Siphon

The object of the present invention is to provide a carbonated beverage production device which allows even the use of plastic tanks in complete safety. The object of the invention is, for example, to provide a device which prevents the pressure being applied to the reservoir with altered external dimensions, for example by changing the shape and dimension to a smaller or larger side.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for preventing explosion of the reservoir or damage to the siphon itself when the reservoir breaks down and expands under pressure.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device of the specified type which prevents undesirable and / or dangerous gas leakage.

Such a device must be safe even during the gasification adjustment.

Other objects and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following description.

The siphon according to the invention is characterized in that it has a fuse for detecting any deviations in the shape and / or dimensions of the reservoir and preventing undesired pressure rise in the reservoir with such deviations.

According to one aspect of the invention, the fuse has a means for relieving pressure in the device and in the reservoir if the reservoir has deviations in shape and / or dimensions as it expands during gasification.

According to another feature, this fuse has means for preventing the pressure 20 from rising in the reservoir with deviations in shape and / or dimensions.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the siphon has a support surface, a means for aligning the siphon reservoir with that surface, and a means for preventing or relieving pressure in the reservoir if the position of the reservoir on the support surface does not match and for size.

Alignment by insertion is best achieved by direct contact of the reservoir with the support surface, but can also be achieved by any suitable intermediate elements between the reservoir surface and the support surface, or by means of positioning means or by comparing the reservoir profile with another. a support surface having means for dismantling the reservoir which at the same time has means, providing a scanning means for a fixed support surface, or the like.

the tank to move in the direction of the support surface and rest on it under the effect of gravity. The latter means has a hinged coupling between the reservoir locking device and the solid siphon base support, and the locking device has a design such that the center of gravity of the reservoir and reservoir retainer, with the reservoir inserted, is displaced relative to the center of the hinge link.

In another preferred embodiment, the siphon comprises at least one valve for connecting the reservoir and the siphon to the atmosphere when open, and a means for opening the valve if the reservoir axis is not in a position required for a reservoir of standard, regular shape and dimensions. , the axis resting on the support surface. This position is referred to below as the "correct position". Similarly, the corresponding position of the latch is called the "correct latch position". As will be explained below, the concept of correct position encompasses many positions defined by tolerances to the ideal.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the valve opener comprises a plunger for displacing the valve closure member and a protrusion rigidly mounted within the siphon housing and configured to affect the plunger at an angular displacement of the reservoir axis and hence the latch. The minimum displacement angle at which the plunger may be exposed to the projection generally corresponds to a linear displacement of the plunger and the contact point of the projection along the surface of this projection by a few mm, e.g. not more than 3 mm, preferably 1.5 mm. 2 mm, preferably 1 mm, in the opposite direction.

Mostly, the siphon has two valves, both of which serve as discharge valves for reducing pressure, even when the tank is in the correct position, when the pressure limit is reached, which is best for those valves, and the lower value corresponds to the end of the carbonation process. safety valves to reduce any existing pressure, even below the cut-off, or to prevent pressure build-up, with tank displacement from correct position.

The cams and other siphon fittings are predominantly designed so that the valve or valves act to relieve pressure or prevent pressure build-up when the axes of the reservoir and retainer are offset in any direction, and no pressure is applied to reservoirs smaller than standard but in which part.

The claimed siphon preferably comprises a combination of a manually operated gas cylinder actuator communicating with an internal siphon reservoir cavity and means for stopping operation of this manual control if the reservoir axis and reservoir latch are not in the correct position, and allows the safety valve to actuate when the reservoir axis is rotated in the latch, even though manual control is in operation.

Other best or possible features of the invention will be explained in the following description. In any case, be aware that the siphon can be equipped with any additional known types of protection and control devices.

The invention will be explained by describing a preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a raised siphon in an upright position with a partial section;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the siphon portion of Fig. 1, enlarged;

Fig. 3 is a view in the direction of the arrow in the sectional plane III-III of the part of Fig. 2;

Fig.4 (a, b, c) is a diagram illustrating the operation of the discharge valve to reduce pressure or prevent it from rising in a reservoir incorrectly installed in the siphon.

