CA2122737A1 - Foam generation by dispersion of bubbles - Google Patents
Foam generation by dispersion of bubblesInfo
- Publication number
- CA2122737A1 CA2122737A1 CA002122737A CA2122737A CA2122737A1 CA 2122737 A1 CA2122737 A1 CA 2122737A1 CA 002122737 A CA002122737 A CA 002122737A CA 2122737 A CA2122737 A CA 2122737A CA 2122737 A1 CA2122737 A1 CA 2122737A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- beverage
- fluid
- chamber
- pressure
- surrounding
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
- B65D85/70—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for materials not otherwise provided for
- B65D85/72—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for materials not otherwise provided for for edible or potable liquids, semiliquids, or plastic or pasty materials
- B65D85/73—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for materials not otherwise provided for for edible or potable liquids, semiliquids, or plastic or pasty materials with means specially adapted for effervescing the liquids, e.g. for forming bubbles or beer head
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Devices For Dispensing Beverages (AREA)
- Manufacture Of Porous Articles, And Recovery And Treatment Of Waste Products (AREA)
- Distillation Of Fermentation Liquor, Processing Of Alcohols, Vinegar And Beer (AREA)
- Alcoholic Beverages (AREA)
- Non-Alcoholic Beverages (AREA)
- Processing And Handling Of Plastics And Other Materials For Molding In General (AREA)
- Medicines Containing Antibodies Or Antigens For Use As Internal Diagnostic Agents (AREA)
Abstract
A method and apparatus for the generation of a foaming dispersion of bubbles in a carbonated beverage or other gas-containing liquid packaged in a can (120) or other sealed container. An initially liquid-free device (9) having an internal chamber with an inlet/outlet valve (130/150) assembly is placed in the can, which is then filled with the beverage. The can is sealed and pasteurised, which raises the internal pressure in the can to force some of the gasified beverage into the device through the inlet valve. The outlet valve holds the quantity of beverage in the internal chamber until the can is opened, whereupon the depressurisation of the can opens the outlet valve to discharge the internal chamber through an orifice to initiate seed bubbles which form a head on the beverage. The method and apparatus are particularly applicable to producing a head on fermented alcoholic beverages to simulate draught beverages.
Description
~W093/0g055 212 2 7 3 7 PCT~GB92/02~
F~AM ~TION s~ DISPERSION OF BVBBLES
3 This invention relates to a device and a method for 4 generation of a foaming dispersion of bubbles within a beverage or other liquid packaged within a sealed, 6 non-resealable can or other container, and to'a 7 beverage package incorporating a beverage frothing 8 device. This invention is especially although not 9 exclusively suited to use with canned alcoholic beverages such as beer, ale, porter, stou~ or lager, 11 but may also be used with non-alcoholic "soft" drinks.
13 A device and method for the production of a foamy 14 dispersion ~f ~ubbles or "head" is desirable in canned b~verages such as beer, ale, porter, stout or lager 16 s~nce these beverages tend to have a diminished head 17 when dispensed from a can, in comparison to be~erages 18 dispensed on draught~ Head generation is assisted by 19 the release of gas dissol~ed în the beverage when it is depressurised whether by ~eing drawn fro~ a keg as with 21 ~raught beYerage, or by the opening o~ a can or bottleO
22 In draught beverages this head generation is enhanced 23 by the pressurisation of the kegs with car~on dioxide 24 (CO~), nitrogen (N2~ or other suitable inert gases, combined with the use of foaming devices in the W093/O~SS PCT/GB92~02~
2122 if 37 1 dispense equipment. Thus draught beverages usually 2 release more bubbles during depressurisation caused by 3 dispensing and have more dense, longer lasting heads 4 than beverages dispensed from cans or bottles.
6 Prior art has addressed ~hese pro~lems by ~a~rious 7 methods.
9 Disclosure has been made of various moulded inserts which are wholly or partially gas-filled and discharge 11 their gas (or gas and beverage) through an oriice in 12 the insert upon depressurisation of the can. The 13 energy released from the insert upon depressurisation 14 may be ~emperature sensitive causing inconsistent head production at varying temperatures. At room 16 temperature this may result in excessive foaming, 17 spillage and loss of beverage.
