GB2104480A - Liquid dispensing device - Google Patents

Abstract

A liquid dispensing device, intended primarily as a spirits measure, has an electrically actuated valve member (5) cooperating with a nozzle (4) of predetermined size to dispense a fixed quantity of liquid in response to momentary operation of a trigger button (12). The valve member (5) is connected to a solenoid (7, 8) coupled to an electronic timing circuit (11). The nozzle (4) forms the lower end of a passageway (2) communicating with an inlet duct (3, 16) shaped to receive the neck of an inverted bottle. Air enters the bottle through an air release valve (14) and an air release chamber (15) separated from the inlet duct by a baffle (16). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Liquid dispensing device This invention relates to a liquid dispensing device, and in particular to a device for dispensing a predetermined volume of liquid from an inverted bottle.

A known device which has been in general use for many years has a measuring chamber communicating with the bottle interior via a normally open upper valve and with an outlet nozzle via a normally closed lower valve. The movable valve member for both valves is an axially movable central spindle which extends through the chamber and terminates at its lower end to form the nozzle, the lower portion of the spindle being tubular. The lower valve is a sleeve valve formed by openings in the wall of the spindle positioned so that liquid can flow from the chamber to the nozzle when the spindle is raised. At the same time the upper end of the spindle (i.e. the upper valve) blocks the passage between the bottle and the chamber to prevent flow of liquid from the bottle until the spindle is released.

The known device has a number of disadvantages.

In particular, it is possible to dispense measures which are short of the required volume either (a) by releasing the spindle before the measuring chamber has emptied, or (b) by raising the spindle to dispense another measure before the measuring chamber has been completely refilled.

A further disadvantage is that the speed with which measures can be dispensed is limited (a) by the rate of flow of liquid from the nozzle and (b) by the time taken for the chamber to refill before the next measure can be dispensed. In addition, if no liquid is drawn from the device during a period in which the ambient temperature drops, the partial vacuum created in the bottle may tend to draw liquid from the measuring chamber back into the bottle, so that the first measure dispensed after the cooling period may be short of the required volume.

It is an object of this invention to provide a dispensing device which partly or wholly avoids the disadvantages of the known device.

According to this invention, a liquid dispensing device for dispensing a predetermined quantity of liquid comprises an inlet for receiving liquid from a liquid container, an outlet nozzle, a passageway connecting the inlet to the nozzle, and a valve having a valve member situated between the inlet and the nozzle and operable to allow liquid to flow from the nozzle for a predetermined time interval. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the valve includes electrical actuating means, for example a solenoid controlled by an electronic timing circuit which is triggered by a push button adjacent the nozzle. The timing circuit may be connected to a counting circuit for recording the number of measures dispensed.

Since the volume of liquid dispensed is determined by the time interval during which the valve is open, the measuring chamber of the prior art device can be omitted, and liquid can be allowed to flow from the inlet into the passageway whilst liquid is being dispensed at the nozzle. Simultaneously, air is allowed to flow back through the inlet into the bottle.

In the preferred embodiment a baffle and a separator plate are included to control the return airflow.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the drawing which is a sectioned side view of a dispensing device in accordance with the invention.

The device illustrated has a body 1 moulded from transparent plastics material in which a passageway 2 is formed, connecting an inlet sleeve 3 to a metal or plastics outlet nozzle 4. The sleeve 3 is formed from a resilient plastics material and shaped to form a watertight seal in the neck of an inverted bottle (not shown). Liquid flow from the passageway 2 to the nozzle 4 is controlled by a valve member 5 having a resilient washer 6 which seats against the upper surface of the nozzle 4. The valve member 5 is coupled to the armature 7 of a solenoid 8 by a connecting rod 9. A gland 10 attached to the lower end of the armature 7 seals the passageway 2 from the exterior of the body 1.

The volume of liquid dispensed from the nozzle 4 depends (a) on the effective orifice size formed by the nozzle and the valve member 5 when the latter is raised, and (b) on the time interval during which the valve member 5 is raised. This time interval is set by an electronic circuit hosed either externally of the body 1 or preferably in a compartment 11 in the body 1. For convenience a push button 12 is situated adjacent the nozzle 4 so that the timing circuit can be triggered at the same time as a glass is held beneath the nozzle. Operation of the button 12 causes the timing circuit to energise the solenoid 8 which in turn raises the valve member 5 to its open position.

