AU6363001A - Liquid container - Google Patents

Description

1. 111- 52185 I-KS:ZS P/00/01il Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

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0 too Name of Applicant: GIULIO BARLETTA AND ROGER BALLESTRIN Actual Inventor: GIULIO BARLETTA AND ROGER BALLESTRIN Address for Service: COLLISON C0., 117 King Williami Street, Adelaide, S.A. 5000 Invention Title: LIQUID CONTAINER The following statement is a full description of this invention, Including the best method of performing it known to us: 17/08 '01 FRI 18:14 [TX/RX NO 5588] I 1U U1 11\1 l WWILjLIkJIl I 111LJ V 2 This invention relates to a liquid container and particularly to a container of a type having an inner bag and an outer supporting surround.

Such a "bag in a box" is now used to hold beverages especially wine where the level of the bag with contained liquid will reduce as liquid beverage is drawn from the bag of pliable material where the draw off is such that no or a negligible amount of air will be introduced into the bag as the liquid is dispensed.

The problem to which this invention is directed relates to the size and dimensions of current outer enclosures with correspondingly sized bags therein for holding of liquid therein.

Containers of the type being described are used for low or lower cost wine so the cost of any container will be a significant part of the cost of any sale..

An answer to this then is to get the container in terms of the amount of cardboard and plastics film to hold as much volume of lower cost wine as possible as compared to an outer area of the container, In other words the current approach is to 15 try to get the ratio of the outer area of a container compared to the volume of liquid held to be as small as possible.

This has resulted in enclosures which are relatively cuboid in shape.

While in some cases, the shape of a box which in each case is rectangular, has been slightly elongated, none the less, there has been a general attempt to keep the design criteria directed toward a minimum of surface area as compared to volume of liquid contained both to minimize relative air infusion through to the liquid S. that might be contained within the bag as well as to maintain the efficiency of the costs of the bag as compared to the material which is to say typically wine within the bag.

My discovery in accordance with this invention is that there is a different way to look at the design of this type of device which provides very significant advantages indeed.

The invention in one form then can be said to reside in a beverage cask having an inner pliable bag to hold the liquid for subsequent dispensing and an outer 17/08 '01 FRI 18:14 [TX/RX NO 5588] I -I I I -1 17 3 supporting surround having a rectangular shape which is square or approximately square in cross-section when viewed through one axis and where the length is at least three times the width in a further cross-section which is orthogonal to the first said axis.

In another form it can be said to reside in a cask with an outer supporting surround having an outer enclosure shape the shape of which is rectangular with a base which is square and having a height which is at least three times the length of a side of the base and there being an inner pliable bag holding beverage- In preference the base has a length of each side which is within the range of 93 to 95 cms, and a height within the range of from 327 to 335 cms.

In preference the beverage is wine.

In preference it Includes a liquid containing bag within it with a lowermost opening, adapted to allow for release of liquid within the bag in such a way that air will not return into the bag when the liquid is released, and where the enclosure itself has 1 5 the proportions of a conventional outer of a conventional 750 ml bottle of wine.

In preference its dimensions are selected so that the quantity of wine contained is 0' 0 equal to three conventional 750 ml bottles of wine.

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A significant advantage of such an arrangement is that while it loses efficiency in o terms of volume contained as compared to surface area, suddenly the enclosure 20 takes on a shape that will fit as would a bottle, within appropriate places in storage devices such as display racks on merchants shelves and in refrigerator doors.

0 Further, despite the additional cost which arises because of the now extended surface to volume ratio, nonetheless, because the shape takes on proportions :oo~o.which are viewed by many potential customers as indicating a product of higher 25 quality, the product itself then can carry a higher price point and, even more .0i.9 0 importantly, will be able to take its place within bottle displays rather than cask displays.

Further, because 0it s now similar in size and of a shape that is proportional to the carton around a conventlional 750 ml bottle, it can assume an appearance and therefore a price point which allows people to purchase this as they would a bottle 17/08 '01 FRI 18:14 [TX/RX NO 5588] m

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II jIU W 1 1 I1 1 1 I "11 VVL L IYVII 111IY UY 11IIIIIVI Y1 V VLILYYVV 4 of wine for parties or other places where a cask as it is currently might be considered unacceptable.

The proportions chosen are such that this would indicate that the carton or enclosure would be generally based upon a square cross-section and having a height which is at least three times that of the length of each respective side of the square cross section.

The sizes can be based upon internal or external dimensions and if internal dimensions are used, then they can, in preference, be also selected so that the quantity of wine would be equivalent to three conventional bottles of wine. In other words, three times 750 mis which is to say 2250 mis of wine.

This has the further advantage of allowing for marketing on the logo which is to say three in one.

Internal dimensions that have been found preferred to provide this feature range from a height of 317 mms with 91 mms of a side to 327 mms in height with 89 15 mms of a side.

If 2 mm thick cardboard is used as the outer enclosure, then these dimensions are increased appropriately so that the square cross section could vary from 93 to mms and the height could vary, again taken externally from 335 to 325 mms.

