U.S. patent number 3,774,820 [Application Number 05/290,479] was granted by the patent office on 1973-11-27 for tapping device for beer kegs.
Invention is credited to Homer R. Zucconi.
United States Patent |
3,774,820 |
Zucconi |
November 27, 1973 |
TAPPING DEVICE FOR BEER KEGS
Abstract
Beer tapping attachments comprising a permanent keg unit
including two normally closed spring-biased one-way valves to which
unit is detachably secured a valve body which also includes two
registering spring biased one-way valves, one connected to a source
of air under pressure and the other to a beer spigot. All four
valves are yieldably opened when the valve body is connected to the
keg unit. There is also provide an adapter, also including
two-spring biased, registering one-way valves and bores leading
thereto to accomodate the tubular prongs of a commonly used
attachment, whereby when the adapter is unplugged, the valves
thereof will close and prevent escape of air or beer.
Inventors: |
Zucconi; Homer R. (N. Belle
Vernon, PA) |
Family
ID: |
23116186 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/290,479 |
Filed: |
September 20, 1972 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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190796 |
Oct 20, 1971 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
222/400.7 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B67D
1/0831 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B67D
1/08 (20060101); B67D 1/00 (20060101); B67d
005/54 () |
Field of
Search: |
;222/400.7,400.8
;251/346,347,349 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Tollberg; Stanley H.
Parent Case Text
This applcation is a continuation-in-part of my application S.N.
190,796, filed Oct. 20, 1971, and relates generally to a beer
dispensing attachment for beer kegs.
Claims
1. In combination with a beer keg having a keg unit mounted axially
at one end, said unit including two spring-biased valves in ports
of said unit through which compressed air and beer flow
respectively; and a valve body attachment including two
correspondingly positioned spring-biased one way valves, the
corresponding valves mutually actuating each other within ports
leading to a source of air under pressure and to a beer spigot,
respectively, whereby when the valve body attachment is detachably
fastened to said keg unit, it will effect opening of all four of
the spring pressed valves of the attachment and keg unit to permit
the flow of air under pressure and beer, said valve body attachment
being in the form of an adapter having two vertically extending
parallel bores and a plug-in tap unit having air and beer
connections to a source of air under pressure and to a beer spigot,
which plug-in unit comprises a pair of tubular prongs with tapered
ends which are detachably and snugly fitted to said parallel bores
of said adapter above said valves.
Description
An outstanding disadvantage of keg units comprising valve units
permanently attached to a beer keg along the axis thereof is that
they are somewhat complicated in design and do not provide
sufficient safety features, such as assured interruption of the air
and beer flow when a copuling unit, connected to the compressed air
and beer, is disconnected from the keg unit.
Another disadvantage is that the keg unit is not adaptable for
connection except to very specially constructed attachments.
An object of the present invention is to provide a novel keg unit
and novel attaching unit therefor which will assure interruption of
the beer and air flow upon disconnection of the attaching unit,
--also which, by means of an adapter, can be connected to other
types of attachments as more commonly used in the art.
A specific object of my invention is to provide a novel permanent
keg unit and a novel attachment therefor which enables selective
attachment of the aforesaid attachment or another commonly used
attachment provided that it be first inserted into an adapter
embodying the present invention.
Other objects and advantages will become more apparent from a study
of the following description taken with the accompanying drawing
wherein:
FIG. 1 is a top, perspective, exploded view with parts shown broken
away, of an attachment assembly for mounting on and connection to a
beer keg; and
FIG. 2 is a top, perspective veiw of a modified attachment which
can be used instead of that shown in FIG. 1 provided it be first
plugged into an adaptor 40 which, in turn, is mounted on the keg
unit shown below.
Referring more particularly to FIG. 1 of the drawing, numeral 1
denotes a keg, such as a well known metal keg, having an opening
defined by well portion 2 along its longitudinal axis and at the
top end, into which is integrally mounted, such as by welding or
braizing, the sleeve 3 having an integral bayonet joint 4 and
longitudinal flanges 5. A hole is provided axially of the well
portion at the periphery of which the bottom portion of sleeve 3 is
integrally secured to the well portion 2. The external threads 10
of valve body 10 are screwed onto the internal threads 20 of cap 16
to form an assembly.
An externally threaded ring 6 has radially inwardly extending
projections 7 adapted to fit through the gaps between the bayonet
joints 4 before threading of the sleeve 6 to the internal threads
17 of collar 16 to lock the assembly in place. A depending hose 13
is attached to the bottom of a beer passage or bore in well 2 as
shown in FIG. 2 for extension to the bottom portion of the beer keg
1.