The claimed siphon comprises a housing 10 comprising a latch having a saturation head 30 hingedly mounted on the housing at a point 12 with the possibility of being folded anti-clockwise (Fig. L) to position the reservoir 13. After the reservoir is installed and the head 11 is lowered, the reservoir , under the influence of its own weight and pressure on the pivot 12, rests fully against the surface 14, hereinafter referred to as the "support surface". This occurs because the total center of gravity of the reservoir and the head is shifted relative to the pivot 12. If the reservoir contour has a deviation from the standard in at least one of its portions beyond the ideal contour, contact with surface 14 will occur. Other means of aligning the profiles of the reservoir and the support surface, which may be arranged in various positions and in various ways, and of detecting any misalignment, may be provided.

The reservoir 13 with the aerated fluid is coupled to the head 11 and supported by an outer thread 15 on the reservoir and an inner thread 16 on the head 11 or other suitable means, by flange 17 or similar fastening on the reservoir opening to limit the depth of screwing into the saturation head 11. When fully screwed in, the upper edge of the reservoir 13 is in contact with a resilient, preferably rubber, gasket 18 having a rigid sleeve 19, or the like, capable of maintaining high pressure while remaining airtight. Of course, incorrect insertion of the reservoir 13 in relation to the seal 18 does not result in sealing and no pressure is applied to the reservoir.

The saturation head 11 has a tube 20 passing through a gasket 18 inserted into the opening of the reservoir 13, down into the reservoir 13. The lower end of this tube is screwed into a nozzle 21 with a small opening 22 connected to the tube channel at a point.

23.

The head 11 has an upper part 24 and a lower part 25 connected to the upper part by any suitable means, such as screws 26. A suitable sealing device, in this case ring 27, being part of gasket 18, ensures airtight seal between parts of the saturation head 11.

The upper end of the tube 20 is screwed into the upper portion 24 of the saturation head 11 and communicates with the upper end of the channel 29, coupled by a sleeve 31 with a flexible tube 30 terminating in the opening 32 of the gas dispenser holder 33 and retaining on the holder sleeve 34. with a cylinder holder 33 chamber 36. The valve body 39 socket 38 is threaded into the holder 33, the valve body 39 is threaded 40 through the opening 41 of the gas cylinder 42.

Valve body 39 is part of valve assembly 45 corresponding to each dispenser 42 so that the used dispenser can be removed from the holder

33 together with its own valve assembly and a pre-filled dispenser with its own valve assembly 45 may be positioned.

The valve body 39 has a valve chamber 44 in which a spring 43 is inserted. The valve assembly 45 also has a stem 46 which engages with a spacer 47 and is pressed by a spring 43 against the saddle at the lower end of the liner 49 with an opening through the protrusion 50 of the stem 46.

The dispenser holder 33 has a plunger 51 that can be manually actuated by an external pivoting arm 52 hinged on this holder at point 53. When the lever 52 is pressed, the plunger 51 is folded down and the protrusion 50 of the stem 46 is immersed to allow the gas 42 to dispense. through the opening in the insert to enter the holder chamber 36, followed by the flexible tube 30 and the tube 20 down into the reservoir 13 with carbonated liquid. When the lever 52 is released, the spring 43 is pushed upwardly toward the saddle stem 46, and closes the valve 45, returning the plunger 51 up to its original position. The valve body 39 may include an additional fuse, such as a rupture membrane 55, which releases excess pressure in the can 42.

The hand lever 52 can be depressed when the head 11 is almost completely folded down, that is in the aerated position. This is explained by the fact that the head 11 is rigidly connected to the plate 56, which, as shown in Fig. 1, prevents the lever 52 from being pressed in a position offset from the aerated position at an angle exceeding this (explained below), thereby preventing unwanted or dangerous gas. for filing.

The head 11 has an upper portion 24 with a discharge valve holder 57 and a safety valve assembly 58 secured by screws 59 and shown in greater detail in FIG. The inner chamber 70 of the top of the saturation head 24 communicates with the outlet valve retainer 57 through the opening 60 and the safety valve assembly 58 with the opening 61.

