CHIME FOR AN ALCOHOL CONTAINING CASK

PEIGNE POUR FUT CONTENANT DE L'ALCOOL

English Abstract

There is disclosed a chime for an alcohol containing cask. The chime has an
annular rim portion that is secured by snap fitting with a groove of the cask.
The chime further includes a pair of opposing wing portions that extend
outwardly from the rim portion beyond the cask. Each of the wing portions has
a central portion and two side portions. Each of the side portions has an
outer edge portion that slopes in a concave curvature of predetermined radius
from the central portion to the rim portion.

French Abstract

L'invention concerne un peigne pour un fût contenant de l'alcool. Ce peigne comprend une partie bordure annulaire fixée par encliquetage avec une rainure du fût. Ledit peigne comprend également une paire de parties ailes opposées qui s'étendent vers l'extérieur depuis la partie bordure au-delà du fût. Chaque partie aile comprend une partie centrale et deux parties latérales. Chaque partie latérale comprend une partie périphérique extérieure qui descend sous forme de courbe concave de rayon prédéterminé de la partie centrale jusqu'à la partie bordure.

Claims

CLAIMS
1. A chime for an alcohol containing cask, said chime comprising:
- an annular rim portion adapted for being secured with the cask,
- a pair of opposing wing portions having a central portion and two side
portions,
each of the side portions having an outer edge portion that slopes from the
central portion to
the rim portion characterized in that each central portion has a supporting
edge portion with
a stepped ridge portion for supporting other casks.
2. The chime of claim 1, wherein the outer edge portion has a concave
curvature
of predetermined radius.
3. The chime of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each of the central portions of
the
chime has an elongated aperture defining a handle portion in the central
portion.
4. The chime according to claims 1 to 3, wherein each of the wing portions are
co-extensive and curve with the annular rim portion.
5. The chime according to claims 1 to 4, wherein the chime comprises a plastic
material.

