CA2085158A1 - Liquid container - Google Patents

Abstract

A container for a pressurized fluid is held in a generally rectilinear shape by internal tethers. A follower is provided to provide pressure for the fluid to flow from a spigot in the container, and to prevent carbonated liquids from going flat.

Description

ritle: LIQUID CONTAIN~R ~ ~3 Field of the Invention This invention relates to a means for packaging liquids. In particular, it relates to a container for 05 beverages that is capable of retaining a speci~ic predetermined shape, even when the contents are under pressure. It also relates to a means for preserving the carbonization in beverages.

Background to the Invention Increasingly, liquids are being packaged in soft flexible containers composed of thin plastic film. Examples include milk sold in bags and wine sold in plastic sacks that are, in turn, contained in boxes. In the latter case a spigot is incorporated in the wine sack to allow the contents to be decanted. As wine is withdrawn through the spigot, the sack collapses. In a sense, the sack follows the wine and crushes inwardly under atmospheric pressure as the liquid contained within is diminished in ~olume. The exterior caxdboard box, in existing configurations, rem~ins rectangular.
It is also known to package pressurized liquids in a plastic bag or thin-film container. In one example beer is contained within a thin plastic membrane installed, in turn, within a rigid spherical outer container. This "beer ball'3 is provided both with an outlet spigot in its lower portion, and an air inlet in its upper region. A pump is provided to pressurize the air that is injected into the container. This

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pressurized air forces the beer to ~low-out under pressure.
When a liquid is contained within a flexible thin-walled bag, the bag will normally endeavour to assume a generally spherical shape. This is especially true i~ the 05 liquid is under pressure.
For convenience of storage and shipping, it is desirable that liquids be packaged in a rectilinear shape.
Such a shape is particularly desirable ~or beverages that the householder may wish to store in a household refrigerator where storage space is limited. A flexible thin-walled container, without further containment means, will not assume such a rectilinear shape.
A rectilinear exterior shape may be established for liquids packaged in soft, flexible sacks by enclosing such sacks within a rigid exterior container. The requirement for rigidity adds cost to such an exterior container. Where the liquid is pressurized, these costs would normally be considerably increased.
A means of producing a container for liquids that utilizes principally a flexible, thin~walled bag and provides a rectilinear shape, or other desired shape, at low cost is a potentially valuable objective. These characteristics are obtained by the invention herein, a description o~ which now ~ollows.

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, -- 3 ~, The invention in its general form will first be ~ dsscribed, and then its implementation in tarms o~ specific -, embodiments will be detailed with re~erence to the drawings i; following hereafter.

"; 05 These embodiments are intended to demonstrate the ,' principle of the invention, and khe manner of its .,j implementation. The invention in its broadest and more speci~ic ~orms will then be further described, and defined, in each of the individual claims which conclude this ~' 10 Specification.

, Summary_of the Inve,ntion ,~ According to the invention, a containsr for liquids is i provided by a thin-walled, flexible bag that has within its interior, tethering means that serve to join opposed sides of the container and bias its exterior shape away from a , spheroidal form.
According to the invention in one of its embodiments, ,~, the interior tethering means is'comprised of a web of plastic ~ilm that is fastened along its opposite edges to opposed sides of the bag.
' By a further feature of the invention a series of transverse webs are disposed within th~ bag so as to constrain the exterior walls of th~ bag ~rcm expanding in three rectilinearly oriented directions.

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By a further feature of the invention, the container~
is provided with spigot means to permit extraction of li~uids from its interior.
By a further feature of the invention the container is 05 provided with an interior pr~ssure-exerting bladder means, which is capable of expanding upon extraction of li~uid from the container, and thereby serving as a fcllower to maintain pressure on the liquid within the container.
By a further feature of the invention, the tethered container may be provided with an outer cover or carton which can, advan~ageously, be made o~ relatively light and inexpensive cardboard.
A container made in accordance with the invention is not intended to be perfectly rectangular. Instead, a typical container might be provided with three internal sets of transverse horizontal tethering panels, extending from side to side; and another three such sets of tethers extending from top to bottom.
These tether panels would be located at evenly spaced locations, proceeding back along the depth or length of the container. The horiæontal and vertical tethers may be positioned in common planes or may be o~fset. A further longitudinal tether may optionally extend down the length of the bag, along the centreline and attached to the upper and 25 lower outside surfaces of the bag so as to further prevent the -top and bottom portions of the bag from bulging.

