Beverage tapper shut-off mechanism
Abstract
A beverage tapper shut-off mechanism includes
a double acting solenoid, a locking mechanism, a dispensing tube, and a
housing. The locking mechanism has a cam actuator,
an upper thrust arm, a lower thrust arm, and a tube crusher. The lower
thrust arm is pivotally connected to the tube
crusher and the upper thrust arm. The double acting solenoid is fastened
to the
housing, and the upper thrust arm is pivotally
connected to the housing. The cam actuator is fastened to an actuation
rod of
the double acting solenoid. The cam actuator
has an internal cam surface which controls the movement of the tube crusher.
A modified dispensing tube has two sides which
are molded to be substantially squeezed together. The double acting
solenoid is operated by a control circuit.
When a particular amount of beverage is needed, a button is pushed on the
operational circuit. A pulse of current is
sent to the double acting solenoid. The double acting solenoid will actuate
and pull
the cam actuator upward which will cause the
tube crusher to release pressure on the modified dispensing tube. When
the
operational circuit times out, the double
acting solenoid will actuate and push the cam downward. The pivot point
of the
upper and lower thrust arms will be locked
into place within the locking area of the cam actuator.
Inventors:
Briski; Richard J. (8889 Greenview La., Greendale, WI 53129)
Appl. No.:
946539
Filed:
October 7, 1997
U.S. Class:
222/640; 222/214; 222/504; 251/7; 251/129.2
Intern'l Class:
G04C 001/12; B67D 003/00
Field of Search:
222/504,214,640-641 251/7,129.2 74/110
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
3046802
Jul., 1962
Cupedo
74/110.
3156444
Nov., 1964
Black
251/7.
3445039
May., 1969
Brodsky et al.
222/504.
3498316
Mar., 1970
Pinder et al.
251/7.
3707845
Jan., 1973
Mitton
74/110.
3788177
Jan., 1974
Williamson
74/110.
3881641
May., 1975
Pliml, Jr. et al.
222/214.
4487333
Dec., 1984
Pounder et al.
222/504.
4637243
Jan., 1987
Bond
74/110.
4804118
Feb., 1989
Mullen et al.
222/504.
4833972
May., 1989
Bohusch et al.
74/110.
Foreign Patent Documents
75970
Jun., 1959
FR
251/7.
Primary Examiner: Kashnikow; Andres
Assistant Examiner: Bocanegra; Jorge
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Ersler; Donald J.
Claims
1. A beverage dispensing shut-off mechanism comprising:
an upper thrust arm;
a lower thrust arm having one end which is pivotally connected to one end of said upper thrust arm; and
a cam actuator having an internal cam surface,
said internal cam surface including a locking area, said locking area
restraining said upper and lower thrust arms
from movement when said pivotal connection is disposed in said locking
area,
said cam actuator being axially guided.
2. The beverage dispensing shut-off mechanism of claim 1, further comprising:
a solenoid having actuation in at least one direction, one end of said solenoid being fastened to said cam actuator.
3. The beverage dispensing shut-off mechanism of claim 2, further comprising:
said solenoid having the other end fastened
to a housing, the other end of said upper thrust arm being pivotally connected
to
said housing.
4. The beverage dispensing shut-off mechanism of claim 3, further comprising:
a tube crusher being pivotally connected to
the other end of said lower thrust arm, said tube crusher being guided
by a first
groove and a second groove formed in said
housing.
5. The beverage dispensing shut-off mechanism of claim 4, further comprising:
a dispensing tube being placed between said
tube crusher and a support area of said housing, said tube crusher preventing
the flow of a beverage through said dispensing
tube when said double acting solenoid is in a closed position, said tube
crusher allowing flow of a beverage through
said dispensing tube when said double acting solenoid is in an open position.
6. The beverage dispensing shut-off mechanism of claim 5, further comprising:
said dispensing tube being a modified dispensing
tube, said modified dispensing tube being substantially a round tube with
a
first compressed side extending outward from
said round tube and a second compressed side extending outward from said
round tube substantially opposite said first
compressed side.
7. The beverage dispensing shut-off mechanism of claim 5, further comprising:
said support area being disposed on a bottom
of said housing, said housing having means for vertical adjustment to
compensate for varying sizes of dispensing
tubes.
8. The beverage dispensing shut-off mechanism of claim 1, further comprising:
a switching circuit
an operational circuit which controls said
switching circuit, said switching circuit causing said solenoid to actuate,
said
operational circuit controlling the time when
said double acting solenoid is actuated.
