Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 03093786 2020-09-11
1
Securing device for a tapping armature
The present invention relates to a securing device for the placement of a tap-
ping armature on a tapping neck formed integrally on a container wall of a
plastic container, the tapping armature having an armature housing compris-
ing a screw flange formed concentrically with an inlet neck on said inlet
neck, the screw flange having an internal thread for being screwed to an ex-
ternal thread formed on a threaded extension of the tapping neck in such a
manner that the tapping neck engages into an annular neck receiving space
formed between the inlet neck and the screw flange, a securing ring being dis-
posed between the container wall and the screw flange, the securing ring hav-
ing a fixing means for fixing it to the screw flange and a locking means for
connecting it to the container, the securing ring having locking protrusions
for forming the locking means which are disposed on an inner circumference
and which are directed radially inward and whose locking ends, for locking
with a stop means formed on the container, are disposed on a locking circum-
ference, whose diameter is greater than the diameter of the external thread of
the tapping neck or equal to said diameter.
Securing devices for the placement of a tapping armature typically serve to
secure the original association of a tapping armature intended for a container
with said container in order to prevent manipulation once a container has
been provided with a tapping armature, such as manipulations in which a tap-
ping armature suitable for the container or for a liquid held in said
container
might be replaced with an unsuitable tapping armature.
Typically, securing devices of this kind are designed as a securing ring
which, while not being able to prevent the tapping armature from being re-
moved from the container by force, still makes any undesired manipulation
visible by being at least partially destroyed.
87155167
2
In order to install the conventionally used tapping armatures, which have a
union nut formed independently of the armature housing and serving to screw
the tapping armature to a tapping neck formed on the container, the securing
ring has to be placed between the union nut and a container wall of the
container during installation of the tapping armature. This involves a
correspondingly complex handling action because in addition to holding the
armature housing of the tapping armature in position and screwing the union
nut
onto the threaded tapping neck of the container, the securing ring, which has
locking protrusions at its inner circumference that serve to lock with a stop
means formed on the tapping neck, has to be positioned with the locking
protrusions axially on the tapping neck across the thread of the tapping neck
in
order to be able only then to screw the tapping armature on.
When the securing ring is placed on the tapping neck, the fact that a diameter
of
the locking circumference defined by the locking protrusions is smaller than
the
.. outer diameter of the tapping neck causes the locking protrusions to at
least
partially catch on the ridge of the external thread of the tapping neck, which
causes the securing ring to jam on the tapping neck when the securing ring is
axially slid onto the tapping neck.
The mounting process, which is thus complex on the whole, is at odds with
.. automated mounting of tapping armatures provided with securing rings in
which
a mounting robot positions the armature housing coaxially with the tapping
neck, followed merely by a screwing action.
Hence, the object of the present invention is to propose a securing device for
a
tapping armature that allows tapping armatures provided with such a securing
device to be automatically mounted on a container.
Some embodiments disclosed herein provide a securing device for the placement
of a tapping armature on a tapping neck formed integrally on a container wall
of
a plastic container, the tapping armature having an armature housing
comprising
a screw flange formed concentrically with a plastic inlet neck on said inlet
neck,
the screw flange having an internal thread for being screwed to an external
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-04-01
87155167
2a
thread formed on a threaded extension of the tapping neck in such a manner
that
the tapping neck engages into an annular neck receiving space formed between
the inlet neck and the screw flange, a securing ring being disposed between
the
container wall and the screw flange, the securing ring having a fixing means
for
.. fixing it to the screw flange and a locking means for connecting it to the
container, the securing ring having locking protrusions for forming the
locking
means which are disposed on an inner circumference and directed radially
inward and whose locking ends for locking with a stop means formed on the
container are disposed on a locking circumference, whose diameter D is greater
than the diameter d of the external thread of the tapping neck or equal to
said
diameter d, wherein in order to set a defined mounting torque an axial stop
for
coming into contact with a front end of the tapping neck is formed in the neck
receiving space.
