EP0064949B1 - Container closure for a tapping unit - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a container closure for attachable tapping devices according to the preamble of claim 1.

It is of increasing importance to partially or completely empty containers which contain liquid chemicals and in particular those which are harmful to humans in a manner which allows humans to come into contact with the liquid chemicals as far as possible or to avoid completely. This is of particular importance if the liquids to be tapped from a container are chemicals that are harmful to health or the environment. Many countries have legislated on this, such as B. The U.S. Government State of California has regulated this over the past four years in relation to the open pouring of pesticides from containers.

While the government mentioned did so only through an open pouring process through its laws and regulations, without considering the possibility of later poisoning from human contact with emptied but unpurified containers or taps, or other damage to the environment, many governments go significantly further in this regard.

In order to fully appreciate the background of the invention, it is recommended to study a publication on page 19 of the Agri-Chemical Age from September / October 1978. This publication describes “Product of the Month” as a closed pesticide transfer system, which includes a cheap probe that chemical formulations manufacturers can usually install on site in a mixing drum, and a standard quick connector. However, in this known system it is still possible to pour out the contents of the drum by hand and openly, namely through an approximately 5 cm wide opening which is intended for use by consumers who do not have a closed tapping device. However, the consumer has the choice of using a special, suitable special device for tapping or not.

Other documents that address the background of the invention are US Pat. Nos. 4108,336, 4150,771 and 4,245,760. The first and the latter of these references relate to container assemblies containing chemicals that can be adapted for use in closed systems. However, the container arrangement in these documents does not completely prevent open pouring or contact with the environment.

US Pat. No. 4,150,771 discloses a closure of the type according to the invention. However, the preferred field of application for this known closure is not the contamination-safe filling, emptying and cleaning (rinsing) of containers for dangerous chemicals, but the tapping of beer from kegs.

In the two-valve closure known from US-PS-4150771, the two valves are designed as spring-loaded poppet valves. The «beer valve is arranged concentrically in the« gas valve ». The plate of the «gas valve» is fixed tightly in the upper end of the riser pipe and has a central hole that forms the seat of the «beer valve». The seat of the "beer valve" is formed by a conical lower ring surface of an inwardly projecting flange part of the outer closure housing. The valve springs are coil springs. Due to the design, the «gas valve» spring not only has to support the valve but also the riser. Due to the structure, this construction has many individual parts and is quite complicated. According to the patent specification, high-quality materials such as chrome-plated brass, coated aluminum and stainless steel (cast or deep-drawn) are mentioned for their manufacture. In any case, the known closure is hardly suitable due to its structure, e.g. B. to be made entirely of (cheap) plastic, as z. B. is practically essential for one-way closures.

The aim of the invention is to provide an optimally contamination-proof container closure for filling, emptying and washing the container, which at the same time is so simple and cheap with optimal operational safety that it can also be used in particular as a one-way closure.

The object is achieved according to the invention essentially by the design of the closure described in the characterizing part of claim 1.

Preferred variants are described in claims 2 ff, wherein in particular the embodiment of claim 3 enables a particularly extensive simplification.

• Figur 1 eine perspektivische Darstellung der Teile einer ersten Ausführungsform des Verschlusses nach der Erfindung in auseinandergezogener Anordnung ;
• Figur 2 eine Ansicht, teilweise im Längsschnitt, der in Fig. 1 dargestellten Ausführungsform in geschlossenem Zustand sowie strichpunktiert den Anschlussbereich einer auf den Verschluss passenden Abzapfvorrichtung ;
• Figur 3 einen Längsschnitt durch eine weitere Ausführungsform desselben ;
• Figur 4 eine Gesamtanordnung eines mit dem erfindungsgemässen Verschluss in der Ausführungsform nach Figuren 1 und 2 versehenen Behälters sowie einer auf den Verschluss aufgesetzten Abzapfvorrichtung.

Further purposes, advantages and details of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Show it :

• Figure 1 is a perspective view of the parts of a first embodiment of the closure according to the invention in an exploded arrangement;
• FIG. 2 shows a view, partly in longitudinal section, of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in the closed state and in dash-dotted lines the connection area of a tap device fitting on the closure;
• FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal section through a further embodiment of the same;
• Figure 4 shows an overall arrangement of a the closure according to the invention in the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2 and a tapping device placed on the closure.