For a better understanding of this invention it will now be described with reference S. 20 to a preferred embodiment which shall be described with the assistance of drawings wherein: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cask according to the embodiment; FIGS. 2 and 3 are cross sectional views through the cask being the same embodiment as shown in FIG. 1, this in the case of FIG. 2, being a horizontal cross section along the lines of 2-2 in FIG. 3, and FIG 3 a vertical cross-section along the lines of 3-3 in FIG 2: and FIG. 4 is a view of a blank of an outer prior to its being folded and glued to take up the shape as in the earlier FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

17/08 '01 FRI 18:14 [TX/RX NO 5588] I II1 -T Referring in detail to these drawings, the cask 1 is formed from corrugated cardboard, some details of which are shown along the edge at 2 and in which there is a perforated outline at 3 to allow for ready access through the cardboard of the carton 1 to access a tap of a pliable bladder 8 within the carton, and there is an appropriate aperture at 4 to provide access to hold an appropriate handle.

As will now be quickly seen from the illustration, the appearance of the cask resembles that of an enclosure as used to enclose bottles, and by selection of appropriate dimensions, both the size of the enclosure or cask 1 and the quantity of product that it can hold are found to have significant advantages.

Accordingly, the height illustrated by the reference at 5 in a first embodiment is 335 mms, and sides 6 and 7 are of equal size and, in this case, are each of 93 mms.

The equivalent internal dimensions for this container then are 327 mms height and 89 mms for both sides which then allows for a bag which is shown at 8 in FIGS. 2 and 3 to define a volume capacity in the volume defined thereby at 9 as 2250 mis.

1. 5 In a further embodiment, the internal dimensions have a height of 317 mms, and both sides are 91 mms.

Again this provides a volume of 2250 mis which is, of course, three times the normal volume of a wine bottle at 750 mis.

Further examples of sizes are for a 2 litre cask: Min width maximum height 80mm X 80mm X 335 mm with a head space of 22.5 mm; Max width minimum height 95mm X 95mm X 240 mm with a head space of 18,4 mm.

Further examples of sizes are for a 2.25 litre cask: Min width maximum height 84 mm X 84 mm X 340 mm with a head space of 21 mm; Max width *minimum height 95mm X 95mm X 270 mm with a head space of 20.5 mm.

17/08 '01 FRI 18:14 [TX/RX NO 5588] Most desirable are: 2 iftres width *'height 85 mm X 85 mm X 310 mm with a head space of 34 mm.

2.25 litres width "height 91 mm X 91 mm X 310 mm with a head space of 48 mm., The results of confidential trials so far conducted indicate that such proportions and such a volume provides very significant attractions to a potential purchasing public.

Such an attraction therefore would appea'r to significantly outweigh what has been considered to be previously important economic and practical considerations such as the surface area of a bag as compared to the volume contained.

In another way of looking at this, the ratio of volume to area of any containing bag is significantly less than previous proposals or commercially provided examples.

There is provided thereby a perception of value for money to a consumer, a better visual impact than has hitherto been available from conventional casks, Rt is 1.5 relatively easy to carry because the shape being elongated is designed to hang more ergonomically beneath the hand of a holder, it will fit within a standard refrigerator door, it contains an actually greater volume of liquid than is at first perceived and finally it is very easy to use.

For all of these reasons, this invention is of great economic and functional importance.

17/08 '01 FRI 18:14 [TX/RX NO 5588] 7

Claims (5)

1-- 7 THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1. A beverage cask having an inner pliable bag to hold the liquid for subsequent dispensing and an outer supporting surround having a rectangular shape which is square or approximately square in cross-section when viewed through one axis and where the length is at least three times the width in a further cross-section which is orthogonal to the first said axis.

2. A cask with an outer supporting surround having an outer enclosure shape the shape of which is rectangular with a base which is square and having a height which is at least three times the length of a side of the base and there being an inner pliable bag holding beverage.

3. A cask as in the immediately preceding claim further characterized in that the base has a length of each side which is within the range of 93 to 95 cms, and a height within the range of from 327 to 335 cmns. A cask as in either one of the immediately two preceding claims further *1 5 characterized in that the beverage is wine. A cask as in any one of the preceding claims further characterized in that it :::.includes a liquid containing bag within it with a lowermost opening, adapted to allow for release of liquid within the bag in such a way that air will not return into the bag when the liquid is released, and where the enclosure itself has the proportions of a conventional outer of a conventional 750 ml bottle of wine.

6. A cask for a liquid containing a bag as in the immediately preceding claim further characterized in that its dimensions are selected so that the quantity of wine contained is equal to three conventional 750 ml bottles of wine.

7. A cask substantially as described in the specification with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying illustrations. Dated this 17th day of August 2000 GIULIO BARLETTA and ROGER BALLESTRIN By their Patent Attorneys COLLISON CO. 17/08 '01 FRI 18:14 tTX/RX NO 55881