IES980282A2

IES980282A2 - Beer saving device (tapping head)

Info

Publication number: IES980282A2
Authority: IE
Inventors: Tony Kennedy
Original assignee: Tony Kennedy
Priority date: 1998-04-15
Filing date: 1998-04-15
Publication date: 1999-01-13
Also published as: IES80751B2; AU742646B2; WO1999052814A1; AU3624999A; EP1177152A1

Abstract

During beer dispensing, it is usual for beer to leave keg via a tapping head. The beer then goes through a cooler, then to the tap in the bar. THEN THE PUBLICAN CAN DISPENSE A PINT OF BEER. The publican must clean the beer lines once a week. This involves untapping a keg, which may be half full. The tapping head is then inserted into a wash bottle filled with beerline cleaner. The existing beer in the beer line is now flushed out and wasted. The aim of the invention is to eliminate all this waste. This is achieved by using a modified tapping head which allows the existing beer in the line to reenter the keg. The whole process of beerline cleaning takes approx. one hour.

Description

Title of Invention: BEER SAVING DEVICE £ 8 & «252 4 REQUEST FOR GRANT OF PATENT: The items for be covered by patent are:(i) the process of redispensing existing beer in beerline back into keg, in order to avoid it being wasted during beerline cleaning process; (ii) Modified tapping head used to save beer by redispensing it into keg; (iii) Drawings of modified tapping head.

TYPE OF PATENT SOUGHT: Short Term PRESENT STATE OF ART: In order to obtain a pint of beer, a tapping head is inserted into a keg of beer. The tapping head allows gas to enter keg, through a gas valve.

The pressure of the gas in the keg forces beer out of the keg through beer valve, up into the beer tap in the bar.

Gas cannot leave the keg because of a gas non return valve.

SPECIFICATION: See Page 2 T,...

OPEN TO PUBLIC INSPECTION UNDER SECTION 28 AND RULE 23 JNL.

Pagel BNSDOCID: 8 Ο ϊ 8 4 ·« Title of Invention: BEER SAVING DEVICE · PROBLEM: Waste beer during beer line cleaning process.

The publican must clean the beer lines once a week.

In order to do this he/ she must do the following: (1) Untap keg of beer (2) Tap onto a wash bottle, that is filled with a mixture of water and detergent (3) Flush out all existing beer (if it is 30 mtrs. from keg to tap, this means that there is five to six pints of beer to be flushed out of the beer line. THIS IS WASTED BEER).

This is the amount of beer wasted each time cleaning takes place. On average there is six to eight taps in every pub.

To the best of my knowledge there is no solution to this problems, to date.

The modified tapping head on sheet No. 1 page 4 is my solution to this problem.

It does the complete opposite to what the original tapping head does (see photo 1 page 5).

The original tapping (photo 1 page 5) is designed to let gas enter the beer keg thus forcing beer out of keg, up to the tap in the bar.

The modified tapping head on sheet No. 1 page 4 is designed to let gas out of the keg, thus it lets beer back into the keg.

Page 2 BNSDOCID: Title of Invention: BEER SAVING DEVICE The Tapping Head in photo 1 page 5 is the original design, used to extract beer from keg.

• Gas enters the gas valve No. 10 • Goes down through tapping head body No. 8 and then enters the keg.

The gas non return valve No. 9 prevents gas leaving keg.

When the beer tap in bar is turned on, the pressure of gas in the keg forces beer up through the middle of the tapping head via items No. 12, No. 8, No. 4 (see photo 1 page 5). The non return ball valve No. 7 prevents beer reentering the keg.

SOLUTION TO WASTE BEER: The tapping head on (sheet No. 1 page 4) is unique in that it allows gas to leave the keg, by leaving out the gas non return valve, from chamber No. 1.

It is then possible to force beer back into the keg before the cleaning process begins. Beer is able to reenter the keg because the non return valve is gone, chamber No. 2 (See sheet No. 1 page 4).

If beer tap in bar is turned to an on position, a regulated jet of gas is now forced up the tap. This forces all the beer in the tube back into the keg thus eliminating all waste. The publican can now proceed tubes without waste (See Fig 1A).

Page 3 BNSDOCID: Title of Invention: BEER SAVING DEVICE BNSDOCID: /·' Title of Invention: BEER SAVING DEVICE MODIFIED TAPPING HEAD: Sheet 1 ότΑ-S w°h kcyue-tA \ifivAi£ xlo.i. vdi-rvAoUT -J CH»M?dC. bTcO'.f'ei ;±LLi_ii£±LL μθ[4 G.eTu.C.*U Ν·μ_Ν6\ Μιτ'μ ιτ€ t-A Ho. 4 He rA £¢^¢.(4 BNSDOCID: Title of Invention: BEER SAVING DEVICE ft ft ft 2 ft 2 TI.E.C, TAPPING HEAD <700 5ERIES1 BNSDOCID: 980282A1 I > Title of Invention: BEER SAVING DEVICE @80282 O.E.C. TAPPING HEAD <700 SERIES 1 CODE DESCRIPTION UNIT COST 1. 997 Plastic Handle .95 2. 996 Handle Assembly Complete 6.97 3. 983 Hinge Pin and Nut Release Pin or Quick 2.00 4. 9S9 Centre Tube Elbow 5.25 5 . 973 Centre Tube Seal (3S.11-2) . 01 6. 971 Valve Housing Seal (BS.012) .01 7. 994 Ball Valve .42 8. N/S Body - 9 . 985 Gas NRV .42 10. 987 Gas Hose Tail 1.70 11. 986 Gas Hose Tail Nut 2.10 12. 293 Valve Housing 3.43 13. 983 Skirt Seal .31 14. 973 Gas Shut-Off Seal (BS112) .01 15. ' N/S Body )01c - 16. 985 Gas NRV ) Model . 42 17 . N/S Gas Hose Tail - Long ) - 18. N/S Gas Hose Tail Nut ) - Page 6 BNSDOCID: Title T'AT’PtKc, UtAD W M-CTicri \ 14 7_ G— GAS ou-T p \ wpp.^c,. rs <_V V= BNSDOCID; I -98028 Title of Invention: BEER SAVING DEVICE ABSTRACT: During beer dispensing, it is usual for beer to leave keg via a tapping head. The beer then goes through a cooler, then to the tap in the bar. THEN THE PUBICIAN CAN DISPENSE A PINT OF BEER.

• The publican must clean the beer lines once a week.

• This involves untapping a keg, which may be half full.

• The tapping head is then inserted into a wash bottle filled with beerline cleaner.

• The existing beer in the beer line is now flushed out and wasted.

• The aim of the invention is to eliminate all this waste.

• This is achieved by using a modified tapping head which allows the existing beer in the line to reenter the keg.

The whole process of beerline cleaning takes approx, one hour.

Claims

CLAIMS: (1) A modified tapping head that excludes (a) a gas non return valve (b) a beer non return valve
2. (2) Tapping head as claimed in claim 1 that allows gas to leave keg.
3. (3) Tapping head as claimed in claim 1 that allows beer to go back into keg.
4. (4) Process of allowing beer back into keg by means of tapping head described in claims 1 to 3.
5. (5) A tapping head and a process as claimed in claims 1 to 4 that allows beer to reenter keg before beer line cleaning begins, for the express purpose of eliminating all beer waste, thus saving money from excess waste.