CA2749882C

CA2749882C - Tapping device

Info

Publication number: CA2749882C
Application number: CA2749882A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Erwin Promoli
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-12-16
Filing date: 2008-12-16
Publication date: 2017-08-01
Anticipated expiration: 2028-12-16
Also published as: EP2384307B1; ZA201105243B; PL2384307T3; AU2008365420A1; CA2749882A1; WO2010069340A1; AU2008365420B2; EP2384307A1

Abstract

A liquid is discharged from a pressure-tightly sealed container via a tapping device having a tapping tube and a sleeve. In the storage and transport position, the tapping tube is recessed in the sleeve. It can be pulled out to a standby position in which the flow path through the tapping tube can be blocked and unblocked by an actuation. The actuation is a deviation of the tapping tube from its extended position and back to the extended position.

Description

TAPPING DEVICE
The invention relates to a tapping device for a container which is filled with a liquid and pressure-tightly sealed.
For discharging a liquid from the container a tapping tube is provided which has a storage and transport position retracted into the container and which can be pulled out of the container to a standby position in which a flow path through the tapping tube can be blocked and unblocked by an actuation.
Examples of such containers are barrels, kegs (party barrels) or cans into which CO2 containing liquids, in particular beverages, are filled under pressure. The subject relates to party barrels for beer.
DE 198 25 929 Al discloses a tapping device of the above-mentioned kind, wherein the tapping tube pulled out to the standby position is rotated back and forth around its own axis in order to block and unblock the flow path for the liquid. The rotational actuation of the tapping tube is not obvious to new customers.
In the tapping device according to DE 100 52 938 Al, an actuation lever for tapping is arranged at the free end of the tapping tube pulled out to the standby position. The actuation lever rotates a valve roll introduced into the tapping tube or axially displaces a valve slide in the tapping tube. The accompanying constructional effort is high.
Further, the large space requirement for the actuation lever is disadvantageous. The latter is designed to stop at the

- 2 -outside in front of the container if the tapping tube is inserted in the storage and transport position where it occupies space, interferes and provokes unwanted manipulations, or to get to rest in a special recess which is hard to fabricate.
The object of the invention is to provide a tapping device of the initially mentioned kind which in the storage and transport position of the tapping tube has a simple and compact structure without protruding parts and which is distinguished by an obvious convenient actuation for discharging the liquid.
According to certain embodiments, this object is achieved by the possibility of deviating, deflecting the tapping tube pulled out in the standby position of a tapping device for actuation purposes in order to discharge the liquid.
Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a tapping device for withdrawing a liquid from a container that is sealable in a pressure-tight manner, the tapping device comprising a bushing adapted to be inserted into the container, and a tapping pipe which, in a storage and transport position, is contained in the bushing and is adapted to be pulled out of the bushing to a standby position in which a flow path through the tapping pipe is blocked and unblocked by actuation, wherein the tapping pipe includes a hinge and is bendable at the hinge in the standby position for actuation.

- 2a --In a preferred embodiment, the tapping tube is stiff and straight at least in sections. It can be pulled out of the container along its axis and deviated transversely to the axis.
In a preferred embodiment, the flow pass is blocked by the tapping tube in its extended position. The flow pass is unblocked by deviating the tapping tube, and it is blocked again by deviating the tapping tube back to the extended position.
In a preferred embodiment, the tapping tube can be pulled out horizontally and laterally of the container in its common discharge position and deviated downwardly.
In a preferred embodiment, the pull-out-movement of the tapping tube from the container and the deviation movement of the tapping tube are limited by a stop.
In a preferred embodiment, the tapping tube is divided along its length. It comprises an inner and an outer tapping tube piece which are connected by a joint. The deviation of the tapping tube is performed at the joint.

- 3 -In a preferred embodiment, the joint is a fork joint.
In a preferred embodiment, a handle is provided at the free end of the tapping tube. The handle can have two laterally or laterally and upwardly protruding wings which can be clipped together in front of the free end of the tapping tube.
In a preferred embodiment, the tapping tube is provided with an originality seal.
In a preferred embodiment, the tapping tube has a sealed snug fit in a sleeve from which it can be pulled out. The tapping tube can be connected to the sleeve by means of the originality seal.
In a preferred embodiment, the sleeve, at least the inner tapping tube piece and preferably also the outer tapping tube piece are two-component plastic injection molded parts of a hard plastic component and a soft plastic component.
The parts are sealed in a soft-against-soft fashion by means of portions consisting of the soft plastic component.
In a preferred embodiment, the tapping tube has a flow channel for the liquid, the bottom of which is rounded in a deflection region corresponding to the flow course of the liquid.
The invention will be described below in further detail with respect to two embodiments illustrated in the drawings. The drawings show tapping devices consisting of a sleeve and a tapping tube guided therein. The tapping devices are a component of a container not further illustrated here.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tapping device arranged in a storage and transport position. The tapping tube is

