EP0211904A1

EP0211904A1 - Carbonating device

Info

Publication number: EP0211904A1
Application number: EP86901297A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Paul Alfred Micallef; T. S. Morrison
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1985-02-13
Filing date: 1986-02-12
Publication date: 1987-03-04
Also published as: WO1986004785A1

Abstract

Un dispositif de carbonatation d'eau dans des bouteilles ordinaires en plastique de boissons non alcoolisées comprend deux soupapes de sûreté (6, 33) séparées et une soupape (22a) de décharge de gaz. Un organe de connexion (37) utilise une des soupapes de sûreté comme pivot, en fermant celle-ci lorsqu'on appuie sur lui, ce qui rend le système étanche aux gaz et prêt à fonctionner. Lorsque l'on continue à appuyer sur l'organe de connexion, celui-ci maintient le système en état de fonctionner et actionne la soupape qui permet au gaz de s'écouler du cylindre de haute pression, à travers le dispositif, jusqu'à l'eau, afin de la carbonater. Le mouvement inverse de l'organe de connexion renverse son action, en coupant d'abord l'écoulement de gaz, puis en ouvrant le système à l'atmosphère normale. La deuxième soupape de sûreté fonctionne indépendamment de la connexion et indique par un signal sonore l'effet de la dépression exercée sur l'organe de connexion.A device for carbonating water in ordinary plastic soft drink bottles comprises two separate safety valves (6, 33) and a gas relief valve (22a). A connecting member (37) uses one of the safety valves as a pivot, closing it when pressed, rendering the system gas tight and ready for operation. When you continue to press the connecting device, it keeps the system in working order and actuates the valve which allows the gas to flow from the high pressure cylinder, through the device, until water, in order to carbonate it. Reverse movement of the connecting member reverses its action, first shutting off gas flow and then opening the system to normal atmosphere. The second safety valve operates independently of the connection and indicates by an audible signal the effect of the vacuum exerted on the connection member.

Description

CARBONATING DEVICE

This invention relates to a device for injecting a gas, particularly a carbonating gas, into a beverage.

There has recently been a resurgence in the popularity of apparatus for carbonating beverages in the home. One drawback of such apparatus known to the applicant is that once the pressure in the beverage container builds up to a certain maximum the flow of carbonating gas through the beverage ceases. This often happens before the beverage is sufficiently carbonated (gasified) and the only solution to this problem is to reduce the pressure in the beverage container and then inject more gas. It is one object of the invention to provide apparatus which makes it very easy to reduce the pressure inside the beverage container without the need for disconnecting it from the injection device.

It is another object of the invention to provide an injection apparatus which can be used with commonly available beverage containers. Many such containers have standard threaded neck nowadays for the reception of screw caps and it would clearly be advantageous for the device to be usable with such containers.

According to the invention there is provided a device for injecting a gas into a beverage, the device comprising a conduit for conveying the gas to a sealed container for the beverage, a first valve which can be opened to allow the gas to pass into the container and closed to cut off the flow of gas to the container, a second valve which can be opened to vent the container from atmosphere, and control means for opening the second valve after the first valve is closed and closing the second valve before the first valve is opened.

In one form of the invention, the device includes means for releasably mounting the container for the beverage thereon in sealing relationship therewith.

Again in one form of the invention, the device includes a housing for housing a container for the gas. According to one aspect of the invention the means for releasably mounting the container for the beverage comprises a screw threaded formation cooperable with a complementally screw threaded formation formed around an opening in the container for the beverage. Furthermore, according to the invention, the conduit comprises an inlet which is releasably mountable on the container for the gas in sealing relationship therewith, and an outlet which projects through the screw threaded formation in the device. Advantageously the conduit is housed in the housing. According to another aspect of the invention the control means comprises a bridging member which bridges the two valves and which can be operated to close the second valve and open the first valve.