9. A beverage dispensing shut-off mechanism comprising:
an upper thrust arm;
a lower thrust arm having one end which is pivotally connected to one end of said upper thrust arm;
a tube crusher being pivotally connected to
the other end of said lower thrust arm, said tube crusher being guided
within
said housing;
a cam actuator having an internal cam surface,
said internal cam surface including a locking area, said locking area
restraining said upper and lower thrust arms
from movement when said pivotal connection is disposed in said locking
area;
a double acting solenoid having an actuation rod, said actuation rod being securely fastened to said cam actuator; and
a dispensing tube being placed between said
tube crusher and a support area of said housing, said tube crusher preventing
the flow of a beverage through said dispensing
tube when said double acting solenoid is in a closed position, said tube
crusher allowing flow of a beverage through
said dispensing tube when said double acting solenoid is in an open position.
10. The beverage dispensing shut-off mechanism of claim 9, further comprising:
said double acting solenoid being fastened
to a housing, the other end of said upper thrust arm being pivotally connected
to
said housing.
11. The beverage dispensing shut-off mechanism of claim 9, wherein:
said cam actuator being guided by a groove formed in an inside wall of said housing.
12. The beverage dispensing shut-off mechanism of claim 9, further comprising:
said dispensing tube being a modified dispensing
tube, said modified dispensing tube being substantially a round tube with
a
first compressed side extending outward from
said round tube and a second compressed side extending outward from said
round tube substantially opposite said first
compressed side.
13. The beverage dispensing shut-off mechanism of claim 9, further comprising:
said support area being disposed on a bottom
of said housing, said housing having means for vertical adjustment to
compensate for varying sizes of dispensing
tubes.
14. The beverage dispensing shut-off mechanism of claim 9, further comprising:
a switching circuit
an operational circuit which controls said
switching circuit, said switching circuit causing said double acting solenoid
to
actuate, said operational circuit controlling
the time when said double acting solenoid is actuated.
15. A beverage dispensing shut-off mechanism comprising:
an upper thrust arm;
a lower thrust arm having an end which is pivotally connected to an end of said upper thrust arm;
a tube crusher being connected to the other end of said lower thrust arm;
a cam actuator having an internal cam surface,
said internal cam surface including a locking area, said locking area
restraining said upper and lower thrust arms
from movement when said pivotal connection is disposed in said locking
area
without having to maintain axial force against
said cam actuator in either direction, said cam actuator being axially
guided;
and
a dispensing tube being placed between said
tube crusher and a support area, said tube crusher preventing the flow
of a
beverage through said dispensing tube when
said pivotal connection is disposed in said locking area.
16. The beverage dispensing shut-off mechanism of claim 15, further comprising:
a double acting solenoid having one end which is fastened to said cam actuator.
17. The beverage dispensing shut-off mechanism of claim 16, further comprising:
said double acting solenoid having the other
end fastened to a housing, the other end of said upper thrust arm being
pivotally
connected to said housing.
18. The beverage dispensing shut-off mechanism of claim 15, further comprising:
said dispensing tube being a modified dispensing
tube, said modified dispensing tube being substantially a round tube with
a
first compressed side extending outward from
said round tube and a second compressed side extending outward from said
round tube substantially opposite said first
compressed side.
19. The beverage dispensing shut-off mechanism of claim 15, further comprising:
said support area being disposed on a bottom
of a housing, said housing having means for vertical adjustment to
compensate for varying sizes of dispensing
tubes.
20. The beverage dispensing shut-off mechanism of claim 15, further comprising:
a switching circuit
an operational circuit which controls said
switching circuit, said switching circuit causing said double acting solenoid
to
actuate, said operational circuit controlling
the time when said double acting solenoid is actuated.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to
beverage tappers and more specifically to a beverage tapper shut-off mechanism
which provides an improved shutoff and control
of a beverage being dispensed.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
A problem frequently encountered with solenoid
type beverage dispensers is a rise in line pressure which causes a closed
dispensing tube to open and spew out beverage.
Another problem with electrically operated tappers is that the solenoid
must be energized for several seconds as the
beverage is being poured. A solenoid which is energized for a long period
of
time requires a large amount of electrical
power and could cause overheating if used for a prolonged period. The solenoid
will also require a large power supply with
a large current draw. The large current draws will contribute to an electricity
shortage on extremely hot days in the summer
when power plants are being run at maximum capacity.
Further, most dispensing tubes are round in
shape and are crushed to stop the flow of a beverage. The crushing of a
round
tube induces stresses in the sides which results
in premature failure.
Accordingly, there is a clearly felt need in
the art for a beverage tapper shut-off mechanism which provides an improved
shut-off for a dispensing tube, uses less
energy, is safer, and is more reliable than that of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary objective of the present invention
is to provide a beverage tapper shut-off mechanism which provides an
improved shut-off for a dispensing tube, uses
less energy, is safer, and is more reliable than that of the prior art.
According to the present invention, a beverage
tapper shut-off mechanism includes a double acting solenoid, a locking
mechanism, a dispensing tube, and a housing.