The discharge valve retainer 57 has a housing 62 with a discharge valve 63 and a plunger 64 with a ring 65 sealing in the housing 62 portion 66 to supply internal pressure. In the absence of pressure, the plunger 64 is driven back by its own weight until its lower end rests on the head 67 on the valve pressed by the spring 68. When the system is pressurized to the correct position, the plunger is raised by the ring 65 to seal part 66. . When the system set pressure is reached, for example 7.4 kg / cm² and upon completion of the gasification, the spring 68 is compressed and the gas is released into the atmosphere.

Regardless of the degree of compression in the reservoir, when the saturation head is displaced from its correct position, the plunger 64 is pushed by the cam 69 to push the ring 65 away from the socket, thereby relieving pressure when gas from chamber 70 exits the gap between plunger and valve body 62. In this case, as shown schematically in Fig. 4, the cam and plunger interact with one another as seen in the enlarged view. 4a, the reservoir 13 has a regular standard shape and is therefore in the correct position when inserted into the siphon. In addition, the discharge valve assembly 57 has a plunger 64 adjacent to a portion 69 of the cam 69, which is in the form of a recess in the cam profile, with a small gap between them causing the plunger to be in its uppermost position, the head 67 resting on its socket and the discharge valve of course if the pressure is below the threshold). If the reservoir 13 is blasted out of pressure or has an initial diameter at any point in the contour (Fig. 4b) that exceeds the standard size, this reservoir will be displaced from its correct position (counterclockwise in the drawing). The contact point of the plunger 64 and cam 69 is moved to the left as shown in Fig. 4b and is now on the surface of cam 79 tilted outward relative to portion 78, furthermore, when pressed, plunger 64 pushes ring 65 away from socket 66, relieving pressure. The same plunger press occurs when the tank diameter is less than the correct, standard size, as shown in Fig.4c. The point of contact of the plunger 64 and cam 69 is located in part 80 of the cam trajectory, to the right of part 78. The outward inclination of the portion 80 is sharper than that of the portion 79, resulting in a smaller angular displacement of the saturation head and a smaller linear displacement of the plunger-cam contact point in this case causing the ring 65 to retract from socket 66 to relieve pressure. The safety valve plunger 75 and cam 77 operate in a similar manner to one another.

The discharge valve in position 4b will actuate when the plunger 64 is displaced by a few millimeters, preferably not more than 3 mm, especially about 1.7 mm, in the cam trajectory portion 78. In the embodiment described, the initial distance from the hinge 12, from the apex of the cam 69 is 87 mm and the linear displacement of the plunger 3 mm corresponds to an angular displacement of about 2 °. In the drawing, the magnitude of the angular displacement that forces the plunger 54 to be actuated is thus a measure of the sensitivity of the fuse consisting of the ring 65 and its socket 66. Of course, the displacement angle may vary depending on the size of the fuse, that is, the distance between the pivot 12 and the respective contact point of the plunger and cam (in other words, the angular displacement radius), the distance between this pivot and the reservoir areas. the size of the expansion. The minimum linear displacement of the plunger relative to the pivot causing the ring 65 to retract from the socket 66 may also vary with the geometric parameters mentioned, but can be readily determined by one of ordinary skill in the art based on the typical parameters provided.

Plunger 64 operates in an analogous manner by pulling the ring out of its socket by inserting into the siphon a reservoir with a diameter larger than the correct point at the contour. The saturation head is displaced from its correct position at an angle with an oversized reservoir diameter, either by insertion or pressure, and the plunger 64 is similarly displaced by the cam 69 and, when pressed, pulls the ring 65 out of the socket. In this case, the same linear and angular displacement magnitude as previously mentioned is used.

If the diameter of the reservoir is smaller than the correct diameter, the situation is shown in Figs. 4c, and the minimum displacement that causes the ring 65 to retract from the socket to relieve pressure is of the same order, but usually smaller, by about one-third than that causing such engagement in the case illustrated in FIG. 4b. In other words, this minimum size usually does not exceed 2 mm, usually about 1 mm.

