AU2002248104A1 - Valve - Google Patents

Description

VALVE

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to an improved valve. Specifically the valve in question may be used in "bag and box" fluid dispensing applications where it is of advantage to have a self-closing valve or tap assembly which can be operated easily and quickly by a user.

Reference throughout this specification will also be made to the present invention being used in this application but those skilled in the art should appreciate that other applications for the invention are also considered. For example in one embodiment one end of the valve assembly may be provided with a male or female thread connection system to allow it to be engaged with other components of a fluid delivery or dispensing apparatus.

BACKGROUND ART

Numerous different types of valves and taps have previously been developed to dispense a wide range of fluids. One common application for taps and valves is "bag in box" products where a bladder is provided within a cardboard box with a low cost disposable tap provided to dispense fluid from the bladder.

In bag and box operations the valve assembly provided needs to be formed inexpensively from low cost materials allowing the whole packaging assembly to be discarded once the contents of the bladder has been dispensed. Examples of valve assemblies used in this application are published on the Internet at www.vitop.fr and also www.waddingtonduval.com.

However, one problem associated with such tap or valve assemblies is the ease with which they can be used to dispense fluid from the disposal bladder. Some of these designs require the use of several fingers to operate an actuation button or lever, which will place the user's hand in an awkward position. Furthermore, some of these assembles also require a separate movement from the user to close the tap or valve in addition to the first movement to open same.

A valve or tap assembly that improved on the above situation would be of advantage. Preferably a valve or tap assembly that could be operated by one or two fingers only and which also closed automatically when the user's hands or fingers are not in contact with the assembly would be of advantage. It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice. Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent trom the ensuing description that is given by way of example only.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a valve which includes, a body forming^"a fluid channel, and a valve seat formed within the body, and a valve head adapted to engage with the valve seat to close the fluid channel within the body, wherein the valve head is adapted to pivot towards the valve seat to close the fluid channel, and to pivot away from the valve seat to open the fluid channel.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a valve substantially as described above which includes a trigger means operable by a user to pivot the valve head towards and away from the valve seat.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a valve substantially as described above which includes, a biasing means associated with the valve head that is adapted to resist a force applied to the trigger means by the user to pivot the valve head away from the valve seat.

The present invention provides a valve that can be used to dispense or channel a fluid. Preferably a valve constructed in accordance with the present invention may be manufactured using relatively low cost materials and manufacturing techniques to allow it to be incorporated within disposal packaging applications. For example, the present invention may preferably be configured to provide a valve or tap to be used in bag in box packaging application. Reference throughout this specification will also be made to the present invention being used in such applications but those skilled in the art should also appreciate that other uses may also be made of the invention and reference to the above only throughout this specification should in no way be seen as limiting.

Preferably the valve includes a main body which forms or defines a channel for fluid to travel through. This fluid channel may be blocked by components of the valve to control the flow or dispensing of fluids. Preferably such components may be located at one end of the channel formed. For example in one preferred embodiment the valve seat employed can be located at one end of the fluid channel formed within the body. However, in alternative embodiments this need not necessarily be the case. Preferably the valve includes a valve seat formed within the body. The valve seat may engage with a valve head to close the fluid channel within the body. The valve head may be moveable with respect to the valve seat to control whether the fluid channel is opened or closed, and may have a complementary shape or form so as to engage closely with the valve seat to prevent fluid from leaking out between these two elements.

In a preferred embodiment the valve head may be adapted to pivot towards the valve seat to close the fluid channel within the body. The valve head may also be adapted to pivot away from the valve seat to open the fluid channel within the body. This configuration of the invention provides a working valve assembly with a valve head moveable with respect to the valve seat. The valve head may be pivoted in either of the above directions by a user to open or close the fluid channel within the body as required.

Preferably the valve includes a trigger means which is operated by the user to pivot the valve head towards or away from the valve seat to in turn operate the valve. Such a trigger means may preferably be operated by a user applying a force with one or two fingers only to same. This configuration of the invention increases the ease with which the valve may be opened or closed by a user - who does not need to place their hands in an awkward position or arrangement to operate the valve assembly.

In a further preferred embodiment a trigger means may be formed from a lever linked to the valve head, where this lever can be moved by the user to pivot the valve head away from the valve seat. A fixed connection may be provided at the pivot point of the valve head with respect to the valve seat for such a triggering lever to directly transmit any forces applied by the user to the valve head.