The locking mechanism has a cam actuator, an upper thrust arm, a lower
thrust arm, and a tube crusher. An end of
the upper thrust arm is pivotally connected to the housing. The other end
of the
upper thrust arm is pivotally connected to
an end of the lower thrust arm.
The tube crusher is pivotally connected to
the other end of the lower thrust arm and the tube crusher is guided by
opposite
sides of the housing. The tube crusher is
also limited in stroke by the locking mechanism which decreases the tendency
of
the tube crusher to cut the dispensing tube.
The double acting solenoid is firmly attached to the housing. The cam actuator
is
fastened to an actuation rod of the double
acting solenoid. The cam actuator has a double acting internal cam surface
which
controls the movement of the tube crusher.
The toggle action of the locking mechanism magnifies the closing force
exerted
against the dispensing tube when the upper
and lower thrust arms are fully extended, yet lowers the cutting effect
on the
dispensing tube, because the fully extended
upper and lower thrust arms do not over travel like an actuated solenoid.
A modified dispensing tube is similar to a
round dispensing tube with the addition of two sides which are molded to
be
substantially squeezed together.
The double acting solenoid is operated by a
control circuit. The control circuit includes a transformer, a rectifier
circuit, a
switching circuit, and an operational circuit.
AC voltage is stepped down by the transformer and converted into DC voltage
by the rectifier circuit. The DC voltage is
used to power the operational circuit, the switching circuit, and the solenoid.
When
a particular amount of beverage is needed,
a button is pushed on the operational circuit which operates the switching
circuit.
A small pulse of current is sent through the
switching circuit to the double acting solenoid. The double acting solenoid
will
actuate and pull the cam actuator upward which
will cause the tube crusher to release pressure from the dispensing tube.
When the operational circuit times out, the
double acting solenoid will actuate and push the cam downward. The pivot
point
of the upper and lower thrust arms will cause
the tube crusher and the crushed tube dispenser to be locked into place
within
the locking area of the cam actuator. The
double acting solenoid is energized for only a fraction of a second for
either
opening or closing the dispensing tube. The
switching circuit can also be operated manually.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present
invention to provide a beverage tapper shut-off mechanism which improves
the
closing of a dispensing tube.
It is a further object of the present invention
to provide a beverage tapper shut-off mechanism which is safer than that
of the
prior art.
It is yet a further object of the present invention
to provide a beverage tapper shut-off mechanism which is more reliable
than that of the prior art.
It is yet a further object of the present invention
to provide a beverage tapper shut-off mechanism with a dispensing tube
which is more reliable than that of the prior
art.
It is yet a further object of the present invention
to provide a beverage tapper shut-off mechanism with dispensing tube
which reduces foaming of carbonated beverages
since turbulence in the fluid flow is reduced.
It is yet a further object of the present invention
to provide a beverage tapper shut-off mechanism with dispensing tube
which opens more quickly than that of the
prior art.
Finally, it is another object of the present
invention to provide a beverage tapper shut-off mechanism which consumes
less
electrical energy in operation than that of
the prior art.
These and additional objects, advantages, features
and benefits of the present invention will become apparent from the
following specification.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top view of a beverage tapper shut-off
mechanism with section lines for FIGS. 2-4, 7, and 8 in accordance with
the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a beverage
tapper shut-off mechanism with the flow of a beverage restrained in
accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 3 is an axial cross sectional view of
a beverage tapper shut-off mechanism with the flow of a beverage unrestrained
in
accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 4 is an end cross sectional view of a
beverage tapper shut-off mechanism with the flow of a beverage restrained
in
accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the control circuit in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of a prior art dispensing tube which has been shut-off;
FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of an open modified dispensing tube in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of a closed modified dispensing tube in accordance with the present invention; and
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a beverage tapper shut-off assembly in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference now to the drawings, and particularly
to FIG. 1, there is shown a top view of a beverage tapper shut-off
mechanism 1. With reference to FIGS. 2-4,
the beverage tapper shut-off mechanism 1 includes a double acting solenoid
10, a locking mechanism 12, a dispensing tube,
and a housing 16. The locking mechanism 12 has a cam actuator 18, at
least one upper thrust arm 20, at least one
lower thrust arm 22, and a tube crusher 24.
An end of the upper thrust arm 20 is pivotally
connected to the housing 16. The other end of the upper thrust arm 20 is
pivotally connected to an end of the lower
thrust arm 22. The tube crusher 24 is pivotally connected to the other
end of the
lower thrust arm 22 and is guided by a first
groove 26 and a second groove 28 disposed in the housing 16. The double
acting solenoid 10 is firmly attached to the
housing 16. The cam actuator 18 is fastened to an actuation rod 30 of the
double
acting solenoid 10. The cam actuator 18 has
a double acting internal cam surface which controls the movement of the
tube
crusher 24. With reference to FIG. 7, a modified
dispensing tube 14 has a cross section which is similar to a round
dispensing tube. The modified dispensing tube
14 has a first compressed side 32 extending outward from the round portion
and a second compressed side 34 which extends
outward from the round portion substantially opposite the first
compressed side 32. A round dispensing tube
or the modified dispensing tube 14 may be used, however it is preferable
that
the modified dispensing tube 14 be used because
of its superior performance over the round dispensing tube.