According to FIGS. 1 and 2, the closure 10 comprises four parts, namely a housing 12, the main part of which resembles a cupcake mold placed upside down, a cover 14 having a cover flange 14A with a central opening 14B, a valve body 16 and a spring 18 surrounding the latter.

The valve body 16 has a stem part 20, which is surrounded by the spring 18, and a plate 22 as a sealing element. The valve disk 22 lies sealingly on the underside of a radially inwardly projecting ring flange 14C of the cover 14. As a result, the valve plate 22 forms a dynamic seal under the pressure of the spring 18, which in turn is supported with its lower end on an annular wall rib 24 which extends radially inwards. A downwardly directed pipe socket 28 of the housing 12 is in communicating connection with the inner chamber 200 having the upper opening 14B.

The housing pipe socket 28 is integrally connected at its upper end to the inner edge of the annular rib 24, which in turn protrudes radially inward from the cylindrical inner wall part 30 of the cupcake mold forming the main part of the housing. The inner wall part 30 merges at its lower outward curved end into the outer wall part 32 integral with it, as a result of which an upper open outer chamber 34 is formed between the two wall parts. The outer region of the cover flange 14A, which is loaded elastically upward, covers the outer chamber 34 in a sealing manner and is normally stopped at its outer edge by a retaining ring 36. A number of holding members, as shown in the illustration annular beads 38 on the outside of the cover pipe socket 40, secure the cover 14 in its position inside the cylindrical wall part 30 by engagement with a number of correspondingly provided holding beads 42 on the inner surface of this wall part. The cover pipe socket 40 forms the outer wall of the inner chamber 200.

The flange 14A formed from flexible elastic material seals the outer chamber 34 of the housing 12 and forms a flap valve. Polypropylene is particularly well suited for the production of the flange 14A. Thanks to its elastic flexibility, the flange 14A can be bent downwards by means of suitable, spaced-apart tines of a tapping device designed to be placed on the edge part of the housing 12 surrounding the cover 14, as will be explained in more detail below.

The closure 10 in the embodiment described in Figures 1 and 2, as will be readily apparent, can be attached to any type of container, and various attachment means can be used to prevent accidental leakage or displacement.

As can be seen from these figures, an annular projection 50 which is provided on the upper region of the outer wall part 32 of the housing 12 and which can engage with a flange provided on the container can be used as such a fastening means. A flange 52, which is provided at the upper end of the housing 12 and extends radially outwards, is suitable for extending over the opening of the container. Other fastening means such as a simple friction fit, a clamping or pressure ring, or also thermal or induction sealing or the like can be used.

So that the closure 10 according to FIG. 1 functions in the desired manner, a riser pipe 54 is connected to it, which extends into the vicinity of the container bottom and dips into a depression, preferably provided in the container, for a liquid sump.

The riser pipe 54 is advantageously installed in the container together with the closure 10, to the housing pipe socket 28 of which it can be fastened by means of the retaining bead 56. However, the riser pipe 54 can also be previously inserted into the container in the required position in another suitable manner.

In use, the end face of the valve plate 22 must be lifted sufficiently far from the lid opening 14B to allow a desired amount of liquid to pass between the valve body 16 and the lid 14. At the same time, the flap valve formed by the outer area of the cover flange 14A must be pushed down in whole or in part in order to allow the tapped volume of liquid in the container to be replaced by air.

In order to reduce the contamination of the product on the underside of the flange valve or to avoid it as far as possible and not to stress the valve to an unacceptable extent, the shape of the main part of the housing 12 and the arrangement of a number of windows 60 in the outer wall 32, that extend into the lower curved bottom area of this shape, narrowing the flow path. These windows 60 are spaced apart from one another over the circumference of the outer wall part 32.

So z. B. there are eight such windows 60; they allow the drainage of the housing 12 and thus reduce the risk of contamination of the liquid. These windows 60 also serve to allow the flushing water to be sprayed into the container, in particular after its contents have been completely emptied. For this purpose, the windows 60, as shown, are formed as elongated slots in the axial direction and are arranged at the lower end of the housing interior 34 in such a way that rinsing water flowing out of them is open on all sides the inner wall of the container is directed. After the end of the emptying and washing process or also after the end of a partial emptying followed by uncoupling the tapping device, the valves return to their closed positions. Empty containers can be thrown away or refilled, and partially empty containers can be opened again by repeating the tap procedure.

