The Coca-cola Company

Kevin J Totten

William S Credle, Jr

Simon J Richter

Thomas R Boston

A self-sealing bag valve for use with a quick-disconnect coupling in a bag-in-box (BIB) syrup dispensing assembly for a post-mix beverage dispenser includes a plastic spring assembly for normally biasing a poppet of a self-sealing valve into sealing engagement with a valve seat thereof. The spring assembly includes a petaloid-shaped disc having evenly spaced petaloid segments defining flow passages therebetween, a retaining ring for securing peripheral portions of the petaloid-shaped disc in fixed positions in the bore of the self-sealing valve and a petaloid stem protruding from the disc into engagement with the valve poppet. The petaloid-shaped disc includes a first frusto-conical portion extending from the retaining ring to a circular termination line concentric with the ring and a second frusto-conical portion extending from the circular termination line to the petaloid stem. The first and second frusto-conical portions, when in an installed, normal biasing position (the closed position of the self-sealing valve), have opposite slopes with respect to an axis orthogonal to the petaloid disc providing a bend about the circular termination lines forming knees in each petaloid segment for accommodating flexing of the elements about the knees. A groove is provided in the central bore of the valve housing for accommodating a snap-fit of the retaining ring therein.

Self-sealing bag valve

A bag valve coupling member for a soft drink syrup bag-in-box container having a back-flow preventing one-way valve therein, preferably in addition to the standard self-sealing poppet valve that is biased closed and that is opened when a hose connector coupling member is attached to the bag valve coupling member. The one-way valve prevents back-filling (reuse) of the bag and syrup substitution.

Growing community of inventors

South Elgin, IL, United States of America

Kevin J Totten