GB2100357A

GB2100357A - Dispenser for a liquid

Info

Publication number: GB2100357A
Application number: GB8118679A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: GEN FOODS Ltd; General Foods Inc
Current assignee: GEN FOODS Ltd; General Foods Inc
Priority date: 1981-06-17
Filing date: 1981-06-17
Publication date: 1982-12-22

Abstract

A dispenser for a liquid, comprises a collapsible pouch 13 the liquid containing an outlet 14 through which the liquid may be dispensed, a support 12 for the pouch 13, and means 15, 17 adapted to apply an external pressure on the pouch. The pressure means is preferably an inflatable bag 15 connectable to an air blower 17, and the bag may be packed with the pouch as a disposable unit for the dispenser. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Dispensers for liquids This invention relates to dispensers for liquids.

The invention also relates to a vending machine having the facility to dispense milk or another comestible liquid in a hygienic manner.

It is known to dispense milk by a gravity feed system from a collapsible pouch having a flexible discharge tube. A simple tap allows the required amount of milk to be dispensed.

Also vending machines for dispensing drinks have become very popular in recent years; a typical type of vending machine for this purpose is described in British Patent Specification No.1559305. Such machines may be designed to dispense a singie type of drink or a selection of drinks. The basic dry powdered ingredients are pre-packed into disposable plastics or paper cups, nested and mounted in the machine in vertical stacks. The cups are dispensed individually by customer request on insertion of a coin. The ingredients are typically dried powders of tea, coffee and cocoa for hot drinks, and powdered fruit-flavoured compositions for cold. Addition of hot or cold water through a jet from the same machine, as required, is then made by the customer.The impact of the jet of water into the cup provides the energy necessary for mixing and dissolving the ingredients, without subsequent need for a spoon. The usual means of delivery is from a holding tank for the water (inside the machine) by means of a small pump with internai working parts, as described in British Patent Specification No. 1559307.

Certain kinds of drinks of popular appeal are however substantially millc-based rather than water-based; for example, various fruit- or otherflavoured cold milk drinks. The delivery system described for dispensing the water, or other conventional systems with pumps with internal parts, would not be suitable in a vending machine for dispensing cold milk, for reasons of hygiene which will be well understood by those skilled and familiar with the bacteriological problems associated with liquid milk. Nor would a simple gravity system for dispensing milk from a replaceable sterile container be suitable to make up such drinks.

According to the invention there is provided a dispenser for a liquid contained within a collapsible pouch having an outlet through which the liquid may be dispensed, the dispenser comprising a support for the pouch, and means adapted to apply an external pressure on the pouch.

The pressure means preferably comprises an inflatable bag connectible to an air blower adapted to maintain a constant air pressure within the bag whereby the bag applies a pressure on the pouch throughout the dispensing of the liquid. In this case, the invention provides an inflatable bag packed in a cardboard box together with a pouch from which the liquid is to be dispensed, the bag having an inlet for connection to an air blower.

Alternatively both the inflatable bag and the air blower connected thereto may form a permanent part of the dispenser.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention a vending machine provides the pouch support and at least the air blower to which an inflatable bag may be connected.

In use, a pouch pre-filled with the desired liquid, e.g. milk, in a sterile manner is fitted into its support in the dispenser. The outlet of the pouch is attached to a manually actuated tap or other suitable control means, for example an automatic pinch valve operated by a coin mechanism which also maintains the appropriate pressure in the inflatable bag. Also, the inflatable bag, if it is packed with the pouch, is connected to the air blower. The liquid may then be dispensed by gravity with the assistance of the pressure applied by the inflatable bag. When the pouch is exhausted, the disposable unit comprising the pouch and possibly the inflatable bag is removed from the dispenser. Another full unit is then fitted and the cycle repeated.

The outlet from the pouch may be arranged to dispense the liquid vertically downwardly into a cup beneath, e.g. a cup pre-filled with dry ingredients to be mixed with or dissolved by the liquid to form a drink. Alternatively, the outlet or the cup may be inclined to the vertical so that a swirling action is created within the cup which in some cases may assist the mixing/dissolving of the dry ingredients.

indicating means are preferably provided to show when the pouch is empty and a new unit is required.

The dispenser may include a refrigeration unit.

The invention further provides a dispenser for a liquid as defined above, including a disposable unit from which the liquid is to be dispensed. As will be appreciated, the disposable unit may comprise a pouch with or without an inflatable bag.

By way of example, a specific embodiment in accordance with the invention wil be described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing which is a perspective view of a milk dispenser.

Referring to the drawing, a milk dispenser comprises a cabinet 10 having a door 11 for loading and unloading a milk container 12 into the cabinet. The cabinet also houses a refrigeration unit 18 beneath the milk container 12.

A conventional milk container comprises a cardboard box housing a collapsible pouch 13 made of a soft plastics material containing the milk and having suitable gravity delivery means, for example a short discharge tube and a pinch valve operated by a manually actuated tap 14. In this embodiment, packed inside the cardboard box above the milk pouch 13 is an inflatable bag 1 5 to assist the gravity flow of the milk from the pouch.

For this purpose the bag 15 has an inlet pipe 16 connectible to an air supply which in this embodiment is a blower 1 7 capable of supplying a constant head of pressure, e.g. 3 feet, to the bag.

