Patent Publication Number: US-2020300382-A1

Title: Discharge tap for liquid containers

Description:
This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/066,359 filed on Jun. 27, 2018, which is a National Stage of PCT/EP2016/079910 filed on Dec. 6, 2016, which claims priority to German Application No. 10 2016 200 206.6 filed on Jan. 11, 2016, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention at hand relates to a discharge tap for liquid containers, in particular for connecting to the outlet neck or the outlet opening of a transportation and storage container for liquids, having a tap housing in which a valve body being pivotable around a valve axle by means of a handle for opening and closing a flow cross section of an outlet tube is arranged, a housing dome being formed at the outlet tube for mounting a valve shaft provided with the handle at its shaft end and extending out of the outlet tube, said handle being connected to the valve shaft in a torque-proof manner and being arranged on the shaft end with a hub part, said hub part being provided with a handle stop for defining a shut-off position of the valve body and the housing dome being provided with a housing stop, said handle stop and said housing stop being able to be locked relatively to each other via a securing device for securing the shut-off position. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A discharge tap formed as a butterfly valve having a valve flap as a valve body is known from Document EP 1 106 565 A1, said discharge tap comprising a seal for forming a securing device for securing the relative arrangement between a handle stop formed at the handle and a housing stop formed at the tap housing, said seal simultaneously serving as a tamper-proof seal. 
     It is proposed in Document EP 1 547 967 A1 to provide a securing device for securing the handle from being unintentionally or maliciously displaced, said securing device being able to be formed as a seal or a mechanical lock, a tear-proof securing ring in particular being provided. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The known securing devices, which are to secure the handle of the butterfly valve at the valve housing in a relative arrangement corresponding to the shut-off position of the butterfly valve, are each suitable for one-time use only and have to be replaced with a new securing device after a first opening process of the butterfly valve, which requires removing or destroying the securing device, in order to ensure a closing position for the subsequent use of the liquid container, for example the further transport of an at least partially filled liquid container. 
     This in particular results in the necessity of the user of the container having to keep a corresponding replacing device at the ready on the one hand and of a renewed mounting of the securing device at the butterfly valve having to be carried out on the other hand. Due to the additional effort connected thereto, the risk of transporting at least partially filled liquid containers without the necessary securing of the discharge tap in its closing position arises in order to avoid said additional effort. 
     It is therefore the object of the invention at hand to propose a discharge tap having an improved securing device. 
     In order to attain this object, the discharge tap according to the invention comprises the features of claim  1 . 
     According to the invention, the securing device comprises a stop bolt which is held at a guiding device arranged at the hub part and can be displaced between a locking position and an unlocking position in a translatory manner in direction of the valve axle by means of the guiding device, said stop bolt, when in the locking position, being positioned in an engagement arrangement with a first bolt stop and a second bolt stop for securing the shut-off position. 
     Due to the embodiment of the securing device according to the invention, in which the stop bolt is held at a guiding device in the locking position as well as in the unlocking position, the stop bolt also remains at the discharge tap when in the unlocking position so that the stop bolt can be reused following an unlocking process for displacing the valve body in its opening position in order for the stop bolt to be displaced in its locking position again after the valve body has been transferred to the shut-off position. 
     Neither replacing the securing device after having actuated the discharge tap nor a renewed mounting of the securing device or parts thereof after having actuated the discharge tap is necessary in the discharge tap according to the invention. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the guiding device is formed as a guiding web which is formed as an integral part of a circumferential wall of the hub part, a through opening being formed in a bottom wall in the transition from the guiding web to the bottom wall of the hub part in order to displace the stop bolt. 
     This enables the securing device at the discharge tap to be protected from forces acting externally on the one hand; on the other hand, the arrangement of the stop bolt protruding from the bottom wall of the hub part when in the unlocking position can serve as an optical marker for the unlocking position of the securing device. 
     Preferably, the stop bolt comprises a bolt leg for locking with the bolt stops and an actuating leg for handling the stop bolt, said bolt leg and said actuating leg being arranged essentially parallel to each other and being connected to each other at adjacent ends via a stop base, said stop base resting on an opening edge of the through opening formed by the upper end of the guiding web. The actuating leg formed independently of the bolt leg carrying out the actual locking function enables a simple handling and easy access to the stop bolt, regardless of whether the stop bolt is in its locking position or the unlocking position. 