- 4 -pushed into the sleeve.
Figure 2 is a top plan view of the tapping device arranged in the storage and transport position.
Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the tapping device arranged in the storage and transport position.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal cross-section of the tapping device arranged in the storage and transport position along a line A-A of Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the tapping device arranged in the standby position. The tapping tube is pulled out of the sleeve. It assumes an axial extended position.
Figure 6 is a top plan view of the tapping device arranged in the standby position.
Figure 7 is a bottom plan view of the tapping device arranged in the standby position.
Figure 8 is a longitudinal cross-section of the tapping device arranged in the standby position along a line A-A of Figure 7.
Figure 9 is a perspective view of the tapping device arranged in the discharge position. The tapping tube is pulled out of the sleeve. It assumes the maximally downwardly deviating position.
Figure 10 is a top plan view of the tapping device arranged in the discharge position.
Figure 11 is a bottom plan view of the tapping device arranged in the discharge position.

- 5 -Figure 12 is a longitudinal cross-section of the tapping device arranged in the discharge position along a line A-A
of Figure 11.
Figure 13 is a perspective exploded view of the tapping device arranged in the standby position.
Figure 14 is a perspective exploded view of a second tapping device arranged in a standby position modified in the rib arrangement of the tapping tube and in the handle portion.
A container (not illustrated) including one of the integrated tapping devices illustrated in the drawings is filled with a pressurized liquid containing carbon dioxide.
In particular, the subject relates to beer in a barrel, a keg (a party barrel) or a can. The tapping device is incorporated into a container and serves for discharging the container.
The container has a bottom face, a circumferential shell and a top face. The tapping devices illustrated in the drawings are incorporated into the lower part of the shell of the container serving as a kind of drainage tap. It should be noted that it is also possible to provide tapping devices which are otherwise of equal construction with a connection for a riser which can be incorporated into the top face or the upper part of the shell of the container and to discharge the liquid by a pressure system from the container (not illustrated).
The tapping device is formed of three parts. It consists of a sleeve 10 and a tapping tube guided therein in a sealed manner which is divided along its length and consists of an inner tapping tube piece 12 and an outer tapping tube piece 14 mounted in an articulated manner at the inner tapping tube piece 12.

- 6 -The sleeve 10 has a cylindrical cup body 16, the bottom part 18 of which is closed at the inner end of the sleeve 10. At the outer end of the sleeve 10, there is a spigot which protrudes radially outwardly and which has a flange-like outer abutment portion 20, a circumferential receding sealing portion 22 and a circumferential conic locking portion 24 arranged inwardly in front of the sealing portion 22, wherein the diameter of the locking portion 24 is larger than that of the sealing portion 22.
The sleeve 10 is a two-component injection-molded part made of plastic. Its cup body 16 is made of a hard plastic component, and its spigot is made of a soft elastic plastic component. The cup body 16 has a sealing portion for the tapping tube at the inner shell which is made of the soft plastic component.
At the lower part of the shell of the container a lateral spigot opening having a beaded edge is provided. The tapping device is introduced with the cup body 16 of the sleeve 10 first into the spigot opening and pressed with the spigot over the beaded edge so that it sealingly engages it.
The tapping tube pieces 12, 14 which are connected in an articulated manner and of which the tapping tube is formed are cylindrical in sections and have the same diameter.
They assume an extended position in which they are axially aligned and sealingly fit into the cup opening of the sleeve 10.
The inner tapping tube piece 12 is a two-component injection-molded part made of plastic. It substantially consists of the hard plastic component, however, it also has a sealing portion of the soft plastic component forming a sealing abutment with the soft sealing portion of the sleeve 10.