Two one-way valves 12, 12 are provided in vertically extending
parallel openings 38 in the valve body 8. each one-way valve
comprises a valve seat 37 which is normally seated by the action of
the spring 38 which is supported on a spring retaining spider 39
seated in a conical shaped portion of the bore leading to the beer
hose 13. The assembly described thus far is shown at the bottom of
FIG. 2 in assembled condition.
Referring again to FIG. 1, there is shown an attachable fitting 26.
Fitting 26 has a one-way valve seat 31 of conical configuration
into which is fitted a valve 32, 35 normally held in closed
position by the action of spring 34 which is connected to a spider
retainer 33. An externally threaded sleeve 27, 28 is screw threaded
to the internal threads of the bore 26a of valve body 26 which
provides a direct connection to the beer spigot (not shown). valve
body or fitting 26 is also connected, through a bore parallel to
bore 26a containing a one-way valve similar to 32, to a source of
air under pressure by means of an elbow and fitting 29 which
contains a one-way valve to permit compressed air to flow only
toward the keg. This prevents beer rising if the keg air pressure
is higher than the line pressure. Fitting 29 is connected to a
serrated terminal 30 onto which an air hose is slip-fitted so as to
introduce air under pressure through the last mentioned bore (not
shown) into the valve body 11 when fitting 26 is connected to valve
body 8 shown in FIG. 1. Preferably, bore 26a which conducts beer
should be of larger diameter than the compressed air bore to
prevent the possibility of interchanging connections.
In operation, and as the result of the above described
construction, when valve body 26 is detached from the keg 1, by
unscrewing the internal threads 23 of sleeve 22 from threads 19,
the valves 32 will automatically move to the closed position under
the action of their springs 34 to prevent loss of beer otherwise
flowing downwardly from the spigot and the loss of compressed air
which normally travels downwardly of the air port in valve body
26.
Similarly, the one-way valves 12 of the permanent keg attachment 8
will close the air and beer ports to onfine the air and beer in the
keg.
If it should be desired to connect the type of unit shown at the
top of FIG. 2, and adapter 40 is employed, illustrated centrally of
FIG. 2, which adapter, in turn, is connected to the keg unit 10 in
the manner to be described.
The well known unit shown at the top of FIG. 2, illustrated and
described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,228,413, comprises a screw cap 50
which turns about an upstanding valve body 51 having two terminals
namely, an outlet terminal or tube 52 leading to the beer spigot
and an inlet tube or terminal 53 leading to a source of compressed
air. It also has two depending tubes 48 and 49 with tapered ends
connected to the air connection 53 and beer connection 52,
respectively,
The tubes 48 and 49 are projected into an adaptor 40 through bores
46 and 47, respectively, to complete the beer and air connections
respectively, through the attachment 40.
The attachment 40 is first detachably mounted on the keg unit by
grasping radially outwardly extending flanges 41 and turning of the
internally threaded screw ring on shoulder 44 as a bearing so as to
be screw threaded onto the external threads 19 of the valve body
10. In so doing, the two respective valves 37 of the keg or tavern
unit 8 will cause the two stems 36 (only one of which is shown)
which normally close the beer and air connections in keg unit 8 to
rise against the action or tension of spring 34, which are being
compressed, so that both the air and beer connections will be in
the valve open position.
When the valve body 40 is detached from the keg unit by unscrewing
the screw ring, obviously springs 34 will cause both valve stems 36
to move downwardly to move the valves 35 to the closed position so
as to prevent loss of air pressure or of beer. Also valves 37 will
automatically move to the closed position under the action of the
springs 38.
When either valve body 26 or adapter 40 is attached to valve body 8
of the keg unit, both the one-way valves 12,12 of the keg unit and
the contacting one-way valves 32,32 in the valve body 26 (or the
one-way valves 32,32 in adapter 40) are all opened since the
tensions of springs 34,34 and 38,38 are balanced or perhaps 34,34
are slightly higher to initiate opening of all four valves for
either type connection.
Thus it will be seen that I have provided an efficient and
fool-proof keg unit to which an attachment may be easily and
detachably secured, which attachment includes two-one way valves to
prevent upward flow of beer in the event that air pressure in the
keg is higher than the line pressure and to prevent loss of air
pressure, when the attachment is connected to the keg unit;
furthermore, I have provided a novel adapter which may be
substituted for said attachment for performing the same functions
thereof except that it is so constructed as to enable plugging in
of a commonly used type of attachment having two tubular prongs of
different diameter with tapered ends which will fit into said
adapter, also whereby when such last mentioned pronged attachment
is detached, neither beer nor air pressure can escape through the
adapter, thereby saving possible loss of beer and air pressure.
While I have illustrated and described a single specific embodiment
of my invention, it will be understood that this is by way of
illustration only, and that various changes and modifications may
be contemplated in my invention and in the scope of the following
claims.
I claim:
* * * * *