Patent Application
20090014446
The right of foreign priority is claimed under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) based on Federal Republic of Germany Application No. 10 2007 032 414.8, filed Jul. 12, 2007, the entire contents of which, including the specification, drawings, claims and abstract, are incorporated herein by reference.
This invention relates to a pressure top for beverage-containing vessels, especially for vessels containing carbonated beverages, and a method for operating the pressure top.
Various devices for providing pressure in beverage vessels are known from the prior art which are used to provide such carbonic acid pressure in vessels like beer kegs, for example, so that the beer is tapped in the desired manner and an appealing head of beer is formed.
Such a tapping device for beverage kegs is specified in the utility model 79 06 737 U1 to Kötter, H. The tapping device there disclosed is used, in particular, for use with small beverage kegs which are provided with a carbon dioxide cartridge and a pressure gauge. They are supposed to be easy to handle and operate for the layman. The device is to require only very little space. A device is therefore disclosed which has an unprotected tapping device projecting into the space and being coupled with a valve via a carbon dioxide cartridge and which, also unprotected, projects into space.
DE 1944 673 to Baltzer, W. also relates to a multi-way beer keg closure with tapping device, wherein a compressed gas cushion is already provided upon filling of the device; it is automatically made available after application of the container closure or upon filling through the container closure. In particular, a withdrawal device of metal or plastic is detailed which can be connected with the keg connection in a liquid and gas tight fashion by means of a screw lock or a clamping joint. Thus, the carbonated beverage can be discharged via the withdrawal device due to the compressed gas cushion made available beforehand. For small kegs and for complete drainage, a carbon dioxide cartridge can be separately attached and removed again so that the keg can be stored, in case of incomplete drainage, without its mounted carbon dioxide cartridge in the refrigerator until complete consumption. The disadvantage in this case is that, for further consumption of the keg's contents, a fresh gas cartridge must be obtained and mounted with equipment expenditures.
Furthermore, DE 697 18 763 T2 to Suntory Ltd. discloses a chilled tapping device from which beer can be filled directly from a beer keg into a pitcher for which carbon dioxide gas is added from a cartridge. This invention focuses on the provision of chilling which is provided by means of the unfavorably space-requiring, complex invention disclosed.
Another device for the provision of a carbonated beverage is described in DE 2 323 345 to Morgan et al. in which a storage container for the beverage is provided which is equipped with a tube leading to the spigot, with an ultrasonic generator being coupled with the tube such that a firm foam structure is obtained upon tapping the beverage.
Starting from this prior art, the invention is based on the object of making an improved device available for providing pressure in beverage containers and a method for operating it. This problem is solved by a pressure top with the features of the independent claim 1 and by a method with the features of the independent claim 21. Preferred exemplary embodiments are described by the sub-claims.
A first exemplary embodiment relates to a pressure top which can be set onto beverage-containing vessels to charge the beverage with gas which is provided by a gas cartridge which is advantageously integrated in a space-saving manner in the pressure top. The gas cartridge is in contact with the contents of the vessel via a valve arrangement and an extractor blade. To let the gas flow from the cartridge into the vessel, the cartridge is pushed by means of a lever arrangement against a spike which provides an opening in the gas cartridge or, respectively, in a closure device provided in the cartridge neck. The spike itself is arranged on a carriage which has a bore for feeding the gas. The gas can flow via a valve arrangement operable as needed through the bore into a channel system which extends all the way into the blade, and it can thus flow into the beverage. The gas flow through the channel system is enabled by an actuating lever which is in operative connection with a piston so that, in a corresponding position of the actuating lever, the gas can first flow via the bore into a first channel, from there into a space surrounded by a piston and further into a second channel. Actuation of the piston by the actuating lever has the effect that the gas is pressed from the piston space into the channel which discharges into the extractor blade.