In one form of the invention the bridging member can be directly hand manipulated to close the second valve and open the first valve. Advantageously the bridging member is pivoted to the housing. In an alternative form of the invention the device which includes an elanent which can be directly hand manipulated to operate the bridging member.

Advantageously, the element is in this case pivoted to the housing. According to yet another aspect of the invention spring means is provided for urging the second valve to the open position, the second valve in turn urging the bridging member to a position of repose. Furthermore, according to the invention, the first valve is urged to the closed position by pressure of the gas in the container for the gas. In one form of the invention the first valve comprises a shuttle which is mounted for sealing sliding axial movement in a bore of the conduit, the shuttle being slidable in the bore by an actuation member to open a valve in the container for the gas thereby to release the gas into the conduit, the actuation member being controllable by the control means. According to one aspect of the invention the shuttle is provided with a first cam surface and the actuation member is provided with a second cam surface which cooperates with the first cam surface to slide the shuttle in the bore. Advantageously, the actuation member is mounted for axial movement in a passage in a wall of the conduit, the axis of the passage being transverse to the axis of the bore of the conduit.

According to a feature of the invention the second valve is provided with a valve member which is mounted for axial movement in a second passage in the wall of the conduit, the axis of the two passages being substantially mutually parallel.

The invention, which should be considered in all its novel aspects and not limited to the embodiments described by way of example herein, is further discussed with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1: is a side view of one example on a valve assembly for mounting on a carbonating gas cyliner and for injecting the gas into a beverage contained in a bottle mounted on the assembly; FIGURE 2 is a view on Arrow A in Figure 1; FIGURE 3: is a sectional view on Arrows B - B in Figure 2; FIGURE 4: is a detailed view of a valve shuttle forming part of the assembly shown in Figure 1; FIGURE 5: is a cross sectional view of valve forming part of the assembly shown in Figure 1, a part of the valve being drawn in the reverse position for convenience of illustration; FIGURE 6: is a side view of a second example of an assembly similar to that shown in Figure 1; and FIGURE 7: is a cross sectional view, similar to Figure 5, of a valve forming part of the assembly shown in Figure 6.

Referring first to Figures 1 to 5, the valve assembly is encased in the upper part of a housing 1 which houses in its lower part a bottle (not shown) of carbonating gas under high pressure. The upper part of the housing is necked as at 2 so that it may be comfortably gripped in the hand. Its upper end the necked part is terminated by a bulbous portion 3 which accommodates the upper part of the valve assembly, described in detail below.

The valve assembly comprises an upright conduit 4 of glass reinforced polyamide, the lower end of which is provided with an internally threaded collar by means of which the assembly is screwed onto the gas bottle in conventional fashion. Mounted at the upper end of the conduit 4 is an assembly 5 the axis of which is located transversely to the axis of the conduit 4 and which assembly comprises a second conduit 6. A pressure relief valve (not shown) of conventional type is housed in the second conduit 6, the pressure relief valve being arranged to open at a gas pressure which can be adjusted and controlled by means of the machine screw 7 which projects frcm the rear of the second conduit 6. The bore 8 of the second conduit is in communication with that of the conduit 4. The forward end 9 of the second conduit carries a collar 10. The rear part of the bore 11 of the collar is a press fit on the second conduit 6 but the forward part of the bore, which is sealed from the rear part by means of an O-ring seal 12, defines a screw threaded annular socket 13. The socket is constructed to receive the complementally threaded neck of a bottle for containing a beverage such as a cool drink. Nowadays a large porportion of cool drinks are sold in bottles which have a neck of standardised size and the socket is advantageously constructed to receive the neck of such a bottle. The lip of the bottle seals against the O-ring seal 12.

It will be clear that the bore of the second conduit 6 is in communication with the interior of the bottle and, since there is a seal between the neck of the bottle and the collar, gas pressure inside the bottle will be equal to that in the bore of the conduit.