A modification of the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2, not shown in the drawings, can provide that, when the flange 14A is pressed down, the slots 60 can be cleaned by wiping off disturbing or clogging or contaminating particles. This is particularly useful in those cases where certain chemicals cause such interference. In this case, the slots would be located just below the zone in which the outer circumference of the flange 14A in the closed position rests against the inside of the outer wall part 32, this region of the flange 14A being able to be equipped on its circumference with extension elements which, when assembled of the closure extend into the slots provided in the new position mentioned above and would thus also form an adequate seal.

FIG. 3 shows a further embodiment of the closure according to the invention, designated here by reference number 80.

In this embodiment, the cover and the valve body and the spring are omitted. The inner wall part 90 of the housing delimiting the inner chamber 200 is here of the same internal width as the housing pipe socket 98 projecting downward from the main housing part, so that a continuous cylindrical inner wall part 98 is thereby formed, which surrounds the passage 96. The central valve, which controls the passage of liquid chemicals from and into the container, consists of the slit valve, which together forms a slot valve and extends radially inward from the upper end edge of the inner wall part 90, which is formed integrally with the housing 82, of tongues 84B of the lid part 84, while the radial outward flange 84A of the cover part 84 closes off the annular space 94 formed between the housing outer wall part 92 and the inner wall part 90 of the tubular piece 98 surrounded by the latter at its upper end. While in the embodiment according to FIG. 4 the inwardly directed tongues 84B of the cover part 84 are individually fastened to the upper edge of the inner wall part area 90 by means of hinge straps 84C, there could also be a single undivided valve flap, which is connected to the above-mentioned upper edge on the right or left by means of a suitable joint connection of the cylindrical portion 90 could be hinged. The tapping device (not shown) suitable for placement on the housing 82 for use with the closure 80 would be brought into the correct aligned position with the central flap valve 84B by means of pins 86 protruding on the upper side of the outer flange region 84A.

FIG. 4 shows a special embodiment of a tap 100 together with a closure according to FIG. 1. The tapping device 100 restricts the connection to precisely defined, safe routes. The arrangement may have a stand (not shown) in which the container 101 is positioned to be aligned with the tapping device 100, whereupon the latter is brought into pressure contact with the closure 10, so that a tight connection is created and the various Operations can run.

The necessary organs are installed in the tapping device 100 in order to press the closure valves down and thus to open them. These organs can be designed in such a way that a plurality of organs opening the valve can come into operation simultaneously when the closure 10 and the tap device 100 are connected forehead to forehead. On the other hand, the organs can also be operated independently of one another.

4, the underside of the sealing ring 102 of the tapping device 100 is intended for sealing contact with the inner flange 14C of the cover, which serves as a valve seat for the central valve of the closure 10, and ensures that the two flows, one of which is a flow of the liquid product the interior of the container and the other a stream of either product to be filled into the container or rinse water or air are isolated from each other. When the tapping device 100 is applied to the closure 10, a guide piston 104 is extended from a passage 118 which receives it and has an annular cross section of a cylinder with the lower frustoconical piston end and is pressed with the end face of said piston end against the upper end face of the valve plate 22. The diameter of the end face of the frustoconical end of the piston 104 is dimensioned such that this piston end can pass through the central opening 14B of the cover 14. By pressing the valve plate 22 downward, the spring 18 is compressed from the underside of the inner flange 14C and product from the interior of the container can flow from the passage 26 through the central opening 14B into the passage 118.

At the same time, downward tines or pins 106 also travel downward with the piston and encounter the outer portion of the cover flange 14A, which they bend downward in the manner shown in FIG. 4. As a result, air can flow through the housing space 34 and the windows 60 into the container for pressure equalization. Rinsing water can also be poured into the container in this way.

Openings 108 are provided in a suitable manner in the lower end face 110 of the tapping device, through which openings or Flushing water from the chamber wall enveloping the interior 112 of the tapping device can reach the outer chamber 34 of the closure 10 when the Kiappenventii 14A is open. In the chamber wall containing the interior 112, a connection piece 114 is provided, to which the hose of a water or air line can be connected.

The liquid chemical in the container is made available with the aid of a suitable suction source (not shown), which is connected to a connecting piece 116, which in turn is mounted in the wall of the cylinder surrounding the passage 118 and brings a line of the suction source into the passage 118 in free connection , tapped.

The main advantages of the above-described embodiments of the arrangement according to the invention for removing liquid from a container include the possibility of rinsing or spraying out the emptied container without first having to uncouple the container from the tapping device and open it by removing the closure. The tapping of hazardous liquid chemicals is accomplished without interfering with the flushing or spraying, and ventilation is provided by bending the flange portions 14A downward.