The depth of space of the pressure top according to the invention is essentially determined by the size of the gas cartridge which can be provided in the pressure top. The actuating lever is especially advantageously arranged in such a space-saving fashion that the transfer of the gas is enabled from a first level, at which the cartridge neck is located and from which the gas escapes into the bore, to a second level from which the gas is transferred at a controlled pressure into the vessel. The practical arrangement of the actuating lever between the two levels allows that a gas cartridge can be advantageously set upon a vessel in a space-saving fashion and with little structural expenditure, such that gas can be admitted to the vessel at the desired point in time; and if the beverage is not drained completely, it can continue to be stored with the vessel and pressure top.
Another exemplary embodiment advantageously refers to the design of the vessel as a can or also as a keg, especially a beer keg, as the small container is known. Cans or kegs can be practically stacked and even stored in household refrigerators together with the pressure top. Even opened kegs or cans can continue to be stored without any loss of quality.
Furthermore, the exemplary embodiments relate to the advantageous arrangement of the lever by means of which the valve arrangement according to the invention can be activated in the pressure top.
Finally, the exemplary embodiments relate to the provision of safety measures by means of safety and non-return valves.
Moreover, exemplary embodiments are related to the method for operating the pressure top according to the invention which demonstrates the simple and practical manner in which a beverage in a corresponding vessel can be charged with gas to qualitatively improve the beverage and, if necessary, facilitate the withdrawal from the vessel.
These and additional advantages are presented by the following description with reference to the accompanying figures.
Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of preferred embodiments that follows, when considered together with the accompanying figures of drawing.
Reference to the Figures in the description is used to support the description. Objects or parts of objects which are essentially identical or similar can be provided with the same reference symbols. The figures are merely schematic presentations of exemplary embodiments of the invention. In the Figures:
The device of this invention is basically used to be set onto vessels which are suitable for storage and transport, up to the provision of carbonated beverages. Such vessels are especially suitably kegs or cans such as they are known from the prior art. Such kegs or cans can be placed upright; and in upright condition, they may have an opening in their upper lid surface which is only temporarily closed. Such an opening may be closed by means of a diaphragm, a plug, a turn-lock fastener or other seal; and it may be opened at that point in time when the extractor blade is to be inserted which, subject to its length, is also designated as a short extractor blade.
The gas used for pressurizing may generally be any foodstuff gas, in particular, carbon dioxide, by means of which carbonated beverages such as beer are pressurized; or even oxygen can be used with beverages which are to have a particularly high oxygen content. Such beverages are especially known in the physical fitness sector.
The focus of this invention is directed to small container kegs with a volume of approx. 5 to 10 liters, in particular to those containing beer, since these small container kegs must be supplied with carbon dioxide for drainage so that the beverage can be tapped into a drinking vessel and presented properly fresh and with an appealing head of foam.
Kegs suitable to be provided with the pressure top according to the invention are described, inter alia, in WO 00/07927 to Grittmann.
If the pressure top according to the invention is arranged on a corresponding small container keg for beer with an integrated tapping system, carbon dioxide can be transferred, upon actuation of the mechanism, from a cartridge integrated in the pressure top into the keg where carbonic acid is formed with the beverage or, respectively, in the beverage. The pressure thus provided supports the transfer of the beverage from the tapping device which is arranged on the keg or, if necessary, may be correspondingly arranged on the keg so that the beverage supplied with fresh carbon dioxide can be provided to be drunk with a fresh fizz. The pressure top according to the invention with its integrated carbon dioxide cartridge is insofar particularly advantageous for the application of beer tapping since the beer obtains a head of foam and a fresh taste due to the carbonic acid produced in situ.
Basically, an extractor blade in this case is understood to be a tube which is essentially perpendicularly arranged to the plane of the device in which the gas cylinder is located. The extractor blade can be stationarily arranged on the pressure top; in other embodiments not shown, the extractor blade can also be pushed on as a loose component. Furthermore, the extractor blade is able to be inserted into the keg through an opening accordingly provided in a keg. The extractor blade can accordingly project more or less deeply into the keg in which it may be encompassed by a riser tube connected with a spigot according to the keg's embodiment. On the other hand, the extractor blade may, of course, also tightly surround the riser tube in other embodiments.