The passage of gas from the gas bottle through the conduits 4 and 6 is controlled by a shuttle assembly mounted in the bore of the conduit 4. The shuttle assembly comprises a shuttle having a central portion 14 of small diameter and end portions 15 and 16 which are a close sliding fit in the bore of the conduit 4, O-ring seals being provided therebetween.

The shuttle is tubular and a flexible pipe 17 is mounted at its upper end 18. A port 19 is formed in the side wall of the extreme lower end 20 of the shuttle. Thus if the shuttle is driven downwardly in the conduit 4, thereby opening a conventional needle valve in the gas bottle, gas will be released from the bottle and will pass through the port 19 and thence through the bore of the shuttle into the flexible pipe 17.

The means to drive the shuttle downwardly comprises a button 21 which protrudes from the necked part 2 of the housing 1 and is mounted on a pair of horizontally spaced arms 22 (only one of which can be seen) which slide sealingly in a boss 22a mounted on the side of the conduit 4. The arms 22 embrace the part 14 of the shuttle and are bevelled at their inner ends as shown at 23. The bevelled inner ends coact with the complementally bevelled upper face 24 of the lower part 16 of the shuttle so that if the button is pushed inwardly towards the conduit 4, the inner ends of the arms 22 will push the shuttle downwardly.

It is not necessary to provide a return spring to push the button outwardly or the shuttle upwardly as the gas pressure in the bore of the conduit below the shuttle will drive the shuttle upwardly if the button is released and the shuttle will in turn drive the button outwardly.

The flexible pipe 17 passes upwardly through the bores of the conduits 4 and 6 and terminates in an outlet fitting 25 which in normal use will be iπmersed in a beverage in the bottle. The end of the fitting 25 is provided with a main outlet aperture 27 and subsidiary outlet holes 28 spaced around the aperture 27 and directed outwardly from it. A portion of the carbonating gas emerging from the holes 28 agitates or 'scrubs' the beverage to improve the dissolving of the carbonating gas in the beverage.

When a bottle is mounted on the carbonating device, the bottle is pressurised as the beverage is carbonated (gasified) and it is usually necessary to release the pressure several times during the carbonation. This both slows the carbonating operation and creates inconventional work for the user. Additionally the pressure releases suddenly when the connection between the conduit and the bottle is broken. To avoid these problems, the device shown is provided with a valve 29 which vents the conduit 4 between the shuttle 14 and the conduit 6. When open the vent valve allows gas under pressure in the conduit to escape to atmosphere, thereby reducing the gas pressure in the bottle to that of atmosphere. The valve 29 comprises a boss 30 which puts the bore of the conduit 4 in communication with atmosphere via ports 31 and 32. A valve slider 33 with an O-ring 34 slides in the boss 30 to open to close the ports 32 and thus the path of the gas to atmosphere. The slider 33 is urged by means of a spring 35 to a valve open position. The valve is closed by axial pressure on a further spring 36 mounted on the outer end of the slider 33 which projects through the necked part 2 of the housing 1 above the button 21. The lower end of a valve control lever 37 is pivoted to the housing and is positioned so as to bridge the button 21 and the outer end of the spring 36. When the lever is squeezed, axial pressure is thus applied to both the button, 21 and the valve slide 33. The various elements are arranged and constructed so that, when the lever 37 is squeezed, the slider 33 will be moved to a valve closed position (shutting off the ports 32) before the button 21 drives the shuttle so far down that the needle valve of the gas bottle is opened. Conversely, when the lever 37 is released, the shuttle will move upwardly and allow the needle valve to close before the valve slider 33 opens the ports 32. When the devise is used, the vent valve is initially open and the conduit is at atmospheric pressure. When the lever is squeezed towards the housing, the vent valve is closed to seal the conduit and bottle from atmosphere before the needle valve opens. The user then repeatedly squeezes and releases the lever until the beverage is fully carbonated. Each release of the lever allows the vent valve to open to release the pressure from inside the bottle, thus eliminating the need to remove the container for that purpose.

