Cutting apparatus of sealed beverage vessel

• US 20040099686A1
• Filed: 04/02/2003
• Published: 05/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hee-Kwon Rho
• Original Assignee: Hee-Kwon Rho
• Inventors: Rho, Hee-Kwon
• Application Number:
  US10/381,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20040099686A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 222/83
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2251/0015 of the 41-type
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2251/0056 of the 47-type
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2251/0093 Membrane
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/226 the piercing or cutting means being non integral with, or not fixedly attached to, the outer closure

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a valve device for a beverage vessel which includes a hollow body coupled to an opening of the beverage vessel and opened at upper and lower ends thereof; a sealing member attached to the opening of the beverage vessel for sealing the beverage vessel; a vertical moving member fitted in the body and adapted to be vertically movable and rotatable; a cutting device installed at a lower portion of the vertical moving member and adapted to cut the sealing member in accordance with the rotation of the vertical moving member; and a lid rotatably fitted around the body while being coupled to the vertical moving member to rotate it. When the lid rotates, the vertical moving member moves downwardly while rotating to cut the sealing member by the cutting device installed thereto, thereby allowing the sealed vessel opening to be easily opened.

Claims

1. A valve device for a beverage vessel comprising:

a hollow body coupled to an opening of the beverage vessel and opened at upper and lower ends thereof;

a sealing member attached to the opening of the beverage vessel for sealing the beverage vessel;

a vertical moving member fitted in the body and adapted to be vertically movable and rotatable;

a cutting device installed at a lower portion of the vertical moving member and adapted to cut the sealing member in accordance with the rotation of the vertical moving member; and

a lid rotatably fitted around the body while being coupled to the vertical moving member to rotate it.

2. The valve device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the body and the vertical moving member are threadedly coupled to each other.

3. The valve device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the body comprises an upper cylindrical section, a lower cylindrical section having a diameter larger than that of the upper cylindrical section, and an annular flat connecting section extending radially inwardly from an upper end of the lower cylindrical section and adapted to connect the upper and lower cylindrical sections with each other at their adjacent ends.

4. The valve device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

separation preventing means provided at the body and the vertical moving member, and adapted to prevent the vertical moving member from separating from the body.

5. The valve device as set forth in claim 4, wherein the separation preventing means comprises an annular lip radially inwardly protruded from an inner surface of the body, and a stopper radially outwardly protruded from an upper end of the vertical moving member, and adapted to be engagable with the annular lip when the vertical moving member is moved downwardly, thereby allowing the vertical moving member to idly rotating.

6. The valve device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the vertical moving member is provided at its upper end with a plurality of horizontal holding pieces radially inwardly protruded from an inner surface thereof while being uniformly spaced apart from one another, and the lid is provided with a plurality of vertical protrusions extending downwardly from a lower surface of a top wall section each adapted to be engaged between adjacent ones of the horizontal holding pieces.

7. The valve device as set forth in claim 6, wherein each of the horizontal holding pieces has an inclined surface at a top surface thereof, each of the vertical protrusions has an inclined surface at a bottom surface thereof, and the respective inclined surfaces of the horizontal holding piece and vertical protrusion have the same inclination angle and direction.

8. The valve device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cutting device comprises a blade mounted at a lower end of the vertical moving member.

9. The valve device as set forth in claim 8, wherein the blade has a cutting edge extending circumferentially, and is positioned so that an outer surface thereof corresponds to an outer diameter of the vertical moving member, and the blade has a right-angled triangular cross section inclined inwardly.

10. The valve device as set forth in claim 1, the vertical moving member is provided at its lower portion with an assembly-aid member in order to upwardly insert the vertical moving member into the body while preventing damage to the cutting device.

11. The valve device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the assembly-aid member is a cross-shaped member extending through the center of the vertical moving member to intersect the center thereof, and is coupled to the lower end of the vertical moving member at its respective ends.

12. The valve device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the body is provided at its inner surface with a plurality of rising portions arranged in a helical direction, and the vertical moving member is formed at its outer surface with female threads to be threadedly coupled with the rising portions.

13. The valve device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the vertical moving member is provided at the inner surface thereof with a plurality of vertical extensions radially inwardly protruded from an upper portion of the vertical moving member while being uniformly spaced apart from one another, and the lid is provided with a plurality of vertical steps extending downwardly from the lower surface of the top wall section thereof each adapted to be engaged between adjacent ones of the vertical extensions.

14. The valve device as set forth in claim 13, wherein the vertical steps are formed at an outer peripheral surface of an inner cylindrical section extending downwardly from the lower surface of the top wall section of the lid.

15. The valve device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cutting device comprises a plurality of cutting blades spaced apart from one another, each blade having a cutting edge extending circumferentially.

16. The valve device as set forth in claim 15, wherein a first one of the cutting blades and a second one of the cutting blades define a first angle therebetween, the first angle being larger than a second angle defined between adjacent ones of remaining cutting blades and a third angle defined between each of the first and second blades and an adjacent one of the remaining cutting blades.

17. The valve device as set forth in claim 16, wherein the cutting blades comprises four blades, wherein the first angle is more than 90°

, and the second and third angles are not more than 90°

.

18. The valve device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the lid is provided at a lower portion thereof with a seal strip.

19. The valve device as set forth in claim 18, wherein the lid and seal strip are connected to each other through connecting pieces, and the seal strip has a cutting portion adapted to be separated along with the connecting pieces when the connecting pieces are separated from the seal strip.

20. The valve device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the lid has the inner cylindrical section extending downwardly from the lower surface of the top wall section thereof and adapted to be coupled with the vertical moving member.

21. The valve device as set forth in claim 20, wherein the vertical moving member comprises inner and outer screw grooves at both inner and outer surfaces thereof, the inner screw grooves being threadedly coupled with the inner cylindrical section, the outer screw grooves being threadedly coupled with the body.