The plunger 8 is displaceably provided in a bearing shell 10 and is in operative connection with a first end of an actuating lever 11. The actuating lever is arranged such that the gas flowing from the pierced cartridge neck is transferred from its higher level under pressure control to the lower level at which the extractor blade is located: To this end, the gas flows, after the plunger 8 was advanced by means of the lever movement of the lever arrangement 4, through the bore 12 which is provided in the carriage along an axis A-A extending through the carriage, up into a first channel 14 which is located in the bridge part 13. The bridge part is provided such that the first channel 14 and the bore 12 are provided approximately at a right angle to each other. At that point in time, the gas pressure is considerably reduced due to the corresponding change of the volumes flowed through.
This spatial arrangement of the first channel 14 to bore 12, which provides a fluidic connection between a piston 16 and the bore 12, is not absolutely imperative: The fluidic connection may also be realized in another geometric arrangement while maintaining the desired pressure reduction.
The piston 16 rests against a second end of the actuating lever 11 which is tiltably supported in the pressure top 1. The actuating lever's first end is in contact with plunger 8 so that after tilting the actuating lever 11 by the plunger movement, the second end of the actuating lever 11 is brought into contact with the piston 16 so that the space 17 enclosed by the piston 16 enters into fluidic connection with the extractor blade via the second channel 18. The gas contained in space 17 flows via the extractor blade into the vessel not shown in the Figures.
Said lever 11 rests such against the inside of the rim 1″ of the cap′ which combines the individual components of the pressure top under it so that the lever can tilt. To this end, it has a rounding 19 which, as disclosed in
As becomes clear in
The second bore 14 is in fluidic contact with the bottom surface 15 of a piston 16 whose bottom surface 15 is reasonably larger than the bottom surface of the plunger 8 formed by the rubber disk 9 to bring about a corresponding pressure reduction. Actuation of the lever 4 thus has the effect that the spike 5 opens an access in the gas cartridge arranged in the pressure top, that the gas flowing through bore 12 flows further through the first channel 14 from where it gets into a second channel 18 before it flows through the extractor blade into the keg.
It is evident from
The described lever arrangement is advantageously provided on the outside of the cap 1′ as shown in
To ensure, for example, at elevated ambient temperatures or in other conditions, that no excess pressure builds up in the keg or in the can and becomes unacceptably high, the bridge part 13 may feature, as shown in
Moreover, the pressure top may have a non-return valve 20 in the extractor blade, as shown in
To easily mount the pressure top on the vessel or the can, the cap rim 1″ is made such that it can be brought into engagement with the upper rim of the keg or the can, for example, by a simple latching device. To this end, the cap rim (1″) may have recesses (21) facing away from each other and acting as springs.
The pressure top for pressurizing vessels containing beverages can thus be operated such that the lever arrangement 4 is operated whereby the gas cartridge is displaced against the spike 5 which is arranged at a carriage 6. The gas flows out into a bore 12 provided in the carriage. The carriage 6 which is located in a recess 7 is displaced against a plunger 8 whereby gas flows into a first channel 14 provided in the bridge part and further into the space 17 enclosed by the piston. The plunger 8 provided in bearing shell 10 is thereby displaced; and the plunger 8 is brought into connection with a first end of the actuating lever 11, whereby the actuating lever 11 tilts.
The second end of the actuating lever 11 is brought into contact with the piston 16 so that the space 17 enclosed by the piston 16 is brought into fluidic connection with the extractor blade via the second channel 18, and the gas contained in space 17 flows via the extractor blade at a reduced pressure into the vessel.
The foregoing description of preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description only. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible and/or would be apparent in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and that the claims encompass all embodiments of the invention, including the disclosed embodiments and their equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2007 032 414.8 | Jul 2007 | DE | national |
