Low pressure liquid dispensing valve

Abstract

The invention provides a low pressure liquid dispensing valve with the valve stopper movable from a closed position to an open position in the direction of flow of the fluid and having a downstream convergingly tapered surface extending beyond the outlet so that the ultimate surface over which the fluid flows upon exiting the valve, through the well known ability of the flowing fluid to follow the contour of the adjacent surface, causes the stream to reform into a unified flow path of relatively small diameter with respect to the outlet.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a faucet type valve generally used for dispensing beverages and more particularly to such a valve having a stopper moved to an open position in the direction of flow of the dispensed beverage and having a downstream convergingly tapered portion for reforming the dispensed fluid into a concentrated unified stream.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Dispensing valves of the specific type to which this invention relates are well known in the prior art, as shown for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,288,954 and 3,539,151.

Basically, these valves are utilized for dispensing beverages via gravity induced flow, and thus operate under relatively low pressures. Such valves generally comprise a body providing a fluid passage leading from the beverage container and terminating in a downwardly directing outlet which is closed by a hemispherical dome-shaped resilient stopper peripherally engaging an annular tapered valve seat in the body adjacent the outlet end with the stopper biased upwardly to close the outlet. The stopper is connected to a manual actuating element (i.e., a thumb piece or lever mechanism) through a rod which is manually depressed against the force of the biasing member to lower the stopper, thereby opening the valve. Typically, the tapered annular valve seating portion at the outlet end is recessed from a peripheral portion having a larger diameter than the valve seat and extending below the valve seat, telescopically enclosing the stopper, so that at least in the closed position, the stopper was generally concealed.

Such valves, although entirely satisfactory to control, through manual actuation, the initiation and termination of the flow, had a tendency to develop a discontinuous, diverging type exiting stream. Such a stream was a natural result of the nature of the valve in that the downstream disposed stopper caused the stream to diverge, resulting in an initial stream diameter of at least as large as the outlet and which had a tendency to diffuse and become discontinuous further downstream. The end result was that such a valve provided a non-uniform flow that produced some outward spraying and required more care in use to position the receptacle in which the beverage was caught to minimize this effect. However, without such conscious effort by the user, the surrounding surfaces and oft times the user himself would be contacted by the discharged fluid.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a low pressure valve of the type previously referenced with the stopper member terminating in a downstream convergingly tapered portion which extends below the outlet end of the body of the valve. Thus, with the flowing fluid exiting at a rate (i.e. velocity) that permits it to exhibit the well known ability to follow the contour of an adjacent surface, the converging portion depending from the stopper reforms the dispensed stream into a unified concentrated flow of reduced cross-section eliminating the tendency of flowing fluid to spray outwardly and facilitating catching it in a container without undue concern of the position of the container.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional elevational view of valve of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the discharge end of the prior art valve illustrating the discharged stream; and

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the discharge end of the present invention and illustrating the resulting stream.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, is incorporated in a low pressure beverage dispensing valve such as is well known in the prior art, as previously mentioned, and which includes a valve 10 having a body 12, preferably molded of plastic, defining a fluid passage 14 therethrough. The inlet end of the body is externally threaded as at 16 for attachment to a beverage container (not shown). The fluid passage 14 defines a right angle bend so that the outlet or discharge opening 18 is facing downwardly to direct the flow in that direction. It is pointed out that the flow is primarily due to the head of the fluid within the container which generally varies between 1/2 foot and 11/2 feet above the dispensing valve.

The internal annular wall of the body member adjacent the outlet 18 defines an outwardly stepped portion as at 20 with the step being tapered downwardly outwardly to form an annular valve seating surface 22. The annular wall portion 24 below the surface 22 extends downwardly a short distance to define an annular skirt surrounding the valve seating surface.

A resilient stopper member 26 is disposed within the outlet end 18 and defines a hemispherical dome-shaped top portion 28 sized so as to seat on the valve seating surface in a fluid tight relationship and with the cross-sectional dimension, as taken in a plane transverse to its movement, being less than the internal diameter of the skirt so that the stopper member is free to move within the confines of the housing portion defining the outlet end.

The stopper member 26 is attached to a short upstanding leg 30 of a substantially J-shaped wire element as by inserting the wire element through an axially disposed opening 29 in the stopper. The stopper is retained against longitudinal displacement by a lower supporting disc 32 also received on the short leg of the wire element and contacting a lower face 34 of the stopper, and an upper contoured deformation 35 of the leg 30 contacting the dome-shaped surface of the stopper. The major or long leg 36 of the wire element is received in a vertical aperture 38 in the housing extending from adjacent the valve seating surface 22 to an upwardly extending cylindrically shaped portion 40 of the housing, for guided vertical movement therein, and terminates within the cylindrical portion 40 in an externally threaded shank 42. A helical spring member 44 is also disposed within the aperture 38 and compressed between a shoulder 46 therein and a nut 48 threadably received on the shank 42 of the wire element. The spring 44 applies a force upwardly against the nut which in turn forces the dome-shaped stopper member 26 into tight engagement with the tapered valve seating surface 22. A thumb piece 50, in the form of an inverted closed-end cylinder, having an axially disposed internal aperture, is threadably attached to the threaded shank 42 of wire member 36 and is telescopically received over the cylindrical portion 40 of the housing for guided vertical movement of the thumb piece when manually operated.

