GB2446392A

GB2446392A - A Plastic Upper Chime and Keg Assembly for Beverage Kegs

Info

Publication number: GB2446392A
Application number: GB0702670A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Iain Mcderment; Gary Howard
Original assignee: Anheuser Busch InBev SA
Current assignee: Anheuser Busch InBev SA
Priority date: 2007-02-12
Filing date: 2007-02-12
Publication date: 2008-08-13
Also published as: GB0702670D0; CN101641262B; CN101641262A; UA96007C2

Abstract

A keg top chime 1 comprising a keg neck finish surround 10 adapted to engage a keg neck in mutually inter-fitting secured relation, thus securing the chime 1 to the keg. Preferably the surround 10 of the chime 1 comprises an opening 10a, circumscribed by respective free ends 10d of a plurality of resilient flexible tines 10b, and wherein the fixed ends of the tines are rooted on a central hub 3. The chime 1 may include a spider 2 for engaging a bottom portion of a keg body. The chime 1 may also be provided with channel drains 11 for draining accumulating liquids.

Description

"A Plastic Upper Chime and Keg Assembly for Beverage Kegs"

Background of the Invention:

The earliest containers for beer included dried gourds, clay pots and bags made of tar-coated leather, and sometimes denominated as "blackjacks".

Historical records indicate that wooden kegs, in the form of "tuns" or barrels date back to before I000AD -and by early in the 16th century, nearly all beer was sold in barrels, with prices based on volume.

For centuries, wooden barrels prevailed as the dominant form of beer packaging throughout the world. Originally, beer was brewed to meet the needs of small communities and was consumed at the production site but, as demand for it grew and beer had to be taken to more distant points-of-sale, transportable casks were required and these, too, were made from wood. While such packaging served well when beer sold quickly, (i.e. locally), it was not a viable option for broader distribution.. In the late 19th century, technological advances made compressed gases available, and dispense systems using clean, pressurized carbon dioxide resulted in beer with improved carbonation throughout the life of the barrel and a very significant reduction in microbiological spoilage.. The benefits of this system were quickly recognized and by 1900, it was used for at least 75 percent of the United States beer dispense. About the same time, the widespread use of refrigeration in the transport and dispense of draft beer -to help keep the growth of spoilage microorganisms in under control.

With these improvements, wooden barrels remained widely used into the middle of the 20th century. Wooden casks were made from vertical strips of oak, or "staves", held tightly together by horizontal steel hoops. For this arrangement to be watertight, the staves were not only tapered so that together they created a circular cross-section, but also bowed so that steel hoops could be forced down from the circular end to squeeze them together. The resulting "bellied shape" of casks, held practical advantages in handling, so that even full kegs could be readily rolled and steered into position. In addition, it facilitated positioning the keg onto the rack (or, "stillage"), since the bellied shape allowed the container to be rocked backwards and forwards longitudinally until it could be lifted smoothly onto its end and then swung completely over and onto the storage rack. The belly also provided a low point in the vessel, into which the yeast settled below the bung level -so that beer could be drawn off from above the sediment, keeping it "bright".

Eventually, with the advent of brewing on an industrial scale, metallic materials were introduced for the production vessels, but these were selected essentially for their strength. From the middle of the 19th century (with little recognition of the effects of corrosion and the resultant product contamination) process tanks were made out of soldered copper sheet and massive open fermenting chambers were lined with lead.

Vessels were sometimes named after the materials which the industry had begun to use and the ingredients for beer are even today boiled in "coppers". However, until the mid 1900s wood remained the only material commonly used for casks for storage, distribution and dispense, it having the advantage that staves damaged by impact during delivery could be replaced individually by the Cooper. About that time, however, other materials were being considered for use. Although at least one brand of India Pale Ale was, for a short time in 1934, exported from Britain to India in experimental steel casks, it was not for another qua rtercentury that metals became extensively used for the bulk packaging of beers. The trend was noted in "The Practical Brewer", 1942 edition, which listed five types of barrels then in various degrees of use, including wood, laminated wood, stainless steel, steel and aluminum. During the 1950s, attempts were made in the UK to develop containers which were stronger, cheaper to maintain and more hygienic than timber alone. A number of materials combinations were tried, some more successfully than others. A thin stainless steel liner was encased in a wooden cask.

