JPH0555399B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Claim 1 Gas pipe 5 supplying gas flow into container 4
and an injection port 6 for introducing liquid into the upper part of the container 4, the device supplies gas to the liquid in the container 4, the injection port 6 has a flap valve 27, and the flap valve comprises a drive arm 28, 33, 34 connected to said flap valve, said drive arm being struck by a gas stream ejecting through a nozzle 7 located immediately in front of said drive arm and connected to said gas pipe 5. In order to initiate the closing operation of the flap valve and to keep the flap valve 27 closed against the edge of the inlet 6, the flap valve is provided in the container 4, and the flap valve 27 is provided in the container 4. A gas supply device characterized in that the flap valve is provided with a surface on which increasing gas pressure acts.

2. The drive arms 28, 33, 34 in front of the outlet of the gas pipe 5 cause the container 4 to
When supplying gas to the container, the flap valve 27 is activated only when the container is filled with liquid to a predetermined level.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1 for initiating a closing action of.

3 Drive arm 28, 3 in front of the outlet
3. The device of claim 2, wherein 3 has a hole through which a gas flow can pass until closing the outlet with the liquid after the liquid reaches the predetermined level.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the weight of the drive arm (34) in front of the outlet is set so as not to be influenced by the gas flow until the lifting forces of the liquid act together.

5 mechanically latching the drive arm 28 in front of the outlet when the container 4 is empty and releasing the latch 35 as a result of the action of the liquid on a float 37 cooperating with the latch 35; , the apparatus according to claim 2.

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a device for supplying gas to a liquid in a container with a gas supply pipe, in particular for the production of carbonated beverages. An inlet for introducing liquid into the container is provided at the top of the container.

BACKGROUND ART For example, in order to make carbonated drinks at home on a small scale, devices are known that supply carbon dioxide gas to water in a bottle and then flavor it with a flavoring agent (sweetener). When producing such drinks,
It is necessary to first fill the bottle with water to a predetermined level and then hold the bottle firmly in the apparatus while carbonating the water. The bottle is then removed from the device and flavoring is added. The beverage can then be poured into glasses or other containers for drinking.

Apart from being relatively complex, the method for producing carbonated drinks described above is also relatively complex, especially since it requires the use of separate bottles whose shape and size are adapted to the machine used.
There are other problems and safety risks. Particularly when using standard bottles, it is difficult to obtain a good seal since these bottles can vary widely in height. Additionally, bottles may not only be of uneven product quality but may have been damaged during previous use or transportation.
There is a danger in applying pressure to a stale bottle. Moreover, in the case of known devices, pressure may be applied to the bottle without filling it with liquid, so that there is a risk of serious injury if the bottle breaks. With known devices, there is also the possibility that the bottle becomes too full of liquid to provide sufficient carbonation to the liquid. In order to effectively supply carbon dioxide gas to a liquid in a container, a space is required above the surface of the liquid in which the gas can be compressed.

It has also been proposed to introduce carbon dioxide gas into a liquid in a container fixed to the device and to pour the carbonated liquid directly from the container into a glass. However, the use of this container is also relatively complex and in some respects the device is unsafe. For example, in such known devices it is possible to pressurize empty containers.
Furthermore, it is possible to begin pouring liquid from the container while the container is still under high pressure.

A device of the type mentioned in the introduction, which does not have the above-mentioned disadvantages, is described in the applicant's Swedish Patent Application No. 8103281-5.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The main object of the invention is that the liquid inlet of the container is
The object of the present invention is to further develop the device described in the above-mentioned patent application, which can be automatically closed immediately and reliably when necessary.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In this respect, the device of the invention is characterized in that the inlet of the container is provided with a closing device which automatically closes the inlet upon supplying gas to the container. Notably, in such an embodiment, there is no need for additional manual manipulation of the container when supplying carbon dioxide gas. Such additional manual operations are often forgotten. Additionally, in such embodiments, the fill port is typically open to facilitate pouring liquid into and out of the container.

In a preferred embodiment, movement of the closure device to its closed position is initiated by a gas flow. In this regard, the closure device is suitably connected to a device which is located before the outlet of the gas pipe and is actuated by the gas flow. The closing device is pivotably suspended and, when the gas flow initiates the closing movement,
Preferably, the inlet is sealed in response to increasing gas pressure in the container.

