Container Closure with Overlying Needle Penetrable and Resealable Portion and Underlying Portion Compatible with Fat Containing Liquid Product, and Related Method
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A container and method are provided for storing fat containing liquid products. The container includes a body defining a storage chamber for receiving the product, and a container closure. A first material portion forms at least most of the surface area overlying the storage chamber that can contact any product therein. Neither the body nor the first material portion leach more than a predetermined amount of leachables into the product or undesirably alter a taste profile thereof. A needle penetrable and thermally resealable second material portion either (i) overlies the first material portion and cannot contact any product within the storage chamber, or (ii) forms a substantially lesser surface area overlying the storage chamber that can contact any product therein in comparison to the first material portion. A sealing portion is engageable with the body to form a substantially dry hermetic seal between the container closure and body.
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Citations
85 Claims
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1-41. -41. (canceled)
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42. A method for aseptically filling and resealing a container with a fat containing liquid product, the container including a body defining an empty, sterile storage chamber therein for receiving the fat containing liquid product, wherein the body does not leach more than a predetermined amount of leachables into the fat containing liquid product and does not undesirably alter a taste profile of the fat containing liquid product;
- a container closure;
a first material portion overlying the storage chamber and defining an internal surface in fluid communication with the storage chamber forming at least most of the surface area overlying the storage chamber that can contact any fat containing liquid product within the storage chamber and that does not leach more than the predetermined amount of leachables into the fat containing liquid product or undesirably alter a taste profile of the fat containing liquid product, wherein the predetermined amount of leachables is less than about 100 PPM;
a second material portion that at least one of (i) overlies the first material portion and cannot contact any fat containing liquid product within the storage chamber, and (ii) overlies the storage chamber and forms a substantially lesser surface area overlying the storage chamber that can contact any fat containing liquid product within the storage chamber in comparison to the first material portion;
the method comprising the following steps;mounting the sealed, empty container on a conveyor, and moving the conveyor through a sterile zone; transmitting within the sterile zone a fluid sterilant onto at least an exposed portion of the second material portion of the container and, in turn, sterilizing with the fluid sterilant at least the exposed portion of the second material portion of the container; transmitting within the sterile zone a heated gas onto the portion of the container exposed to the fluid sterilant, flushing away with the heated gas the fluid sterilant from at least the exposed portion of the second material portion of the container and, in turn, forming a needle penetration region of the second material portion substantially free of fluid sterilant; penetrating the needle penetration region of the second material portion with a filling needle coupled in fluid communication with a source of the fat containing liquid product, and introducing fat containing liquid product through the needle and into the storage chamber; withdrawing the filling needle from the second material portion; and applying radiation to a resulting needle aperture in the second material portion to reseal the second material portion and, in turn, hermetically seal the fat containing liquid product within the storage chamber. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44)
- a container closure;
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45. A method for aseptically filling and resealing at least one container with a liquid product, each container including a body defining an empty, sealed storage chamber therein for receiving the liquid product, and a needle penetrable and resealable portion defining a closure for the container, the method of filling each of the at least one container comprising the following steps:
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mounting the sealed, empty container on a conveyor, and moving the conveyor through a sterile zone; transmitting within the sterile zone a fluid sterilant onto at least a portion of the container and, in turn, sterilizing with the fluid sterilant at least the portion of the container; introducing liquid product through a filling needle penetrating through the resealable portion; withdrawing the filling needle from the resealable portion; and applying radiation to a resulting needle aperture in the resealable portion to reseal the resealable portion and, in turn, hermetically seal the liquid product within the storage chamber. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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56. An assembly comprising:
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a container including a body defining an empty, sealed storage chamber therein for receiving liquid product, and a needle penetrable and resealable portion defining a closure for the container; a conveyor located at least partially within a sterile zone and defining a plurality of container positions thereon for supporting and moving containers in a direction through the sterile zone; at least one fluid sterilant station located within the sterile zone and coupled in fluid communication with a source of fluid sterilant for transmitting fluid sterilant onto at least a portion of the container on the conveyor within the at least one fluid sterilant station and sterilizing at least the portion of the container; a filling apparatus comprising a needle manifold including a plurality of needles spaced relative to each other and movable relative to the conveyor for penetrating a plurality of containers on the conveyor within the filling apparatus, filling the containers through the needles, and withdrawing the needles from the filled containers; and a plurality of assemblies connectable to a source of radiation for applying radiation to the resealable portion and resealing a resultant needle aperture in the resealable portion, and in turn, hermetically sealing the liquid product within the storage chamber. - View Dependent Claims (57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62)