This presented to the beer a more hygienic surface than timber alone, but the wood still broke during handling and the stainless steel liner could easily be dented. Later, a stainless steel vessel was complete encased in a mild steel jacket. This was known as a "Brown Bomber" and was strong but very heavy. External rusting of the jacket also presented a poor image of the contents. Later still, a thin stainless steel body had a pair of mild steel chimes longitudinally bolted together to entrap the vessel. This was quite strong but, again, unacceptably heavy. Stainless steel as such was not broadly adopted as such until the late 1950s: and its use then was restricted to the smaller sizes of cask, and was dimensioned to mimic as far as possible those of the traditional oak ones so that they could operate side-by-side with them. On a comparative strength basis, however, these stainless kegs weighed less than a comparable wooden casks. In time, a cylindrical stainless steel body was developed which provided for an interference-fit with galvanized mild steel chimes (sometimes spelled chimes) with integral rolling-rings pressed onto each end. This "Sunbrite" design, developed by GKN-Sankey in the UK, is still in service today.

In the early 1960s, aluminum alloys were introduced because they offered the advantage that, for an equivalent size and strength of container, they were approximately 30% lighter than stainless steel.

Unlike stainless steel, however, aluminum kegs (as well as the wood, laminated wood and steel kegs), all of these kegs still needed to be pitched" or lined with an organic resin or wax to isolate the beer from the container material itself. This facilitated sanitizing of the interior prior to filling and minimized the development of microbial induced off-flavors. In the case of steel and aluminum, it was also necessary to prevent corrosion of the keg by the acidic beer, as well as the development of metallic off-flavors in the beer itself. Modern European legislation, (EC Directive 89/109/EEC on Materials and Articles in Contact with Food), stipulates that materials must not "react with, or alter the organoleptic properties of, foods with which they come into contact." This standard has necessitated much research into materials, including the epoxy resins used to line aluminum containers.

Today, nearly all beer barrels or kegs are made of stainless steel.

The practice of refrigerating continues even today, since there continue to be microbial and physio-chemical issues in beer storage -even in the relatively superior stainless steel packaging.

There is a need in the art to facilitate the adoption of lighter weight packaging for the transportation of beer, especially in relation to larger multi-serving packaging, such a draught beer kegs.

In order for plastic packaging to be acceptable, particularly in these larger container sizes, there are a number of obstacles that must be overcome, before the plastic packaging can displace the still widely used and successful stainless steel kegs described above. Other, earlier aborted attempts to migrate to lighter weight packaging in this connection, testifies to the problems of bettering the current day stainless steel standard. On the other hand the history of attempts to provide alternatives to stainless in this application also makes it clear that there is a longstanding recognition of the desirability of, in particular, lighter weight packaging.

Summary of the Invention:

The present invention relates to a keg top chime which comprises a keg neck finish surround that is adapted to engage a cooperating keg neck finish which extends prominently from the top of a complementary keg. The surround and the neck finish engage in mutually inter-fitting secured relation to thereby at least partially secure the chime to the keg.

Preferably, both the keg and the chime are made of plastics material.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a keg body comprising a top having a keg body neck finish there on that is adapted to engage a complementary keg neck finish surround in cooperative mutually inter-fitting secured relation to thereby at least partially secure the chime to the keg.

Finally, in relation to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a keg and chime assembly. The assembly comprises a keg body having a top whereon a keg body neck finish is provided. The assembly further comprises a keg top chime having a keg neck finish surround. That keg neck finish surround is adapted to engage with the cooperating keg neck finish in inter-fitting secured relation to thereby at least partially secure the chime and the keg in their mutually assembled relation.

Advantages associated with various embodiments of the present invention include the ease of snap on assembly of the chime, as it engages the keg neck finish, (which of course lends itself to automated assembly). Moreover, in cases where no other means of fixation is employed, the top chime can be readily removed and recycled separately from the keg, and if appropriate easily replaced by another replacement chime so that the keg can be returned to production. In addition, the top chime provides for ease of handling, and its resilient flexibility provides for drop resistance benefits.

Introduction to the Drawings:

Figure 1 of the drawings appended hereto depicts a top-side elevated perspective view into a preferred embodiment of a plastic bottom chime according to the present invention.

Figure 2 of the drawings appended hereto illustrates an underside, elevated perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a plastic bottom chime according to the present invention.

Figure 3 of the drawings is a perspective view of the top chime of the present invention mounted on a complementary keg having a cooperating neck finish.

