Disposable PET Keg Tap with Integrated Forgery Prevention and Degassing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The Cornelius keg system is costly, environmentally impactful, and lacks forgery-preventing mechanisms, leading to high management and transportation costs, potential product contamination, and difficulty in differentiating gas and liquid connections, which results in operational issues and increased costs for both manufacturers and consumers.
Innovation Solution
A recyclable PET keg with a double-turret delivering tap that integrates forgery-preventing mechanisms, allowing only one-time use and ensuring product integrity, featuring a single-piece main head with distinct gas and liquid connections, and a tamper-evident seal for degassing and recycling, which is compatible with existing draft systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If Cornelius kegs are made reusable, then they can be used multiple times, but they require expensive washing, sanitization, and component replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the disposable principle by designing a single-use PET keg system that eliminates the need for washing, sanitization, and component replacement. The entire keg is designed to be discarded after one use, with all sealing and connection components integrated into the disposable structure, thereby resolving the contradiction between reusability and maintenance complexity.
2Duration of action of moving object
If Cornelius kegs are made reusable, then they can be used multiple times, but transportation costs increase due to returning empty kegs
Solution Approach 1:
The disposable keg design eliminates the need to transport empty kegs back to filling centers. After single use, the keg is discarded and replaced with a fresh one, completely removing the energy consumption associated with returning and refilling reusable kegs.
3Ease of manufacture
If Cornelius kegs lack forgery-preventing systems, then they are simpler to manufacture, but product authenticity cannot be guaranteed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by incorporating forgery-preventing features into the keg structure before use. The breakable seal and tamper-evident design elements are pre-integrated into the keg, providing authenticity verification without adding complex manufacturing steps or requiring post-manufacturing assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The forgery-preventing system is segmented into distinct functional elements: a breakable seal component, tamper-evident features on the tap assembly, and structural design elements that prevent unauthorized refilling. This segmentation allows each feature to be independently verified while maintaining overall system simplicity.
4Adaptability or versatility
If Cornelius kegs have separate gas and liquid connections, then functionality is improved, but it becomes difficult to differentiate connection types
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by designing the gas and liquid connection points with distinct geometric configurations. The connections are not symmetrical copies of each other but have different shapes, orientations, or identifying features that make them easily distinguishable, thereby resolving the difficulty of differentiation while maintaining both connection functions.
5Ease of repair
If Cornelius kegs use multiple replaceable components, then maintenance is possible, but the number of parts increases complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The disposable keg design eliminates the need for maintenance and component replacement entirely. All components including seals, taps, and connection elements are integrated into the single-use structure, reducing the system from multiple replaceable parts to a unified disposable unit that requires no repair.
Data Source
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AI summary
A vessel for liquids is described, made of plastic material of the keg type, comprising: a delivering tap (1) composed of a main body (7.1); a covering device (9.1) equipped with two turrets (9.3) for entering gas and exiting liquid into/from the body (7.1); two pistons (8.1) operatively coupled to the turrets (9.3) for controlling their opening and closing; two bottoms (10.1) operatively coupled with the pistons (8.1) for controlling their operation; and a tampering-preventing seal (11.1) placed on the covering device (9.1) in order to prevent an undesired external access to said turrets (9.3) with an integrated degassing device (11.8) for degassing the vessel at the end of its life favouring its correct recycling; and a neck (12.2) of the vessel connected to the delivering tap (1) and equipped with internal and external forgery-preventing means (12.3, 12.1) to cooperate with the tampering-preventing seal (11.1).