19 Alternative approaches to the problem include cans modified to comprise one chamber for beverage and one 21 for gas that mixes with the beverage when the can is 22 ope~ed. This sophisticated design of can leads to high 23 costs and could prove commercially unviable.
Various interm~diate systems have been propo~ed wherein 26 gas chambers are incorporated in can lids or bases. In 27 addition chemical methods of inducing a head have been 28 disclosed but it is unclear to what ext~nt these affect 29 the taste of the beveragè.
31 According to a first aspect of the present invention 32 there is provided a device for generating a foaming 33 dispersion of bubbles in a fluid surrounding the 34 exterior of said device, said fluid comprising a liquid 3S having gas dissolved therein, said device comprising an .. W093/09055 2 1 2 2 7 3 7 PCT/GB92/02~
1 internal chamber provided with valve means adapted to 2 admit some of said fluid surrounding said exterior of 3 said device through said valve means and into said 4 chamber when the pressure of said surrounding fluid exceeds the internal pressure of said chamber by a 6 first predetermined amount, thereby to esta~ish a 7 reserve of pressurised fluid within said chamber, said 8 valve means being further adapted to release said 9 reserve of pressurised fluid from said cham~er to pass outwardly via orifice means into said fluid surrounding 11 said exterior of said device when said internal 12 pressure of said chamber exceeds the pressure of said 13 surrounding fluid ~y a second predetermined amount, 14 said orifice means being dimensioned to cause the outward passage of fluid therethrough to generate a 16 foaming dispersion of buhbles in said surroundin~
17 fluid.
19 The generation of said foaming disperæion of bubbles in said surroundin~ fluid is preferably brought about in 21 use of said device by so dimensioning said orifice 22 means as to depressur.ise said fluid passing outwardly 23 through sai~ orifice means in a manner which causes the 24 gas dissolved in said liquid to come out of solution in the fo~m of a plurality of foam-generating seed 26 bubbles.
28 Said valve means may comprise functionally separate 29 inlet valve means and ou~let valve means respectively adapted for the admission and release of fluid to and 31 from ~aid chamber.
33 Said inlet valve means may comprise a poppet valve or a 34 flap valve, or more preferably a one-way fluid valve as described in British Patent Specification GBl066508.
W093/09055 PCT/GB92/02~
1 Said inlet valve means may alternatively comprise a 2 diaphragm having at least one slit therein, said 3 diaphraqm partly bounding said chamber and being 4 substantially closed to the outward passage of fluid therethrough, said diaphragm being inwardly ~eforma~le 6 by external pressure to open said at leas~ one slit for 7 the passage therethrough of fluid into said chamber.
9 Said outlet valve means may comprise a poppet valve or io a flap valve, or more preferably a differential val~e 11 which may have the form of an outer passage normally 12 closed by a plug having a chamber-facing inner area 13 acted upon by the internal pressure of said chamber, 14 said plug further having an exterior-facing outer area acted upon by the pressure of said fluid surroundîng 16 the exterior of said device, said outer area being 17 greater than said inner area by an extent which 18 maintains said outlet passage plugged until said 19 int~rnal pressure of said chamber exceeds the pressure of said surrounding fluid by said second predetermined 21 amount thereupon to cause or allow said outlet passage 22 to come unplugged to release said reserve of 23 pressurised fluid from said chamber. Said differential 24 valve is preferably such that upon said outlet passage becoming unplugged, said outlet passage remains 26 unplugged and does not become replugged by subsequent 27 pressure changes.
