two stable positions, manually freeable for passing from one position to another of the said positions; the said head being characterised in that it comprises a command element (16) of the said valve (2) and a transmission shaft (15) interconnected, at two opposite ends (151, 152) of the said shaft (15), to the said command element (16) and to the said lever (8), the said transmission shaft (15) automatically moving the said valve (2) in a valve seating (20) on the activating of the said lever (8), correlating an intercepting of the delivery line (4) of the drink with a position of the said lever (8) in which the said stop means (30) prevent the gas from acceeding to the head (5) and vice-versa.

2. A head as in claim 1, wherein the said valve (2) and the said complementary seating (20) are rotoidally associated, characterised in that the said transmission shaft (15) and the said command element (16) of the valve (2) are mutually interconnected at respective first hinged ends (151, 152), having respective second ends (152, 162) interconnected one rotoidally to the said lever (8) and the other solidly to the said valve (2).

3. A head as in claim 1, wherein the said valve (2) and the said complementary seating (20) are rotoidally associated, characterised in that the said command element (16) is rotatably oscillatingly supported by the said head (5), with the said command element (16) rotatably interconnecting with the said transmission shaft (15) at a first hinged end (161), exhibiting at a second opposite end (162) a rack (18) meshing with a cogged wheel (19) solid with the said valve (2), in such a way as to correlate the rotation of the said command element (16) with respect to the said seating (20) with the movement of the said lever (8).

4. A head as in claim 1, wherein the said valve (2) is slidably associated to the said complementary seating (20) characterised by the fact that the said command element (16) is elastically checked in such a way as to assume a single stable position in which the said tap (3) is open, the said transmission shaft (15), solidly interconnected with the said lever (8) at the said second end (152), being associated to the said command element (16) by means of the said first opposite end (151), in such a way as to determine the commuation of the said tap (3) on the activating of the said lever (8).

5. A head, as in claim 2, characterised in that the said lever (8), the said transmission shaft (15) and the said command element (16) are reciprocally interconnected in an articulated quadrilateral (7), in such a way as to impress on the said valve (2) a movement with respect to the said seating (20) which movement is correlated with the movement of the said lever (8).

6. A head as in claim 5, comprising a hollow body (51) internally to which a cylindrical body (56) is slidable mobile on activation of the said lever (8), characterised in that the said lever (8) is equipped with an eccentric head (81) interconnected with a pivot (62) of the said hollow body (51), and is hinged with a curved connecting rod (64) associated to the said cylindrical body (56), at the position of a hinge (642) located on the said eccentric head (81) in such a way as to be, at least in a stable position of the said lever (8), inferior and laterally displaced with respect to the said pivot (62).

7. A head, as in claims 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, comprising a hollow body (51) internally to which a cylindrical body is slidably mobile on activation of the said lever (8), characterised in that the said cylindrical body (56) and the said tap (3) are made in a single body.

Drawing