The present invention relates to a device for actuating valves for dispensing liquids from containers, such as bag-in-box containers for beverages, placed on a seating and supporting base.
Apparatuses for dispensing liquids from containers provided with a tap have already been proposed in the state of the art, such apparatuses comprising a seating and supporting base for one or each container and a lever system that is articulated to the base in order to detachably engage the pouring valve of each container and is provided with a manual actuation lever for applying pressure to the top of the pouring valve in order to open it and therefore dispense the liquid.
Reference should be made, in this regard, to EPA-0884269-A1, also by the same Applicant, which discloses a device conform to the preamble of claim 1.
However, the lever systems proposed so far allow to pour liquids only from containers provided with press-open valves or taps, i.e., valves or taps which open by applying pressure to the top of said valve so as to lower their internal valve element elastically-loaded for the automatic closure of the valve once the valve element is no longer pressed by the lever system.
In addition to the above mentioned press-open valves, taps or valves for containers of the lift-open type are also commercially available, i.e., taps or valves that have a substantially rigid top and can be opened by lifting one or more abutments that protrude from the valve body and are rigidly coupled to the internal valve element of the valve, which is elastically loaded for automatic closure once the lifting action has ceased.
Currently, lift-open valves are opened manually with one's fingers by lifting two mutually opposite objects with the index and middle fingers and by resting the thumb on the top of the valve.
The aim of the present invention is to provide an actuation device that allows to pour liquids from containers provided with a lift-open valve.
An object of the present invention is to allow the use of the device for dispensing liquids from containers provided with either press-open or lift-open valves.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an actuation device for liquid pouring valves that is easy to use, highly reliable and inexpensive to manufacture.
This aim and these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a device for actuating a valve for dispensing liquids from a container, according to claim 1 or 10, and a dispensing valve assembly according to claim 12.
Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will better become apparent from the following detailed description of some preferred embodiments thereof, given only by way of non-limitative example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Initially with reference to Figures 1 to 9, a device 27 according to the invention for actuating a valve 12 for pouring and dispensing liquids from a container or bag-in-box B is constituted by two levers, respectively designated by the reference numerals 3 and 7.
The actuation device 27 can be anchored to a seating and supporting base, designated by the letter C in Figure 1, for the container B, which is provided with a pouring or dispensing valve 12 that protrudes in a cantilever fashion from the container or bag-in-box B and from the support C. A locking element 1 allows to detachably engage the dispensing valve 12, and accordingly said container B, with the seating and supporting base C. For this purpose, the locking element 1 is pivoted at one of its ends about a pivot and has, at its other end, a handle 1a for its snap closure over the cylindrical body of a plug 100 and a supply duct for the dispensing valve 12.
The device 27 is constituted by the levers 3 and 7, which are articulated one another. More particularly, the lever 3 has, at its ends, a respective recess 4 and 5 for snap articulation engagement on one side to a pivot 2 that is monolithic with, or fixed to, the locking element 1 and, on the other side, to a pivot 10 that is monolithic with, or fixed to, an intermediate portion of the lever 7. The lever 3 preferably has a protrusion or pawl 6 in an intermediate portion. Advantageously, the lever 3 is produced by molding a suitable plastic material, such as PVC, and as shown more clearly in Figure 6, its lateral surfaces are lightened in its central part, so as to obtain a structure that is lightweight yet ensuring sufficient rigidity and stability.
The lever 7 has a curved handling end 9, which is preferably ergonomically shaped so that the user can comfortably apply a finger to it. At its other end, the lever is shaped like a fork with two prongs 8, while in an intermediate position said lever has a U-shaped transverse cross-section with lateral wings that are connected and stiffened by the transverse pivot 10 for articulation to the lever 3.
During use, the protrusion 6 is arranged so as to rest on the top 22 of the dispensing valve 12 and acts as a compression fulcrum for opening the press-open valve 12, while in the case of a lift-open valve the protrusion 6 acts as an abutment fulcrum in order to move the prongs 8 so that they engage against the abutments 13, which are monolithic with, or fixed to, the valve element 26 of the valve 12.