Thereby as the milk is dispensed from the pouch 13, the bag 1 5 is progressively inflated to maintain a constant pressure on the pouch. This results in an increased milk flow rate than would be achieved by gravity alone and also a constant flow rate throughout the dispensing of the milk from the pouch.

In this embodiment the blower 17 is of a type in which air is continuously circulated and which feeds air to the bag 1 5 as required to maintain the predetermined constant pressure therein, for example a pressure which will achieve a milk flow rate of 200 mls in 3 to 3.5 seconds. Such a rate gives adequate dispersion of dispensed milk with dry mix ingredients in cups.

Alternatively the air supply to the bag could be a system which provides a continuous or discontinuous air feed and has a pressure relief valve set at the predetermined constant pressure required within the bag.

The milk dispenser may be part of a vending machine and operated manually or by coinoperated control means to deliver the required dose. In the latter case, the pouch 1 3 may be connected to an automatic pinch valve operated by the coin mechanism which also maintains the appropriate pressure in the inflatable bag 1 5. The vending machine may otherwise be of the type described in British Patent Specification No.

1 559305 which is designed for cups having incup powdered ingredients.

The dispenser has the advantage that the milk is delivered in a sterile manner without any danger of spoilage or other organisms entering the system over the normal life of the milk used, be it pasteurized or sterilized.

The dispenser may also be used for dispensing comestible liquids other than milk, where similar problems of hygiene otherwise occur.

The inflatable bag may form a permanent part of the dispenser rather than be incorporated with the pouch as a disposable unit.

Claims

1. A dispenser for a liquid contained within a collapsible pouch having an outlet through which the liquid may be dispensed, the dispenser comprising a support for the pouch, and means adapted to apply an external pressure on the pouch.

2. A dispenser as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the pressure means is an inflatable bag connectible to an air blower adapted to maintain a constant pressure within the bag whereby the bag applies a pressure on the pouch throughout the dispensing of the liquid.

3. A dispenser as claimed in Claim 2, wherein, in use, the inflatable bag and the pouch are packed together inside a cardboard box to form a disposable unit, the bag having an inlet for connection to an air blower.

4. A dispenser as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the inflatable bag and the air blower form a permanent part of the dispenser.

5. A dispenser as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 4, wherein the dispenser is part of a vending machine which provides the pouch support and at least the air blower to which an inflatable bag may be connected.

6. A dispenser as claimed in Claim 5, including a coin-operated mechanism controlling valve means through which a required dose of liquid is dispensed and maintaining the desired pressure in the inflatable bag.

7. A dispenser as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the outlet from the pouch is arranged to dispense the liquid vertically downwardly.

8. A dispenser as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6 for dispensing a liquid into a container, wherein the outlet from the pouch or the container is inclined to the vertical so that, in use, a swirling action is created within the container.

9. A dispenser as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, including indicating means for showing when the pouch is empty.

10. A dispenser for a liquid contained within a collapsible pouch substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.

10. A dispenser as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, including a refrigeration unit.

11. A dispenser as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, including a disposable unit from which the liquid is to be dispensed.

12. A dispenser as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the dispenser is a dispenser for milk or another comestible liquid.

13. A dispenser as claimed in Claim 12, wherein the milk or other comestible liquid is aseptically packaged in the pouch.

1 4. A disposable unit for use in a dispenser as claimed in Claim 3, comprising an inflatable bag and a collapsible pouch containing the liquid to be dispensed packed together inside a cardboard box, the bag having an inlet for connection to an air blower.

1 5. A disposable unit as claimed in Claim 14, wherein the liquid in the pouch is milk or another comestible liquid.

16. A disposable unit as claimed in Claim 1 5, wherein the milk or other comestible liquid is aseptically packaged in the pouch.

1 7. A dispenser for a liquid contained within a collapsible pouch substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.

18. A disposable unit from which a liquid is to be dispensed substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.

New claims or amendments to claims filed on September 17, 1982.

Superseded claims 1-16.

New or amended claims:

1. A dispenser for a liquid contained within a collapsible pouch having an outlet through which the liquid may be dispensed, the dispenser comprising a pouch, and an inflatable bag packed together inside a cardboard box to form a disposable unit, the bag having an inlet connectible to an air blower adapted to maintain a constant pressure within the bag whereby the bag applies a pressure on the pouch throughout the dispensing of the liquid.

2. A dispenser as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the dispenser is part of a vending machine which provides the air blower to which the inflatable bag, use, is connected.

3. A dispenser as claimed in Claim 2, including a coin-operated mechanism controlling valve means through which a required dose of liquid is dispensed and maintaining the desired pressure in the inflatable bag.

4. A dispenser as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the outlet from the pouch is arranged to dispense the liquid vertically downwardly.

5. A dispenser as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3 for dispensing a liquid into a container, wherein the outlet from the pouch or the container is inclined to the vertical so that, in use, a swirling action is created within the container.

6. A dispenser as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, including indicating means for showing when the pouch is empty.

7. A dispenser as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, including a refrigeration unit.

8. A dispenser as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the dispenser is a dispenser for milk or another comestible liquid.

9. A dispenser as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the milk or other comestible liquid is aseptically packaged in the pouch.