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63. A container comprising:
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a container body defining a storage chamber therein for receiving a substance and a first aperture in fluid communication with the storage chamber; a container closure removably attached to the container body for sealing the storage chamber and defining a second aperture in fluid communication with the storage chamber; a penetrable and resealable portion overlying the second aperture that is penetrable by a filling needle for aseptically filling the storage chamber with the substance, and is resealable after withdrawing the filling needle therefrom to seal the substance within the storage chamber with respect to the ambient atmosphere; and a sealing portion engageable with the container body prior to aseptically filling the storage chamber with the substance and forming a substantially dry hermetic seal between the container closure and container body; and a securing member engageable with the container closure after filling and resealing the penetrable and resealable portion and forming an over cap and container closure assembly, wherein the assembly is manually engageable and movable between (i) a first closed position wherein the sealing portion is engaged with the body and forms a hermetic seal between the container closure and body, and (ii) a second open position wherein the container closure is moved away from the body and the first aperture and storage chamber are open to ambient atmosphere to allow removal of the substance therethrough. - View Dependent Claims (64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70)
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71. A container comprising:
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first means for forming a sealed, empty storage chamber therein for receiving a substance; second means removably attachable to the first means for sealing the storage chamber, wherein the second means includes third means that is penetrable by a filling needle for aseptically filling the storage chamber therethrough and is resealable after removing the filling needle therefrom for sealing the aseptically filled substance within the storage chamber; fourth means engageable with the first means prior to aseptically filling the storage chamber with the substance and for forming a substantially dry hermetic seal between the second means and the first means; and fifth means for engaging the second means after filling and resealing the third means for overlying the third means and for forming an assembly of the second means and the fifth means, wherein the assembly is manually engageable and movable between (i) a first closed position wherein the fourth means is engaged with the first means for forming the hermetic seal therebetween, and (ii) a second open position wherein the assembly of the second means and fifth means is moved away from the first means, and the storage chamber is open to ambient atmosphere to allow removal of the substance therefrom. - View Dependent Claims (72, 73, 74, 75)
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76. A method comprising the following steps:
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providing at least one container body defining a storage chamber therein for receiving a substance and a first aperture in fluid communication with the storage chamber;
a container closure removably attached to the container body for sealing the storage chamber defining a second aperture in fluid communication with the storage chamber, a penetrable and resealable portion overlying the second aperture and penetrable by a filling needle for aseptically filling the storage chamber with the substance, and wherein a resulting filling needle aperture formed therein is resealable to seal the substance within the storage chamber with respect to the ambient atmosphere, and a sealing portion engageable with the container body prior to aseptically filling the storage chamber with the substance and forming a substantially dry hermetic seal between the container closure and container body;providing at least one securing member engageable with the at least one container closure and container body after filling and resealing the filling needle aperture, and removable relative to the container body, wherein removal of the securing results in substantially simultaneous removal of the container closure from the first aperture to allow dispensing of the substance therethrough; providing a liquid source and a first filling needle coupled in fluid communication with the liquid source; penetrating the penetrable and resealable portion with the first filling needle and forming the filling needle aperture; introducing the liquid through the first filling needle and into the storage chamber; withdrawing the first filling needle from the storage chamber; resealing the filling needle aperture to hermetically seal the filled storage chamber with respect to the ambient atmosphere; securing the securing member to the container; and removing the securing member and, with it, the container closure to expose the first aperture for removing product therethrough. - View Dependent Claims (77, 78, 79, 80)
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81. A method comprising the following steps:
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(i) providing a sealed, empty container, defining a sterile chamber, an opening to the sterile chamber, and a container closure that is detachably connected to the container and seals the sterile chamber with respect to ambient atmosphere; (ii) penetrating a penetrable and resealable portion of at least one of the container and container closure with a filling needle, aseptically filling the sterile chamber with liquid through the filling needle, withdrawing the filling needle from the penetrable and resealable portion, and resealing a resulting filling needle aperture and hermetically sealing the aseptically filled liquid within the sterile chamber; (iii) attaching a securing member to the closure that overlies the penetrable and resealable portion and forms a cap and container closure assembly. - View Dependent Claims (82, 83, 84, 85)
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Specification