Tapping head for tapping beverages pressurized with gas

Details Tapping head for tapping beverages pressurized with gas Tapping head for tapping beverages pressurized with gas

2000-10-20

2001-11-13

Shaver, Kevin (Department: 3754)

Dispensing

With discharge assistant

Fluid pressure

C222S509000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06315172

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a tapping head for tapping beverages pressurized with gas. Such a tapping head can be mounted on a container, for example a barrel.
2. The Prior Art
All of the tapping heads known until the present time have the problem that the space of the head has to be vented when the beverage container is empty. When the tapping head is set to the down (or closing) position, the head space is not automatically vented, and considerable force is needed to vent the head space of the tapping head. If the pressure of the gas is high, the tapping head cannot be removed from the beverage container connection and no full beverage container can be connected to the tapping head.
In WO 95/11191, venting of the tapping head space is accomplished via a venting bore that is switched by means of a slide, with the tapping head being set in the down (or closing) position.
In another design, the top space of the tapping head is vented by lifting the seal of the tapping head from the slide. Several seals are required with this design as well. It is not possible to exclude that the beverage to be conveyed may be drawn out.
The present invention addresses the problem of providing a tapping head that omits the head (or top) space, and, therefore, no venting of the head or top space is required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention solves this problem by providing a tapping head comprising:
(a) a housing;
(b) a flange seal arranged in a lower part of the housing:
(c) a closing bolt arranged in the housing;
(d) a slide surrounding the closing bolt and movable up and down;
(e) a tappet on the slide;
(f) an O-ring provided on the tappet; and
(g) a CO
2
connection for conveying gas;
wherein in the pouring condition of the tapping head the slide rests against the flange seal and in the closing condition the tappet rests in a sealing manner against the closing bolt by means of the O-ring.
This tapping head offers a number of advantages. For example, no product is drawn into the housing. Furthermore, the tapping head as defined by the invention has at least two seals less than the tapping heads known before. In addition, no special venting of the head space is needed because the tapping head as defined by the invention is self-venting.
Additional inventive features of the tapping head are described below.


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