Bag and dispensing system comprising such a bag

• US 6,871,679 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2001
• Issued: 03/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IPN IP B.V.
• Original Assignee: IPN IP B.V.
• Inventors: Last, Laurens
• Primary Examiner(s): MAUST, TIMOTHY LEWIS
• Application Number:
  US10/398,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20040045632A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 141/2, 141/10, 141/18, 141/114, 141/313, 141/314, 141/329, 141/330, 141346-355, 251/149.1, 137/613, 137/614.05, 383/42, 383200-203
• US Class Current: 141/329
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 75/5877 connected to a planar surface of the package wall
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87965 Valve- or closure-operated by coupling motion

Abstract

A bag with a flexible wall which delimits a closed chamber of the bag for a store of a substance, for example a liquid, gaseous, pasty or pulverulent substance, for example a bag with a wall made from single-layer or multilayer (plastic) sheet material.

A female element with a body through which a bore extends is attached to the inner side of the wall, which bore extends from an insertion opening for a male element, which is covered in a sealed manner by the wall of the bag, in the vicinity of the wall of the bag, to an opening in the chamber of the bag.

At a distance from the insertion opening, the bore is also closed off by a closure element, in such a manner that a male element can puncture that part of the wall of the bag which covers the insertion opening from the outside, so that the male element then enters the bore in the female element and—as the male element is inserted further into the bore—then interacts with the closure element and eliminates the closure of the bore which is produced by the closure element.

Claims

1. A bag with a flexible wall which delimits a closed chamber of the bag for a store of a substance, said wall having an inner side, wherein a female element with a body through which a bore extends is attached to the inner side of the wall of the bag, which bore extends from an insertion opening for a male element, which is covered in a sealed manner by the wall of the bag, in the vicinity of the wall of the bag, to an opening into the chamber of the bag, the bore also being closed off, at a distance from the insertion opening, by a closure element, in such a manner that a male element can puncture that part of the wall of the bag which covers the insertion opening from the outside, so that the male element then enters the bore of the female element and

as the male element is inserted further into the bore—

then interacts with the closure element and eliminates the closure of the bore which is provided by the closure element.

2. A bag according to claim 1, in which the closure element is designed to give way under the influence of the male element being fitted into the bore.

3. A bag according to claim 1, wherein the closure element comprises a puncturable or tearable membrane.

4. A bag according to claim 1, in which the closure element is a plug which is accommodated in a sealed manner in a seat which extends around the bore and is delimited by the female element, which plug, under the influence of the male element being inserted into the bore, can be moved out of the associated seat into an open position in which the bore is open.

5. A bag according to claim 4, in which the plug is also coupled, in its open position, to the body of the female element.

6. A dispensing system comprising, in combination:

a bag with a flexible wall which delimits a closed chamber of the bag for a store of a substance, said wall having an inner side, wherein a female element with a body through which a bore extends is attached to the inner side of the wall of the bag, which bore extends from an insertion opening for a male element, which is covered in a sealed manner by the wall of the bag, in the vicinity of the wall of the bag, to an opening into the chamber of the bag, the bore also being closed off, at a distance from the insertion opening, by a closure element, in such a manner that a male element can puncture that part of the wall of the bag which covers the insertion opening from the outside, so that the male element then enters the bore of the female element and—

as the male element is inserted further into the bore—

then interacts with the closure element and eliminates the closure of the bore which is provided by the closure element, and

an associated male element which, from the outside, can puncture that part of the wall which covers the insertion opening and then enters the bore of the female element, and then interacts with the closure element in order to eliminate the closure of the bore provided by the closure element, so that a connection is created to the chamber of the bag.

7. A dispensing system according to claim 6, in which the male element is provided with one or more internal passages for the substance which is to be dispensed, and in which the male element and the female element are designed in such a manner that—

when the male element is inserted—

a seal is produced between the male element and the female element before the closure of the bore provided by the closure element is eliminated, so that leakage of substance is prevented.

8. A dispensing system according to claim 6, in which the male element has a head which can puncture that part of the wall which covers the insertion opening and can then interact with the plug in order to push it off its seat.

