AU720563B2

AU720563B2 - Method and device for filling and closing a container, and container obtained with this method

Info

Publication number: AU720563B2
Application number: AU42243/97A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Maria Cornelia Hendrika Kamp-Stroeken; Fred Willem Savrij Droste
Original assignee: Impress Metal Packaging BV
Current assignee: Trivium Packaging Netherlands BV
Priority date: 1996-09-11
Filing date: 1997-09-11
Publication date: 2000-06-01
Anticipated expiration: 2017-09-11
Also published as: AU4224397A; BR9711756A; DE69717684T2; JP2001505513A; EP1021337B1; EP1021337A1; WO1998010988A1; DE69717684D1; NL1004001C2; CA2265602A1

Description

-1- METHOD AND DEVICE FOR FILLING AND CLOSING A CONTAINER, AND CONTAINER OBTAINED WITH THE METHOD The invention relates to a method for filling and closing a container comprising the steps of: providing an open container and placing thereof such that the mouth opening of the container is situated at the top; filling the open container with product for packaging, for instance food or a drink, such that a space remains between the surface of the product and the mouth; introducing into said space a chosen quantity of sterile liquid nitrogen; placing a cover on the mouth rim; and sealingly coupling the peripheral zone of the cover to the mouth rim zone of the container. This method is known from EP-A-O 421 597.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of o 15 the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative.

[According to the first aspect of the invention there is provided a method for filling and closing a container, comprising the steps of: providing an open container and placing thereof such that the mouth opening of the container is situated at the top; *o 20 filling the open container with product for packaging, for instance food or a drink, such that a space remains between the surface of the produce and the mouth; introducing into said space a chosen quantity of sterile liquid nitrogen; -laplacing a cover loosely on the mouth rim and maintaining the loose placing of the cover on the mouth rim for a chosen time interval; and sealingly coupling the peripheral zone of the cover to the mouth rim zone of the container.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words 'comprise', 'comprising', and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of "including, but not limited to".

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a device for filling and closing a container, which device comprises: means for providing an open container and placing thereof such that the mount opening is situated at the top; means for filling the open container with product for packaging, for instance food or a drink, such that a space remains between the surface of the product and the mouth; o• means for introducing into said space a chosen quantity of sterile liquid nitrogen.

S:i means for placing a cover loosely on the mouth rim and maintaining the loose placing of the cover on the mouth rim for a chosen time interval; and means for sealingly coupling the peripheral zone of the cover to the mouth rim zone of the container.

Advantageously, at least in a preferred form the present invention may provide for the filling and closing of a container, in particular for food or a drink, such that the danger of bacterial contamination of the content of the can is limited to a minimum during filling and closing.

-I b- More preferably such filling and closing of a can should take place in such a manner that the oxygen content of gas present in the can is considerably reduced.

Otherwise than in known methods, the liquid nitrogen introduced into the can ensures during its boiling evaporation that a gas flow takes place which is directed outward and moves through the gap partly caused oa a.* ft oa. a a.

a.

a.tf a a a t a a a o f *l t WO 98/10988 PCT/NL97/00518 2 by this gas flow between the mouth rim of the can and the cover laid loosely thereon. This effectively prevents bacterial contamination by germs in the environment.

These are blown away from the access to the can by said gas flow. By making use of a sufficient quantity of liquid nitrogen the air initially present in the container can be effectively expelled by the evaporation of the nitrogen. The oxygen content in the can is hereby effectively reduced. Particularly in respect of the wish to prevent oxidation of foodstuffs by oxygen, this is a very desirable effect of the invention.

The method can have the particular feature that the can according to is a metal container.

This latter method is preferably embodied such that the coupling according to step takes place by seam-folding.

In the most usual cans the method can be embodied such that the chosen quantity according to step lies in the order of 1-10 droplets.

A very practical embodiment of the method according to the invention, which lends itself particularly well to implementation in an automatically operating device, has the special feature that the chosen time interval corresponds with the time in which the container is transported from a station in which step (d) is performed to a station in which step is performed.

The method according to the invention as specified above can be performed with a for instance automatically operating device for filling and closing a container, which device comprises: means for providing an open container and placing thereof such that the mouth opening is situated at the top; means for filling the open container with product for packaging, for instance food or a drink, such that a space remains between the surface of the product and the mouth; -3means for introducing into said space a chosen quantity of sterile liquid nitrogen; means for placing a cover loosely on the mouth rim and maintaining the loose placing of the cover on the mouth rim for a chosen time interval; and means for sealingly coupling the peripheral zone of the cover to the mouth rim zone of the container.