29 According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a m~thod of generating a foaming 31 dispersion of bubbles in a fluid, said fluid comprising 32 a liquid having gas dissolved herein, said method 33 comprising the steps of providing a device according to 34 the first aspect o~ the present invention, submerging said device in said fluid to surround the exterior of W093~09055 2 1 2 2 7 ~ 7 PCT/GB92/02~
1 said device with said flui~, pressurising said : 2 surrounding fluid above the internal pressure of said 3 chamber in said device by at least said first 4 predetermined amount thereby cause some of said surrounding fluid to be admitted through said.valve - 6 means of said device and into said chambe~ to establish 7 a reserve of pressurised fluid within said chamber, 8 maintaining said device submerged in said fluid and ; g maintaining the pressurisation of said fluid surrounding the exterior of said device above the 11 initial pressure ~hereof by an amount that 12 substantially obviates premature discharge of a 13 substantial proportion of said reserve o~ pressurised 14 fluid from ~aid device, said pressurisation of said surrounding fluid being maintained until the generation 16 of a foaming dispersion of bubbles is required and 17 thereupon depressurising the fluid surrounding the .,;
:: 18 exterior of said device to a pressure below the 19 internal pressure o~ said chamber by at least said predetermined second amount to cause the ou~ward `' 21 passage of .aid reserve of fluid through said orifice `~ 22 means whereby to generate a foaming dispersion of t'' 23 bubbles in said surrounding fluid.
:: 24 .~, 25 According to a third aspect of the present invention i 26 there is provided a method of packaging a beverage in a . 27 sealed container for the subsequent generation of a !~' 28 foaming dispersion of bubbles in said beverage upon ~, 29 ~aid container being unsealed, said beverage comprising ;i 30 a liquid having gas dissolved therein, said method 31 comprising the steps of providing a sealable container q 32 which is initially open, unsealed and empty of liguid;
`', 33 providing a device according to the first aspect of the 34 present invention; emplacing said device in said open container; prior or subsequent to the emplacement of W093/0905~ PCT/GB92/020~
2122~37 6 1 said device in said open con~ainer, adding a quantity 2 of said bevera~e to said open con~ainer sufficient to 3 submerge said device when emplaced in said container 4 and to surround the exterior of s~id device with said beverage; closing and sealing said container ~ith said 6 quantity of beverage and said submerged de~ice therein;
7 and temporarily elevating the temperature of at least 8 the contents of said closed and sealed container by an 9 amount to cause a concomitant increase in the pressure of said beverage surrounding said device ~ufficient to 11 cause some of said beverage to be admitted through the 12 valve means of said device and into the internal 13 chamber of said device to establish a reserYe of 14 pressurised beverage within said chamber, whereby when said container is subsequently unsealed and opened, 16 said beverage surrounding the exterior of said device 17 emplaced in said container depressurises towards 18 ambient atmospheric pressure and the pressure of this lg beverage falls by at least said second predetermined amount below the internal pressure in said chamber of 21 said device due to the beverage reserved therein 22 thereby to initiate the discharge of said reserved 23 beverage from said internal chamber of said device 24 outwardly through said orifice means of said devi~e and into said surrounding beverage to generate a foaming 26 dispersion of bubbles in said surrounding beverage to 27 tend to form a head on said beverage.
29 At least the internal cha~ber of ~aid de~ice is preferably purged of oxidising gases prior to 31 emplacement thereof in said container, for example by 32 displacing air initially present in said device with a 33 suitable non-oxidising gas which may be nitrogen, 34 carbon dioxide, or a mixture of these gases. Said container is preferably likewise purged of oxidising ~W093/09055 1 gases before the addition thereto of said quantity of 2 beverage.
. 3 4 Said temporary elevation of the temperature of at least the contents of said sealed container is pre~erably 6 su~sumed within a conventional pasteurisa~ion procedure 7 for newly sealed con~ainers of beverage, conveniently 8 by conjointly heating the sealed container and its g contents.
io 11 According to a fourth aspect of thc present invention, 12 there îs provided a packaged beverage comprising a 13 closed and sealed container containing a quantity of 14 beverage and a device according to the first aspect of lS the present invention, said beverage having been 16 packaged in said container by the method according to 17 the third aspect of the present invention.
19 Said beverage may be an alcoholic beverage which is preferably a fermented beverage containing dissolved 21 carbon dioxide as a product of fermentation, but the 22 beverage may additionally or alternatively comprise 23 ersatz carbonation, for example an injected gas 24 comprising carbon dioxide andJor nitrogen.. (Ersatz carbonation is likely to be employed where the beverage 26 is unfermented as in the cases of non-alcoholic "soft"
27 drinks and cocktails of soft drink mixed with distilled 28 alcohol).