In such embodiments, the sealing effectiveness increases as the pressure within the container increases. Furthermore, the closure device automatically opens the fill port as soon as the pressure in the container is removed, ensuring trouble-free injection and draining of liquid into and out of the container.

In order to prevent the container from becoming pressurized when the liquid in the container does not reach a predetermined minimum level, said device in front of the outlet of the gas pipe is used to prevent the container from being pressurized when the liquid in the container does not reach a predetermined minimum level. Preferably, the closing movement of the closing device is initiated only when the gas container is supplied.

According to an embodiment of the invention, for this purpose, the device is provided with holes through which the gas flow can pass until they are closed by the liquid when the liquid reaches the predetermined level. I can do it. In other embodiments, the weight of the device is such that the gas flow can only move the device if a buoyant force from the liquid acts on the device. According to yet another embodiment, the device is mechanically fastened when the container is empty and is released by the action of liquid on an object cooperating with the fastening device.

Next, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a beverage manufacturing device in a stopped position according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2-4 are schematic cross-sectional views of other embodiments of pressure vessels forming part of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

5-7 are schematic cross-sectional views of yet another embodiment of the pressure vessel.

8-10 are schematic cross-sectional views of yet another embodiment of the pressure vessel.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION The device shown in FIG. 1 comprises a case 1 with a rotatably mounted lid 2 serving as an actuating device. The case encloses a gas cylinder 3 and a liquid container 4 connected to the gas cylinder by a pipe 5. Liquid is introduced into the container 4 through the inlet 6. The liquid flows through a nozzle 7 connected to a pipe 5.
Pressure is applied after the liquid reaches a level where it is immersed in the liquid. For this purpose, the liquid is placed in a gas cylinder 3
Pressurization is applied by pressing down on the lid 2, which is configured to open with a nail 8 a valve mechanism 9 connected to the holder. Around the nail 8 is a spring 10 which keeps the lid in position when not actuated.

The inlet 6 is located in a funnel-shaped part 11 which facilitates filling the container with water and prevents the container 4 from being overfilled. A certain amount (volume) of air 12 is therefore always present above the surface of the liquid. Gas venting pipe 13 from this air-filled space 12
extends into a dual overpressure and degassing valve 16. In the position shown, one arm 17 of the angled lever presses the valve body in a sealing manner against the valve seat. The other arm of the lever is designated by reference numeral 18. The arm 17 is one arm 17 of the spring member.
is pressed against the valve body by The spring member has a second arm 20 attached to a valve stem 21. The spring member arms 19,20 tend to open, applying an upward force on the valve stem 16 and a downward tension on the valve 22. Reference numeral 23 refers to a spring tongue which is not active in the position shown. The tongue 23 has a shaft 24 which can be rotated by a lever 25.
is attached to. The shaft 24 also has a drive finger 26.

The inlet 6 is such that the drive 28 is closed by a flap valve 27 located just before the nozzle 7.
Reference number 29 refers to the O-ring surrounding the inlet 6.
Reference numeral 30 refers to a plate on which a glass or the like can be placed when pouring a drink.

To absorb carbon dioxide gas into water and pour carbonated water into a glass using the above device, take the following steps. Lift the lid 2 and fill the container 4 with water to a level above the nozzle 7. The bottom valve 22 is held closed by the spring arm 20. When the water reaches the selected level, the lid 2 is closed and pushed down from the position shown in FIG. This opens the valve of gas cylinder 3,
A stream of carbon dioxide exits through the nozzle 7. This flow or jet of carbon dioxide impinges on the drive 28 and causes a closing movement of the flap valve 27. Complete closure of the flap valve occurs as a result of an increase in pressure in the container 4.

Thus, according to this embodiment of the invention, no extra manual operations are required to close the container, since the container is automatically closed by carbonating the water. This embodiment also includes valve 27.
are normally open, which has the advantage of allowing larger water inlets to be used. When filling the container with water, the water is deflected to one side by the flap valve 27 and the air within the container 4 can easily escape from the container through the opposite side of the inlet 6.

