Tap handle with an integral electrical connection

Abstract

An integral electrical connection for use with a tap handle in a beverage dispenser. With the integral electrical connection, the tap handle can be internally suppled with low voltage power, with safety and reliability, by a quick connection circuit, housed within the tap handle. The tap handle is attachable to a standard tap valve or faucet, typically used in dispensing beverages, such as beer, to provide an efficient and standardized solution to the problem of managing power cords and wires to the tap handle, to power any element within the tap handle, typically for the purpose of internally lighting or illuminating the tap handle, typically a bulb or diode, such as a LED. The electrified tap includes a bushing receivable onto a locknut. A set of conductors ring the threaded tap. A lower pair of contacts are wired to a low voltage power source external to the tap. An upper pair of contacts within the handle touch the lower pair within the tap, when the handle is screwed onto the threaded tap stem. The contacts can be formed with alternative shapes, to better provide for the inner electrical contact, such as a wave pattern. Electrical contact is achieved without regard to the orientation of the upper contacts to the lower contacts, and so the electrified tap handle functions safely and reliably.