WO2002014209A1

WO2002014209A1 - Keg for soft drinks, beer and the like

Info

Publication number: WO2002014209A1
Application number: PCT/NL2001/000507
Authority: WO
Inventors: Andreas Hubertus Hullegien
Original assignee: Dispense Systems International B.V.
Priority date: 2000-07-07
Filing date: 2001-07-04
Publication date: 2002-02-21
Also published as: NL1015643C2; EP1210289A1; AU2001272845A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a keg for soft drinks, beer and the like, comprising a keg neck (3) and an inside member (4) fitted with a shut-off element, which fits in an opening of the keg neck. The keg neck forms an integral whole with at least part of the keg wall (1). Preferably, the keg wall comprises a plate material, at least at the location of the keg neck, and the keg neck is preferably formed of said material.

Description

Keg for soft drinks, beer and the like

The invention relates to a keg for soft drinks, beer and the like, comprising a keg neck and an inside member fitted with a shut-off element, which fits in an opening of the keg neck. A keg of this kind is known, for example, from US patent no. 4,509,663. Said publication discloses a keg having a circular opening in its upper side, in which a keg neck (also called neck ring) is welded. Usually an inside member, such as a so-called spear, comprising a valve disc and a riser pipe is mounted in said keg neck by means of a bayonet catch or screw thread.

The object of the present invention is to provide a keg which is simpler and easier to produce.

In order to accomplish that objective, the keg according to the invention is characterized in that the keg neck forms an integral whole with at least part of the keg wall. Preferably, the keg wall comprises a plate material, at least at the location of the keg neck, and the keg neck is formed of said material . Since the connection between the keg wall and the keg neck must be strong and gastight, the prior art keg neck, which is formed by means of a casting process, for example, must undergo one or more machining operations before being welded onto the keg. When using the invention, casting, finishing and welding of the keg neck is no longer necessary, whilst in addition a strong and gastight transition between the keg and the keg neck is obtained.

In one preferred embodiment, the keg neck comprises an upright edge, at least ione part of which has been bent inwards towards the inside member after the installation of said inside member, as a result of which said inside member is retained in a direction along or parallel to an imaginary central axis through the opening in the keg neck and away from the keg . To this end, the upright edge is preferably formed with a number of projections, which are bent towards the inside member in the finished keg. In principle, said projections may have any desired width. Most keg necks have a circular circumference, however, so that it is preferred to use a small width for the projections in order to prevent creases or cracks being developed.

The invention furthermore relates to an inside member which is apparently intended for use in a keg according to any one of the appended claims .

The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings, which show an exemplary embodiment of the keg according to the invention.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a spear and a keg neck according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the spear and the keg neck according to Figure 1 along plane A-A.

Figure 3 shows, partially in side elevation and partially in vertical section, the spear and the keg neck according to the invention.

Figures 4 and 5 show, respectively, a part of a spear and a part of a keg neck according to the invention.

It is noted that in the following description the terms up and down are used in relation to a keg in upright position. In the case of a keg in horizontal position, said terms will change accordingly. The figures show a part of the upper wall 1 of a keg

(not shown) for beer, soft drinks and the like. A circular opening 2 is formed in said upper wall, which opening is surrounded by a keg neck 3. An inside member, in this case a so-called spear 4, is mounted in said keg neck 3. Said spear comprises a substantially cylindrical external housing or casing 5, which is permanently connected to the keg neck 3, in a manner which is yet to be discussed in more detail.

Mounted in said casing 5, by means of a bayonet catch 6, is an internal housing 7. Mounted between casing 5 and housing 7 are a valve 8 and a retainer spring 9, which form, in a manner which is known per se, a shut -off element for the keg. A riser pipe 10 is connected to the bottom side of housing 7. Furthermore, a number of openings 11 are present in housing 7, just below the upper wall 1 of the keg, for passing a gas by means of which a liquid which is present in the keg can be forced up through the riser pipe.

A gasket, such as a rubber 0-ring 12, is disposed between casing 5 and keg neck 3 so as to prevent (gas) leakage from the interior of the keg.