Owing to the combination of the screw flange formed integrally on the inlet
.. neck and thus not being a component that is independent of the inlet neck
with
the defined positioning of the securing ring relative to the armature
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-04-01
CA 03093786 2020-09-11
3
housing via the fixing means formed on the securing ring and owing to the
locking circumference of the securing ring being dimensioned such that its di-
ameter is equal to the outer diameter of the external thread of the tapping
neck or grater than the outer diameter of the tapping neck, the securing
device
according to the invention allows the tapping armature to be mounted on the
container in a way in which the armature housing of the tapping armature has
to be handled merely in order to be screwed to the tapping neck of the con-
tainer without the risk of the securing ring becoming jammed, which would
jeopardize the necessary coaxial alignment of the armature housing with the
tapping neck.
Thus, the securing device according to the invention allows automatic mount-
ing of the tapping armature.
Preferably, an axial stop designed to come into contact with a front end of
the
tapping neck is formed in the neck receiving space, allowing a defined mount-
ing torque to be set during mounting independently of the sealing force acting
in the radial sealing space owing to the axial impact of the front end of the
tapping neck against the axial stop formed in the neck receiving space of the
armature housing. Thus, automatic mounting by means of a mounting robot as
a function of the desired mounting torque is possible.
According to another preferred embodiment, the stop means is formed on a
neck base of the tapping neck, said neck base being formed adjacent to the
container wall, which means that the stop means can be produced together
with the tapping neck in a molding process, such as the blow molding tech-
nique typically employed to produce plastic containers.
Preferably, the neck base is realized as a collar formed in the area of transi-
tion from the container wall to the threaded extension of the tapping neck,
said collar having latching protrusions which are distributed across its cir-
cumference and which each have a latching surface extending substantially
CA 03093786 2020-09-11
4
parallel to a longitudinal axis of the tapping armature, a clear relative posi-
tion of the securing ring relative to the tapping neck being defined by the
locking protrusions latching behind the latching protrusions.
If the latching protrusions are realized as latching ramps that have a ramp
.. surface rising from the circumference of the neck base and forming a
latching
shoulder with the latching surface, the locking protrusions are deformed in a
continuously increasing and thus material-friendly manner during latching.
If the length of the tapping neck, the design of the external thread on the
tap-
ping neck and the distribution of the latching protrusions on the circumfer-
ence of the neck base are selected such that when the axial stop of the arma-
ture housing comes into contact with the front end of the tapping neck with a
defined preload force, at least one locking protrusion of the securing ring
elastically latches behind the stop surface of a latching protrusion, a
defined
preload force is associated with the locked position of the securing ring on
the tapping neck, which allows the tapping armature to be mounted on the
tapping neck with accuracy of position and with the position of the tapping
armature on the tapping neck being effectively secured at the same time
solely as a function of the mounting torque generating the preload force. It
can be ensured in particular that a valve shaft of the tapping armature, which
allows the tapping armature to be actuated, is located in the desired vertical
orientation.
For forming a radially acting sealing means, a sealing space is preferably pro-
vided which has an inner sealing surface, which is formed by an outer wall of
the inlet neck, and an outer sealing surface, which is formed by an inner wall
of the tapping neck, and which is provided with an 0-ring seal accommodated
in the sealing space so as to come into contact with the inner sealing surface
and with the outer sealing surface so that the preload force between the tap-
ping armature and the tapping neck does not affect the sealing means owing
to the radially acting sealing means.
CA 03093786 2020-09-11
For forming the sealing space, a circumferential recess is preferably formed
on an inner opening edge at the front end of the tapping neck in such a man-
ner that a limiting surface which axially limits the sealing space and which
is
axially recessed relative to a stop surface serving to come into contact with
5 .. the axial stop of the neck receiving space at the front end is formed by
the re-
cess. Thus, if needed, the 0-ring seal can be form-fittingly inserted into the
tapping neck in order to mount the tapping armature.
It is particularly advantageous if the inner sealing surface and/or the outer
sealing surface conically taper in the axial direction in such a manner that
the
height of the sealing space decreases in the direction of the tapping neck,
which means that the sealing force is generated during the mounting process,
but the preload force generated during the mounting process is not transmit-
ted via the sealing means.