     If the stop base comprises a surface arranged flush in a visible surface of the bottom wall of the hub part in the locking position of the stop bolt, a transition surface between the visible surface of the bottom wall of the hub part and the surface of the stop base can serve for applying a tamper-proof seal formed as a paper strip or foil strip, for example, said tamper-proof seal being destroyed when transferring the stop bolt to its unlocking position. 
     Preferably, the bolt leg comprises a bolt stop, which limits the movement of the stop bolt in the unlocking position and interacts with the hub part, for forming a retaining device. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the actuating leg of the stop bolt comprises an attaching device for attaching a tamper-proof seal. 
     Preferably, the securing device is formed as a through opening, which can in particular be formed in a radially protruding handling web of the actuating leg. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the first bolt stop is formed via the housing stop of the housing dome and the second bolt stop is formed via the handle stop, said housing stop being received between the handle stop and the stop bolt. 
     If the housing stop is formed via a stop tab arranged on the outside of the housing dome, said housing stop can be formed particularly massive. 
     In a further embodiment, the first bolt stop is formed via a housing stop formed at the housing dome and the second bolt stop is formed via a second housing stop formed at the housing dome, and the stop bolt is received between the housing stops. This embodiment enables both bolt stops being able to be realized at the housing dome. 
     If the first stop bolt is formed by a first axial end of an edge web formed circumferentially at the upper edge of the housing dome and the second bolt stop is formed by a second axial end of the edge web arranged opposite the first axial end, a particularly compact embodiment of the securing device is made possible. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
       In the following, preferred embodiments of the discharge tap are further described by way of the drawings. 
       In the figures, 
         FIG. 1  shows, in a first embodiment, a discharge tap in the shut-off position and having a securing device in the locking position; 
         FIG. 2  shows the discharge tap shown in  FIG. 1  in the shut-off position having the securing device in the unlocking position; 
         FIG. 3  shows a stop bolt of the securing device in an isometric view; 
         FIG. 4  shows the stop bolt shown in  FIG. 3  in a lateral view; 
         FIG. 5  shows the stop bolt shown in  FIG. 3  in a further isometric view; 
         FIG. 6  shows a partial sectional view of the discharge tap shown in  FIG. 1  cut along the line VI-VI in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  shows a partial sectional view of the discharge tap shown in  FIG. 2  cut along the line VII-VII; 
         FIG. 8  shows, in a further embodiment, a discharge tap in the opening position and having a securing device in the unlocking position; 
         FIG. 9  shows a tap housing of the discharge tap shown in  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 10  shows the discharge tap shown in  FIG. 8  in the shut-off position having the securing device in the unlocking position; 
         FIG. 11  shows the discharge tap shown in  FIG. 10  in the shut-off position having the securing device in the locking position; 
         FIG. 12  shows a cross-sectional view of the discharge tap shown in  FIG. 11  cut according to the line XII-XII in  FIG. 11 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a discharge tap  10  having a tap housing  11  and a handle  12  arranged at the tap housing  11 , said handle  12  serving to actuate a valve body arranged in an outlet tube  13  and not further illustrated, said valve body being able to be displaced in an opening position and a shut-off position for opening and closing a flow cross section  25  ( FIGS. 6, 7 ) of the outlet tube  13  by means of the handle  12 . 
     In the illustrations according to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the outlet tube  13  of the discharge tap  10  is provided with a locking cap  15  at its outlet end  14 . In doing so, the configuration of the discharge tap  10  shown in  FIG. 1  corresponds to the state of the discharge tap  10  while transporting a liquid container provided with the discharge tap  10 . 
     For securing the shut-off position of the valve body, a securing device  16  is provided at the discharge tap, said securing device  16  comprising a stop bolt  17  held at the handle  12  arranged at the guiding device formed as a guiding web  33  ( FIGS. 6, 7 ) here. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the stop bolt  17  is arranged at a hub part  18  of the handle  12 , said hub part  18 , as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , being formed like a cap and being placed on an upper shaft end  21  of a valve shaft  20  with a hub sleeve  19  for transmitting a turning moment from the handle  12  to the valve shaft  20 , at the lower end of which the valve body, not further illustrated, is located. The valve shaft  20  is mounted in a housing dome  23  formed at the tap housing  11  with a mounting collar  22  and is sealed with respect to a flow cross section  25  ( FIG. 6 ) of the outlet tube  13  by means of sealing rings  24  arranged at the mounting collar  22 . 