Reference throughout this specification will also be made to the trigger means of the valve being configured as a lever substantially as described above. However, those skilled in the art should appreciate that other engineering arrangements or mechanical configurations of triggers may also be employed in the valve assembly if required. For example, levers that work in the opposite direction to that specified or alternatively triggering buttons or sliding switches may also be employed with the present invention in different designs and configurations of same.

In a preferred embodiment the valve head may be associated with a biasing means which resists the force applied to the trigger lever to pivot the head away from the seat. Such a biasing means may be used to provide a self closing mechanism for the valve assembly, so that when the user releases the lever, the valve head with automatically be pulled back into engagement with the valve seat by the biasing means. This provides added simplicity and ease of use to the resulting valve assembly. A user need not execute a second operation or step to close the valve but may simply release the trigger lever when they wish to close the valve. In a further preferred embodiment a biasing means may be formed from an elastic material which is used to mount or attach the valve head to the valve body. Such elastic material when at rest or when not under tension or compression may place the valve head in a position where it will be engaged with the valve seat to close the fluid channel within the body. As the trigger lever is pulled away from the valve seat the elastic mounting means used may deform and be placed under tension or compression whilst still allowing the valve head to be pivoted away from the valve seat. When the user releases the trigger level the elastic nature of the material used will quickly pull the valve head back into engagement with the valve seat.

Preferably such an elastic engagement means may be formed using "core back" technology which creates a cavity in the tool used to form the valve. The elastic engagement means employed may be formed by firstly filling a cavity in a mould with a portion (or core) of a tool creating, and the bulk of the rigid portions of the valve through injecting a rigid settable material. A further cavity may then be created within the mould by removing the core and a substantially flexible material may be injected into this cavity to form the elastic engagement means required.

In a further preferred embodiment the valve may also include a stop that arrests or stops the movement of the lever past a certain angle with respect to the valve body or seat. Such a stop may be used to prevent the valve head from moving to a position where the elastic mounting element is no longer in tension or compression and will therefore no longer automatically close the valve when the user releases the trigger lever. Such a stopping element may be formed in any number of ways depending on the particular design or configuration of the valve employed. For example, in one preferred embodiment the stop may be formed from a blocking element that the bottom of the trigger lever will hit to prevent further motion or travel of the trigger.

However, in alternative embodiments the valve may not include a stop to arrest the motion of the lever as discussed above. For example in one embodiment the lever may be allowed to travel to a position where the elastic mounting element is no longer under tension or compression and therefore the valve will stay open without any further action from the user. This feature of the invention will provide the facility for a user to leave the valve open without requiring any further action from themselves. This feature may be of use when a significant amount of fluid is to be dispensed and the user prefers to complete another action with their hand than holding the valve lever in an open position.

In a preferred embodiment the valve may also include a tamper evident means which indicates when the valve has been tampered with prior to sale or use by a purchaser. For example, in one embodiment the valve may include a tamper evident means formed by a band or strap of material running across the face of the trigger means that prevents motion of the trigger means. Such a band or strap may be weakly connected to the body of the valve so that it will be easily severed from the body if tampering with the trigger means occurs. Removal of such a tamper evident strap or band will therefore indicate that the valve has been tampered with.

The present invention may provide many potential advantages over the prior art. The use of a trigger that can be activated using one or two fingers only provide a first advantage over the prior art. With bag and box applications, particularly where beverages are to be dispensed in hospitality applications, there is a need for drinks to be dispensed quickly and easily by a user who may also be trying to complete a second task at the same time.

Furthermore, by providing a self-closing feature this again simplifies the operation of the valve assembly, limiting the actions that need to be performed by a user to both open and then close the valve assembly.

In addition the valve may also be configured so that it will automatically hold itself open if required when a large amount of fluid is to be dispensed. Furthermore, the valve assembly may also include a tamper evident feature that indicates when the valve has been interfered with prior to purchase by the final user of the valve.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Further aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description that is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figures 1 and 2 show a pair of perspective views of a valve assembly configured in accordance with a preferred embodiment; and Figure 3 shows a perspective cross section view of the valve shown with respect to Figures 1 and 2, and

Figure 4a and 4b show perspective views of valves configured in alternative embodiments with connector systems, and

Figure 5 show a valve configured in accordance with the embodiment shown with respect to Figures 1 to 3 which includes a tamper evident means. BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Figures 1 and 2 show a pair of perspective views of a valve assembly 1 configured in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The valve assembly 1 is formed from a main body 2 that creates or forms a channel 3 through which fluid can flow. Fluid can flow in through one end 3a of the body 2 and out through a valve seat 4 in the second end 3b of the body.

