Disposable container for liquids and apparatus for dispensing liquid from such container

• US 4,520,948 A
• Filed: 12/08/1981
• Issued: 06/04/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1980
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jacobs Beverage Systems AG
• Original Assignee: Jacobs Beverage Systems AG
• Inventors: Stahl, Jurgen, Bonne, Harry, Scondo, Ludwig, Hampel, Hans-Joachim, Wegner, Wilhelm
• Primary Examiner(s): Rolla, Joseph J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shaver, Kevin P.
• Application Number:
  US06/328,799
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• Field of Search: 222/92, 222/95, 222/103, 222/105, 222/107, 222/209, 222/212, 222/213, 222/214, 222/215, 222/491, 222/530, 222/494, 222/64, 222/146 C, 222/180, 222/181, 222/185, 222/207, 137/843, 137/844
• US Class Current: 222/103
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 77/067 combined with a valve, a tap or a piercer
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 11/088 using a deformable conduit-like element
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/788 Having expansible port

Abstract

A flat, rectangular box 4 formed of cardboard contains a bag 18 of multi-layered foil material. A tube 24, which is disposed in the interior of the box in the transport condition of the package and can be removed from the box interior through an opening 10 which is closed by a tear-off strip, which is connected in liquid-tight manner to the bag 18 by a connecting piece. An outlet 36 provided at the free end of the tube is controlled by a pressure relief valve, which is provided in the tube and opens in the direction of the outlet. The walls of the narrow sides of the box each have a longitudinal fold along which these walls can fold outwards when the broad sides of the box are pressed together in order to empty the bag filled with a fluid, e.g. coffee extract. The one-way package is particularly suitable for use in a beverage vending machine in place of the storage containers employed until now. A suspension flap 12 of the box, which can be separated away from one of the broad sides, serves for interchangeably securing the container in the vending machine for the extraction of the fluid.

Claims

1. A one-way package for storing fluid and from which the stored fluid may be dispensed in successive metered portions,

said one-way package comprising:

means defining a fluid-tight bag enclosing a fluid storage space;

an extraction tube having an inlet end sealingly communicated through said bag to said fluid storage space and an outlet end disposed externally of said fluid storage space;

a flat package box surrounding said bag, said flat package box being made of relatively stiff material compared with said bag and being constructed and arranged for also containing said tube, for storage;

said tube including an extraction duct extending therealong, a longitudinally extending portion of which provides a metering chamber normally in communication with said inlet end of said tube;

said tube further including a pressure relief valve provided for said extraction duct near said outlet end of said tube for normally closing said outlet end of said tube;

means provided between said inlet end of said tube and said metering chamber constructed and arranged for permitting interruption in communication between said metering chamber and said inlet end of said tube;

means for squeezing the bag;

said flat package box including two relatively broad opposed wall means which are perimetrically joined to one another by relatively narrow wall means, these relatively narrow wall means including a total of one, outwardly-bowed fold line means extending perimetrically of the flat package box on the relatively narrow wall means approximately midway between the two relatively broad opposed wall means, whereby said bag may be emptied in dispensing fluid from said fluid storage space into said duct by actuating said means for squeezing the bag by pressing one of said two relatively broad opposed wall means towards the other of said two relatively broad opposed wall means while permitting said relatively narrow wall means to fold on itself along said fold line means.

2. The one-way package of claim 1, wherein:

said bag is constituted of foil material including at least one layer of metal forming a diffusion barrier, and at least one layer of plastics including a layer of plastics forming an innermost layer of said bag.

3. Apparatus for extracting in a succession of metered portions connected fluid from a one-way package for storing such fluid, of the type which includes:

means defining a fluid-tight bag enclosing a fluid storage space;

an extraction tube having an inlet end sealingly communicated through said bag to said fluid storage space and an outlet end disposed externally of said fluid storage space;

a flat package box surrounding said bag, and being constructed and arranged for also containing said tube, for storage;

said tube including an extraction duct extending therealong, a longitudinally extending portion of which provides a metering chamber normally in communication with said inlet end of said tube;

said tube further including a pressure relief valve provided for said extraction duct near said outlet end of said tube for normally closing said outlet end of said tube;

means provided between said inlet end of said tube and said metering chamber constructed and arranged for permitting interruption in communication between said metering chamber and said inlet end of said tube;

means for squeezing the bag;

said flat package box including two relatively broad opposed wall means which are perimetrically joined to one another by relatively narrow wall means, these relatively narrow wall means including fold line means extending perimetrically of the flat package box on the relatively narrow wall means approximately midway between the two relatively broad opposed wall means, whereby said bag may be emptied in dispensing fluid from said fluid storage space into said duct by actuating said means for squeezing the bag by pressing one of said two relatively broad opposed wall means towards the other of said two relatively broad opposed wall means while permitting said relatively narrow wall means to fold on itself along said fold line means;

said apparatus comprising;