Figure 4 of the drawings is a cross-sectional view taken through the top chime according to the present invention, in combination, (i.e. in mounted relation) on a beer keg of the present invention, shown in inter-fitting stacked relation with a complementary bottom chime of a superposed keg.

Detailed DescriDtion of a Preferred Embodiment: Referring in general to Figures 1 and 2 of the appended drawings, there is provided a preferred keg top chime 1 according to the present invention. Keg top chime 1 comprises a keg neck finish surround 10.

Surround 10 is specifically adapted to engage a cooperating keg neck finish (not shown in Figures 1 and 2, but refer instead to Figures 3 and 4). That engagement sustains a mutually inter-fitting secured relation to thereby at least partially secure the chime to the keg.

In this preferred form of the chime I according to the present invention, surround 10 comprises an opening lOa, which is circumscribed by respective free ends lOd of a plurality of resilient, flexible tines lOb.

Tines lOb extend radially inwardly into opening lOa, from fixed ends of said tines lOb that are rooted on a central hub 3. Note that at least one of said free ends lOd, and preferably a plurality thereof, include a tab extension 10c, adapted to engage in corresponding register with a complementary slot (not shown) in a keg neck finish. Although the function of this arrangement could be accomplished in other ways that still fall within the scope of the present invention (i.e. merely by engaging respective tines in respective individual slots in the neck finish), the tabs are well suited to interfering with any rotation that might otherwise be possible between chime 1 and the neck finish, relative to the keg body.

Chime 1 includes a "spider' 2 for engaging a top portion of a keg body (again, not shown in Figures 1 and 2, refer to Figures 3 and 4 and the description that follows below), in surmounted relation by chime 1.

The spider 2 in turn comprises the central hub 3 with a plurality of radially outwardly extending legs or spoke girders 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d. These spoke girders terminate at a rim wall 5, of a downwardly depending chime skirt 7.

Spoke girders 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d, have channel cross-sections including said walls C that provide a stiffened girder effect. and function as support fillets between the central hub 3 and the chime skirt 7.

A handle ring 6 is also arranged to interconnect the radially outmost extent of the spokes, and is spaced above and apart from chime skirt 7. Handle ring 6 has a curved underside 6a adapted to facilitate hand holds, and a plurality of raised fins 6b on an opposed surface that function to facilitate hand grips and as a continuation of the supporting surfaces 6c that form the roots for respective spoke girders 4a-d where they join with skirt 7. Additionally, any liquids that fall onto the handle ring is channeled downwardly between fins 6b and away from the handhold portion of the chime, to help ensure a non-slippery grip.

Chime skirt 7 supports a peripheral bead 12 adapted to engage adjacent surfaces of the secured keg body.

Chime skirt 7 also includes hand holes 7a, positioned below raised fins 6b, and forming an opening into a "pocket" between the upper side of the keg body in between girder side walls C of adjacent pairs of spokes, to thereby permit the handle ring 6 to be griped from between chime 1 and proximal but spaced apart portions of the keg body top 1 5a.

Skirt 7 also includes keg body drains 9 for draining liquids accumulating between the skirt 7 and an associated keg body wall.

When in use, keg assemblies according to the present invention can accumulate water or other liquids that would remain trapped between the chime and the keg when the assembly is oriented in its normal upright position, but which is permitted to drain away through these drains 9.

Similarly, handle ring 6 includes channel drains 11 for draining liquids accumulating within the interior of the girder cross sections of spokes 4a-d.

Notably, keg assemblies according to the present invention are often washed and filled in an inverted orientation, during which time water might otherwise accumulate unless permitted to drain away through these drains. Note in this connection that the keg of the present invention and assemblies comprising same are preferably closed-system kegs.

Referring now Figure 3 the chime 1 is illustrated in mounted relation on keg body 15. Note in particular the engagement of tines 1 Ob with the portion of keg neck finish 16 that extends through surround 10 -and in particular, the engagement of the free ends of tines lOb below neck finish abutment 16b. Also note that peripheral bead 12 engages keg body 15 proximal to the transition between the upper shoulders and cylindrical side walls of the keg. The keg and chime assembly as illustrated in Figure 3 comprises keg body 15 having a top 15a bearing a keg neck finish 16. Keg top chime 1 comprises a keg neck finish surround 10. The keg top finish surround 10 and the keg neck finish 16 are mutually adapted to engage a cooperating, inter-fitting secured relation to thereby at least partially secure said chime and keg in mutually assembled relation. In the variously illustrated embodiments, the inter-fitting secured relation is a resiliently biased mechanically interfering registration between the salient portions of keg 15 and said chime 1.

