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(11) | EP 1 462 382 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Sealing tap for a valve of barrel |
| (57) The Sealing Tap of a Barrel's Valve is used for sealing the barrels and showing that
the barrel has not been tampered with. It is made of plastic raw material and it is designed to be destroyed upon its removal from the barrel. It consists of a cover plate (1) that covers the barrel's valve and a cylindrical guide (2). Four thick and strong locking elements (4) are located at the interior of the cylindrical guide. During the placement of the Sealing Tap onto the valve (8) of the barrel, the locking elements lock on the neck (9) of the valve. The removal of the Sealing Tap is carried out by stripping off the cylindrical guide. |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention "Sealing Tap for a barrel's valve" refers to a cap that covers the valve of the barrels and operates as a seal, which proves that the barrel has not been opened. A necessary presupposition for the proper operation of the Sealing Tap is that this is destroyed during its removal from the barrel's valve, in a way that it cannot be reused.
PRIOR ART AND DISADVANTAGES THAT CAN BE SURMOUNTED
[0002] For the same purpose there are several caps that have the following common features: a) numerous thin and weak locking elements at the interior of the cylindrical guide in order to retain the cap on the valve of the barrel, b) tabs at specific spots of the cylindrical guide so that the latter will break off at these spots during the removal of the cap from the barrel's valve, c) tight webs that connect the covering plate to the cylindrical guide of the cap and broad webs that link the rest of the cylindrical guide to the cover plate.
At the removal of the cap the tabs, the tight webs and usually the locking elements break off.
WAYS FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE CAPS FROM THE BARREL'S VALVE.
[0003]
1) By pulling the whole cap out of the cylindrical guide and breaking off the locking elements.
2) By pulling the cover plate so that the tabs and tight webs that connect it to the cylindrical guide break off. The cap is divided into two pieces and is removed from the barrel's valve.
[0004] The second way of removal does not exclude the possibility that the locking elements would break, since they are thin and weak and easily breakable. This is a way of removal that usually is not practically applied and instead of this alternative it is also applied the first way of removal, meaning by pulling the whole cap from the cylindrical guide and breaking off the locking elements. This happens because these caps have thin and weak locking elements and by pulling the cap the locking elements break easily and the cap is removed faster from the barrel's valve. However, this fast removal results in the breaking off of the cap's locking elements.
INDICATORS OF TAMPERING
[0005] The tampering indicators for these caps are the tabs of the cylindrical guide, the narrow webs that connect the cylindrical guide to the cover plate and the locking elements at the interior of the cylindrical guide. If any of these has worn, then it is understood that the barrel has been tampered with.
DISADVANTAGES
[0006]
1) The locking elements of these caps are thin and weak and easily breakable during the removal of the cap from the barrel's valve. The broken locking elements are scattered around the barrel's valve and someone has to pick them up in order to clean the space and mainly to prevent any broken locking element from entering the barrel during the opening of the valve. However, even if the space is cleaned there is always the risk that a missed locking element falls into the barrel during the opening of the valve, resulting in the contamination of the barrel's content and the subsequent risk for the public health.
2) The thin and weak locking elements that these caps dispose of, are easy to bend without breaking or suffer a permanent deformation, thus there is the possibility to remove the cap from the barrel without breaking any part of it and then put it back untouched without leaving traces of tampering. This can be done if the locking elements are properly pressed so that they bend without breaking or being permanently deformed.
3) The numerous openings that these caps dispose of do not protect adequately the valve against dust.
BRIEF PRESENTATION - INNOVATIONS - ADVANTAGES
[0007] The Sealing Tap has been designed based on an entirely innovative way of removal. This way of removal is applied for the first time on the barrels' caps.
[0008] The Sealing Tap is removed by stripping off the cylindrical guide. The removal of the barrel's valve does not require breaking off the locking elements, but just stripping off a part of the cylindrical guide. All details of the Sealing Tap have been designed based on this way of removal.
This way of removal allows it to be removed as one part, without breaking the locking elements. Moreover, it allows the cap to have thicker and stronger locking elements so that they will not break easily, neither bend without suffering a permanent deformation. In addition, it allows the existence of fewer openings on the cover plate and the cylindrical guide.
The aforementioned characteristics lead to the advantages that will be mentioned further on.
ADVANTAGES
[0009]
1) There is no risk that parts of the Sealing Tap would fall inside the barrel: since the locking elements do not break off and the Sealing Tap is removed as one piece, there is no waste of time for cleaning the surrounding area and mainly there is no risk that any broken locking element would fall inside the barrel once we open the valve. Falling of any piece of the Sealing Tap inside the barrel would result in the contamination of the barrel's content and its risk against the public health.
2) Higher protection against tampering: taking advantage of the new removal way, we designed the Sealing Tap with thicker and stronger locking elements, which do not easily break off and do not bend a lot. Thus, the Sealing Tap cannot be removed without being broken at some point (tabs, webs, locking elements) or without being permanently deformed. This gives it the advantage of greater protection against tampering, as it renders impossible the removal and reposition of the Sealing Tap without tampering being obvious.
3) Greater Protection of the barrel's valve against dust: we have limited the openings of the Sealing Tap at the required quantity. Thus, the valve is better protected against dust compared to other barrels' caps existing in the market, which have a lot more openings.
DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION
[0010]
Fig. 1 shows a plan view of the Sealing Tap, meaning the Sealing Tap if we look it from the top downwards.