Supporting and pressing means for the flat package box including a pressure-generating plate spacedly confronting a base plate, means on one of these plates effectively cooperable with the flat package box for supporting the flat package box from that plate in such an orientation that the base plate may engage one broad wall means of the flat package box and the pressure-generating plate may engage the other broad wall means of the flat package box, with the tube extending out of the flat package box and the outlet end of said tube extending out from between said plates;

the pressure generating plate being constructed and arranged to be pressed towards said base plate for increasing pressure on said fluid in said fluid storage space of said bag and in said inlet end of the extraction by further flattening said flat package box with attendant folding of the relatively narrow wall means thereof on said fold line means; and

means for selectively externally applying squeezing pressure to the metering chamber while the metering chamber is interrupted by said interruption permitting means from communication from the inlet end of said tube such as would permit back-flow of fluid past said interruption permitting means from said metering chamber towards said inlet end of said tube, said means for selectively externally applying squeezing pressure being constructed and arranged to apply such squeezing pressure to said metering chamber as to temporarily exceed the capability of said pressure relief valve for said extraction duct to remain closed, whereby a corresponding quantum of fluid contained in the metering chamber is dispensed from said outlet end of said tube.

4. Apparatus for extracting in a succession of metered portions contained fluid from a one-way package storing such fluid, comprising:

a one-way package, including;

means defining a fluid-tight bag enclosing a fluid storage space;

an extraction tube having an inlet end sealingly communicated through said bag to said fluid storage space and an outlet end disposed externally of said fluid storage space;

a flat package box surrounding said bag, and being constructed and arranged for also containing said tube, for storage;

said tube including an extraction duct extending therealong, a longitudinally extending portion of which provides a metering chamber normally in communication with said inlet end of said tube;

said tube further including a pressure relief valve provided for said extraction duct near said outlet end of said tube for normally closing said outlet end of said tube;

means provided between said inlet end of said tube and said metering chamber constructed and arranged for permitting interruption in communication between said metering chamber and said inlet end of said tube;

means for squeezing the bag;

said flat package box including two relatively broad opposed wall means which are perimetrically joined to one another by relatively narrow wall means, these relatively narrow wall means including fold line means extending perimetrically of the flat package box on the relatively narrow wall means approximately midway between the two relatively broad opposed wall means, whereby said bag may be emptied in dispensing fluid from said fluid storage space into said duct by actuating said means for squeezing the bag by pressing one of said two relatively broad opposed wall means towards the other of said two relatively broad opposed wall means while permitting said relatively narrow wall means to fold on itself along said fold line means;

supporting and pressing means for the flat package box including a pressure-generating plate spacedly confronting a base plate, means on one of these plates effectively cooperable with the flat packing box for supporting the flat package box from that plate in such an orientation that the base plate engages one broad wall means of the flat packing box and the pressure-generating plate engages the other broad wall means of the flat packing box, with the tube extending out of the flat packing box and the outlet end of said tube extending out from between said plates;

the pressure generating plate being constructed and arranged to be pressed towards said base plate for increasing pressure on said fluid in said fluid storage space of said bag and in said inlet end of the extraction by further flattening said flat packing box with attendant folding of the relatively narrow wall means thereof on said fold line means; and

means for selectively externally applying squeezing pressure to the matching chamber while the metering chamber is interrupted by said interruption permitting means from communication from the inlet end of said tube such as would permit back-flow of fluid past said interruption permitting means from said metering chamber towards said inlet end of said tube, said means for selectively externally applying squeezing pressure being constructed and arranged to apply such squeezing pressure to said metering chamber as to temporarily exceed the capability of said pressure relief valve for said extraction duct to remain closed, whereby a corresponding quantum of fluid contained in the metering chamber is dispensed from said outlet end of said tube.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein:

said interruption permitting means provided between the inlet end of said tube and the metering chamber is constituted by a squeezing bolt mounted to said means for selectively externally applying squeezing pressure to the metering chamber while the metering chamber is interrupted by said interruption permitting means from communication from the inlet end of said tube.