When the pressure of carbon dioxide gas in the container 4 reaches a predetermined value, the valve 16 opens against the action of the spring arm 19. This can be signaled by an acoustic signal indicating that no more gas should be supplied, and the lid 2 is then released. To dispense water from the container, turning the lever arm 25 clockwise causes the drive finger 26 to open the valve 16 and at the same time the spring tongue 23 causes the outlet valve 22 to open. In this regard,
The force exerted by the spring tongue 23 on the bottom valve 22 is
The valve is sized so that the bottom valve opens only when the pressure inside the container drops to a predetermined value. This therefore means that water will not be drained from the container until the pressure in the container is low enough that the water can be drained from the container without any problems. At this time, flap valve 2
7 is opened again, the required amount of air flows into the container and the water can be poured into glasses or the like without any inconvenience. Flavoring agents (sweeteners) can be added to the water in the glass and stirred.

In the illustrated embodiment, the closing movement is initiated by a jet or flow of carbon dioxide gas, so that the inlet 6 is effectively closed with a very high degree of reliability. Alternatively, the valve 27 can close the inlet 6 solely by increasing the pressure within the container 4.

The device described above is very simple to use and allows easy replacement of the gas cylinder 3, since the snap lock 31 at the bottom of the container 4 can be removed, the internal unit containing the gas cylinder and liquid container can then be lifted out of the case, and the gas cylinder can be replaced. be. In this way, the gas cylinder can be easily replaced without using tools. The device described above is also simple in design and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

FIG. 2 schematically shows another embodiment of a closure device in the liquid container 4. FIG. For simplicity, the bottom valve 22 is shown schematically and the venting and liquid evacuation mechanisms from the container are not shown. However, this mechanism may be the same as that in FIG.

The embodiment of FIG. 2 is intended to eliminate the danger associated with pressurizing the liquid container 4.

For this purpose, a hole is provided in the drive arm 28, which cooperates with the valve 27, in a position opposite the mouth of the nozzle 7, in which a section of pipe is fitted. In the illustrated embodiment, the pipe sections are open (larger) at the tips.

container 4 before the liquid level reaches nozzle 7.
If an attempt is made to pressurize the valve, the jet or flow of gas will not pass freely through the pipe 33 to initiate the aforementioned closing movement of the valve 27. This is shown in FIG.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, when the liquid container is filled with liquid to a level above the location of the gas nozzle 7, the pipe section 33 is filled with liquid. Then, the gas jet acts on the arm 28 and closes the valve 2.
Start closing 7. The valve is finally closed by the increasing gas pressure in the container 4.

FIG. 5 schematically shows another embodiment of the liquid container. As in the previous case, valve 27 cannot be opened until the liquid level reaches nozzle 7. In this regard, the drive shaft 28 has a lower part in the form of an inverted cup 34. The weight of this cup is such that the gas jet alone cannot initiate the closing movement of the valve. When the container 4 of the FIG. 6 embodiment is filled with liquid, the air trapped within the cup 34 provides an upward force. However, this force is too small to initiate closure of the valve. That is, the weight and volume of the cup 34 are selected such that the closing movement begins only after the liquid and gas jets are combined. See Figure 7.

FIG. 8 shows yet another embodiment of the device for closing the valve 27. In this embodiment, the drive arm 2
8 is connected to a latch 35 and a float (float) 37. When the container 4 is empty, the latch 35 is engaged with a corresponding member 36 on the gas nozzle 7, so that the drive arm 28 cannot move. However, when the liquid level reaches float 37 (see FIG. 9), latch 35 is released from member 36 and closing of the valve is initiated by the gas jet, as shown in FIG.

Although the beverage dispensing device according to the invention has been described with reference to its various embodiments, it is obvious that other variations of the closure of the liquid container by the pressure of the charged carbon dioxide gas can be made within the scope of the basic idea of the invention. It is self-evident to business operators. For example, flap valve 27 may be replaced with any suitable type of valve having a similar function. The type and shape of the nozzle 7, its mounting method and relative position can be selected according to needs. This also applies to the arrangement of the pipe section 33 placed in front of the nozzle in FIG.

Other principles of closing a container in response to the liquid level within the container can also be applied. For example, the container can be provided with an orifice through which gas can escape until the object closes, the movement of which is controlled by the level of the liquid. Alternatively, a device may be provided to mechanically prevent closure of the inlet until the desired level of liquid is reached. but,
In all embodiments, more liquid can be supplied after a predetermined level is reached. This is of critical importance with respect to being able to produce different quantities of beverages.