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Such a bag, made in accordance with the in~ention, would still tend to bulge slightly between the tethering panels, but the degree of such bulging would be greatly reduced over that in an untethered container. With a limited 05 number of discrete tethers in place, the outer protective container for a pressurized bag, suitably made from cardboard, would be able to resist the residual pressure for distortion without resorting to expensive features, such as bracing. The combination package would provide an exterior presentation khat appears virtually rectangular.
In summarizing the invention above, and in describing the preferred embodiments below, specific elements have been described, and specific terminoloqy has been resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each sp~cific term and element includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

Summary of Fiqures Figure 1 is a cut-away perspective view of a tethered inner container made according to the invention, within an outer cardboard casing;
Figure 2 is an interior view of the tethers attached I to the top and bottom faces of the container;
Figure 3 is an interior view of the tethers attached to the sides of the container.

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~ Figure 4 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional interior ;;~,, view of a container having tethers extending across the width ~l and height, and down the longitudinal length, of the container.

Fi~ure 5 is a longitudinal interior view within the bag 05 showing the open spaces through which the ~ollower may be laid.

Figure 6 shows a follower separately removed from a container with three chambers.
,,, Description of the Pre~erred Embodiments Figure 1 shows a partially brcken-away cross-section of a container 1 made according to the invention, installed within an outer cardboard shell or box 2. The walls 3 of the container 1 are suitably made of an impermeable plastic film such as mylar or polyethylene. The weld attachment lines 4 or the internal tethers 5 are shown, in this option, as straight lines, along the top and side surfaces of the container.
These may be suit~bly attached by welding or by an adhesive.
The end-panel 6, shown as rectangular, provides a similar shape-containing function as the inkernal tethers 5. All o~
these structures are intended to hold the container 1 in a generally rectilinear, or other pre*erred shaper even when the interior of the bag is pressurizedO
In Figure 2 details of the vertical tethers 5 are shown. The vertical tether (5) has upper 6 and lower 7 attachment pan~ls which are joined by a transverse "stringer"

8. This stringer 8 may be a ribbon f~rmed ~rom the same plastic as the web o~ the attachment panels 6,7, or some other tension-carrying element~

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_ 7 _ 2~8~8 The horizontal tether 9, as shown in Figure 2, has a much longer transverse stringer 10, proportionally, than the vertical tether 5, and extends between the two side panels llo The web of the attachment panels 6,7 in either case is 05 suitably made of a thin sheet of plastic that has an outer shape adapted to even-out the tensile forces within th~ web.
The shape of the attachment panels 6,7 should ideally transfer the tension in the stringer 8,10 to the weld-line 14 vn the outer envelope of the bag-l with a relatively even distribution o~ tension within the web of the attachment panel 6,7. Such panels 6,7 may generally be of a triangular shape, but the inner edge 13 may follow a caternary-like form in ordex to improve the distribution of tension within khe web.
Within the container 1 of Figure 1 the horiznntal 9 and vertical tethPrs 5 are shown as installed essentially within approximately the same plane. But they may be staggered from each other, either slightly to allow the tethers 5,9 to cross past each other without interfering, or substantially, so as to alternate along the bag.
Figure 4 shows a longitudinal tether system 14 attached along the center of the bag restraining the top and bottom sur~aces even ~urther against bulging. Such an additional tether system may be installed in segmented fashion within each of the compartments 15 de~ined by the horizontal 9 and vertical 5 transverse tethers to further increase the rectangular shape of the container. While the attachment lines are shown as being straight in three cases, with the container 1 bulging beyond, one attachment line 16 is 208alS~
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inwardly curved to reduce the extent of the bulge 17.
In Figure 5 a container 1 as in figure 4 is shown in a longitudinal interior view. The tethers 18 are shown to provide spaces 19 that allow fluids to flow down the full 05 length of the container l.
When used to transport pressurized beverages for consumers, a container according to the invention, could have a tap 24 or outlet valve installed on one end. Suitably dimensioned, a container dimensioned according to the invention could be conveniently slid into a standard household re~rigerator with the tap 24 at the front end. A considerable amount of beverage can thereby be stored in the refrigerator in a space-efficient manner.
In order to allow a container according to the invention to dispense carbonated beverages such a container may be provided with a "Follower".
A Follower in this application is an inner expandable bag that is placed within the container according to the invention and is adapted to take-up or occupy the space within the container vacated when liquid is removed therefrom. The Follower must be internally pressurized in order to achieve this effect. By maintaining a pressure within the Follower in excess of the vapour pressure of carbon dioxide being released from a carbonated beverage, a Follower will serve to prevent ~5 the beverage from going flat.

