Disposable assembly for a reusable urn or vessel

• US 9,643,833 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2015
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LB Europe Limited (Liqui-Box Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: DS Smith Plastics Limited (DS Smith PLC)
• Inventors: Smith, Mark A., Pfromm, Carsten
• Primary Examiner(s): LONG, DONNELL ALAN
• Application Number:
  US14/684,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20150210527A1
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 222105, 222527, 222529, 222530
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2210/00049 Pipes
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 3/0054 Mounting or arrangements of dispensing apparatus in shops or bar counters
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 3/0061 of liquid containers, e.g. filling, emptying, closing or opening means
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 3/0067 relating to shape or materials, e.g. bag-in-box packages [BIB], pouches
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 3/041 operated by pinching action on flexible tubes
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 7/06 by means of a screw-spindle, cam, or other mechanical means F16K7/045 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention provides a container assembly for use with a reusable urn or vessel. The assembly includes a (1) flexible pouch, (2) a fitment connected to the pouch and having a flexible flange and a first fluid passageway therethrough in fluid communication with the chamber, (3) a tubing adapter having a first end connected to the fitment and a second end having a member for connecting to a tubing and a second fluid passageway in fluid communication with the first fluid passageway; and (4) wherein the flexible flange is capable of bending to conform to an interior wall of the urn or vessel to place the second fluid passageway in alignment with an axis of a through hole in the urn or vessel.

Claims

1. A dispensing system for dispensing liquid from a vessel through a faucet, comprising:

a flexible planar surface defining a first opening;

a flexible tube body having a dispensing end defining a second opening, wherein the first and second openings are in fluid communication with each other;

an annular flange located between the planar surface and the dispensing end of the tube body;

an annular wall located between the planar surface and the annular flange and defining a notch between the annular flange and the annular wall, the annular wall having an outer diameter that is greater than an outer diameter of the tube body and the outer diameter of the tube body is more than half the outer diameter of the annular wall;

wherein the tube body is configured to be inserted into a faucet and bent to follow the contour of a bore of the faucet such that the dispensing end of the tube body extends out of a mouth of the faucet and the planar surface is configured to be located inside a vessel to which the faucet is connected when the tube body is inserted into the faucet such that liquid is dispensed from the vessel by flowing from the first opening to the second opening.

2. The dispensing system of claim 1, wherein the tube body has an inner diameter of at least 7 mm and an outer diameter of at least 10 mm.

3. The dispensing system of claim 1, wherein the tube body has an inner layer and an outer layer.

4. The dispensing system of claim 1, wherein the tube body can flex into discrete positions.

5. A system for dispensing liquid from a vessel through a faucet, comprising:

a vessel having a base and a sidewall with an aperture in the side wall;

a faucet connected to the side wall of the vessel, the faucet having a liquid ingress end and a liquid egress end connected by a curved lumen, the ingress end being in fluid communication with an interior region of the vessel and the egress end defining an outlet of the faucet;

a dispensing system including;

a flexible planar surface defining a first opening;

a flexible tube body having a dispensing end defining a second opening,

wherein the first and second openings are in fluid communication with each other;

an annular flange located between the planar surface and the dispensing end of the tube body;

an annular wall located between the planar surface and the annular flange and defining a notch between the annular flange and the annular wall, the annular wall having an outer diameter that is greater than a diameter of the flexible tube body and the outer diameter of the tube body is more than half the outer diameter of the annular wall;

wherein the tube body is configured to be inserted into the curved lumen of the faucet through the ingress end of the faucet and bent to follow the contour of the lumen such that the dispensing end of the tube body extends out of the egress end of the faucet and wherein the planar surface is configured to be located inside the vessel when the tube body is inserted into the faucet such that liquid is dispensed from the vessel by flowing from the first opening to the second opening.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the tube body has an inner diameter of at least 7 mm and an outer diameter of at least 10 mm.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the tube body has an inner layer and an outer layer.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the tube body can flex into discrete positions.