Said container is preferably a can which may have a 31 one-piece body of deep-drawn aluminium or steel closed 32 by an initially separate top end disc (preferably also 33 of aluminium or steel) incorporating an integral 34 closure tab defined by coining of the top end disc and attached to a manually operable pull ring for partial W093/0905~ PCT/GB92/020~
1 or total separation of the tab from the top end disc to 2 unseal and open the filled can, the can being closed 3 and sealed by seaming of the top end disc to the ri.m of 4 the body.
6 Embodiments of the present invention will now be 7 described, by way of example, with reference to the 8 accompanying drawings, in which:
.9 Fig. l is a longitudinal section through a first 11 embodiment of a device for the generation of a 12 foaming dispersion of bubbles in a fluid;
14 ~ig. 2 is a longitudinal section to a reduced scale through an end cap of the device of Fig.
16 l;
18 Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section to a reduced 19 scale through the body of the device of Fig. 1;
20 `
21 Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the device of 22 Fig. 3;
24 Fig. S is a longitudinal section to a reduced scale through an inlet valve and spacer bar 26 assembly in the device Fig. l;
28 Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section through the 29 plug of an outlet valve of the device of Fig.
1;
32 Fi~ 7 is a longitudinal section through a 33 partially assembled second embodiment of a 34 device for the generation of a foaming dispersion of bu~bles in a beverage;
~ . .. . . . . . .
WO93J0905~ ~12 2 7 3 7 PCT/GB92/02~
2 Fig~ 8 is a side view of a piston assembly of 3 the device of Fig. 7;
S Fig. 9 is a side view ~o an enlarged scale, of an 6 end of the piston assembly shown in F~g. 8, 7 rotated by 90 around its longitudinal axis;
9 Fig. 10 is a longitudinal section through a third embodiment of a device for the generation 11 of a foaming dispersion of bubbles in a 12 beverage, 14 Fig. 11 is a cross section through a cylindrical end portion of the device of Fig.
16 10;
18 Fig. 12 is a longitudinal section through part 19 of a fourth embodiment of a device for the generation of a foaming dispersion of bubbles 21 in a beverage;
23 Fig. 13 is an end view of the valve of ~ig. 12;
Fig. 14 is a longitudinal section through an 26 inlet valve of the device of Fig. 12;
28 Fig. lS is a longitudinal se~tion, to an 29 enlarged scale, through a body of the device of Fig. 12;
32 Fig. 16 and 17 are respectively an end view and~
33 .a longitudinal section of a piston forming part 34 of the device of Fig. 12;
W093/090s5 PCT/GB92/020~
2122~37 1~
1 Fig. 1~ is a longitudinal section through an 2 inlet valve intended to form part of a fifth 3 embodiment of a device for the generation of a 4 foaming dispersion of bubbles in a beverage;
6 Fig. 19 is a longitudinal section thr~u~h thè
7 valve of Fig. 18 , shown here assembled into 8 the fifth embodiment while the device is in 9 pressure equilibrium prior to being charged;
i0 11 Fig. 20 is a longitudinal section through the valve 12 of Fig. 18, shown here assembled into the fifth 13 embodiment while the device is charging;
Fig. 21 is a longitudinal section through the 16 valve of Fig. 18, shown here assembled into the 17 fifth embodiment while the device is in a 18 charged state;
Fig. 22 and 23 respectively show an end view 21 and a half-sectional side view of the valve of 22 Fig. 18;
24 Fig. 24 is a sectional elevation of an assembly of a modified form of the body and piston of 26 Fig.s lS-17; and 28 Fig. 25 is a fragmentary section, to an enlarged 29 scale, of part of Fi`g. 24 with the piston displaced i along the body relative to the positions shown in 31 Fig. 24.
