Bung connection

• US 4,699,298 A
• Filed: 12/30/1985
• Issued: 10/13/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: FSI International, Inc. (Tokyo Electron Limited)
• Original Assignee: FSI
• Inventors: Grant, Robert W., Waldman, Joshua P.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/815,025
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 222/400.7, 222/400.8, 222/464, 222/512, 222/542, 222/545, 222/549, 222/552, 222/563, 222/23, 222/41, 222/153, 137/212, 285/914
• US Class Current: 222/400.7
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0829 Keg connection means
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/0294 Combined with valves
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/344 by checking a correct coupling or coded information
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 285/914 Irreversible

Abstract

A bung connection for a rigid container has a bung body which threads into the bung opening, and has a base wall with two or more access openings which are connected to tubes extending to the flowable material in the container. A tube mounting is removably inserted into the bung body and has flow ports which connect with the access ports in the base wall. Flow tubes connect to the tube mounting. The tube mounting and bung body have a coded pattern of interfitting lugs and recesses which prevent full assembly of the tube mounting and bung body if the coding is wrong. A clamp ring secures the tube mounting in the bung body. A shipping plug and liner replace the tube mounting in the bung body for shipping the container to be refilled and then returned for use again.

Claims

1. A bung connection for successively coupling flow connection tubes to the bung hole of a container in a succession of containers of flowable liquid material, comprising

a bung body having means for attaching into the bung hole of the container, and also having a base wall traversing the bung hole, the base wall having a pair of access ports therethrough and having a liquid supply tube connected with one of said access ports for extending into the liquid supply of the container.

a removable tube mounting demountably assembled with the bung body and having a base end confronting and demountably seated upon the base wall of the bung body, and the tube mounting also having a pair of flow ports extending therethrough and through the base end and in sealed alignment and flow communicating relation with the access ports of the base wall, the tube mounting being connectible to such flow connection tubes at the flow ports.

a clamp means detachably connected between the bung body and the tube mounting and releasably clamping the tube mounting in stationary relation to the base wall of the bung body to provide sealed flow communication between the flow ports of the tube mounting and the access ports of the base wall, the clamp means when detached permitting lifting of the tube mounting off the base wall.

and the bung body and tube mounting having elongate demountably assembled lugs and recesses in a predetermined pattern to allow complete assembly required for said sealed flow communication between the tube mounting the bung body, the elongate lugs and recesses extending entirely transversely of said base wall and permitting and retaining seating of the tube mounting in predetermined relation to the base wall, and whereby to permit assembly of the tube mounting with other bung bodies of successive containers only if the correct predetermined coded pattern exists in the bung body of the container and of the successive containers.

the lugs on the tube mounting having a predetermined length in the direction of assembly, whereby in the event the lugs and recesses of the tube mounting and bung body do not have the same pattern and do not interfit, the tube mounting is spaced from assembled condition with the bung body by said predetermined length, and the clamp means and bung body having matching threads, the threads on the clamp means being no longer than said predetermined length whereby the threads of the clamping means will not extend to the threads of the bung body when an erroneous lug and recess pattern prevents the tube mounting to be assembled with the bung body.

2. A bung connection between a tube and the bung hole of a container, comprising

a plastic bung body having threads at its outer periphery for attaching into the bung hole of the container, the bung body also having a base wall traversing the bung hole and having a plurality of access ports therethrough, a flow tube attached to the base wall in alignment with one of said access ports to extend into the container from the bung body, the bung body also having a circularly annular peripheral wall defining an open-topped interior, the peripheral wall having a threaded outer periphery,

a plastic removable tube mounting in the interior of the bung body and having a base end confronting and seated on the base wall of the bung body, and the tube mounting also having an outer end opposite the base end, the tube mounting having a plurality of flow ports extending between the ends and in alignment with respective access ports in the base wall, the tube mounting having means for connection to a plurality of flow tubes each in flow communication with a respective flow port and each extending away from the tube mounting and bung body, annular sealing means between the base wall and the base end of the tube mounting and embracing each of the aligned access and flow ports and permitting separation of the tube mounting from the bung body,

the outer periphery of the tube mounting and the inner periphery of the peripheral wall of the bung body embracing each other and being slidable along each other in directions toward and away from the base wall, said outer and inner peripheries having a multiplicity of radially outwardly and inwardly protruding and assembled elongate lugs and recesses and extending parallel to said directions and arranged in a coded pattern, said lugs providing stops preventing complete assembly of the tube mounting and bung body when the lugs and recesses are erroneously coded,

and a plastic clamp ring with an annular sidewall threaded onto the outer periphery of the peripheral wall of the bung body, the clamp ring also having an annular end panel traversing the sidewall and formed integrally therewith, the end panel traversing the ends of the assembled elongate lugs and recesses of the tube mounting and peripheral wall and bearing against the tube mounting to releasably clamp the tube mounting in stationary relation to the base wall of the bung body and to maintain the flow communication between the flow ports of the tube mounting and the access ports of the base wall, the elongate lugs on the tube mounting having length in said directions greater than the length of threading along the annular sidewall of the clamp ring to prevent threaded attachment of the clamp ring onto the bung body when the lugs and recesses are out of registry.