This fluid channel may be opened or closed by a valve head 5 which has a non-drip profile and which can pivot into engagement with the valve seat 4 to close the channel and then pivot away from the valve seat to open the channel. The form and configuration of the valve head may be arranged so as to tightly seal the end of the fluid channel by engaging with the edges or rim of the valve seat 4.

Connected to the valve head 5 is a trigger lever 6 that is used by an operator of the valve to pivot the valve head towards and away from the valve seat. The lever is shown in Figures 1 and 2 in a position where the valve head 5 is pivoted away from the valve seat 4 to open the fluid channel from the body 2.

The interaction of the valve seat and valve head shown more clearly with respect to Figure 3 and Figures 4a, 4b.

As shown with respect to Figure 3 the valve head 5 is pivotably mounted into the body 2 through use of an elastic membrane 7 that can flex to pivot the valve head in and out with respect to the valve seat. When the valve head 5 is pivoted away from the seat 4 this will compress the elastic membrane 7 and place a biasing force on the valve head to resist motion of the lever 6 pivoting the head away from the seat. When the user releases the lever 6 this biasing force provided through the elastic membrane 7 will pull and pivot the valve head 5 back into engagement with the valve seat 4 to close the fluid channel formed within the valve body 2. The lever trigger 6 may also be easily operated by a user of the valve. Through a force applied by one or two fingers the lever may be pulled down by a user to open the valve 1. Conversely to close the valve assembly the user simply needs to release the trigger lever and the biasing force applied by the elastic membrane 7 will pull the valve head 5 back into engagement with the valve seat 4. Figures 4a and 4b show perspective views of valves configured in accordance with alternative embodiments that include connector systems 7. These connector systems will allow the valves to be connected to fluid supply lines or fluid distribution networks and to dispense fluid from these networks easily. For example, such connector systems 7 may be formed from male or female threaded components as shown with respect to Figures 4a, 4b. Figure 5 shows the valve assembly of Figures 1 to 3 before use when it includes tamper evident means in the form of a black blocking band or strap 8. This strap may be weakly connected to the body of the valve in front of the trigger lever so that any tampering with the trigger level will sever the band 8 from the body, thereby providing a visual indication of tampering. Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (16)

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE:

1. A valve which includes,

a body forming a fluid channel, and

a valve seat formed within the body, and

a valve head adapted to engage with the valve seat to close the fluid channel within the body,

wherein the valve head is adapted to pivot towards the valve seat to close the fluid channel, and to pivot away from the valve seat to open the fluid channel.

2. A valve as claimed in claim 1 which includes a trigger means operable by a user to pivot the valve head towards and away from the valve seat.

3. A valve as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the valve seat is located at one end of the fluid channel formed within the body.

4. A valve as claimed in any previous claim wherein the valve head has a complementary shape to the valve seat.

5. A valve as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein the trigger means is operated by a user applying a force with one or two fingers only.

6. A valve as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 5 wherein the trigger means is formed from a lever linked to the valve head.

7. A valve as claimed in claim 6 wherein the lever is connected to the head at the point where the head pivots with respect to the valve seat.

8. A valve is claimed in any previous claim which includes a stop adapted to arrest the movement of the trigger lever past a set angle with respect to the body.

9. A valve as claimed in any previous claim which includes a biasing means associated with the valve head, said biasing means being adapted to resist a force applied to the trigger means by a user to pivot the valve head away from the valve seat.

10. A valve as claimed in claim 9 when the biasing means provides a self closing mechanism for the valve.

11. A valve as claimed in any one of claims 9 or 10 wherein the biasing means is formed from elastic material used to mount the valve head to the valve body.

12. A valve as claimed in claim 11 wherein the biasing means is placed in tension or compression when the valve head is pivoted away from the valve seat.

13. A valve as claimed in any previous claim which includes a tamper evident means.

14. A valve as claimed in claim 14 wherein the tamper evident means is formed by a band running across the face of the trigger said band being adapted to prevent motion of the trigger means.

15. A valve substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings and/or examples.

16. A method of manufacturing a valve substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings and/or examples.