Description

CA 02568759 2009-01-20
CHIME FOR AN ALCOHOL CONTAINING CASK
Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a novel chime adapted for use with an alcohol
beverage cask or keg.
Background of the Invention
It is known to contain alcohol, such as wine in bags contained in a cardboard
type
container. Further, it is known to use a bag inserted into a cask for storing
beer in the bag.
The use of this type of beer cask is becoming more common as a component part
inserted
into a home beer dispensing appliance. The home dispensing appliance typically
has one or
more doors through which the cask is inserted into the appliance. The
dispensing appliance
is primarily intended for use in domestic kitchens and lends itself to being
readily placed on
a kitchen counter top. Because kitchen counter top space is at a premium in
most
households, the appliance is constructed to minimize on the counter top space
room
required by the appliance. As a consequence, the clearance within the
appliance for
receiving the cask is not large making the insertion and removal of the cask
cumbersome.
To complicate the space requirements further, the casks are typically provided
with
upper and lower chimes that extend beyond the cask. The chimes are used to
support and
protect the casks when the casks are stacked on top of each other for shipping
and storage.
The chimes have a rectangular profile when viewed from the side and have an
annular ring
form. These chimes make the fitting of the cask into the appliance difficult,
as the cask and
chimes have a small clearance with the cavity of the appliance. Accordingly,
there is a need
to facilitate the insertion and removal of the cask into and out of the
appliance.
Summary of the Invention
Present invention relates to a chime for an alcohol containing cask wherein
the chime
has sloping outer edge portions providing a tapering profile when viewed from
the side. In
particular, the chime normally attached to the top portion of the cask has the
tapering
profile. The sloping edge portion.s of the clime effectively shorten the
longest diagonal
direction across the chime and cask. This allows the cask and chimes to be
tilted and rotated
to facilitate insertion and removal of the cask and chimes into and out of
dispensing
appliance.
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CA 02568759 2009-01-20
Further, the tapering profile facilitates connection of a tap adapter of the
appliance to the
cask.
The chime with the tapering side profile has an annular rim portion that is
adapted
to be secured with the cask. The chime further comprises a pair of opposing
wing portions
that extend from the rim portion beyond the cask. Each of the wing portions
has a central
portion and two side portions that have an outer edge portion that slopes from
the central
portion to the rim portion of the chime to provide the tapering effect.
In one embodiment, the outer edge portion of the chime has a concave curvature
of a
predetermined radius whereby the outer edge portion generally slopes from the
central
portion to the rim portion.
In one embodiment to assist in the movement of the cask, each of the central
portions
of the chime has an elongated aperture that defines a handle portion in the
central portion.
Further, the central portion may have a supporting edge portion with a stepped
ridge
portion for assisting to the locating and supporting of other casks in a
stacking fashion. The
wing portions are considered to be coextensive and curve in the same direction
with the
annular rim portion about the cask. It should be understood that the chime may
comprise a
plastic material and the cask may comprise a metallic material and preferably
is a stainless
steel.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention there is provided a
chime for
an alcohol containing cask. The chime has an annular rim portion adapted for
being secured
with the cask and a pair of opposing wing portions extending from the rim
portion beyond
the cask. Each of the wing portions has a central portion and two side
portions where each
of the side portions has an outer edge portion that slopes from the central
portion to the rim
portion.
Brief Description of the Drawings
For a better understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention
reference may be had to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in wl-dch:
Figure 1 is a front elevation view of a home beer dispensing apparatus in
accordance
with the present invention;
Figure 2 is a side elevation view of the home beer dispensing apparatus;
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CA 02568759 2009-01-20
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the chime of the present invention;
Figure 4 is a side view profile of the chime of the present invention; and,
Figure 5 is an elevational view of the alcohol cask with the chime of the
present
invention.
Detailed Description of the Invention
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 there is shown a home beer dispensing apparatus,
appliance or unit 10. The dispensing apparatus 10 is primarily intended for
use in domestic
kitchens but may also be used in utility rooms, garages, domestic bars,
caravans etc. While
the preferred embodiment relates to dispensing beer, alternatively carbonated
solutions or
other alcohol beverages may be dispensed by apparatus 10.
The home beer dispensing apparatus 10 has a front wall 12 and a dispensing tap
14
protruding forward of the front wall 12. A drip tray 16 also protrudes forward
of the front
wall 12 and is adapted to support an open glass cask 18 below the dispensing
tap 14. The
home beer dispensing apparatus 10 further has a base 21 adapted to rest on a
counter top in
a kitchen. The front wall 12 is formed as an extension of two pivoting side
walls 20 which
may be moved between closed and open positions to allow the cask or cask 22
(see Figure 2
in broken lines) to be inserted into the housing of the home beer dispensing
apparatus 10.
The housing of the home beer dispensing apparatus 10 further includes a top
wa1124 and a
rear wall 26. The rear wall 26 has a grill 30 that permits for air circulation
within the home
beer dispensing apparatus 10. An electrical cord 32 extends through the rear
wall 26 of the
apparatus 10 to provide a connection into a main electrical supply to supply
electrical power
to the electrical components housed within the dispensing apparatus 10.
Alternatively, a 12
Volt DC supply input may be used.
The dispensing apparatus 10 has a cooling system 231ocated behind and below
cask
22 that is adapted to cool the cask 22 of beer when placed in dispensing
apparatus 10. The
dispensing apparatus 10 also dispenses the beer by providing a pressurized air
supply (not
shown).
Referring to Figures 2 and 5, the cask 22 is shown to have an upper chime 40
and a
lower chime 42. The lower chime 42 has a rectangular shaped profile as shown
in Figure 5.
The upper chime 40 has a tapering profile as shown in Figure 5. The upper
portion 38 of the
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CA 02568759 2009-01-20
cask 22 is provided with a groove 39 and a lower portion 37 of the cask 22 is
also provided
with a groove 39. Each of the chimes 40 and, 42 has an inwardly directed
flange 41 that is
adapted to slide over the cask 22 and be snap fitted into securing relation
with the groove 39.
In accordance with the present invention, the upper chime 40 is provided with
curved tapering surfaces 52 such that the diagonal length from one bottom
comer of the
chime 42 and cask 22 shown in Figure 5 to the tapered opposite corner is less
than that of
two chimes of rectangular shape in side profile attached to opposing ends of
the cask.
The upper chime 40 has an annular rim portion 44 which carries the flange 41
so as to
secure the annular rim portion 44 with the cask 22. A pair of opposing wing
portions 46
extend outwardly from the rim portion 44 beyond the cask 22. The wing portions
are shaped
to curve and to be coextensive with the annular rim portion 44. Each of the
wing portions
has a central portion and two side portions 50. Each of the side portions 50
has an outer edge
portion 52 that slopes from the central portion 48 to the rim portion 44 with
a concave
curvature radius to provide the tapering effect.
Each of the central portions of the chime 40 has an elongated aperture 60 that
defines
a handle portion 62 for facilitafing the movement of the cask 22.
Additionally, the central
portion 48 has a supporting edge portion 70 with a stepped ridge portion 72.
The supporting
edge portion 70 and stepped ridge portion 72 co-operate for the stacking of
casks one upon
the other for the purposes of storage or shipping. In particular, a
corresponding cask having
a lower chime similar to that of lower chime 42 is stacked on the upper chime
40. The step
ridge portion 72 of the upper chime 40 is adapted to provide an inner support
while the
supporting edge portion 70 of the upper chime 40 is adapted to provide a
horizontal support
for the lower chime 42 of the cask 22.
The chime 40 preferably comprises a molded plastic material molded as a single
part.
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Representative Drawing