FIG. 2 shows a cross sectional view of the
beverage tapper shut-off mechanism 1 with the flow of the modified tube
dispensing 14 pinched-off. The double acting
solenoid 10 is not energized continuously to pinch-off the modified tube
dispensing 14. The double acting solenoid
10 is actuated downward into a closed position as shown. The modified tube
dispensing 14 is kept closed by the locking
action of the cam actuator 18 restraining the pivot point 36 of the upper
thrust
arm 20 and lower thrust arm 22 from motion.
The cam actuator 18 is also supported by an inside wall 17 of the housing
16.
The modified tube dispensing 14 is pinched
between the tube crusher 24 and a tube support 25 which is disposed at
the
bottom of the housing 16.
It is preferable that the tube support 25 be
a vertically adjustable tube support 27 as shown in FIG. 3 to compensate
for
different sizes of dispensing tubes. It is
preferable that a moveable support member 29 be bolted against at least
one set
screw 31 which extends vertically from the
housing. Adjustment of the set screw raises and lowers the vertical height
of the
moveable support member 29.
FIG. 3 shows a cross sectional view of the
beverage tapper shut-off mechanism 1 with the modified dispensing tube
14
open. The double acting solenoid 10 is actuated
upward into an open position as shown. The upward motion of the double
acting solenoid 10 is sufficient to remove
the pivot point 36 from the locking area 38 of the cam actuator 18. The
double
acting solenoid 10 is in an open position.
The beverage is able to flow through the modified tube dispensing 14. It
is
preferable that the cam actuator 18 be guided
in a groove disposed in the inside wall 17 of the housing 16 for stability
of the
locking mechanism 12.
FIG. 5 shows a control circuit 40 which operates
the double acting solenoid 10. The control circuit 40 includes a
transformer 42, a rectifier circuit 44, a
switching circuit 46, and an operational circuit 48. The following voltage
values are
given by way of example and not by way of
limitation, other values of AC and DC voltage could be used. It is preferable
that the voltage output be as low as possible
for safety purposes. It is preferable that 120 volts AC is stepped down
to 32
volts AC by the transformer 42. The 32 volts
AC is rectified into 45 volts DC by the rectifier circuit 44. The 45 volts
DC
can be used to power the operational circuit
48 and the switching circuit 46. The switching circuit 46 preferably utilizes
a
pair of FET transistors for sending a small
current pulse to actuate the double acting solenoid 10. The operational
circuit 48
controls the timing when the double acting
solenoid 10 is actuated and also controls the width of the small current
pulse. The
operational circuit is well known in the art
as a microprocessor control board or the like. A plurality of buttons for
different
size cups are used to dispense a measured
amount of beverage when pushed. The actuation of the double acting solenoid
10 can also be operated manually.
When a particular amount of beverage is needed,
a particular button is pushed on the operational circuit 48. The transistor
FETS act as a switch to allow a large DC current
pulse to actuate the double acting solenoid 10. The double acting
solenoid 10 will actuate upward and the cam
actuator 18 will cause the tube crusher 24 to open the flow in the modified
dispensing tube 14. When the operational circuit
48 times out, the double acting solenoid 10 will push the cam actuator
18
downward. The pivot point 36 of the upper
thrust arm 20 and the lower thrust arm 22 will be locked into place with
the
locking area 38 of the cam actuator 18. The
double acting solenoid 10 is energized for only a fraction of a second
for either
opening or closing the modified dispensing
tube 14.
FIG. 6 shows a cross sectional view of a prior
art dispensing tube 102 which has been closed. The continued cycling of
the
tube crusher 108 will cause external cracks
104 and internal cracks 106 to form in the sides of the dispensing tube
102.
This problem of the prior art dispensing tube
102 is solved by adding a first compressed side 32 and a second compressed
side 34 to the sides of the dispensing tube.
The addition of the first compressed side 32 and the second compressed
side 34
to a dispensing tube results in a modified
dispensing tube 14. Since the two sides are substantially compressed, no
cracking
results in the modified dispensing tube 14
at the sides from the continued cycling of the tube crusher 24.
FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of a beverage tapper shut-off mechanism 1.
While particular embodiments of the invention
have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the
art
that changes and modifications may be made
without departing from the invention in its broader aspects, and therefore,
the
aim in the appended claims is to cover all
such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope
of the
invention. The beverage tapper shut-off mechanism
is not to be limited to just dispensing beverages, but may be used to
shut-off the flow of any type of liquid or
fluid.