The timing circuit is arranged to hold the solenoid 8 on its energised state until a predetermined time interval has elapsed, even if the button 12 is only momentarily operated. This means that once the dispensing of liquid is triggered by the button 12, the flow of liquid cannot be stopped before a complete measure has been dispensed, so avoiding short measures.

Unlike the prior art device mentioned above, liquid flows into the inlet 3 at the same time as liquid is dispensed from the nozzle 4. Air flows through the inlet 3 in the reverse direction to the liquid from an air inlet 13, an air release valve 14, and an air relase chamber 15 defined by a baffle 16. A separator plate 17 forms a partition in the inlet 3 to assist the return flow of air. The prupose of the baffle 16 is to set a liquid level in the release chamber 15 which is below the air inlet 13. The distance between the release valve 14 and the lower edge of the baffle is sufficient to prevent liquid from reaching the valve 14when the bottle is full or when the closing of the valve member 5 causes the liquid level in the release chamber 15 to oscillate. The release valve 14 acts to prevent escape of liquid through the air inlet 13 when the device is inverted to fit a fresh bottle to the inlet 3. This valve 14 may be a simple one-way valve or a mechanically actuated valve as shown which is held open by a rod 18 when the body 1 is mounted by means of a contact plate 19 on a vertical mounting surface. A filter 20 is fitted to the air inlet 13.

The timing circuit may be powered from the mains supply via a simple transformer and rectifier arrangement and via spring contacts 22 in the conact plate 19. A counter circuit with a display attached to the front face 21 of the body may be coupled to the timing circuit to indicate the number of measures dispensed.

The embodiment shown has a typical dispensing time interval in the region of 1 to 2 seconds, compared with a dispense and refill time of 5 seconds with the known device.

Claims (13)

1. A liquid dispensing device for dispensing a predetermined quantity of liquid comprises an inlet for receiving liquid from a liquid container, an outlet nozzle, a passageway connecting the inlet to the nonle, a valve having a valve member situated between the inlet and the nozzle, an air inlet in communication with the passageway, electrical actuating means coupled to the valve member, and an electronic timing circuit connected to the actuating means to open the valve for a predetermined time interval to allow a required quantity of liquid to flow from the nozzle.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the inlet is defined by an inlet duct having an upwardly directed opening at one end associated with means for sealed engagement of the neck of an inverted closed container or bottle, the duct being arranged to connect the interior of the container or bottle with the passageway, and wherein the passageway is in communication with an air inlet for allowing air to enter the container or bottle as liquid is dispensed.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the passageway is in communication with the air inlet via an air release chamber at a level above a lower end of the inlet duct.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein a lower end portion of the inlet duct comprises a baffle pipe extending downwardly into the passageway so that an annular air release chamber is formed between the sides of the passageway and the baffle pipe.

5. A device according to any preceding claim, including an air valve between the air inlet and the passageway to prevent flow of liquid out of the passageway through the air inlet.

6. A device according to claim 5, wherein the air release valve is coupled to an actuating member having a projecting portion arranged to engage a supporting structure, so that when the device is mounted on the supporting structure the valve is opened, the valve being automatically closed when the device is removed from the structure.

7. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the electrical actuating means comprises a solenoid.

8. A device according to claim 7, wherein the solenoid armature is attached to a downwardly extending rod, wherein the valve member coprises an enlarged lower end portion of the rod, and wherein the nozzle comprises a generally horizontal wall forming the lower end of the passageway and having a central aperture of a predetermined size, the wall being situated beneath the valve member so that the v valve member covers the aperture when in its closed position.

9. A device according to any preceding claim, including triggering means coupled to the timing circuit, the circuit being arranged to open the valve for the said time interval in response to momentary actuation of the triggering device.

10. A device according to claim 9, wherein the triggering device is a spring biased switch or button mounted adjacent to the nonle.

11. A device according to claim 2, wherein the inlet duct has a flexible upper sleeve portion for engaging the inside wall of the neck of the container or bottle.

12. A device according to claim 11, including a separator plate mounted longitudinally in the inlet duct.

13. A liquid dispensing device constructed and arranged substantially as herein described and shown in the accompanying drawing.