GB2242502A - Beer dispensing font - Google Patents

Abstract

A beer font 1, comprises a dispenser tap which connects with the outlet from a manually operable switching valve 9. The outlet is connectible to either one of two inlet pipelines 5, 7 via a passage 27 in a rotatable disc 15 and an arcuate chamber 25. The pipelines 5, 7 are connected to respective kegs of beer. In another embodiment the outlet communicates with a coaxial end 49 of a throughhole 47 in a rotatable barrel 43. The other end 51 of the throughhole is offset from the barrel axis and communicates with a selected inlet. <IMAGE>

Description

DESCRIPTION IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO BEER DISPENSING FONTS.

The present invention relates to a beer dispensing font for use in dispensing beer in a public house or at any other desired location.

Beer fonts are usually mounted on the bar of a public house and comprise a single tap which projects from a housing usually displaying the name of the brew, the font connecting with a remotely located keg or other container, of beer, by means of a flexible pipeline. If desired the pipeline can be passed through a cooling unit. The beer can be forced along the pipeline when the tap is opened, either by gas pressure applied to the keg or other container, or by an electronic pump.

During continued use of the beer font, empty kegs are replaced by full kegs of beer. However, the throughput through the relatively narrow, usually plastic, pipeline, leaves a deposit on the inside wall of the pipeline, which can affect the quality of the beer unless it is removed at regular intervals.

To clean a pipeline is a somewhat tedious task which must be completed usually once a week.

Considering a system where gas pressure is used to force the beer along the pipeline, the pipeline is first disconnected from the keg and connected to a container of cold water. Operation of the tap will thus cause the cold water to pass under gas pressure, along the pipeline, flushing the pipeline clear of beer. Subsequently detergent is introduced into the cold water container and this is flushed completely through the pipeline and the pipeline is left full of detergent for a period of time, say half an hour.

Then, clean cold water is passed through the pipeline to flush out all of the detergent. At this stage the pipeline is re-connected to the keg and the tap is operated to cause beer to flush the water from the pipeline so that the system is then ready again to dispense beer.

As will be appreciated from the above cleaning operation, unless the keg and thus the pipeline, is empty of beer, the beer in the pipeline prior to cleaning, is flushed out and wasted when the cold water is first flushed through the pipeline. This can be from 1-1/2 to 2all2 pints (0.85 to 1.42 litres) of beer, or even more, dependent upon the length of the pipeline. Further, at the end of the cleaning operation when beer forces the water out of the pipeline, an amount of beer, say 1/2 pint, (0.28 litres), mixes with the water and is wasted. Thus, in total, 2 to 3 pints (1.14 to 1.7 litres) of beer, or even more, can be wasted during a cleaning operation each week. This is multiplied by the number of beer/lager fonts in a public house, producing a considerable wastage figure which adds to the running costs of the business.

The above wastage could be obviated if the cleaning operation was completed when the keg and thus the pipeline is empty. However, it is usually the case that a keg will be emptied during the evening period of business, requiring a new, full keg, to be substituted for continued sales of the particular brew. Thus, when the cleaning operation is to be performed, usually in the quiet time of the morning, the pipeline is full of beer.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a beer font which facilitates a reduction in beer wastage during pipeline cleaning.

According to the present invention there is provided a beer font comprising a dispenser tap which connects with a valve which is connectible to two pipelines which are connected to respective containers of beer, the valve in one position connecting the dispenser tap with one pipeline and in another position connecting the dispenser tap with the other pipeline.

By virtue of a beer font constructed according to the present invention, the dispenser tap can only be connected to one of the two separate containers, e.g.

to one of the kegs of beer, at any one time. Thus, if during an evening's business one keg should be emptied, then rather than immediately leaving perhaps a busy bar possibly several times during an evening to connect the font to a fresh keg, the valve can be operated and the untapped keg connected thereto. In this way the empty pipeline can be left until the quiet time of the next morning so that cleaning can be effected without any beer wastage.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the beer font comp ises a housing and a single dispenser tap which preferably has a manually operable lever. The valve is preferably a two position valve which also preferably has a manually operable lever.

In use, the lever of the valve is located in one of the two possible positions and connects one container of beer to the dispenser tap via the appropriate pipeline, whilst closing the other pipeline and other container of beer. When said one container of beer is empty, the lever of the valve is merely moved to the other of the possible positions, closing the first pipeline and empty beer container and connecting the said other pipeline and said other container of beer to the dispenser tap.

The present invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig.l illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present ir.vention; Fig.2 schematically illustrates a valve for use in the embodiment of Fig.l; Figs. 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d illustrate an alternative form of valve for use in the embodiment of Fig. 1; and Fig.4 schematically illustrates the arrangement of the embodiment of Fig.l in a bar/cellar situation.

The beer font constructed according to the present invention and illustrated in the accompanying drawings comprises a housing 1 on which a beer dispenser tap 3 is mounted. The dispenser tap 3 connects with either one of two pipelines 5, 7 via a two position valve 9, best seen in Fig.2 of the accompanying drawings, the pipelines being connected to respective beer kegs 6,8. The valve 9 is manually operable by moving a lever 11 between two limit positions, the valve connecting pipeline 5 and keg 6 to the dispenser tap 3, in the illustrated position, and connecting pipeline 7 and keg 8 to the dispenser tap 1 in the other limit position shown in dashed lines in Fig.l.

