A TAP FOR DISPENDING A BEVERAGE

In a first aspect, the present invention is directed to a tap for dispensing a beverage, comprising a housing defining a channel for dispensing a beverage, a valve arranged in the housing allowing opening and closing the dispensing channel, said valve operable by a handle and connected to a valve drive shaft and said handle connected or to be connected to a tap drive shaft, and a gear transmission, characterized in that the gear transmission comprises at least two cooperating gear wheels, a first gear wheel coupled to the tap drive shaft and a second gear wheel coupled to the valve drive shaft, at least one of said gear wheels being removable from its shaft. Further, the present invention is directed to a kit of parts comprising: (a) a housing defining a channel for dispensing a beverage, (b) a valve arranged in the housing allowing opening and closing the dispensing channel, said valve operable by a handle and connected to a valve drive shaft and said handle connected or to be connected to a tap drive shaft, and (c) a gear transmission comprising at least two cooperating gear wheels, a first gear wheel to be removably coupled to the tap drive shaft and a second gear wheel to be removably coupled to the valve drive shaft. In addition, the present invention is also directed to a method for manufacturing a tap for dispensing a beverage allowing control between the tap handle rotation angle and the valve actuation rate, said tap comprising: (a) a housing defining a channel for dispensing a beverage, (b) a valve arranged in the housing allowing opening and closing the dispensing channel, said valve operable by a handle and connected to a valve drive shaft and said handle connected to a tap drive shaft, and (c) a gear transmission comprising at least two cooperating gear wheels, a first gear wheel to be removably coupled to the tap drive shaft and a second gear wheel to be removably coupled to the valve drive shaft; the method comprising the steps of - assembling the housing, with the valve coupled to the valve drive shaft arranged therein; - mounting the tap handle on the tap drive shaft; - selecting a set of gears in view of the desired gear ratio between the valve drive shaft and the tap drive shaft; and - subsequently to assembling the valve and the handle, removably mounting the gears on their respective drive shafts, such that the gear wheels interact. In a second aspect, the present invention is directed to a tap for dispensing a beverage, comprising a h