Bevarage dispense valves

Abstract

A beverage dispense valve is described comprising (i) a body [2] having a bore defining a cylindrical chamber [15] therein and having a beverage inlet port [19] and a beverage outlet port [18] in communication with the chamber; (ii) a rotatable valve member [3] comprising a generally cylindrical barrel of plastics material rotatably mounted in the chamber [15] in the body [2] so as to be movable between open and closed positions of the valve, said barrel having a conduit therein to allow fluid to flow between the beverage inlet port [19] and the beverage outlet port [18] when the valve is in an open position, the external diameter of the barrel being minimally less than the internal diameter of the bore in the body; and (iii) handle means [8] to rotate the valve member [3] between the open and closed positions by engagement with the end faces of the valve member [3]; the handle [8] comprising a fork assembly having at least two cover plates [1,1A] to cover the end faces of the valve member [3]; characterised in that an inner surface of at least one cover plate is configured to releasably engage the valve member [3] in a single orientation such that in the open position of the valve, the fluid conduit connects the beverage inlet port [19] to the beverage outlet port [18]. The beverage dispense valve described is a user friendly beverage dispense valve which is convenient both to assemble and to dis-assemble for service in-situ and which is more appealing to the eye.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to valves for dispensing liquids. Especially in the field of beverage dispensing devices, it is used in particular for dispensing beer, especially draft beer supplied from pressurized containers. The background of the invention will be discussed with reference to a beverage dispensing tap, but the invention is not limited thereto. Background technique [0002] Beverage dispensing taps with rotary valves are well known. The handle is attached by a fork-shaped lower end to a cylindrical valve member that is rotatable within a generally cylindrical cavity inside the body of the faucet. The main body of the faucet is composed of a beverage inlet and a beverage outlet. When the handle is in the vertical closed position, there is no communication between the beverage inlet and the beverage outlet. When the handle is pulled from the vertical closed position to the inclined open position, communication is established between t...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Neither style of valve can be removed in the field due to the use of adhesive to seal the threads that hold the valve mechanism in place, so once the dispensing faucet is installed at the time of purchase, the faucet cannot be repaired

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