US2502821A - Liquid dispensing device - Google Patents

Description

April 4, 1950 P. BRAUNER 2,502,821

LIQUID DISPENSING DEVICE Filed NOV. 5, 1947'4 1 N V EN TOR. /Dziz im mwwf Patented Apr. 4, 1 950 vUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in carbonated beverage dispensing devices. More particularly it relates to an improved dispenser having means for quickly and eiectively mounting it in sealing relation to the mouth of a conventional bottle, with manually operable mechanism in the dispenser for opening a flow passage through the dispenser while avoiding any substantial escape of free carbonio acid or other gas during the process of pouring beverage from the bottle.

It is well known that carbonated beverages lose much of their zest and avor as soon as any substantial amount of the charging gas is perf mitted to escape from the bottle or other container inwhich the beverage is held. Hence, when the regular bottle cap is to be replaced by a dispensing device, it is important to effect the replacement; without appreciable diminution of the gaseous charge within the bottle. Also, the dispensing device must be capable of sealing the bottle mouth against any escape of gas at times when the dispenser device is serving merely as a closure for the bottle. But, heretofore the dispensing devices of which I am aware have permitted large escape of gas during their use for dispensing. The gas in the space above the beverage in a bottle held at a pouring inclination, has not been adequately restrained against escape during the pouring operation with the result that the gaseous charge within a bottle has become materially reduced with each pouring of beverage from the bottle. Naturally some gas inevitably must escape with the pouring beverage, and the space in the bottle vacated by the dispensed beverage must be replaced by the charging gas or by inflowing air in order to avoid a partial Vacuum and stoppage of the flow.

It is an object of the invention to provide a beverage dispensing device which more effectively restrains outflow of gas in the process of dispensing a carbonated beverage vfrom a bottle or the like.

Another object is to provide a dispenser for bottles of charged liquids which, as compared with prior comparable devices, more quickly and effectively may be substituted for the conventional bottle cap without appreciable loss of carbonic acid or other gas with which the liquid may have been charged.

A further object is to provide a charged liquid dispenser having interior baffle means for coaction with liquid contents of a bottle or the like in restraining gaseous outflow as a consequence of liquid outflow.

It is, moreover, my purpose and object generally to improve the structure, effectiveness and eiciency of charged beverage dispensing devices, especially such devices which are adapted to replace the conventional sealing caps of carbonated beverage bottles.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a dispensing device embodying features of the invention, it being shown mounted on a bottle with its sealing clamp illustrated by full lines in clamping position and in dotted lines in released position;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan of the dispenser device of Fig. 1 with the sealing clamp in released position; and

Fig. 3 is a medial cross-sectional view of the dispenser device of Figs. 1 and 2, on a larger scale.

Referring to the drawing, the illustrated neck portion of a bottle Il! may be considered representative of conventional bottles of the general type employed for holding carbonated beverages.

My improved dispensing device is indicated generally at I2, comprising a body I4 of any suitable material which may be one of the available plastic materials molded or otherwise formed generally to the shape illustrated, with theinterior cavity I6 opening through one end of the body. This open end of the body I4 is formed with the interior annular shoulder I8 beyond which the walls of the body at its open end extend with interior diameter for receiving therein the usual beaded lip il of the convene tional bottle ll). A relatively thick resilient ring or gasket 2D of rubber or the like fits snugly within the open end of body I4 and is seated on annular shoulder i8 so that the bottle lip Il engages the gasket when the body I4 is arranged on the bottle. as shown in Fig. 1.

Clamped, sealing coaction between the gasket 2l! and the bottle lip l l is effected by the stift' wire members indicated generally at 22 and 24, respectively, the member 22 having generally U-shape with each U-arm bent to provide kthe angularly disposed portion 23. The terminals `oi the angular portions 23 are bent sharply toward each other as at 26, with each bent terminal engaged in a hole 28 in body It whereby the member 22 is pivotally mountedon the body for swinging movements between its full line and dotted line positions of Fig. l.

The other wire member 24 has a U-shaped portion 25 for engaging under the lip bead Il of the bottle I0, with the laterally projecting portions '30 extending outwardly in yopposite directions. The

projecting portions 30, outward of the body I4, turn sharply upward into the generally vertical integral arms `32 whose upper ends are bent sharply toward each other as at 34, with each bent terminal 34 engaged in a hole 36 provided in the angularly disposed portions 23 of member 22, thereby to pivotally mount member 24 on the member 22 with its pivotal axis preferably relatively close to the pivotal axis of the member 22. It will be apparent that, with the member 22 in its dotted position of Fig. 1, the U-portion 25 of member 24 will be out of clamping engagement with the lip bead I I of the bottle, as indicated by its dotted position in Fig. 1, so that the dispenser body I4 may be arranged on and removed from the bottle. However, with the dispenser set on the bottle, depression f member 22 from its dotted to its full line position in Fig. 1 will draw the U-portion of member 24 inwardly and upwardly to engage the U-portion 25 under the lip bead II of the bottle to clamp the bottle lip into sealing coaction with the gasket 20. The depression of member 22 carries the pivotal axis of member 24 slightly past center so that the seal is effectively maintained until the member 22 is raised toward its dotted position of Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 3, it is an important feature of my improved dispenser structure that escape of carbonating gas while liquid is being dispensed from bottle IIJ is greatly minimized as compared with prior dispensing devices of which I am aware. In the embodiment of the invention as herein represented, the body I4 has an integral spout I5 thereon through which a flow passage 38 has an inclined extent downwardly and inwardly generally toward the open end of the body I4. However, the flow passage 38 terminates short of the open end of body I4, and extends through a boss 40 generally axially of the body I4 and opening into the chamber I6 within the body. The end of boss 40, through which the axial portion of the flow passage extends, is substantially inward of the open end of body I4 and constitutes an annular seat for the resilient valve member 42, which may be of rubber or other suitable material.

