GB2101969A - Dispensing valves - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dispense valve for controlling the dispensing of fluent material, comprising: a valve body 1 defining a dispensing passage; a sleeve 4 disposed within said valve body, and surrounding said dispensing passage which sleeve is movable longitudinally within said valve body; a diverting member 2 situated within the valve body and the dispensing passage to divert the flow of material around its periphery and provide a valve seat for the sleeve 4, the arrangement being such that movement of the sleeve into abutment with the diverting member stops the flow of said material. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Valve for controlling dispensation of fluid material This invention relates to valves for controlling the dispensing of fluent material. The valves are particularly, but not exclusively, applicable to vending machines that dispense beverages.

Vending machines for beverages typically include a number of containers of powdered ingredients. These containers are usually aligned in succession, each containing a separate ingredient, for example, coffee, sugar, milk and chocolate in powdered form. The machine when operated by a customer dispenses a measured amount of each of the appropriate ingredients into a cup and then adds hot water to the mixture.

The powdered ingredients are typically contained in plastic containers that are inverted in the vending machine and attached, at their necks, to valve assemblies. These valve assembies usually include a ball valve member in which a steel ball is supported by a seat over an outlet orifice. An upper valve body portion is attached to the valve seat by a spacing sleeve which determines the volume enclosed by the valve body. These parts are all enclosed by an outer sleeve attached to the valve seat.

The parts are moulded from high-density plastics material apart from the steel ball. The ball may be displaced from its seat to operate the valve by a magnetic field generated by an external coil. When operated the ball closes the outlet from the container so that only the measure of powdered ingredient within the valve body is dispensed.

This type of valve has several undesirable characteristics. One is that the amount of material dispensed in one operation can only be varied by taking the valve apart and modifying the spacing between the valve seat and the upper body portion. Second, it is vulnerable to the pilfering of ingredients by persons pushing the ball off its seat with a probe inserted through the outlet orifice of the valve.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a control valve for the dispensing of fluent material, at least some forms of which may be constructed to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages.

According to the present invention there is provided a dispense valve for controlling the dispensing of fluent material, comprising: a valve body defining a dispensing passage; a sleeve disposed within said valve body and surrounding said dispensing passage which sleeve is movable longitudinally with said valve body; a diverting member situated within the valve body and the dispensing passage to divert the flow of material around its periphery and provide a valve seat for the sleeve, the arrangement being such that movement of the sleeve into abutment with the diverting member stops the flow of said material.

The diverting member may have a conical surface which constitutes valve seat. The outer wall of the sleeve may be tapered to provide a frusto-conical surface of a crosssection which reduces in the direction towards the outlet of the dispensing passage. The sleeve is preferably formed of ferromagnetic material, the remaining parts of the valve being formed from a non-ferromagnetic material the arrangement being such that the sleeve is movable between an open and a closed position by the action of an externally applied electrically generated magnetic field.

The valve in accordance with the present invention may also include a valve holder adapted and arranged to supporting said valve together with a container attached thereto in a material dispensing attitude and a solenoid for generating a magnetic field whereby movement of the sleeve to allow material to flow in the dispense passage occurs on excitation of said solenoid. The invention also includes the beverage dispensing machine incorporated by the present invention.

Following is a description by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings of one method of carrying the invention into effect.

In the drawings: Figure ils an exploded view of parts of a valve assembly for a vending machine and Figure 2 is an axial sectional view through the assembled valve attached to an ingredients cartridge.

Referring to Fig. 1, the valve assembly includes an outer sleeve 1, a conical seat 2, an inner sleeve 3 and a tubular steel sleeve 4 which constitutes the valve operating member. The assembly fits on the neck 5 of an ingredients cartridge.

The container is installed in a vending machine with its neck and the valve assembly vertically disposed beneath it, that is with the longitudinal axis of the outer sleeve also vertical. In the following description the neck of the container and the valve assembly will be considered in their operative dispositions.

Refering also to Fig. 2, the outer sleeve 1 is generally cylindrical in shape with a frustoconical end portion 6. The inside surface of this end portion is provided with four equiangularly spaced radial support fins 7. The edge surfaces 8 of the fins which face inwards into the space encircled by the end portion 6 are parallel with the longitudinal axis of the outer sleeve 1 and are disposed at right angles to the perimeter of the circular outlet orifice 9.

From the upper limit of each edge surface 8 each fin 7 has a downwardly -sloping edgesurface 10 which joins a short vertical edge surface 1 0a which in turn joins the transverse ledge 11 of the fin. The part of the fin bounded by the sloping edge 10 the vertical edge 1 0a and the vertical inner edge surface, constitutes a locating element for the conical seat 2.

The outer sleeve 1 has four circumferentially-aligned locating slots 1 2 through its cylindrical wall just down from its upper circular end.

