US 4,228,927 AGranted

Liquid dispensing head and installation

AssigneeKonstruktie J. Lambrechts p.v.b.a.

InventorsJozef Beyens, Guillaume Dewit, Jules Lambrechts

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A dispensing head of the kind adapted to be bitted to a container, such as a beer keg, having a plunger with which the dispensing head co-operates to enable liquid in the container to be dispensed through the outlet of the dispensing head under pressure of carbon dioxide gas supplied to the container through the dispensing head. The dispensing head is provided with an inlet for connection to a source of rinsing water and a valve mechanism which can be operated to cut off the flow of liquid from the container through the outlet and to connect the water inlet to the outlet so that rinsing water flows through the outlet and through any pipe and dispensing tape connected to the outlet, which can thus be rinsed without removing the dispensing head from the container. The valve mechanism can be remotely operated, using the pressure of the rinsing water to operate the valve mechanism, the water acting on a piston fixed to a movable valve member of the valve mechanism.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A dispensing head adapted to be fitted to a container having a valve plunger with which the dispensing head co-operates to enable liquid in the container to be dispensed through the dispensing head under pressure of a gas supplied to the container through the dispensing head, the dispensing head comprising:

a. a body;
b. gas inlet means in said body for connection to a source of the pressurising gas;
c. rinsing fluid inlet means in said body for connection to a source of rinsing fluid;
d. outlet means for connection to a dispensing tap;
e. a valve member vertically movable in said body between a first position in which:
(i) the valve member engages the valve plunger and holds it in its open position,
(ii) the gas inlet means is in communication with the interior of the container to which the dispensing head is fitted and the outlet means is in communication with the interior of the container through the valve plunger so that liquid is dispensed from the container, and
(iii) communication between the rinsing fluid inlet means and the outlet means is cut off,
and a second position in which:
(i) the valve member is disengaged from the valve plunger, and
(ii) the outlet means is disconnected from the interior of the container and placed in communication with the rinsing fluid inlet means so that rinsing dluid flows through the outlet means;
f. a piston fixed to said valve member and movable in a cylinder forming part of said body;
g. control inlet means for connection to the source of rinsing fluid, said control inlet means opening into said cylinder so that when rinsing fluid is supplied to the control inlet means the pressure of the rinsing fluid acts on the piston to urge the valve member to said first position.

10 more elements

An installation for dispensing liquid from a container, comprising a source of pressurising gas, a source of rinsing fluid, a dispensing tap, a control valve and a dispensing head adapted to be fitted to the container, the container having a valve plunger with which the dispensing head co-operates to enable liquid in the container to be dispensed through the dispensing head under pressure of a gas supplied to the container through the dispensing head, wherein dispensing head comprises:

a. a body;
b. gas inlet means in said body connected to said source of the pressurising gas;
c. a rinsing fluid inlet in said body connected to said source of rinsing fluid;
d. outlet means connected to said dispensing tap through a length of delivery pipe;
e. a valve member vertically movable in said body between a first position in which:
(i) the valve member engages the valve plunger and holds it in its open position,
(ii) the gas inlet means is in communication with the interior of the container to which the dispensing head is fitted and the outlet means is in communication with the interior of the container through the valve plunger so that liquid is dispensed from the container, and
(iii) communication between said rinsing fluid inlet and the outlet means is cut off,
and a second position in which:
(i) the valve member is disengaged from the valve plunger, and
(ii) the outlet means is disconnected from the interior of the container and placed in communication with said rinsing fluid inlet so that rinsing fluid flows through said outlet means, said delivery pipe and said dispensing tap;
f. a piston fixed to said valve member and movable in a cylinder forming part of said body;
g. a control inlet in said body connected to said source of rinsing fluid through said control valve, said control inlet opening into said cylinder so that when said control valve is operated to supply rinsing fluid to the control inlet the pressure of the rinsing fluid acts on the piston to urge the valve member to said first position.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.