A coupling of a tapping installation, for example a so- called tap head, can be connected to the spear 4. Said parts are known per se and they will not be discussed in detail herein. As can be clearly seen in Figure 5, the keg neck 3 of the present embodiment, prior to the spear 4 being fitted, substantially consists of a cylindrical, upright edge, which forms an integral whole with the upper wall 1 of the keg. Present on the upper side of said edge are a number of projections, in this case teeth 13 narrowing in upward directions. In order to prevent creases or cracks being developed upon bending of the projections, projections having a width of preferably from 4 to 5 mm (along the circumference of the keg neck) are very suitable, for example for a circular keg neck having an inside diameter of about 60 mm. Incidentally, the joint or overall width of the teeth is significant in connection with the strength of the connection between the keg neck 3 and the casing 5, so that it is preferred to select a maximum value for said joint or overall width, especially if ω t t H ¹ o Lπ o LΠ o LΠ c CQ Φ Ω 0 Φ Pi TJ CD rt μ- 0 φ Ω W μ- rt μ- ^ Ω TJ 03 St Φ P. SD SD rt

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circumferentially provided with a number of teeth, and subsequently forming an upright edge at the location of said hole. It is also possible, of course, to make a hole first and form an upright edge, and only provide the teeth once this has been done .

In some cases it may be desirable to remove the inside member or parts thereof with some regularity, for example for cleaning or exchanging one or more parts, such as the nonreturn valve. For this purpose, the inside member according to the invention can be so constructed, for example, that only the casing is permanently mounted on the keg neck, whilst the assembly of the internal housing, the shut-off element and the riser pipe, for example, is detachably mounted therein. If the keg is pressurized, it is desirable or necessary, depending on the statutory regulations, for the detachable parts to be secured in position, for example by means of a locking ring which is accommodated in an internal circumferential groove in, respectively, the keg neck and the inside member. Said locking ring can be pushed or pulled out of said circumferential groove by means of a special tool, after which the inside member can move out.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the keg according to the invention can be fitted with a keg neck, and subsequently with a spear or the like, in a simple and reliable manner. This makes it possible to design the kegs for single use, if desired.

The invention is not restricted to the embodiment as described above and shown in the drawings, which, after all, can be varied in several ways without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. Thus, the inside member may comprise tangential slots (instead of or in addition to radial projections) , through which the projections on the upright edge of the keg neck extend.

Claims

1. Keg for soft drinks, beer and the like, comprising a keg neck and an inside member fitted with a shut-off element, which fits in an opening of the keg neck, characterized in that the keg neck forms an integral whole with at least part of the keg wall .

2. Keg according to claim 1, wherein the keg wall comprises a plate material, at least at the location of the keg neck, and the keg neck is formed of said material.

3. Keg according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the keg neck comprises an upright edge, at least part of which is bent towards the inside member, as a result of which said inside member is retained in a direction along or parallel to an imaginary central axis through the opening in the keg neck and away f om the keg .

4. Keg according to claim 3 , wherein said upright edge is formed with a number of projections, which are bent towards the inside member.

5. Keg according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the said inside member comprises two or more projecting parts, which are supported on said edge.

6. Keg according to claim 5, wherein the projecting parts on said inside member and the projections on said upright edge are distributed evenly over the circumference of, respectively, said inside member and said upright edge.

7. Keg according to any one of the claims 4 - 6, wherein the projecting parts extend in a radial direction towards said central axis, and wherein the shape of the projections on the keg neck is at least substantially equal to that of the space between the projecting parts adjacent to said projections.

8. Keg according to claim 7, wherein said inside member is provided with a housing, which extends above said keg neck and said edge, and wherein no space or only little space is present between the ends of at least part of the teeth and said housing.

9. Keg according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a gasket, such as an elastic sealing ring, is fitted between said keg neck and said inside member for forming a seal between the inside member and the keg neck.

10. Inside member apparently intended for use in a keg according to any one of the preceding claims.