     As in particular  FIG. 2  shows, the hub part  18  of the handle  12  of the discharge tap  10  comprises two handle stops  25 ,  26  formed in a circumferential wall  32  of the hub part  18 , said handle stops  25 ,  26  limiting a turning movement of the handle  12  around a pivoting axle  27  defined by the valve shaft  20 . In  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in which the discharge tap  10  is illustrated in the shut-off position, the handle stop  25 , shown on the left-hand side in  FIGS. 1 and 2  in each case, is in a stop position against a housing stop  27  formed at a stop tab  81  at the tap housing  11 . The handle stop  26 , shown on the right-hand side in  FIGS. 1 and 2  in each case and defining an opening position of the valve body in a stop position against a housing stop  38  also formed at the stop tab  81 , is spaced from the handle stop  25  via a recess  28  in the circumferential wall  32  of the hub part  18  so that a regulating distance s is enabled within the recess  28 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3 to 5 , the stop bolt  17  comprises a bolt leg  29  as well as an actuating leg  30 , extending essentially parallel to the bolt leg  29 , for handling the stop bolt  17  and a stop base  31  connecting the bolt leg  29  to the actuating leg  30 . 
     For connecting the stop bolt  17  to the hub part  18  of the handle  12 , the guiding web  33 , as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , is formed integrally in the circumferential wall  32  of the hub part  18 , the stop bolt  17  being able to be slid onto said guiding web  33  via a through opening  35  ( FIG. 2 ) formed in a bottom wall  34  of the hub part  18  adjacent to the guiding web  33 . 
       FIGS. 2 and 7  show the stop bolt  17  in its unlocking position in which the stop bolt  17  is inserted so far into the bottom wall  34  of the hub part  18  with the bolt leg  29  that a covering is not yet formed between the bolt leg  29  and the housing stop  27 , meaning the handle  12  can be pivoted around the pivoting axle  27 , so that the right handle stop  26  stops in a stop position against the housing stop  27  for transferring the valve body to an opening position when pivoting the handle  12  around the regulating distance s. 
     As can be seen in particular in  FIG. 1 , the stop bolt  17  is provided with a handling web  45  at its actuating leg  30 , said handling web  45  comprising a through opening  46  which, in connection with a further through opening  50  provided at a circumferential edge of the locking cap  15 , enables arranging a tamper-proof seal formed as a sealing wire for example to the discharge tap  10  in such a manner that displacing the stop bolt  17  in its unlocking position shown in  FIG. 2  is only possible after destroying the sealing wire. 
     For displacing the stop bolt  17  from the unlocking position shown in  FIGS. 2 and 7  to the locking position shown in  FIGS. 1 and 6 , the stop bolt  17  is inserted further into the through opening  35  parallel to the pivoting axle  37  until the stop base  31  rests against an opening edge  39  of the through opening  35  formed by the upper end of the guiding web  33 . In the locking position, a covering, shown in particular in  FIG. 6 , is realized between the housing stop  27  and the bolt leg  29  in such a manner that the housing stop  27  formed by the stop tab  81  is received between the handle stop  25  and the bolt leg  29  of the stop bolt  17  in the shut-off position shown in  FIG. 1  and that the stop bolt  17  forms the securing device together with the handle stop  25  and the housing stop  27  and that pivoting the handle  12  around the pivoting axle  37  is no longer possible in the opening position. 
     As shown in particular in  FIG. 6 , a surface  41  of the stop base is aligned flush with a visible surface  42  of the hub part  18  of the handle  12  in the locking position so that a flat seal surface  43  is formed in the transition from the surface  41  to the visible surface  42 , said seal surface  43  being able to be used for applying a seal foil or a seal strip. 
     A synopsis of  FIGS. 6 and 7  shows that displacing the stop bolt  17  from the locking position shown in  FIG. 6  to the defined unlocking position shown in  FIG. 7  can be realized without the stop bolt  17  disengaging from the guiding device formed by the guiding web  33 . For defining the unlocking position as well as for securely arranging the stop bolt  17  to the hub part  18  of the handle  12 , a bolt stop  47  is formed at the bolt leg  29  for forming a retaining device, said bolt stop  47  abutting against a lower side  49  of the hub part  18 . 