Referring now to Figure 4 in particular, there is shown a cut away section through a stacked pair of kegs, illustrating in greater detail the engagement of the chime 1 with keg body 15, and a complementary stacking relationship of chime 1 with a bottom chime of the surmounted keg assembly above it. Although not visible in either Figures 3 or 4, tabs lOc extend into tab receiving mouths located in the neck finish, to secure the chine 1 against rotation relative to the keg body 15.

Keg body 15 comprises a shoulder shaped top 15a extending upwardly from the rest of the kegs cylindrical body. lop 15a has a keg neck finish 16, which is adapted to engage a complementary keg neck finish surround 10 of keg top chime 1, (also illustrated in Figures 1 and 2).

Neck finish 16 includes generally upstanding side walls 16a extending proud of the adjacent periphery of the keg body 15 top 15a and terminating in an overhanging annular abutment 16b that is particularly suited to engage in snap-on inter-fitting secured relation with the complementary features of top chime 1 as described elsewhere herein.

Spoke girders 4a-d are curved along edges of side walls C to conform in shape along adjacent surfaces of keg top portion 15a, to be supported in contacting relation there along.

The resulting chime 1 is a particularly light weight design, and introduces relatively low material costs to the overall keg assembly.

Claims

Claims: 1. A keg top chime 1 comprising a keg neck finish surround 10,

adapted to engage a cooperating keg neck finish in mutually inter-fitting secured relation to thereby at least partially secure said chime to said keg.
2. The chime 1 according to claim 1, wherein said surround 10 comprises an opening lOa, circumscribed by respective free ends lOd of a plurality of resilient, flexible tines lOb which extend radially inwardly into said opening lOa, from fixed ends of said tines lOb that are rooted on a centralhub3.
3. The chime according to claim 1, wherein at least one, and preferably a plurality of said free ends lOd include means (such as respective tabs 1 Oc), adapted to engage in inter-fitting register with cooperating means in said kegs neck finish, to mechanically resist rotation of said chime around said neck.
4. The chime 1 according to claim 2, including a spider 2 for engaging a bottom portion of a keg body in cradled relation in said chime, said spider 2 in turn comprising a central hub 3 with a plurality of radially outwardly extending spokes 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d, terminating at a rim wall 5 and along chime skirt 7.
5. The chime according to claim 1, wherein spokes 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d, have side walls C to provide a stiffened girder effect.
6. The chime according to claim 5, wherein said side walls C have edges adapted to engage on supporting surfaces of a keg body when said chime is secured thereto.
7. The chime 1 according to claims 4 and 5, wherein said upstanding chime skirt 7 supports a peripheral bead 12 adapted to engage adjacent surfaces of a secured keg body. -ii-
8. The chime 1 according to claim 4, wherein said skirt 7 includes keg body drains 9 for draining liquids accumulating between the skirt 7 and an associated keg body wall.
9. The chime 1 according to claim 4, channel drains 11 are provided for draining liquids accumulating between channel walls C and skirt 7
10. A keg body 15 comprising a bottom 15a, and having thereon a keg body neck finish 16, adapted to engage a complementary keg neck finish surround 10 of keg top chime 1, in cooperative mutually inter-fitting secured relation to thereby at least partially secure said chime ito said keg 15.
11. The keg body 15 according to claim 10 wherein said neck finish 16 includes an annular flange I 6a extending proud of the periphery of said keg neck finish adapted to engage in said inter-fitting secured 1 5 relation with said top chime 1.
12. A keg and chime assembly comprising: * keg body 15 comprising a bottom 15a, and having thereon a keg body neck finish 16, and, * a keg top chime 1 comprising a keg neck finish surround 10, wherein said keg neck finish surround 10 and said keg neck finish 16 are mutually adapted to engage a cooperating keg neck finish in inter-fitting secured relation to thereby at least partially secure said chime and keg in mutually assembled relation.
13. The assembly according to claim 12, wherein said inter-fitting secured relation is a resiliently biased mechanically interfering registration between said keg 15 and said chime 1.