9. A dispensing system according to claim 6, in which the male element has a head which can puncture that part of the wall which covers the insertion opening and can then interact with the plug in order to push it off its seat, and in which the plug and the head of the male element are designed in such a manner that the plug can be coupled to the head of the male element.

10. A dispensing system according to claim 6, in which the male element has a head which can puncture that part of the wall which covers the insertion opening and can then interact with the plug in order to push it off its seat, and in which the plug and the head of the male element are designed in such a manner that the plug can be coupled to the head of the male element, and in which the plug is provided with an insertion cavity into which the head of the male element fits.

11. A dispensing system according to claim 6, in which the male element is provided with locking means which are designed to lock the male element which has been inserted into the bore with respect to the female element.

12. Dispensing system according to claim 6, in which a second female element with a bore in line with the bore in the female element arranged against the inner side of the wall of the bag is arranged against the outer side of the wall of the bag, it being possible for the male element to be fitted from the outside into the second female element or already to be prefitted therein.

13. A method for producing a bag with a flexible wall which delimits a closed chamber of the bag for a store of a substance, said wall having an inner side, wherein a female element with a body through which a bore extends is attached to the inner side of the wall of the bag, which bore extends from an insertion opening for a male element, which is covered in a sealed manner by the wall of the bag, in the vicinity of the wall of the bag, to an opening into the chamber of the bag, the bore also being closed off, at a distance from the insertion opening, by a closure element, in such a manner that a male element can puncture that part of the wall of the bag which covers the insertion opening from the outside, so that the male element then enters the bore of the female element and—

as the male element is inserted further into the bore—

then interacts with the closure element and eliminates the closure of the bore which is provided by the closure element, in which method the wall of the bag is composed of one or more webs of sheet material which are formed into a bag by folding actions and welding operations, the female element being fixed to a sheet web, in such a manner that the bore in the female element is covered by the sheet web on the side of the insertion opening for the male element.

14. A method for filling a bag with a flexible wall which delimits a closed chamber of the bag for a store of a substance, said wall having an inner side, wherein a female element with a body through which a bore extends is attached to the inner side of the wall of the bag, which bore extends from an insertion opening for a male element, which is covered in a sealed manner by the wall of the bag, in the vicinity of the wall of the bag, to an opening into the chamber of the bag, the bore also being closed off, at a distance from the insertion opening, by a closure element, in such a manner that a male element can puncture that part of the wall of the bag which covers the insertion opening from the outside, so that the male element then enters the bore of the female element and—

as the male element is inserted further into the bore—

then interacts with the closure element and eliminates the closure of the bore which is provided by the closure element, in which method the starting point is an empty bag with a seam which is completely or partially left open, a filling member being introduced into the bag, preferably under aseptic conditions, via the part of the seam which has been left open, and the substance being introduced into the bag, after which the filling member is removed from the bag and the seam in question is closed, in particular by welding.

15. A method for filling a bag with a flexible wall which delimits a closed chamber of the bag for a store of a substance, said wall having an inner side, wherein a female element with a body through which a bore extends is attached to the inner side of the wall of the bag, which bore extends from an insertion opening for a male element, which is covered in a sealed manner by the wall of the bag, in the vicinity of the wall of the bag, to an opening into the chamber of the bag, the bore also being closed off, at a distance from the insertion opening, by a closure element, in such a manner that a male element can puncture that part of the wall of the bag which covers the insertion opening from the outside, so that the male element then enters the bore of the female element and—

as the male element is inserted further into the bore—

then interacts with the closure clement and eliminates the closure of the bore which is provided by the closure element, in which method the starting point is an empty bag with a hermetically sealed chamber, a male element which is designed as a filling member puncturing the wall of the bag, preferably under aseptic conditions, at the location of the female element which is present in the bag, so that the filling element enters the bore and couples the plug to the head of the male element and then pushes it off its seat, after which the bag is filled with the substance via the male element, and then the filling member is moved out of the bore, the plug being moved back into its seat, so that the plug closes off the bore, after which the plug is uncoupled from the head of the filling member, and then, if appropriate, an additional seal is applied over that part of the wall of the bag which has been punctured.

16. A method according to claim 15, in which, before being filled, the bag is subjected to a sterilization treatment, for example using gamma radiation, and in which the bag is filled in a sterile space.