It is generally felt by the user to be desirable to know the amount of rinse water needed to rinse out when making a mixture in the container. Therefore, a rinsing water reservoir (not shown) of sufficient capacity is advantageously connected to the tap and water is removed from it during rinsing.

If a tapping operation has led to the complete emptying of the container 101, the user can actuate a valve mechanism of the accumulator which allows a certain amount of water to be introduced or sprayed into the container. The water collecting at the bottom of the container can be sucked off again through the passage 26 of the pipe socket 28 of the closure 10. The entire arrangement can be equipped for automatic storage and refilling. In manual operation, the user again actuates a lever (not shown), as a result of which the piston 104 also returns to its upwardly retracted position in the cylinder surrounding the passage 118, so that the tapping device can now be lifted off the closure again.

Although, as mentioned, the container is preferably mounted in a rack, this is not necessary and the tapping device could also be attached to the container by means of internal or external screw connections provided for this purpose, or a flange of a flexible Reike-type outlet nozzle can be connected or a locking device can be used inside the tap.

Claims (10)

1. Container closure for attachable tapping devices, comprising a housing (12) being sealingly fixable in a container opening and having a central inner chamber (200) and an outer chamber (34) enclosing the former, a riser tube (54) being connected to or connectable with the inner chamber from underneath the same, the external wall of the outer chamber having lateral openings (60), and two valves which are opened automatically when attaching the tapping device (100), whereby a first valve, designated hereinafter as the tapping valve, frees the outflow through the tapping device via the riser tube and the inner chamber, while the second valve, designated hereinafter as pressure relief and scavenging valve, opens the external chamber for the inflow of, for instance, air or rinsing liquid, characterized in that the pressure relief and scavenging valve is constituted by an elastically flexible flange (14A) of a lid (14) sealingly closing the housing at the top, which flexible flange sealingly closes the outer chamber in the manner of a flap valve and is bent inwardly, when the tapping device (100) is being attached, by protrusions such as pins (106) or the like, provided on the said device and/or on said flange, whereby the outer chamber (34) is opened by way of the tapping device to the outside for such a time until said device is again removed and the elastically flexible flange flips back into its closing position.

2. Container closure according to Claim 1, characterized in that the tapping valve is constituted by such a one having a valve disk (22) being urged by a spring (18) on to a valve seat, while the part (14C) of the housing lid (14) which covers the inner chamber (200) has a central bore (14B) the lower rim region of which is devised as the valve seat, and the valve disk is displaced by the tapping device (100) when the latter is being attached, against the force of the spring (18) away from the valve seat downwardly, and the valve is thereby opened.

3. Container closure according to Claim 1, characterized in that, in order to form the tapping valve, the part (14C) of the housing lid (14) which covers the inner chamber (200) is provided with a central elastically flexible region (84B) with a slot having edges sealingly abutting one another in the manner of a flap valve, which slot is opened by the tapping device (100) when the latter is installed and closes again upon the removal of the same (Fig. 3).

4. Container closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the housing lid (14) is molded integrally from elastically flexible material, the flexible parts thereof such as, e. g., the rim flange (14A) being of reduced wall thickness.

5. Container closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the housing lid (14) and the housing parts forming the inner chamber (200) are molded integrally from synthic resin material (Fig. 3).

6. Container closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the casing and preferably also the housing lid (84) and the riser tube connection (98) are molded integrally from synthetic resin material (Fig. 3).

7. Container closure according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the housing (12) is formed by two hollow bodies one of which fits into the other, and of which the outer hollow body is of annular shape and substantially V-shaped, upwardly open cross section, and its internal wall (30) extends substantially cylindrically and is equipped with annular outwardly protruding beads (42) ; and the inner hollow body thereof is constituted by a substantially cylindrical socket (40) with outwardly protruding annular beads (38), while the two hollow bodies, one inserted into the other, are secured by the annular beads against unintentional sliding apart (Fig. 2).

8. Container closure according to Claim 7, characterized in that the outer hollow body carries the riser tube connection (28) on an inwardly projecting annular shoulder (24).

9. Container closure according to Claim 8, characterized in that the inwardly projecting annular shoulder (24) of the outer hollow body is designed as a support for the valve spring (18).

10. Container closure according to one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the housing lid (14) is an integral part of the socket (40) constituting the inner hollow body.

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