Untitled record

March 31, 1964

SAFETY PRESSURE

Filed Sept. 7, 1961

F. WELTY ETAL 3,127,049

VESSEL FOR CARBONATED BEVERAGES AND THE LIKE

Sheets-Sheet i

<img file="US3127049A_D0001.tif" />

<img file="US3127049A_D0002.tif" />

ATTORNEY

March 31, 1964 f. welty etal 3,127,049

SAFETY PRESSURE VESSEL FOR CARBONATED BEVERAGES AND THE LIKE

Filed Sept. 7, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2

<img file="US3127049A_D0003.tif" />

<img file="US3127049A_D0004.tif" />

'ATTORNEY

3,127,949

Patented Mar. 31, 1964

United States Patent Office

3,127,049

SAFETY PRESSURE VESSEL FOR CARBONATED BEVERAGES AND THE LIKE

Frank Welty, 4962 Lockwood Blvd., and Raymond D. Welty, 4307 Lake Road, both of Youngstown, Ohio

Filed Sept 7, 1961, Ser. No. 136,575 5 Claims. (Cl. 220—40)

This invention relates to a safety closure cap structure for pressure vessels and more particularly to an improved io and simplified arrangement for protecting a pressure-filled vessel against rupture due to excessive pressure. The primary object of the invention is to provide this safety feature on a pressure vessel without adding to the complexity or cost of the vessel, and in accordance with this inven- IS tion this object is accomplished by so constructing the conventional closure cap structure of the vessel that the cap itself and its sealing means act as the safety valve to relieve the excess pressure.

The invention is specifically intended to protect han- 20 dlers and/or users of transportable gas-filled pressure vessels against injury as may result from explosive rupture thereof. In the bulk distribution of beverages, for example, it is now common practice to fill a closed container with a carbonated beverage against a back pressure sup- 25 plied by a carbonating gas. At the place of consumption the container is connected to a source of carbonating gas under pressure to expel or dispense the beverage to a faucet while maintaining the desired degree of carbonation in the beverage remaining in the container. Nor- ³³mally, this gas source is a high-pressure cylinder filled with compressed gas to which is connected a pressure reducing and regulating valve. If this valve is improperly adjusted or becomes defective, the beverage container may become dangerously subjected to excessive gas pres- ³⁵sure with consequent explosive potentialities. It is accordingly highly desirable to provide the container or vessel with a safety valve feature.

Beverage containers of the kind mentioned above are used in large quantities and are often subjected to rough handling. It is therefore desirable that the safety valve feature be simple, inexpensive, and inherently rugged to the extent that it cannot become inoperative because of rough handling. Further, it must be “fail-safe” in nature _4gand of a character incapable of being tampered with.

This invention meets all the above requirements by so constructing the wide-mouth closure cap assembly universally used on bulk-beverage containers in such manner that the assembly itself inherently operates as a safety ₅θ valve. First, the design of the sealing ring used and its relation to surfaces of the container and cap is such that unless the cap is fully applied or in full “on” position it will release the pressure in the container. Secondly, the cap retaining means is provided with a yieldable link or 55 element whereby abnormal pressures acting on the cap will force the cap outwardly a sufficient distance to release the pressure while yet retaining the cap on the container.

The manner in which the above objects are accomplished by this invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following specification and accompanying drawing wherein there is disclosed preferred embodiments of the invention.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section of a safety closure cap assembly constructed in accordance with the teachings of our invention;

FIGURES 2 and 3 are elevational views of a cap securing element used in the assembly of FIGURE 1 before γθ and after the application of excessive pressure to the cap which had been secured thereby;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse sectional view of a sealing ring used in the assembly of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is an elevation of a modified form of capsecuring device which may be used in carrying out the 5 principles of our invention;

FIGURES 6 and 7 are plan views of the container opening and the cap member, respectively of a further embodiment of the invention; and

FIGURES 8 and 9 are elevation and sectional views, respectively, of the opening neck structure of FIGURE 6.