Preferably, the fixing means has a driver pocket formed at a securing ring
.. front side facing the screw flange, said driver pocket serving to be
engaged
by a driver tab formed on the screw flange in such a manner that a form-fit-
ting engagement of the driver tab in the driver pocket allows the coaxial
alignment of the securing ring with the tapping armature to be produced in a
particularly simple manner.
If the securing ring has, in addition to the driver pocket, at least one other
driver element which allows a torque to be transmitted from the screw flange
to the securing ring in the mounting direction only, this ensures that the
torque is transmitted via multiple contact points in a manner that is easy on
the securing ring; however, the other driver element cannot support the screw
flange during rotation in the dismounting direction, which allows the driver
pocket to be simultaneously used as a tamper-evident element because a
torque is exclusively transmitted via the driver pocket when the screw flange
is being detached from the tapping neck.
CA 03093786 2020-09-11
6
For transmitting the torque, the driver element preferably has a radial stop
surface which serves to come into contact with a web flank of a driver web
formed on the screw flange and extending in the axial direction.
If the driver element has a latching protrusion for axially latching with a
mat-
ing latching element formed on the screw flange, defined axial fixation of the
securing ring to the screw flange can take place during the mounting process
in addition to radial fixation.
It is particularly advantageous if the driver pocket is realized as a tamper-
evi-
dent element in such a manner that a visible wall connected to a base wall
formed on the securing ring via a predetermined breaking means is provided,
a receiving space for the driver tab of the screw flange being formed between
the base wall and the visible wall so as to realize the driver pocket.
Preferably, the visible wall has at least two visible-wall portions which are
connected to the base wall via the predetermined breaking means, the front
visible-wall portion in the dismounting direction of the screw flange having a
stop edge for the driver tab and the rear visible-wall portion in the dismount-
ing direction having a stop edge for a driver web of the screw flange, said
driver web following in the dismounting direction.
Owing to this two-part design of the tamper-evident element, which allows
complete destruction of the tamper-evident element in two motion phases of a
rotation of the screw flange, a visible wall whose dimensions are large on the
whole can be removed, manipulation of the tapping armature thus being
clearly visible from great distance.
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the securing device is explained in
more detail based on the drawing.
Fig. 1 shows an isometric view of a tapping armature mounted on a
tapping neck of a container;
CA 03093786 2020-09-11
7
Fig. 2 shows another view of the tapping armature illustrated in Fig.
1;
Fig. 3 shows the tapping armature as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 in a
mounting configuration with a securing ring placed on a screw
flange;
Fig. 4 shows the tapping armature as illustrated in Fig. 2 in a partial
section view according to section line Iv-Iv in Fig. 2;
Fig. 5 shows an enlarged part of Fig. 4;
Fig. 6 shows a securing ring placed on the tapping neck of the con-
tamer;
Fig. 7 shows a top view of the securing ring illustrated in Fig. 6;
Fig. 8 shows an isolated view of the securing ring illustrated in Fig.
6;
Fig. 9 shows an isometric illustration of the securing ring illustrated
in Fig. 8.
In Figs. 1, 2 and 4, a tapping armature 10 mounted on a tapping neck 11 of a
plastic container 12 is illustrated. Plastic containers 12 of this kind are
used
in particular as inner containers of intermediate bulk containers (IBCs), the
plastic containers 12 in this case being accommodated in a protective shell
which is fixed on a transport pallet and often configured as a cage.
As shown in Fig. 3, in particular, the tapping neck 11 is located at a
container
wall 13 of the plastic container 12 and has, directly adjacent to the
container
wall 13, a collar-shaped neck base 14, adjacent to which a threaded extension
15 is formed, said threaded extension 15 having an external thread 16 which
serves to be screwed to an internal thread 17 of a screw flange 18 which is
formed on an inlet neck 19 of an armature housing 20 of the tapping armature
10.
CA 03093786 2020-09-11
8
The armature housing 20 is provided with a valve which, in the case at hand,
is realized as a flap valve 21 and which has a valve flap 23 disposed on a
valve shaft 22, said valve flap 23 having a valve handle 24 at its end protrud-
ing from the armature housing 20 in such a manner that the valve flap 23 can
be displaced from the closed position illustrated in Fig. 3 into an open posi-
tion (not illustrated) by pivoting the valve shaft 22 by means of the valve
handle 24. An outlet neck 25 of the armature housing 20 is provided with a
screw cap 26 to protect the tapping armature 11 against dirt.