The lever is held down for a time which the user learns by practice is sufficient or until the pressure in the bottle builds up to a point where the pressure relief valve opens. The sound made by gas escaping through the pressure relief valve is a signal to the user to release the lever 37.

The assembly shown in Figures 6 and 7 is similar to that already described. Where parts are identical they are numbered with identical numbers, where parts are modified but their functions are equivalent, the numbers of the parts shown in Figures 6 and 7 are dashed. The principle features of the assembly shown in Figures 6 and 7 are the pivoting of the lever 37' at its upper end from the bulbous portion 3 of the housing and the provision of a separate briding piece 38 intermediate the lever 37' and the spring 36' and button 21. The bridging piece 38 is located inside the necked part 2 of the housing and is provided with a spigot 39 which projects outwardly into contact with the lever 37' .

The assembly operates in the same manner as the assembly already described. In the present case however, it is necessary to ensure that the spigot 39 is positioned on the bridging piece so that the force applied to the button 21 and the spring 36' is such that the vent valve 33' will close before the needle valve of the gas bottle is opened.

The embodiments described are for the purposes of exemplification and illustration only. The scope of the invention is not limited thereby but by the accompanying claims.

Claims

WHAT I CLAIMS IS:

1. A device for injecting a gas into a beverage, the device comprising a conduit for conveying the gas to a sealed container for the beverage, a first valve which can be opened to allow the gas to pass into the container and closed to cut off the flow of gas to the container, a second valve which can be opened to vent the container to atmosphere and closed to isolate the container from atmosphere, and control means for opening the second valve after the first valve is closed and closing the second valve before the first valve is opened.

2. A device according to claim 1, including means for releasably mounting the container for the beverage thereon in sealing relationship therewith.

3. A device according to claim 2, including a housing for housing a container for the gas.

4. A device according to claim 2 or claim 3, in which the means for releasably mounting the container for the beverage comprises a screw threaded formation cooperable with a ccmplementally screw threaded formation formed around an opening in the container for the beverage.

5. A device according to claim 4 in which the conduit comprises an inlet which is releasably mountable on the container for the gas in sealing relationship therewith, and an outlet which projects through the screw threaded formation in the device.

6. A device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, in which the conduit is housed in the housing.

7. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the control means comprises a bridging member which bridges the two valves and which can be operated to close the second valve and open the first valve.

8. A device according to claim 7, in which the bridging member can be directly hand manipulated to close the second valve and open the first valve.

9. A device according to claim 8, in which the bridging member is pivoted to the housing.

10. A device according to claim 7, which includes an element which can be directly hand manipulated to operate the bridging member.

11. A device according to claim 10, in which the elanent is pivoted to the housing.

12. A device according to any one of claims 7 to 11, in which spring means is provided for urging the second valve to the open position, the second valve in turn urging the bridging member to a position of repose.

13. A device according to any one of claims 7 to 12, in which the first valve is urged to the closed position by pressure of the gas in the container for the gas.

14. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the first valve comprises a shuttle which is mounted for sealing sliding axial movement in a bore of the conduit, the shuttle being slidable in the bore by an actuation member to open a valve in the container for the gas thereby to release the gas into the conduit, the actuation member being controllable by the control means.

15. A device according to claim 14, in which the shuttle is provided with a first cam surface and the actuation member is provided with a second cam surface which cooperates with the first cam surface to slide the shuttle in the bore.

16. A device according to claim 15, in which the actuation member is mounted for axial movement in a passage in a wall of the conduit, the axis of the passage being transverse to the axis of the bore of the conduit.

17. A device according to claim 16, in which the second valve is provided with a valve member which is mounted for axial movement in a second passage in the wall of the conduit, the axis of the two passages being substantially mutually parallel.

18. A device substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 to 5 or Figures 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.