2 ~ 8 g A container according to the invention with multiple transverse inner tethers is essentially compartmentalized. A Follower may be correspondingly divided into complimentary compartments each adapted, when ~ully 05 expanded, to occupy substantially all o~ the space within ths respective compartments of the container. Because the tether~
are held together by transverse ribbon--like stringers the Follower can ba made in the form o a series of interconnected chambers that may all be pressurized from a single source.
Th~ result is a single combined system that is capable of delivering a fully carbonated beverage, to the limit o~ the contents of th~ container.
In Figure 6 a follower 20 is shown comprisiny three collapsible bag-like compartments 21 and a common ~ 15 communicating gas manifold 22. Each compartment is sized to i fit within a chamber or region of the container 1.
The various chambers of the Follower may conveniently be pressurized through the mani~old 22 by a supply of ga~.
This may come from a carbon dioxide cylinder or a manual pump which serves as a means 23 to supply pressurizing gas.
It may also come from a gas releasing agent such as a fluid within which the gas is dissolved under pressure.
Th compartments 21 are inserted between khe tethers 5, 9 with the manifold 22 passing through the spaces 19. The compartments 21 may be larger than the chambers within the container 1 as these compartments 21 are initially installed in a de~lated condition and the presPnca of wrinkles will not cause problems.

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~''1, -- 10 .`, ! one face 23 of each compartment may optionally be ~ formed inteyrally with a face surface of the container 1.

"'5'l Alternately the follower may be prepared as a separate unit ~ and installed before the container is sealed.
..`i ~! 05 Conclusion The container according to the invention provides a -~1 valuable new format for the packaging and consumption of beverages. It has significant advantages over returnable bottlesO Beverages packaged in this manner will be ~1, 10 reduced in weight by the absence of the bottles. Consumers 1 will no longer be required to pay a deposit on the bottles.
Once purchased, this container will provide consumers with a means of efficiently storing a large quantity of beverage in he refrigerator without having to go flat through 15 US2. The rectangular shape of the container will not only be j aesthetically pleasing, but will occupy a minimal amount of space.
The foregoing has constituted a description of specific embodiments showing how the invention may be applied ! 20 and put into use. These embodiments are only exemplary. The invention in its broadest, and more specific aspects~ is further described and defined in the claims which now follow.

Claims (7)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A container for pressurized liquid that tends to retain, under pressure, a generally-rectilinear outward shape comprising:
(a) an outer, flexible, relatively inextensible wall composed of upper, lower, side and end panels proportioned to form a generally rectilinear shape;
(b) tether elements, extending transversely within the container between respectively at least the upper and lower panels, so as to retain the container in a generally rectilinear shape when the interior of the container is pressurized.

2. A container as in Claim 1 further comprising tether elements extending transversely within the container between the side panels.

3. A container as in Claims 1 or 2 further comprising tether elements extending transversely within the container between the end panels.

4. In combination with the container as in Claim 1 a rectilinear outer container, comprising substantially flat, riged, exterior panel portions which are in contact with said upper, lower, side and end panels of the inner container to form a combination container of generally rectilinear shape.

5. A container as in Claims 1, 2, 3 or 4 wherein the tether elements are connected to the wall of the container along a line that is inwardly curved.

6. A flexible container for pressurized liquids comprising:
(a) a thin, flexible wall defining a water-tight interior cavity;
(b) a spigot means attached to said container and positioned for extracting liquids from said cavity;
and (c) interior tether means interconnecting opposing sides of said container so as to render such opposed sides generally parallel to each other.

7. A container as in claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 comprising:
(a) fluid contained therein;
(b) a source of pressurized gas;
(c) an interior bladder dimensioned and positioned to serve as a follower and connected to the source of pressurized gas so as to progressively occupy the space made available within said container when fluid is extracted therefrom.