초록 ▼

The present invention provides improved retention of O-rings and easier O-ring replacement by using an O-ring retainer in a bar gun. Furthermore, the assembly of the butterfly plates of the bar gun is improved by using molded ball bearing clusters that fit in recesses in the butterfly plates, thus e

The present invention provides improved retention of O-rings and easier O-ring replacement by using an O-ring retainer in a bar gun. Furthermore, the assembly of the butterfly plates of the bar gun is improved by using molded ball bearing clusters that fit in recesses in the butterfly plates, thus eliminating the welding of the balls to the butterfly plates and the need to purchase such precise and intricately small balls. The O-ring retainer and molded ball bearing cluster are preferably made from bearing quality acetal plastic materials.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An apparatus for dispensing a beverage, for use with pressurized sources of one or more fluids, comprising: a handle having at least one valve chamber, each valve chamber having an entry cavity and an exit cavity, the entry cavity being positioned on one side of a valve chamber seat, and the exit

1. An apparatus for dispensing a beverage, for use with pressurized sources of one or more fluids, comprising: a handle having at least one valve chamber, each valve chamber having an entry cavity and an exit cavity, the entry cavity being positioned on one side of a valve chamber seat, and the exit cavity being positioned on the other side of the valve chamber seat;a valve stem disposed in each valve chamber, each valve stem having a valve stem seat for a sealable engagement with a valve chamber seat in a valve closed position;an O-ring disposed around each valve stem;an O-ring retainer attached to the handle and configured to retain each O-ring in place around the valve stem, wherein the O-ring retainer is manually removable and manually replaceable to provide easy access to the O-ring without the need for tools;a butterfly plate disposed over each valve stem, said butterfly plate being configured to bias the valve stem toward a valve open position upon a manual input from an operator;means for biasing each valve stem toward the valve closed position; andmeans for fluidly coupling each exit cavity to a discharge opening. 2. The apparatus for dispensing a beverage as in claim 1, further comprising a ball bearing cluster sized and dimensioned to provide one or more pivot points for the butterfly plates. 3. The apparatus for dispensing a beverage as in claim 2, wherein said ball bearing cluster comprises a retainer and at least one ball-shaped projection projecting from the retainer, wherein the ball bearing cluster is configured such that the ball-shaped projection remains in a substantially fixed position and orientation with respect to both the retainer and the handle when one or more of the butterfly plates is pressed. 4. The apparatus for dispensing a beverage as in claim 2, wherein said ball bearing cluster comprises pairs of symmetrically aligned ball-shaped projections configured to provide pivot points for the pairs of symmetrically aligned butterfly plates. 5. The apparatus for dispensing a beverage as in claim 2, wherein said ball bearing cluster comprises an aperture located and dimensioned to receive a retaining fastener that is configured to bias a retainer plate towards one or more butterfly plates, thus keeping the butterfly plates in contact with the ball-shaped projections. 6. An apparatus for dispensing a beverage, for use with pressurized sources of one or more fluids, comprising: a handle having one or more valve chambers;a fluid valve disposed in each valve chamber, each said valve having a valve stem;one or more butterfly plates each configured to bias one or more of the valve stems towards a valve-open position when the butterfly plate is pressed, thus opening a fluidic communication from each of said pressurized sources of the fluids to a corresponding discharge opening;an O-ring disposed around each valve stem; andan O-ring retainer configured to retain the O-ring in place around the valve stem, the O-ring retainer comprising a clip configured such that the O-ring retainer can be manually attached to the handle, and manually removed from the handle to provide easy access to the O-ring. 7. The apparatus for dispensing a beverage as in claim 6, wherein the O-ring retainer further comprises an O-ring-holding foot configured to press each O-ring in an axial direction of the valve stem such that the O-ring is deformed to provide a seal to reduce or eliminate fluid leaks around the valve stem. 8. The apparatus for dispensing a beverage as in claim 6, further comprising a plurality of ribs configured to provide structural enforcement of the O-ring retainer. 9. The apparatus for dispensing a beverage as in claim 6, wherein the O-ring retainer is made of a bearing grade acetal plastic material. 10. The apparatus for dispensing a beverage as in claim 6, further comprising a ball bearing cluster sized and dimensioned to provide one or more pivot points for the butterfly plates. 11. The apparatus for dispensing a beverage as in claim 10, wherein said ball bearing cluster comprises a retainer and at least one ball-shaped projection projecting from the retainer, wherein the ball bearing cluster is configured such that the ball-shaped projection remains in a substantially fixed position and orientation with respect to both the retainer and the handle when one or more of the butterfly plates is pressed. 12. The apparatus for dispensing a beverage as in claim 6, further comprising one or more butterfly plate retainers being configured to connect the butterfly plates with the handle. 13. The apparatus for dispensing a beverage as in claim 6, wherein said handle comprises an inlet configured for connection to the pressurized sources of fluids, and an outlet for the fluids, and is further configured to transfer manual inputs from an operator onto the butterfly plates. 14. The apparatus for dispensing a beverage as in claim 6, further comprising means for biasing each valve stem toward a valve closed position. 15. The apparatus for dispensing a beverage as in claim 14, wherein each valve further comprise a valve stem seat configured to sealably engage with a valve chamber seat when said biasing means for biasing the valve stem toward the valve closed position overcomes the bias from the butterfly plate. 16. The apparatus for dispensing a beverage as in claim 15, wherein said valve stem seat and said valve chamber seat are substantially conically shaped and configured to mate with one another. 17. The apparatus for dispensing a beverage as in claim 6, wherein the fluid valves consist of 8, 10, 12, or 14 valves. 18. The apparatus for dispensing a beverage as in claim 10, wherein said ball bearing cluster is made by a molding process. 19. The apparatus for dispensing a beverage as in claim 18, wherein said ball bearing cluster is made of a bearing grade acetal plastic material. 20. The apparatus for dispensing a beverage as in claim 10, wherein said ball bearing cluster comprises pairs of symmetrically aligned ball-shaped projections configured to provide pivot points for the pairs of symmetrically aligned butterfly plates. 21. The apparatus for dispensing a beverage as in claim 10, wherein said ball bearing cluster comprises an aperture located and dimensioned to receive a retaining fastener that is configured to bias a retainer plate towards one or more butterfly plates, thus keeping the butterfly plates in contact with the ball-shaped projections.