The invention further relates to a container filled with product, for instance food or a drink, and a certain quantity of nitrogen gas, obtained by applying the method in accordance with any of the methods as specified above.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a known method for filling and closing a container; and Figure 2 shows a representation corresponding with figure 1 of a method according to the invention.

15 Figure 1 shows in a first stage a metal container 1 consisting of a bottom (not shown) and a standing body. This has at it's top a mouth opening 2 with a mouth rim 3.

After transport as according to an arrow 4, filling of the can 1 with food product 6 takes place as according to arrow 5. As will be apparent, a certain space 7 remains free between the surface of the product and the mouth 3. After further transport a quantity (for instance several drops) of liquid nitrogen 8 are applied to surface 6 via a dispensing device 7. This nitrogen has a temperature of almost -200 0 C and in these free conditions is in a state in which the liquid boils and thereby evaporates rapidly while releasing Sgaseous nitrogen.

-3a- From a stack 9 of covers 10 a cover is then placed onto mouth rim 3 and sealingly connected to mouth rim 3 by rotation 11 through a schematically designated seamfolding device 12. It will be apparent that while in this manner a certain pressure is created in the filled container which can contribute for instance to the tota 0 a .Oa a a a a a a a.* a..

a a a a a./ a a a a a p a. a WO 98/10988 PCTfNL97/00518 4 rigidity of the filled container, penetration into the container of germs from outside is in no way prevented and oxygen is not expelled. It is noted that the transport between dispensing device 7 and seam-folding device 12 will take some time and that the dangers referred to occur during this period.

In contrast to figure 1, figure 2 shows that a cover 10 is temporarily placed loosely on mouth rim 3, whereby gaseous nitrogen can escape as according to arrows 13 via the gap 14 which is created partly by the nitrogen pressure in space 7 after cover 10 has been loosely placed. Bacterial contamination is effectively prevented hereby and air, and therewith oxygen, present in space 7 is expelled. Only after expiry of a chosen time interval does a seam-folding operation in accordance with the last illustration of figure 2 take place. It is noted that the invention is of course not limited to a metal embodiment of the container and/or the can. Glass containers for instance with screw covers or the like also fall within the scope of the invention.

It is also noted generally that the quantity of liquid nitrogen used according to the prior art of figure 1 will in general be smaller than in the configuration of figure 2 in which the teaching of the invention is applied. According to the invention a part of the nitrogen must in any case evaporate and serve to generate an effective gas flow which prevents bacterial contamination and expels oxygen.

It is finally noted that, in a device in which the method of figure 2 is implemented, the distance between the station where the covers are laid on loosely and the station where the covers are seam-folded into place in combination with the transporting speed according to arrow 4 corresponds with a desired chosen time for which the liquid nitrogen is able to perform its described action, for instance such that after the seamfolding a certain amount of liquid nitrogen still remains which can subsequently evaporate in order to effect a certain overpressure in the filled container.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples it will be appreciated to those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms.

a* o a. •g*

Claims

1. Method for filling and closing a container, comprising the steps of: providing an open container and placing thereof such that the mouth opening of the container is situated at the top; filling the open container with product for packaging, for instance food or a drink, such that a space remains between the surface of the product and the mouth; introducing into said space a chosen quantity of sterile liquid nitrogen; placing a cover loosely on the mouth rim and maintaining the loose placing of the cover on the mouth rim for a chosen time interval; and sealingly coupling the peripheral zone of the cover to the mouth rim zone of the container.

2. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the can according to is a metal container.

3. Method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the coupling according to step 15 takes place by seam-folding.

4. Method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the chosen quantity according to step lies in the order of 1-10 droplets.

5. Method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the chosen time interval corresponds with the time in which the container is transported from a station in which step is performed to a station in which step is performed.

6. Device for filling and closing a container, which device comprises: means for providing an open container and placing thereof such that the mount S opening is situated at the top; -7- means for filling the open container with product for packaging, for instance food or a drink, such that a space remains between the surface of the product and the mouth; means for introducing into said space a chosen quantity of sterile liquid nitrogen. means for placing a cover loosely on the mouth rim and maintaining the loose placing of the cover on the mouth rim for a chosen time interval; and means for sealingly coupling the peripheral zone of the cover to the mouth rim zone of the container.

7. Container filled with product, for instance food or a drink, and a certain quantity of nitrogen gas obtained by applying the method as claimed in any one of the claims

8. A method for filling and closing a container substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

9. A device for filling and closing a container substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 0-

10. A container filled with product substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings. DATED this 6th Day of October 1999 IMPRESS METAL PACKAGING B.V. Attorney: CAROLINE M. BOMMER Fellow Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia of BALDWIN SHELSTON WATERS