Fig. 2 shows a bottom view of the Sealing Tap, meaning the Sealing Tap if we look it from the bottom upwards.
Fig. 3 shows an axonometric view of the Sealing Tap and shows it as if we look it from the bottom and front at an angle of 45°.
Figure 4 shows the Sealing Tap mounted on a barrel. The Sealing Tap is depicted in a sectional way in order to show the way that the locking elements lock on the barrel's valve. The imaginary level at which the Sealing Tap is cut, is shown in Figure 1 with the dashed line. The barrel is depicted on an axial line.
DETAILED PRESENTATION
[0011] Further on there is a detailed presentation of the Sealing Tap, with reference to the drawings. Numbers quoted refer to specific elements of the drawings.
[0012] As we previously mentioned in the brief description, the Sealing Tap has been designed based on an entirely original way of removal. The removal is carried out by stripping off the cylindrical guide. Its removal from the barrel's valve does not require to break the locking elements, but just to strip off a part of the cylindrical guide. The cylindrical guide that can be stripped off corresponds to a 225° arc.
All details of the Sealing Tap have been designed based on this way of removal.
Description of the drawing
[0013] The Sealing Tap of the Barrel's valve consists of the following elements:
a) the cover plate (1) that covers the valve (8) of the barrel and does not allow its tampering
b) the cylindrical guide (2). On the cylindrical guide there is a tab (7) which facilitates the opening of the Sealing Tap and its removal from the barrel. At the bottom and at the exterior, the cylindrical guide has a nerve (3) at the circumference that gives it more resistance
c) the cylindrical guide comprises 4 locking elements (4) and 19 stabilization elements (5) uniformly distributed. At the place of the tab there is no corresponding stabilization element that would have been provided if there were no tabs.
At four regions of the cover plate, above the four locking elements, there are openings (10) that facilitate the construction of the Sealing Tap using the method of injection in a mould.The cylindrical guide (2) is connected to the cover plate (1) in two ways. At a region (11) defined by the arch of 135° the connection is compact except of one single gap (12), the latter being located above the locking element. At the rest of the circle's arch (225°) the connection is carried out by thin webs (6) that connect the cover plate (1) to the stabilization elements (5) of the cylindrical guide (2).
Placement of the Sealing Tap on the barrel's valve
[0014] The Sealing Tap is placed on the barrel by pressing it on the valve (8) of the barrel. This means that the locking elements (4) pass under the neck (9) of the barrel's valve and lock the Sealing Tap on the barrel's valve (Figure 4).
Removal of the Sealing Tap from the barrel's valve
[0015] In order to remove the Sealing Tap from the barrel's valve, we break off the tab (7) located on the cylindrical guide (2) of the Sealing Tap. Then, we pull out the cylindrical guide by breaking off the webs (6) that connect it to the cover plate (1), so that we tear it off it by 225°. Then ,the Sealing Tap is freely released from the valve of the barrel as one piece together with the locking elements (4), which remain intact.
Results from the removal using the unwinding of the cylindrical guide
[0016] As mentioned above, all details have been designed based on the way of removal (stripping off of the cylindrical guide).
The different way the Sealing Tap is removed, allows it to have thicker and stronger locking elements, since its removal does not require breaking off the locking elements, but just to unwind the cylindrical guide.
Moreover, since the locking elements are thicker and stronger, they do not need to be numerous. The Sealing Tap has only four locking elements.
[0017] The different way of removal in combination with the low number of locking elements allow it to have fewer openings on the cover plate and on the cylindrical guide.
The unique opening on the cylindrical guide is a small fissure (13) on the tab (7). This fissure is necessary for the removal of the Sealing Tap from the barrel's valve. The cover plate has the following openings:
a) There are four openings (10) above the four locking elements (4). These openings are necessary for the construction of the Sealing Tap using the injection in a mould.
b) There are openings (14) among the thin webs (6) along an arch of 225° at the point that the cylindrical guide (2) connects to the cover plate (1) via the thin webs. These openings are necessary for the removal of the Sealing Tap from the barrel's valve but also for the construction of the Sealing Tap using the injection in a mould.
[0018] Based on the aforementioned analysis, we conclude that the different way for the removal of the Sealing Tap leads to the following characteristics:
1. Removal of the Sealing Tap as a single part, without breaking off the locking elements
2. Thick and strong locking elements that do not easily break and do not bend a lot without suffering permanent deformation
3. Fewer openings on the cover plate and the cylindrical guide.
These characteristics lead to the advantages of the Sealing Tap, which were mentioned previously in the unit "Brief presentation - innovations - advantages".Safety against tampering
[0019] The Sealing Tap cannot be removed without being broken or having its locking elements permanently deformed. Any attempt for the removal and reposition will result in the wearing of some tampering indicators and the tampering will be immediately detected.
The tampering indicators of the Sealing Tap are: a) the tab of the circumference (7), b) the webs (6) that connect the cover plate (1) to the stabilization elements (5) of the cylindrical guide (2), and c) the locking elements (4).
[0020] If we attempt to tamper with the Sealing Tap by stiffening the cylindrical guide so that it will not open and cause the breaking of the webs (6) and the tab (7), then the locking elements (4) will either break or suffer permanent deformation. Thus, if we put the cap back to the valve, the tampering will be immediately detected. The openings (8) located on the cover plate may also show whether the valve has been tampered with.