Referring first to FIGURES 1-5, reference numeral 10 designates a portion of the top wall of the pressure vessel or container to which the invention is applied. When used for beverages, such containers are commonly made of stainless steel and have large openings to facilitate cleaning and inspection of the inner surfaces thereof. Commonly, these openings are formed with an upwardly directed annular projection of a portion of the top wall of the container, such as shown at 11 in the drawing. This annular projection is used to seal and secure a closure cap, with the securing means being of the quick-disconnect type whereby the closure cap may be quickly applied to and removed from the container.

In our construction, the free end portion of the annular projection 11 is flared outwardly as shown at 12 and the closure cap 13 is formed with an integral inwardly opening annular channel 14 which receives the major part of the annular projection 11. The cap member 13 is dieformed from a single disc of stainless steel and, as shown in FIGURE 1, the annular channel aforementioned provides a cylindrical wall 15 radially inward of and concentric with the flaring 12. The channel also provides an end wall 16 which spans the annular space between the wall 15 and the flaring 12.

To effect a fluid-tight seal between the side wall 11 forming the opening into the container and the closure cap 13 we provide an annular resilient and deformable sealing ring 17 which may be molded from neoprene rubber. As shown in FIGURES 1 and 4, the ring 17 is generally U-shaped in cross section to provide concentric radially inner and outer bands integrally connected by a body portion 18. In use, the outer band of ring 17 overlies the inner surface of flaring 12 in depending relation while the inner band of the ring overlies the cylindrical wall 15 of the cap member 13 with the body portion 18 of the ring resting against the inner surface of the annular end wall 16 of the cap member. To provide sensitivity in the sealing action the body portion 18 of ring 17 is formed with a continuous rib 19 on its top surface and for this same purpose as well as for an additional purpose to be explained below the free edges of the concentric bands of the ring are outwardly beaded as shown at 20. It should be apparent that with the sealing ring 17 installed in the manner shown in FIGURE 1 and with the cap tightly applied to the annular projection 11 whereby the sealing ring is compressed, a continuous effective seal is formed between the flaring 12 and the cap member to prevent the escape of fluid, either gas or liquid, from the container.

To provide the quick-detachable interconnection between the cap and the projection 11 and to provide means for tightening the cap onto the projection, we provide a series of circumferentially spaced cams on the outer surface of the projection 11 for engagement by lugs extendgg ing inwardly from the outer cylindrical wall of the cap member 13. As indicated in FIGURE 1 these lugs may be simply inwardly bent portions of this outer cylindrical wall, as shown at 21. In the form of the invention shown in FIGURES 1-3, the cams are formed from strips of metal 22 which are suitably contoured or bent to fit snugly around the curvature of the outer surface of projection 11. Strips 22 are formed at one end with an inte3,127,049 gral tab 23 which is rigidly welded to the metal of wall 11 and the other end of each strip is bent downwardly as shown at 24 and this other end portion is also rigidly welded to the wall 11. Each of the strips 22 is formed with an entering portion 25 of substantial length and of generally horizontal disposition which terminates in a steep cam portion 26. The steep cam portions 26 are provided to insure that the sealing ring 17 will be compressed a predetermined amount sufficient to insure the required sealing action. The steep cam portions 26 terminate in elongated slightly-inclined terminal portions 27 by which the final tightening of the cap member is accomplished and by which the cap member is held against accidental rotation in an “off” direction. The latter characteristic results from the flatness of the portions 27 and resultant friction as will be understood.

In accordance with the principles of our invention, portions 23, 24 and 25 of the strips 22 may be rigidly and continuously welded to the metal of projection 11 but portions 26 and 27 are either not welded or are only lightly welded at spaced points so that these portions may bend upwardly upon the application of excessive internal pressure acting on the cap member. What extent of these portions 26 and 27 is left unattached will, of course, be determined by the thickness and strength of the strips 22, the number of strips used, the diameter of the cap, and the maximum pressure desired in the container.