More particularly, starting from the condition shown in Figure 1, i.e., the condition in which the protrusion 6 of the lever 3 rests on the rigid top 22 of the lift-open valve and the two prongs 8 of the fork of the lever 7 are engaged against the lower face of the abutments 13, the operator, by lowering the end 9 of the lever 7, as shown with the arrow 11, applies to the two prongs 8 an upward force that lifts that abutments 13 and consequently opens the valve 12. By releasing the end 9, since the valve element 26 is loaded elastically, the abutments 13 are automatically returned to the closure position of the valve 12.
Figures 10 to 13 are views of another embodiment according to which the actuation device can be adopted both with lift-open valves 12, like the device of Figure 1, and with press-open valves.
According to this embodiment, the lever 3 in fact has two lateral shoulders 14, which are arranged at the rotational path of the two prongs 8. The shoulders 14 are designed to abut and act as stroke limiters for the rotation of the prongs 8 of the lever 7 about the pivot 10. Therefore, by acting on the end 9 of the lever 7, one obtains first of all the rotation of the lever 7 about the pivot 10 and, once the prongs 8 have abutted against the shoulders 14, the lever 3 is turned about the pivot 2, discharging the force applied to the protrusion 6, which compresses the top 22 of the valve 12, consequently opening said valve.
Figures 14 to 17 illustrate a press-open valve 12 provided with two cantilevered transverse pivots that are rigidly coupled to the shell of the valve and are designated by the reference numeral 17. In this case, the pivots 17, by being fixed with respect to the valve element, act as an abutment for the prongs 8 of the lever 7 and allow, during use, to discharge through the pivot 10 and the lever 3 the force applied to the curved actuation end 9 onto the elastically flexible top 22 of the valve.
The embodiment shown in Figures 18 to 20 allows to use the actuation device both with a press-open valve 12 and, once arranged upside down, with a lift-open valve. When used with a press-open valve, as shown in the drawings, the lever 9, which is L-shaped with the prongs 8 substantially at right angles to the handling end 9 (which can be straight), abuts in its rotation about the pivot 10 against two retainers 23 that protrude from the lever 3. The lever 7 therefore continues its descent practically rigidly with the lever 3, with which it rotates about the pivot 2 in order to press the top 22 of the valve. Preferably, the lever 3 has, in a position that lies opposite its protrusion 6, a lug 16 for a more effective lowering of the top 22.
Figures 21 to 23 illustrate a further embodiment with three levers of the actuation device, which allows use on lift-open valves. The device has a third lever 24, which is articulated, at its ends, to two pivots 18 and 19 which are monolithic or inserted in an intermediate portion of the levers 3 and 7 respectively.
The lever 24 can further have a protrusion 20 that can engage, during use, the top 22 of the valve 12. The lever 3 has a through recess 21, through which the end 9 of the lever 7 protrudes with an engagement that allows free sliding, said end being in this case straight.
The user applies pressure to the free end 25 of the lever 3, thus lifting the abutments 13 due to the action of the prongs 8 by way of the rotary motion of the lever 7 about the pivot 19 for articulation with the lever 24 and by way of the simultaneous sliding of the end 26 the lever 7 within the recess 21.
Finally, Figures 24 to 26 illustrate still another embodiment with two levers, which allows to use the device on lift-open valves 12. In this case, the lever 3 does not have a protrusion 6 and rests, during use, on the top of the valve.
The actuation device described above is susceptible of modifications and variations within the scope of protection defined by the appended claims.
For example, as shown in Figures 27 to 32, the device according to the invention can be provided with a lever system that is articulated at a first end 1a to the seating base, so that it can be moved angularly between an open position and a closed position (shown in Figures 28, 30 and 32).
Said lever system has, at the second end 1b, engagement means 101 which are designed, in the closed position, to engage at least one locator or abutment 102 arranged at the seating base.
The engagement means are constituted by an engagement tooth 101a that is pivoted to the lever system and by means 101b for the rotation of the engagement tooth.
The engagement tooth 101a is elastically flexible about an axis that is substantially parallel to the angular movement axis of said lever system, so as to allow, even if the lever system is not fully closed, to engage the abutment 102 so as to ensure a perfect seal of the entire device.
The materials and the dimensions may be various according to requirements.
Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.