The inner sleeve 3, which is fitted into the neck 5 of the ingredients cartridge, has a generally-conical funnel portion 13, the narrow end of which is integral with a generally tubular portion. The inner sleeve is co-axial with the outer sleeve 1 and extends approximately halfway along the length of the outer sleeve from its upper end. The outer surface of the inner sleeve 3 has four identical radial fins 14 extending the full length of the inner sleeve. Each fin is separated by an obtuse angle to one adjacent fin and by an acute angle to the other.Each fin has a general triangular part integral with the conical portion 1 3 of the inner sleeve one edge surface of which extends vertically downwards from the upper periphery of the conical portion 1 3 and a second edge surface 1 6 extends perpendicularly inwards from the first. The remainder of the fin extends down the tubular portion of the inner sleeve in the form of a longitudinal rib 1 7. The fins give the inner sleeve 1 3 a shaped profile. The inwardly-extending edge surfaces 1 6 of the triangular parts of the fins 14 define an annular right-angled cavity 1 5 between the inner sleeve 3 and the outer sleeve 1.These edge surfaces 1 6 of each of the fins 1 4 constitute abutment surfaces for the valve operating member whilst the longitudinal portions 1 7 act as guides for the valve operating member.

A perforated filter disc 1 8 is located within the rim of funnel portion 1 3 of the inner sleeve to meter the ingredient flow and prevent the powder from packing.

The conical seat 2 comprises a circular rim 1 9 integral with a pointed cone 20. Triangular fins 21 are upstanding from the conical surface, and each has a transverse 22 and a longitudinal edge surface with respect to the valve assembly. The transverse edge surfaces 22 have the same extent as the cylindrical portion of the inner sleeve 3 including its fins.

The inner sleeve sits on these transverse edge surfaces and the annular cavity 1 5 is lengthened by the longitudinal edge surfaces of the fins 21. The conical surface, however, has a transverse extent greater than the fins 21 and so projects out beneath the annular cavity 1 5 as a frusto-conical abutment surface 23.

The neck 5 of the ingredients container is tubular with a width just less than that of the outer sleeve 1 so that it is a close fit therein.

A cicular flange 24 extends around the outside of the neck 5 to limit the depth of its insertion into the outer sleeve. The neck 5 also includes circumferentially aligned spacedapart ribs 25 corresponding to the slots 1 2 in the outer sleeve 1 within which they are fitted to locate and secure the neck inside the outer sleeve. When so located the neck forms an inner lining to the outer sleeve 1 and a guide surface on the outer periphery of the annular cavity 15.

The valve operating member is the movable steel sleeve 4 which moves in the annular cavity 1 5. The outer surface of the steel sleeve 4 is tapered inwardly at its lower end 2. The taper reduces the thickness of the steel sleeve to a relatively narrow lower end surface. The lower inner edge of the steel sleeve, in the absence of an external force, rests on the angled surface 23 at the periphery of the conical seat. In this position a space exists between the upper surface of the steel sleeve 4 and the transverse surfaces 1 6 of the fins of the inner sleeve.

In use, the outer sleeve 1 of the valve assembly is inserted through a moulded plastics former on which a wire coil is wound.

When ingredients are required to be dispensed from the cartridge, a periodically varying voltage is applied to the coil. The magnetic field produced as a result causes the tubular steel sleeve 4 to move upwardly from the conical seat 2 and to reciprocate in the cavity 1 5 by vibrating against its upper stop, the transverse edge surfaces 1 6 of the fins 1 4. The powdered ingredient to be dispensed flows in the direction showed by the arrowed lines in Fig. 2 and is diverted around the periphery of the conical seat 2 passing between the steel sleeve 1 4 and the conical seat 2. The flow of powder is assisted by the vibration of the steel sleeve which disturbs the powder and prevents it from packing. When the voltage is removed from the coil the steel sleeve drops by gravity to the position at which its lower end surface rests on the conical seat 2 and flow of the powdered ingredient is interupted. The quantity of ingredient dispensed in any one operation is determined by the length of time the coil is energised by the applied voltage.

It is difficult to mechanically push the movable valve member with a probe introduced through the outlet 9. There is little surface on the steel sleeve 4 on which such a probe can obtain purchase. The downwards facing end surface of the steel sleeve is small and is shielded by the conical seat 2, and its tapered side surface presents an oblique, smooth surface to a probe from which it is likely to slide off. Thus pilfering by this method is deterred.

Claims (7)

1. A dispense valve for controlling the dispensing of fluent material, comprising: a valve body defining a dispensing passage; a sleeve disposed within said valve body, and surrounding said dispensing passage which sleeve is movable longitudinally with said valve body; a diverting member situated within the valve body and the dispensing passage to divert the flow of material around its periphery and provide a valve seat for the sleeve, the arrangement being such that movement of the sleeve into abutment with the diverting member stops the flow of said material.

2. A valve as claimed in claim 1 wherein the diverting member has a conical surface which constitutes said valve seat.

3. A valve as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the outer wall of the sleeve is tapered to provide a frustoconical surface of a cross-section which reduces in a direction towards the outlet of the dispensing passage.

4. A valve as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the sleeve is ferromagnetic and wherein the remaining parts of the valve are formed from a non-ferromagentic material, the sleeve being movable between an open and a closed position by the action of an externally applied electricallygenerated magnetic field.

5. A valve as claimed in any preceding claim including a valve holder for supporting said valve together with a container attached thereto in a material dispensing attitude, and a solenoid for generating a magnetic field whereby movement of the sleeve to allow material to flow within the dispense passage occurs on excitation of said solenoid.

6. A valve as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

7. A beverage dispensing machine incorporating a valve as claimed in any preceding claim.