When carbonating the liquid in a tank with the correct dimensions, the pressure is reduced by turning the tank with the saturation head in the anti-clockwise drawing on completion of the gasification and reaching the limit pressure. This rotation of the head extends beyond the angle that causes the valve 63 to actuate, and at this point, before the position where the reservoir can be removed from the siphon, the plunger 64 is depressed by the cam 69 and the head 67 is pushed out of the socket. As the pressure has already been reduced, this provides additional safety in the event of any failure leading to the preservation of system pressure. In the case where the valve head remains in the socket, for example, due to the long siphon not being used or for some other reason, it is relaxed by pushing plunger 64 with cam 69 as the saturation head rotates forward to insert the reservoir, thereby ensuring normal valve delivery to the system.

The safety valve assembly 58 has a holding body 71 with a safety valve 72 for relieving pressure and a spring 74 which presses the ball 73 into the socket. Enclosed in housing 71 is a slider 75 with a rubber ring 76. It is possible to slide a plunger 75 with a rubber ring 76. When the set pressure is reached, it is slightly higher than the discharge pressure of the discharge valve, e.g.², due to the non-actuation of the drain valve, the spring 74 is compressed, the ball 73 is withdrawn from the socket, and the reservoir pressure is released into the atmosphere through chamber 70 and passage 61. This safety valve 72 is also actuated by rotating forward (counterclockwise) head similar to a drain valve, as plunger 75 rests on cam 77, is pressed against it and pushes ball 73 out of socket. However, the cam 77 has a profile between one another and a plunger 75 such that a greater displacement angle is required to actuate the safety valve 73 than to discharge valve 63, but less than necessary to remove the reservoir from the siphon. The indicated effect of the plunger 75 on the ball 73 also occurs when the head is rotated during insertion of the reservoir to ensure reliable valve operation, during and after gasification, even if the ball "sticks" to the socket due to long siphon use or other reasons.

The bearing surface 14 has a shape such that the reservoir having the correct shape and dimensions and correctly screwed onto the saturation head 11 is seated thereon, the cams 69 and 77 being unaffected by the plungers 64 and 75, and the discharge and safety valves not open. The inside of the reservoir and the siphon fittings communicating with it are sealed from the atmosphere and, when lever 52 is pressed, the gas from the cylinder flows into the reservoir until maximum pressure is reached.

It is clear that, in particular, this interaction between the reservoir surface and the support surface 14 determines the position of the reservoir axis, which must coincide with the axis of the saturation head. These axes occupy the correct position when the reservoir has the correct shape and dimensions, and therefore abuts the support surface 14. However, there is a defined tolerance for shape and dimensions, so the term "correct position" should be understood to include all positions that differ from the ideal size. . This allowable size is expressed as the angular error, that is, the angle at which the reservoir and head must be moved from the ideal position to allow the cam 69 and 77 to engage the discharge and safety valves and thereby prevent pressure from being applied to the damaged reservoir or interrupting limits as previously described.

It is clear that upon completion of aerating the liquid in the reservoir and rotating it forward to allow it to be withdrawn from the siphon, this rotation will collapse plungers 64 and 75 with cam 69 and 77 and the pressure in the reservoir and siphon will drop drastically. At the same time, the plate 56 reaches a position where it prevents the lever 52 from being pressed while at the same time applying pressure to the siphon. But the angle at which the head must rotate from its normal position toward the plate 56 to prevent the lever 58 being pressed is much greater than the angle at which it must rotate due to the cam 69 pressing the plunger 64, that is, it must be at least 5 °. Therefore, the plungers and their valves may be actuated, for example, by expansion of the reservoir, even when lever 58 is depressed. This is important since the user cannot usually detect that the tank has expanded during gasification and continues to depress the lever 52; the latter engages with the plate 56 and the angle of displacement of the head from the correct position is reduced. In this case, only mechanical functions allowing the pressure to be reduced are allowed to operate.

Since the best embodiment of the invention is described in the example, it is to be understood that the invention may be implemented in various ways, that is, by using mechanical equivalents of the described elements or other modifications and variations available to one skilled in the art.