- 7 -For the outer tapping tube piece 14 a one-component injection-molded part made of the hard plastic component can be considered. However, preferably also the outer tapping tube piece 14 is a two-component injection-molded part having a sealing portion of the soft plastic component which forms a sealing abutment with the soft parts of the sealing portions of the sleeve 10 and the inner tapping tube piece 12.
The outer tapping tube piece 14 is hinged by a fork joint at the inner tapping tube piece 12. The inner tapping tube piece 12 has a flattened ball-shaped valve head 26 provided with radially and laterally protruding aligned axle stubs 28 (Figs. 5, 9). The latter constitute the hinge axis for the outer tapping tube piece 14. The hinge axis intersects the tube axis of the tapping tube in a right angle.
The outer tapping tube piece 14 rests with a spherical-shell segment shaped valve plate 30 at the valve head 26 of the inner tapping tube piece 12. The outer tapping tube piece 14 has two opposite hinge links 32 (Figs. 5, 6) internally protruding in parallel and at a distance to each other which receive the valve head 26 at its flat portion between each other and which rest in a pivotal arrangement on the axle stubs 28 with bearing bosses 34 (Fig. 13). The outer tapping tube piece 14 can be pivoted downwards limited by a stop from the position in which it is axially aligned with the inner tapping tube piece 12.
The axial extended position of the two tapping tube pieces 12, 14 in which the tapping tube is pushed into the sleeve 10 and gets to rest at its cup opening in a recessed fashion is the storage and transport position of the tapping devices (cf. Figs. 1 to 4).
The sleeve 10 has an inlet opening 36 for the liquid at a rather exterior position at the shell of its cup body 16.
The inlet opening 36 is surrounded by the sealing portion

- 8 -of the sleeve 10 which consists of the soft plastic component. In the storage and transport position of the tapping devices, the closed shell wall of the inner tapping tube piece 12 lies with its sealing portion in front of the inlet opening 36 which is thus sealed in a soft-against-soft fashion.
The inner tapping tube piece 12 has a substantially axial flow channel 38 for the liquid. At the inner end of the flow channel 38, a branch channel 40 leads to an entrance opening 42 in the shell of the inner tapping tube piece 12.
Near the entrance opening 42, a branch channel 40 has a substantially radial course. In the deflection region, i.e.
at the transition between the branch channel 40 and the axial flow channel 38 of the inner tapping tube piece 12, the bottom of the channel is rounded in correspondence with the course of the liquid flow.
The entrance opening 42 of the inner tapping tube piece 12 is surrounded by its sealing portion. In the storage and transport position of the tapping devices, the closed shell wall of the cup body 16 faces the entrance opening 42 with the sealing portion of the sleeve 10. Thus, also the entrance opening 42 is sealed in a soft-against-soft fashion. In the storage and transport position of the tapping devices, no liquid can enter the flow channel 38 of the inner tapping tube piece 12.
In the storage and transport position of the tapping devices, the axial flow channel 38 of the inner tapping tube piece 12 abuts with a discharge opening 44 at the periphery of the valve head 26 associated with the inner tapping tube piece 12. The discharge opening 44 is surrounded by the sealing portion of the inner tapping tube piece 12. It is faced by a sealing portion at the closed wall of the valve plate 30 of the outer tapping tube piece 14 so that a soft-against-soft sealing occurs also in this case.

- 9 -The outer tapping tube piece 14 has a liquid discharge channel 46 which in a side view in the direction of the hinge axis of the tapping tube (cf. Figs. 4, 8 and 12) has a downwardly deviating course. The discharge channel 46 has a passage opening 48 at the periphery of the valve plate 30 and a downwardly directed outlet opening 50 at the outer end of the outer tapping tube piece 14.
The passage opening 48 of the outer tapping tube piece 14 is surrounded by its sealing portion. In the storage and transport position of the tapping devices, the closed shell wall of the valve head 26 of the passage opening 48 faces the inner tapping tube piece 12 with the sealing portion.
Thus, also the passage opening 48 is sealed in a soft-against-soft fashion. Wherever the liquid may come from, it cannot enter the discharge channel 46 of the outer tapping tube piece 14.
In the storage and transport position of the tapping devices, the discharge channel 46 of the outer tapping tube piece 14 ends with the outlet opening 50 at the closed shell wall of the cup body 16. For safety reasons, also in this case a soft-against-soft sealing is performed with the sealing portions of the outer tapping tube piece 14 and the sleeve 10.
For preparing the discharge of the liquid from the container, the tapping tube is withdrawn from the sleeve 10 into a standby position (cf. Figs. 5 to 8, 13 and 14). For the withdrawal, a handle having two laterally (cf. Figs. 1 to 13) or laterally upwards (cf. Fig. 14) protruding wings 52 is provided at the free end of the outer tapping tube piece 14. The wings 52 abut at the shell of the container.
The wings 52 can be bend forwardly and be clipped together in front of the free end of the tapping tube. They can then be conveniently gripped and have an extended lever arm for deviating the tapping tube.