In either selected position the valve 9 opens one pipeline and closes the other pipeline.

A suitable valve 9 is shown schematically in Fig.2 of the accompanying drawings, and takes the form of a disc valve. The valve comprises three like disc members 13,15,17 which are coaxially mounted on a shaft 19 in juxtaposition to each other. The end disc members 13,17 are fixed on the shaft 19 and the central disc member 15 is rotatable on the shaft between two limit positions, by moving lever 11. End disc member 13 has an axially extending passage 23 which connects with the dispenser tap 3 and which opens out in the centre region of an arcuate chamber 25 formed by a groove in the surface of disc member 13 and closed by contiguous central disc member 15. The central disc member 15 has an axially extending passage 27 which connects at all times with chamber 25, irrespective of the rotational position of the central disc member 15. In one limit position of the central disc member 15, passage 27 connects with a passage 29 extending generally axially through disc member 17, passage 29 connecting with pipeline 5 and keg 6, and in the other limit position of the central disc member 15, passage 27 connects with a further passage 31 extending generally axially through disc member 17, further passage 31 connecting with the other pipeline 7 and keg 8. Thus it will be appreciated that valve 9 simply connects the dispenser tap 3 to one or other pipeline.

Figs. 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d illustrate an alternative form of valve for use in the embodiment of Fig. 1.

This valve comprises a generally cylindrical housing 33 with a cylindrical cavity 35 extending axially therethrough. The cavity 35 is closed at one axial end by a wall 37 through which an outlet passage 39 extends, the outer surface of the passage 39 being threaded as at 41, for attachment to the dispenser tap 3. A cylindrical valve barrel 43 is a snug, though rotatable, fit in the cavity 35 with a lever 11 extending laterally from the barrel through a circumferentially extending slot 45 in the cylindrical wall of the housing 33.A connecting passage 47 extends generally axially through the barrel 43 from an outlet 49 which is coaxial with the barrel 43 and thus aligned with the outlet passage 39, to an inlet 51 which is offset from the central axis of the barrel 43 and which can, by rotation of the barrel 43, become aligned with one or other of two inlet ports 53, 55 provided in an end plate 57 which closes the other axial end of the cavity 35. O-ring seals 59 seal the inlet 51 and outlet 49 with the housing.

Fig.4 shows the connection of the font of Fig.l in a bar/cellar situation. Passages 27 and 29 or 53 and 59, of the valve 9 (Figs 2 and 3) are connected to respective pipelines 5,7 which each pass through a cooler unit 61. Each pipeline then connects with a keg 6,8 of beer, the kegs being pressurised by a gas bottle 63. in use, the dispenser tap 3 can be opened to allow the gas pressure to force beer from keg 6 through pipeline 5 to the tap. When keg 6 is emptied, the lever 11 can be moved to connect tap 1 to pipeline 7. Then keg 8 can be used. In this way the empty keg 6 need only be replaced at a quiet morning time when the empty pipeline 5 can be cleaned without the wastage of beer. Similarly, when keg 8 is empty, the font can be switched to the new full keg so that the pipeline 7 can likewise be cleaned and a full keg substituted, without beer wastage.

The present invention thus provides a beer font which can be used to facilitate more economic cleaning of the pipelines.

Claims (6)

1. A beer font comprising a dispenser tap which connects with a valve which is connectible to two pipelines which are connected to respective containers of beer, the valve in one position connecting the dispenser tap with one pipeline and in another position connecting the dispenser tap with the other pipeline.

2. A beer font as claimed in claim 1, in which the valve is a manually operable two position valve.

3. A beer font as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the valve is a disc valve comprising three disc members which are coaxially arranged on a shaft in juxtaposition to each other, the end disc members being fixed on the shaft and the central disc member being rotatable on the shaft between two limit positions, one end disc member having an axially extending passage which connects with the dispenser tap and which opens in the centre region of an arcuate chamber defined by said one end disc member and said central disc member, the central disc member having an axially extending passage which communicates at all times with said chamber irrespective of the rotational position of the central disc member, this latter axially extending passage connecting in one limit position of said central disc member with one passage extending generally axially through the other end disc member, and with another passage which likewise extends generally axially through the other end disc member in the other limit position of said central disc member.

4. A beer font as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the valve comprises a housing with a cylindrical cavity within which a cylindrical valve barrel is a snug, though rotatable fit, a lever extending laterally of the barrel through a slot in the wall of the housing, a connecting passage extending generally axially through the barrel, one end of the connecting passage being located coaxially of the barrel and connecting with the dispenser tap, whilst the other end of the connecting passage is offset from the central axis of the barrel, said other end of the connecting passage being connectible with one or other of two inlets which are connectible with the respective pipelines, dependent upon the rotational position of the barrel in the cavity.

5. A beer font as claimed in claim 4 in which 0ring seals seal the ends of the said connecting passage to said inlets and an outlet in the cavity wall.

6. A beer font constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.