Fig. 3 shows the tapping armature 10 in a mounting configuration in which
the screw flange 18, which is formed integrally on the armature housing 20
and made of the same material as the inlet neck 19, is connected to a securing
ring 28 via a driver tab 27 radially projecting from the screw flange 18. To
connect the securing ring 28 to the driver tab 27 of the screw flange 18, the
securing ring 28 has a driver pocket 29 into which the driver tab 27 form-fit-
tingly engages, which means that during mounting, the securing ring 28 to-
gether with the tapping armature 10 is coaxially aligned relative to the tap-
ping neck 11 and forms a mounting unit with the tapping armature 10 which
can be screwed onto the tapping neck 11.
As Fig. 3 further shows, when the tapping armature 10 is in the mounting
configuration on the inlet neck 19, the armature housing 20 is provided with
an 0-ring seal 30 which is disposed on an outer wall 32 of the inlet neck 19,
said outer wall 32 conically tapering toward a neck end 31, and which thus
forms another component of the mounting unit.
Fig. 4 shows the tapping armature 10 after having been mounted on the tap-
ping neck 11 in a use configuration connected to the plastic container 12, in
which the screw flange 18 is screwed on far enough for an axial stop 34
formed at the bottom of an annular neck receiving space 33 formed between
the inlet neck 19 and the screw flange 18 to come into contact with a front
end 35 of the tapping neck 11 until the desired mounting preload force is
achieved.
CA 03093786 2020-09-11
9
As can be seen from a combined view of Figs. 8 and 9, the securing ring 28 is
provided with a locking means 36 at its inner circumference, said locking
means 36 having a plurality of locking protrusions 37 which are directed radi-
ally inward and which, in the embodiment example illustrated here, addition-
ally have an orientation inclined at a latching angle a relative to the radius
r
in the in the dismounting direction 38. Furthermore, at its front side 40
facing
the screw flange 18 in the mounting position illustrated in Fig. 3, the secur-
ing ring 28 has two driver elements 41 which are oriented axially and each of
which has, at a driver end 42, a latching protrusion 43 which, as shown in
Fig. 2 in particular, serves to latch with a web edge 44 of the screw flange
18.
Moreover, the driver elements 41 have a radial stop surface 45 which serves
to come into contact with a web flank 46 of a driver web 47 which is formed
on the screw flange 18 and which extends in the axial direction.
In the mounting configuration of the tapping armature 10 as illustrated in
Fig.
3, the securing ring 28 is fixed in both its radial and axial relative
position
relative to the screw flange 18 by the driver tab 27 of the screw flange 18 be-
ing received in the driver pocket 29 of the securing ring 28 and by the driver
elements 41 being latched, as also illustrated in Fig. 2. This results in a
cor-
responding coaxial alignment of the securing ring 28 with the tapping arma-
ture 10, which means that the tapping armature 10 can be screwed onto the
tapping neck 11 together with the securing ring 28 and with the 0-ring seal
mounted on the inlet neck 19 of the armature housing 20 in the neck re-
ceiving space 33 as a mounting unit.
As shown in Fig. 3, the neck base 14 of the tapping neck 11 is provided with
25 a stop means 48 which, in the case at hand, has four latching
protrusions
which are distributed across the circumference of the neck base 14 and real-
ized as latching ramps 49. The latching ramps 49 have a ramp surface 50
which rises from the circumference of the neck base 14 and ends with a latch-
ing surface 51 at a latching shoulder.
CA 03093786 2020-09-11
As can be seen from a combined view of Figs. 6 and 7, which, in order to ex-
plain the interaction of the locking means 36 of the securing ring 28 with the
stop means 48 formed on the tapping neck 11, show the securing ring 28 dis-
posed on the tapping neck 11 in an illustration separate from the tapping ar-
5 .. mature 10, locking ends 52 of the locking protrusions 37 of the securing
ring
28 are disposed on a locking circumference 53 whose diameter D is greater
than the diameter d of the external thread 16 formed on the tapping neck 11.