- 10 -The tapping tube is attached at the sleeve 10 by an originality seal. The originality seal consists of a push button 54 supported by a lug 56 at the outer abutment portion 20 of the sleeve 10. After mounting the tapping tube by sliding it into the sleeve 10, the push button 54 is introduced into a face opening 58 of the outer tapping tube piece 14 and attached at this position (Fig. 4). The push button 54 cannot be detached from the opening 58 without destroying it. If the tapping tube is pulled out of the sleeve 10 for the first time, rather the lug 56 at which the push button 54 is supported tears, namely at a conspicuous predetermined breaking point 60.
The tapping tube can be pulled out of the sleeve 10 against a stop just so far that the entrance opening 42 of the flow channel 38 overlaps the inlet opening 36 of the sleeve 10 in the inner tapping tube piece 12. The flow channel 38 fills with liquid, however, it remains sealingly locked by the valve plate 30 of the outer tapping tube piece 14.
Thus, in the standby position (cf. Figs. 5 to 8, 13 and 14) no liquid exits via the tapping devices yet.
For discharging a liquid from the container, the outer tapping tube piece 14 of the tapping device in the standby position is deviated downwardly around the hinge axis (cf.
Figs. 9 to 12). In this process, the passage opening 48 of the discharge channel 46 in the outer tapping tube piece 14 overlaps the discharge opening 44 of the flow channel 38 in the inner tapping tube piece 12 more and more so that a flow path from the container to the outlet opening 50 is enabled. The farther the outer tapping tube piece 14 is downwardly deviated, the less the flow is restrained. In the position of maximum opening of the outer tapping tube piece 14 which is limited by a stop, the discharge channel 46 is directed vertically and downwardly or slightly inclined forwardly. The flow path is closed again by swinging back the outer tapping tube piece 14 into the

- 11 -extended position.
The operation in which the tapping tube is deviated in order to discharge a liquid can be performed at the handle as well as immediately at the outer tapping tube piece 14.
List of reference signs Sleeve

12 Inner tapping tube piece 14 Outer tapping tube piece 16 Cup body 18 Bottom Abutment portion 22 Sealing portion 24 Locking portion 26 Valve head 28 Axle stub Valve plate 32 Hinge link 34 Bearing boss 36 Inlet opening 38 Flow channel Branch channel 42 Entrance opening 44 Discharge opening 46 Discharge channel 48 Passage opening Outlet opening 52 Wing 54 Push button 56 Lug 58 Opening Predetermined breaking point

Claims

1. A tapping device for withdrawing a liquid from a container that is sealable in a pressure-tight manner, the tapping device comprising a bushing adapted to be inserted into the container, and a tapping pipe which, in a storage and transport position, is contained in the bushing and is adapted to be pulled out of the bushing to a standby position in which a flow path through the tapping pipe is blocked and unblocked by actuation, wherein the tapping pipe includes a hinge and is bendable at the hinge in the standby position for actuation.

2. The tapping device of claim 1, wherein the tapping pipe is stiff and straight at least in sections, and is adapted to be pulled out of the bushing along its axis and is bendable transversely to the axis.

3. The tapping device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the flow path through the tapping pipe is blocked in the straight position thereof and is adapted to be unblocked by bending the tapping pipe and to be re-blocked by bending the tapping pipe back.

4. The tapping device of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the tapping pipe is adapted to be pulled out horizontally and laterally from the bushing when in the tapping position and is bendable downward.

5. The tapping device of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the pull-out movement of the tapping pipe from the bushing and the bending movement are limited by stops.

6. The tapping device of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the tapping pipe is divided along its length into inner and outer tapping pipe sections interconnected by the hinge.

7. The tapping device of claim 6, wherein the hinge includes a fork-type hinge.

8. The tapping device of any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a handle at the free end of the tapping pipe.

9. The tapping device of claim 8, wherein the handle includes two wings projecting laterally or laterally upward, the wings adapted to be clipped together in front of the free end of the tapping pipe.

10. The tapping device of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the tapping pipe includes an originality seal.

11. The tapping device of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the tapping pipe includes a sealed snug-fit within the bushing.

12. The tapping device of claim 10 or 11, wherein the tapping pipe is bound to the bushing with the originality seal.

13. The tapping device of claim 11 or 12, wherein the bushing, at least one of (i) the inner tapping pipe section, and (ii) the outer tapping pipe section, are two-component plastic injection moulded parts of a hard plastic component and a soft plastic component mutually sealed soft-to-soft by portions of the soft plastic component.

14. The tapping device of any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the tapping pipe includes a liquid flowing channel the bottom of which is rounded in a redirecting part based on the flow of the liquid.