GB2118278A

GB2118278A - Valve or tap

Info

Publication number: GB2118278A
Application number: GB08307743A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Terence Burns; James Blackshaw
Original assignee: BRITISH SYPHON IND Ltd
Current assignee: BRITISH SYPHON IND Ltd
Priority date: 1982-04-13
Filing date: 1983-03-21
Publication date: 1983-10-26
Also published as: GB8307743D0

Abstract

A valve or tap includes an occluding member (22) of an elastic material and acted on by a push rod (30) extending within it so that it can close an exit port (18) at one end of a chamber in which it is located. So that the occluding member (22) is not caused to vibrate when acted upon by liquid entering the chamber through an entry port 14 in its side wall, the occluding member is surrounded by a sleeve element (36), the latter having a plurality of radial ports through which the liquid can flow so that the occluding member is pressure balanced. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Valve or tap The invention relates to valves or taps such as are used for the dispensing of beer or soft drinks and which consequently require to be as hygienic as possible.

It is known to provide in such a valve or tap an occluding member of somewhat "top hat' section and made of an elastic material, the occluding member being located within a chamber in a body part of the tap or valve and being capable of being acted on by means of a push rod extending within it so that it can close an exit port at one end of the chamber leading to a nozzle. A flange portion of the occluding member is clamped against an end surface of the body of the valve or tap to close the other end of the chamber by a closure cap through which the push rod extends. The beverage enters the chamber through an entry port in the side wall of the chamber.

This kind of valve or tap is particularly hygienic because only the outer surfaces of the extensible occluding member are wetted by the beverage. The push rod is not wetted by the beverage and there is no need for sealing means surrounding the push rod where it extends through the closure cap (and it will be understood that there is thus no part of the valve or tap which alternately wetted and then exposed to atmosphere as in the case of earlier known taps or valves provided with sliding type seals surrounding operating rods).

However, it has been found that this known construction of valve or tap has one particular drawback when used for dispensing beverages stored under pressure, namely that the extensible occluding member tends to vibrate and this causes the dispensing of the beverage to be difficult to control. The invention has for its object to provide a valve or tap of the kind referred to in which this particular drawback is at least alleviated.

According to the invention, there is provided a valve or tap of the kind referred to, a sleeve element being provided in the annular space surrounding the occluding member within the chamber, and a plurality of radial ports being provided through which the beverage concerned can flow from an annular space surrounding the sleeve element (and which is fed by the flow of beverage through the entry port to the chamber) to the annular space within said sleeve element, the arrangement being such that the flow of beverage impinging against the occluding member whenever the valve or tap is open is substantially equally distributed around said member so that it is pressure balanced.The sleeve element will preferably be provided with circumferential lips at its upper and lower ends, these being a close sliding fit in the chamber to ensure the sleeve being concentrically arranged around the occluding member.

In order that the invention may be fully understood and readily carried into effect, the same will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 is a part sectional view of a valve or tap embodying the invention, and Figure 2 is an exploded view thereof.

Referring now to the drawings, the valve or tap there illustrated includes a body part 10 within which is formed a cylindrical chamber 1 2. An entry port 14 in a side wall of the chamber communicates with a flow passage through a flanged inlet member 1 6 which is brazed to the body part, the inlet member being internally and externally screwthreaded, as shown, for the connection of a beer line to the valve or tap and for the mounting of said valve or tap on a bar structure, respectively.

An exit port 1 8 at the lower end of the chamber leads to a nozzle 20.

The valve or tap is provided with an occluding member 22 of somewhat "top hat" section made of rubber. The occluding member has a flange portion 24 which is clamped against an end surface 26 of the body part, to close an upper end of the chamber 12, by a closure cap 28 a skirt portion of which engages an external screwthread at the upper end of the body part. A push rod 30 by means of which the valve or tap is opened and closed extends freely through a hole at the centre of the closure cap, an upper end of the push rod being pivotally connected to an operating lever 32 and a lower end of which is acted on by a spring 34 to urge it downwardly.

The arrangement is such that the push rod 30 extends downwardly within the occluding member 22 so that the iatter is normally stretched very slightly and thus closes the exit port 1 8. When the operating lever 32 is rocked in one direction or the other, as shown in chain-dotted lines in Fig. 1, the cam action of a portion of the lever against the top surface of the closure cap 28 causes the push rod 30 to be raised (to a variable extent depending on whether the lever has been rocked in the one direction or the other) so that the occluding member is moved away from the exit port 1 8 to a variable extent according to whether full flow or restricted flow is required.

The annular space surrounding the occlud ing member within the chamber 1 2 accommo dates a plastics sleeve element 36 which is provided with circumferential lips 38 at its upper and lower ends, these being a close sliding fit in the chamber. The sleeve element is provided with three equally spaced radial ports 40 through which beer can flow from an annular space surrounding the sleeve element (and which is fed by the flow of beer through the entry port 14) to the annular space within said sleeve element. The flow of beer impinging against the occluding member whenever the valve or tap is open is thus evenly distributed around said member so that it is pressure balanced.The action of the sleeve member has been found to prevent the tendency previously referred to for the occluding member to vibrate and the dispensing of the beverage concerned has been found to be correspondingly less difficult than hitherto. It is thought that the reason why the occluding member no longer tends to vibrate may be due to a combination of factors, being no doubt at least partly due to the pressure balancing of the occluding member but possibly also being due in part to a damping action of the restrictive radial ports 40.

It will be seen that a flanged sleeve member 42 is entered into the upper end of the sleeve element 36 to fill the annular space between the sleeve element 36 and an upper portion of the occluding member. Said sleeve member has been made of stainless steel.

However, it will be understood that the sleeve element 36 could equally well have been made of the required stepped bore form of the two sleeve parts, in other words so that a single sleeve had substantially the same shape as the combined pair of sleeves illustrated.

Similarly, it will be understood that the body part 10 and flanged inlet member could be moulded integrally together in a synthetic plastics material.

Claims

1. A valve or tap for the dispensing of beer or soft drinks and provided with an occluding member of somewhat "top hat" section made of an elastic material, the occluding member being located within a chamber in a body part of the tap or valve and being acted on by means of a push rod extending within it so that it can close an exit port at one end of said chamber leading to a nozzle, a flange portion of the occluding member being clamped against an end surface of the body of the valve or tap to close the other end of said chamber by a closure cap through which the push rod extends and an entry port being provided in the side wall of the chamber for the flow of beverage into said chamber, a sleeve element being provided in the annular space surrounding the occluding member within said chamber, and a plurality of radial ports being provided through which the beverage concerned can flow from an annular space surrounding the sleeve element (and which is fed by the flow of beverage through the entry port to the chamber) to the annular space within said sleeve element, the arrangement being such that the flow of beverage impinging against the occluding member whenever the valve or tap is open is substantially equally distributed around said member so that it is pressure balanced.

2. A valve or tap according to claim 1, in which the sleeve element is provided with circumferential lips at its upper and lower ends, these being a close sliding fit in the chamber to ensure the sleeve being concentrically arranged around the occluding member.

3. A valve or tap constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as here it before described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.