The valve member 42 is shown mounted at the headed end of a screw 44 which extends axially and through the valve member and slidably through the body member so that its threaded end 45 is projected a substantial distance into a recess 46 formed in the top end of the body member I4. The hole in the body I4 through which screw 44 extends is countersunk at 48 where it opens into recess 4-6, and a complementary packing member of rubber or other resilient material is seated in the countersink 48 with screw 44 extending slidably through it. A metal washer 52 loosely surrounds the screw and is constantly pressed against the upper surface of packing member 50 by a spring 54, one end of which engages washer 52 and the other end of which engages a button 56 which is screwed on the projected end of screw 44 and which has a portion slidably engaged within the recess 46, with a substantial portion of the button normally held by the spring protruding at the upper end of body I4 conveniently available for finger actuation. It will be apparent that the spring 54 acts to compress the packing member 50 into sealing relation around screw 44, and acts to seat valve member 42 against the end of boss 40, as well as to hold the button 56 in its protruding position of Fig. 3. However, the valve may be actuated to its dotted open position by finger tip depression of button 56, and the spring will have resilient force capable of quickly closing the valve when the nger pressure on the button is removed.

An important feature of the invention resides in the provision of a baille wall 58 at the open end of member II4, for coaction with the valve in permitting outow of liquid but obstructing free escape of carbonatinggas during the process of dispensing the liquid. As seen in Figs. 2 and 3, this baffle wall 58 is formed as an integral part of the resilient gasket 20, it being in the nature of a relatively thin web closing a substantial portion of the entrance to the chamber I6 of body member I4. The web or baille 58 is on that side of the axis of the dispenser opposite the side at which the dipensing spout I5 is located, so that, when the bottle is tilted to a pouring position, the gas-filled space above the beverage in the bottle will be closed by the baille so that gas can escape into the flow passage 38 only as it may be in the outpouring liquid, or by passing through the liquid, so long as the liquid comes up to the lower edge of the baille during the pouring. Hence, the usual free passage for escape of gas above the liquid is avoided, and substantially more of the carbonating gas can be retained in a bottle as portions of the liquid contents are dispensed at intermittent times. If, for any reason the interior gaseous pressure drops to or below the exterior atmospheric pressure, the baffle restriction is such that inflow of any relatively small quantities of air which may be needed to avoid stoppage of flow of liquid can occur by seepage past the baffle and through the liquid.

Of course, any opening of the dispenser valve while the bottle is standing upright in a nonpouring position would permit free escape of gas from the bottle. The eiectiveness of the invention presumes a normal and proper use of the dispenser for pouring beverage from a bottle as needed or desired.

I claim as my invention:

1. A liquid-dispensing device for a bottle having an exteriorly beaded lip, comprising an interiorly chambered body having one end open into the chamber, a spout angularly disposed at one side of the longitudinal axis of the body with its flow passage extending obliquely downwardly and inwardly from the end of the spout and Opening into said chamber of the body at and in direction along the axis oi the latter, valve means having a valve in said chamber biased to a seated position closing said flow passage of the spout, means exteriorly of the body for opening the` valve against its said bias, a relatively thick annular resilient gasket seated in the open end of the body for engaging the lip of the bottle, a baffle located entirely within said chambered body 60 and closing a substantial portion of the passage through said gasket only on that side of the axis of the body opposite the side at which said spout is located, said bale being disposed in part opposite both the bottle mouth and the inner end of the oW passage of said spout, and over-center clamping means exteriorly oi the body for engaging under the said lip bead of the bottle and operative to clamp the lip of the bottle into sealing coaction with said annular gasket, with the said baiile and spout continuing on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the body and bottle.

2. A liquid-dispensing device for a bottle having an exteriorly beaded lip, comprising an interiorly chambered body having` one end open into the chamber and the other end closed but having a recess therein extending axially oi the body, a spout integrally formed on the body at one side of the llongitudinal axis of the body, said spout having its discharge end approximately in the plane of said recessed end of the body and having its flow passage extending thence obliquely generally toward the open end of the body and opening into said chamber a substantial distance short of said open end of the body, a valve in said chamber for closing said ow passage of the spout, a valve stem carrying said valve and projecting through said body into said recess at one end of the body, a button fixed on said projecting portion of the valve stem in said recess, resilient packing means around said valve stem at the bottom of said recess, a spring resiliently compressed between said packing and said button whereby the said valve is yieldably seated land said packing is constantly compressed into sealing engagement around the valve stem, a baffle located entirely Within said chambered body and closing a substantial portion of the passage through said open end of the body and only at that side of the longitudinal axis of the body opposite the side at which said spout is located, said 6 baiiie being disposed in part opposite both the bottle mouth and the inner end of the now passage of said spout, and means for clamping the bottle lip and the open end of said body into sealing engagement with each other.

PINCUS BRAUNER.

REFERENCES CITEDv The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 218,698 Beardsley Aug. 19, 1879 576,417 Still Feb. 2, 1897 1,195,726 Riajchok Aug. 22, 1916 1,349,830 Goldstein Aug. 17, 1920 1,967,743 Chaille et a1 July 24, 1934 2,046,804 Youngblood July 7, 1936 2,325,920 Rigby a- Aug. 3, 1943 2,453,856 Opitz Nov. 16, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 177,921 Switzerland June 30, 1935

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