This allows the securing ring 28 mounted on the tapping armature 10 to form
the mounting unit to be screwed onto the tapping neck 11 together with the
10 tapping armature 10 without the locking protrusions 37 of the securing
ring
28 colliding with a ridge 54 of the external thread 16 and thus potentially af-
fecting the coaxial alignment of the tapping armature 10 with the tapping
neck 11 as required for screwing.
As shown in Fig. 3, in the embodiment example illustrated, the stop means 48
has the latching ramps 49 positioned in such a manner that the distance be-
tween the stop means 48 and the front end 35 of the tapping neck 11 is sub-
stantially equal to the length 1 of the tapping neck 11. The length 1 of the
tap-
ping neck 11 and the design of the external thread 16, i.e. in particular the
ra-
dial position of a start of the ridge 54 and the pitch of the ridge 54, and
the
.. position of the latching surfaces 51 of the stop means 48 in relation to
the po-
sition of the locking ends 52 on the locking circumference 53 of the securing
ring 28 are selected such that, as shown in Fig. 4, when the axial stop 34 of
the armature housing 20 is in contact with the front end 35 of the tapping
neck 11, the armature housing 20 is in contact with the tapping neck 11 with a
defined preload force while the locking ends 52 of the locking means 36 of
the securing ring 28 are elastically latched behind the latching surfaces 51.
Thus, it is ensured that once the securing ring 28 is latched with the stop
means 48, a defined preload force is transmitted from the armature housing 20
to the tapping neck 11.
As can be seen from a combined view of Figs. 4, 5 and 6, to form a radially
acting sealing means 55, an inner sealing surface 56 formed by the outer wall
CA 03093786 2020-09-11
11
32 of the inlet neck 19 and an outer sealing surface 58 formed by the inner
wall 57 of the tapping neck 11 are provided, which radially limit a sealing
space 59. For axially limiting the sealing space 59, which serves to receive
the 0-ring seal 30, a circumferential recess 60 is formed on an inner opening
edge at the front end 35 in such a manner that a limiting surface 62 which ax-
ially limits the sealing space 59 and which is axially recessed relative to a
stop surface 61 formed at the front end 35 and serving to come into contact
with the axial stop 34 of the neck receiving space 33 is formed by the recess
60.
In the case at hand, to support the radial sealing effect, the outer sealing
sur-
face 58 formed by the inner wall 57 of the tapping neck 11 tapers conically in
the axial direction in such a manner that the height of the sealing space 59
de-
creases in the mounting direction 39 of the tapping armature 10.
As shown in Fig. 9 in particular, to configure the driver pocket 29 as a tam-
per-evident element, a base wall 63 formed on the securing ring 28 is con-
nected to a visible wall 64 disposed opposite the base wall 63 via a first pre-
determined breaking means 66 and a second predetermined breaking means
67, a corresponding axial distance a being provided between the base wall 63
and the visible wall 64 in order to form a receiving space 65 of the driver
pocket 29.
As Fig. 9 further shows, the visible wall 64 has two visible-wall portions 69,
70, which are connected to each other via another predetermined breaking
means 68. As can best be gathered based on the illustration in Fig. 1, the
driver tab 27, which is realized as a tamper-evident element, is destroyed if
the tapping armature 10 is turned in the dismounting direction 38 because,
first, a stop edge 71 formed on the front visible-wall portion 69 is caught by
the driver tab 27, which penetrates a radial recess 72 of the driver pocket 29
when turned in the dismounting direction 38, and connecting webs 73, 74 of
predetermined breaking means 66 and connecting webs 75, 76 of predeter-
mined breaking means 68 are destroyed, the front visible-wall portion 69 thus
CA 03093786 2020-09-11
12
being removed from the securing ring 28. If the tapping armature 10 contin-
ues to be turned in the dismounting direction 38, a stop edge 78 formed on the
second visible-wall portion 69 is caught by the driver web 47 of the screw
flange 18 following the driver tab 27, causing connecting webs 79, 80, 81 and
82 of the predetermined breaking means 66 to rip off and the second visible-
wall portion 69 to be removed from the securing ring 28 as well.