The apparatus described to this point is shown in the previously identified prior art. However, the valve of the present invention includes further structure associated with the stopper member 26 for controlling the flow path of the fluid subsequent to the discharge from the outlet end of the body. Thus, still referring to FIG. 1, it is seen that portion 28 of the stopper member 26, previously identified as being dome-shaped, further includes an integral downwardly extending inwardly tapering side defining an inverted frustum 52 which is preferably unitarily molded with the hemispherical portion 28 of the stopper. The angle of convergence of the frustum is sufficiently small so that the exiting fluid can readily exhibit its tendency to flow along an adjacent surface throughout the range of exiting rates generally associated with such a dispenser. (In the preferred embodiment the frustum defines a projected included angle of approximately 30.degree..) Further, the frustum is of a length such that at its terminal end it has converged the discharged fluid to the extent that, again in the range of exiting rates generally encountered, the inertia of the fluid in the converging direction is sufficient to cause the water to reform into a unified stream just subsequent to the terminal end of the frustum, as is clearly seen in FIG. 3.

The frustum portion is hollow along its axial extent for receipt of the bearing disc 32 which supports the stopper on the wire element and with the side of the frustum further including slot 54 (see FIG. 3) leading from the outer surface of the tapered side wall to the hollow interior for receipt therethrough of the web portion of the J-shaped wire element. The wall of the frustum immediately below the slot is slit as at 56 to provide a lead-in opening for the web portion to enter the slot, with the resiliency of the wall able to reform the frustum on either side of the slit after the passage therethrough of the web.

In assembly, the combined integral stopper and depending frustum can be forced over the upstanding short leg of the J-shaped wire element until the disc member is properly seated within the hollow portion of the frustum at which time the exposed end of the wire element extending above the stopper can be deformed to retain the stopper in this position.

It is noted that, the wire element on which the stopper is mounted extends from the interior of the frustum to the exterior through an aperture in the wall as opposed to extending below the terminal end of the frustum portion. Thus, with the frustum portion extending below the wire member, it reforms the flow path of the discharged fluid that may be broken up when flowing by the wire element which, in this type stopper, must pass through the flow path at some point.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the typical flow path of the previous dispensing valve is illustrated. It is therein seen that as the fluid flows through the outlet it is forced to diverge around the downstream dome-shaped stopper. The flow path beyond this point is unaltered by any nozzle structure (except for the wire element) and thus results in an initial discharge path having an annular (in cross section) or cylindrical configuration having a diameter substantially comparable to the diameter of the hemispherical dome. As this curtain of water continues to fall, because of well known physical phenomena resulting in a differential of air pressures on opposite sides of this wall of falling fluid, it tends to break up and become discontinuous causing some outwardly spraying effect. Further, catching this water in a receptacle results in unwanted splashing in addition to requiring care as to the proper placement of the opening of the container in an ever changing main path of the stream.

In FIG. 3 it is seen that the frustum section 52 of the stopper is at all times the lowermost structure of the outlet of the valve and thus the ultimate surface over which the dispensed liquid flows. Because of the ability of the fluid, when being dispensed at the rates encountered in a liquid or beverage dispensing device operating under gravitationally induced flow, to follow the contour of the adjacent surface, the stream defining the fluid flow is converged, by the converging walls of this section, to a more concentrated stream, and in fact, has sufficient inwardly directed inertia to continue converging even subsequent to the frustum portion so that at some point subadjacent the frustum portion the stream is reunified into a single path. Thus, it does not break up or spray as it continues to fall. Also, it is easier to catch the stream in a container, especially one having a rather small mouth as prevalent in insulated bottles, and it reduces the tendency of the stream to splash as it is caught in any container.

Claims

I claim:

1. A low pressure liquid dispensing valve having a generally tubular body providing a fluid passage from an inlet end to a discharge end, said inlet end being adapted for attachment to a container and said discharge end defining a downwardly directing outlet, stopper means adjacent said outlet and means mounting said stopper means for guided movement between a first position blocking flow from said outlet and a second position spaced from said outlet and permitting liquid flow therefrom, with the movement of said stopper means from said first to said second position being in the direction of said flow and said mounting means connected to said stopper at its lower end, said mounting means thereby having a portion extending through the flow path of said discharged liquid, resilient means for normally maintaining said stopper in said first position and manual means for moving said stopper means to said second position wherein the improvement comprises:

fluid directing means comprising a downwardly inwardly converging portion integral with said stopper means and extending therefrom in the direction of said fluid flow generally subadjacent said mounting means and exteriorly of said body for converging the flowing fluid subsequent to the stopper means and said mounting means and thereby concentrating the dispensed liquid into a unified stream.

2. A dispensing valve according to claim 1 wherein said stopper means is generally hemispherical, defining an annular peripheral surface for sealing engagement with said outlet, and said fluid directing means includes an inwardly directed surface contiguous with the lowermost annular surface of said stopper means.

3. A dispensing valve according to claim 2 wherein said fluid directing means defines an inverted frustum unitarily molded with said hemispherical stopper means.