     In  FIG. 8 , a discharge tap  51  is shown in a further embodiment comprising a tap housing  80  having a handle  52  according to the discharge tap  10 , said handle  52  being arranged on a housing dome  53 . 
     In contrast to the handle  52 , which is arranged on the housing dome  23  of the discharge tap  10  in such a manner that the hub sleeve  19  of the handle  12  is directly connected to the mounting collar  22  of the valve shaft  20  as shown in particular in  FIG. 7 , securing the handle  52  to the housing dome  53  is realized in such a manner that locking lugs  57  protruding radially inward and facing each other diametrically at a lower edge  54  of a circumferential wall  55  of a hub part  56  of the handle  52  are arranged, said locking lugs  57  engaging behind an edge web  60 , shown in particular in  FIG. 9 , formed at the upper edge  59  of the housing dome  53  in an axial joining process for mounting the handle  52  in the direction of the pivoting axle  37 , a valve shaft, not shown in  FIG. 8 , being integrally connected to a bottom wall  58  of the handle  52 . The handle  52  and the valve shaft therefore form an integral mounting unit in the discharge tap  51 . 
     As in particular shown in  FIG. 9 , the housing dome  53  shows two housing stops  61 ,  62  facing each other diametrically and protruding over the upper edge  59  as well as ends  67 ,  72  of the edge web  60  facing each other axially via an edge web recess  66 , said edge web  60  forming bolt stops. 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , the handle  52  comprises two handle stops  69 ,  70  facing each other diametrically on an inner side  68  of the hub part  56 , said handle stops  69 ,  70  enabling two stop positions when pivoting the handle  52  around the pivoting axle  37 , the handle stops  69 ,  70  abutting against each of the housing stops  61 ,  62  shown in particularly in  FIG. 9  in said stop positions. 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , the shut-off position of the discharge tap  51  is defined via the stop of the handle stop  69  against the housing stop  61  and via the stop of the handle stop  70  against the housing stop  62 . In the shut-off position of the discharge tap  51  shown in  FIG. 10 , there is a stop bolt  71  arranged at the handle  52 , said stop bolt  71  being retained at a guiding web  33  ( FIG. 7 ) in the circumferential wall  55  of the handle  52  corresponding to the stop bolt  17  of the locking device  38 , namely in its unlocking position in which a stop base  73  of the stop bolt  71 , which connects a bolt leg  74  shown in particular in  FIG. 12  to an actuating leg  75 , is arranged above the bottom wall  58  of the hub part  56  of the handle  52 . 
     The stop bolt  71  can be displaced from the unlocking position shown in  FIG. 10  to its locking position shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12  for securing the shut-off position of the discharge tap  51 , the bolt leg  74  being displaced downward to an interspace  76  formed between the housing dome  53  and the circumferential wall  55  of the hub part  56  of the handle  52 . 
     The bolt leg  74  of the stop bolt  71  forms a securing device  77  together with the axial ends  67 ,  72  of the edge web  60  forming the bolt stops in this locking position as seen in  FIG. 12 , said securing device  77  effectively blocking the handle  52  from turning in both directions around the pivoting axle  37 . 
     As a comparison between  FIGS. 1 and 11  shows, the embodiment of the bolt stops interacting with the bolt leg  74  as axial ends  67 ,  72  of the edge overlap  60  enables a comparatively short embodiment of the bolt legs  74  so that the bolt leg  74  and the actuating leg  75  are realized having essentially the same length and do not protrude the hub part  56  or the lower edge  54  of the circumferential wall  55  of the hub part  56 , respectively, in a downward direction in the case of the stop bolt  71 . 
     As  FIG. 11  shows, the housing dome  53  of the discharge tap  51  as well as the hub part  56  of the handle  52  are each provided with a display tab  78 ,  79  protruding radially downward which are in a relative arrangement partially covering each other and directly adjacent to each other in the shut-off position of the discharge tap  52 . In doing so, the display tabs  78 ,  79  first of all serve for an easily identifiable display of the shut-off position of the discharge tap on the outside and in particular do not play a part in making the embodiment work. 
     Due to their comparatively massive embodiment, the display tabs  78 ,  79  still enable realizing an additional mechanical block which prevents the handle  52  from being able to be pivoted beyond the shut-off position shown in  FIG. 11  in a counterclockwise direction using excessive force which could lead to damage of the housing stops  61 ,  62  and the handle stops  69 ,  70 .