Referring again to the sealing ring and its manner of use, it will be obvious that so long as the cap member is tightly applied to the container the configuration of the ring provides a self-sealing effect so that any pressure within the capacity of the container may be retained. However, if the cap rises with respect to the container the ring will open up to the shape shown in FIGURE 4 whereby only a line contact will remain between the flaring 12 and the ring. This line contact results from the bead 20 on the outer band of the ring, and the bead has the further function of limiting the further radially outward expansion or diameter growth of this line contact. At this point high pressure cannot be retained and any abnormal pressures applied to the container will be bled off. However, the bead does provide a sensitive seal so that upon release of this excess pressure and the resultant lowering or tightening of the cap by the spring action of the strips 22 will re-establish the seal and prevent spoilage of the beverage or other contents of the container.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURE 5, the cams are provided by radially outward flanges of a ring 28 which is welded or otherwise suitably secured to the neck of projection 11 of the container 10. To provide the safety feature involved herein either the ring itself may be slit or deeply scored at locations indicated by the doted line 29 in FIGURE 5 or by slitting or scoring the flanges themselves at similar locations. The operation of this embodiment is precisely the same as that described above in connection with FIGURES 1-4.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 6-9 the cap-locking cams are integrally formed of the sheet metal of the container by providing excess metal outwardly of the flare 12', which excess metal is rolled downwardly to form a skirt indicated generally by reference numeral 30. This exces metal or skirt is notched at circumferentially spaced points as shown at 31 to allow vertical passage of the lugs 21' of the closure cap. It should be understood that the closure cap of FIGURE 7 is substantially identical with the cap of FIGURE 1, and that the same sealing ring as shown in FIGURES 1 and 4 will be used in the embodiment of FIGURES 6-9.

Skirt 30 is die-cut to provide three circumferentially spaced cams each consisting of a flat entering portion 32, a steep intermediate portion 33, a slightly inclined locking portion 34, and a stop 35. Cam portions 33 insure that the sealing ring will be properly compressed before the lugs 21' enter onto the slightly inclined locking portions 34. They have the further function, which is also true of the first described embodiments, of retaining the cap against being blown upward at time of removal by any residual gas pressure which may be in the container. By allowing the lugs 21' to raise a substantial distance to the entry portions 32, the sealing ring is fully released to allow the instantaneous release of any such residual pressure. Thus, even though the cap be removed quickly with a continuous rotating motion, the upward force on the cap will be dissipated before the lugs 21' run off the entry end of cam portions 32.

In the embodiments of the invention shown in FIGURES 6 thru 9, the gauge of the metal of the container is such that upon the appearance of dangerously high pressure in the container the skirt 30 will be deformed to release this high pressure. Such deformation will comprise the rocking inward of portions of the skirt (or cams) and the flare 12' adjacent the points of contact of the lugs 21' with the skirt. This causes the flare 12' to bow outwardly in the regions of the slots 31 and thereby the flare is made out-of-round and entirely incapable of maintaining a seal with the sealing ring. In actual practice, the gauge of the metal used is determined by test. The deformation under high pressures is rather severe in the embodiment in FIGURES 6-9, and it is not intended that these deformed containers will be reused.

It should now be apparent that we have provided an improved safety pressure vessel for containing and dispensing carbonated beverages and the like which accomplishes the objects initially set out. By providing for the limited yet retained outward movement of the normally required closure cap for such vessels or containers and so constructing the sealing ring as to relieve the excessive pressure upon such limited outward movement of the cap, we are able to provide the saefty valve feature without adding components or increasing the cost of the vessel or container. Further, the nature of this safety feature is such that it cannot be tampered with and is extremely rugged and durable to withstand the severe conditions of handling service to which this type of equipment is normally subjected.

It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that specific means, other than those herein disclosed, may be employed to allow the pressure cap to have a limited outward yet definitely retained outward movement to relieve excess pressure in the container. For example, the flanges forming the lock-on cams engaged by the lugs of the cap and of the general style used in the first described embodiments may be made of suitable material and dimension to be deformable and thus themselves serve as the yieldable means allowing the cap to have limited outward movement.

Since changes may be made in the details of the essential components of the safety closure cap structure herein disclosed without departing of the spirit and scope of the invention, reference should be had to the appended claims in determining the scope of the invention.