33 Refarring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows, in 34 longitudinal section , a fully assembled device according to a first embodiment of the invention. This ._W093~0~55 2 1 2 2 ~ 3 7 PCT/GB92/02~
1 first embodiment is a re-usable device particularly 2 intended to demonstrate the operational principles of 3 the present invention (as distinct from the other 4 embodiments which are single-use.devices intended to be disposed of along with the singe-use dispos~le 6 beverage cans in which they are incorporatéd). The 7 device as shown in Fig. 1 has an end cap (see also Fig.
2) having an axial inlet aperture S countersunk at 7 to 9 act as the valve seat of a poppet inlet valve assembly 3. The end cap 1 is threaded on an internal surface 10 11 to co-operate with a corresponding external thread on a 12 wall 13 of a reservoir or internal chamber 9 of the 13 device (see also Fig.s 3 and 4). A male part 20 of the 14 inlet valve assembly 3 (see also Fig. 5) is provided as the movable closure element thereof. One end 22 of the 16 part 20 is conically shaped to be complementary to the 17 valve seat 7 of the valve assembly 3 and normally co-18 operates with the valve seat 7 to close the inlet 19 aperture 5. The other end of the male part or closure element 20 has a cavity 25 adapted to receive a spring i 21 27 and one end 30 of a spacer bar 35. The end 30 of 22 the spacer bar 35 comprises an axial bore 38 which co-23 operates with the cavity 25 in the closure element 20 24 to enclose the spring 27 which biases.the closure element 20 firmly against the valve seat 7 of the inlet 26 valve assembly 3, thus closing the valve's inlet 27 aperture 5.
29 The other end 40 of the spacer bar 35 comprises a second axial bore 45 (Fig. 5), of shorter length than 31 the bore 38, and which accommodates one end 50 of a 32 piston extension 55 of a piston assembly 51 (Fig~. l 33 and 6). The other end 65 of the piston extension 55 34 has an annular groove 70 and extends from a piston 75 3S into which is cut a second annular groove 80. The W093/0~05S PCT/GB92/02~
2 1~2 '7~7 12 1 piston 75 is of a larger diameter than the piston 2 extension 55 and hence the ou ward-facing area A2 of 3 the piston 75 (see Fig. 6) substantially exceeds the 4 inward-facing area A1 of the piston ex~ension 55. (The functional significance of this area ratio w,lll be 6 explained below).
8 The device of Fig. 1 is assembled as follows:
The piston extension 55 is inserted into the reservoir 11 9 through the aperture 1~ such that the piston 75 fits 12 into a cylindrical end wall portion 17 of the device.
13 O-ring seals 85 and 90 are fitted contiguously with 14 annular grooves 70 and 80 and with the walls of the aperture 15 and the cylindrical portion 17 respectively 1~ to provide sliding seals therebetween. The piston 17 assembly Sl, the aperture 15 and the cylindrical port 18 17 toge~her define an outlet valve assembly 60 for the 19 device of Fig. 1. The piston extension S5 is then slotted into the spacer bar axial bore ~5. The spring 21 27 is located in the cylinder formed between axial bore 22 38 in the spacer bar 35 and cavity 25 on the closure 23 element 20 of the poppet valve. The end cap 1 is then 24 screwed on to the wall of the reservoir 13 until a right fit is achieved by sufficient pressure on an O-26 ring seal 95 such that the closure element 20 of the 27 inlet valve assembly 3 engages with the valve seat 7 28 and is held against it by the force of the spring 27 29 thus closing the inlet aperture 5. tOperation of the device of Fig. 1 will be described subsequently).
32 Referring now to Figs. 7, 8 and 9, these illustrate a 33 second em~odiment of the invention which differs from 34 the first embodiment (described above with reference to Figs. 1-6) in respect of certain details o~ its 1 construction. (Parts of the second embodiment which 2 are not significantly different from the first 3 embodiment are given the same reference numerals).
In the second embodiment an end cap 1 is welded 6 ultrasonically-onto the device body 13 an~ lncludes a 7 pliable circumferential ring 2 which presses both ends 8 of the device against the side wall of a beverage can 9 120 thereby holding the device firmly in position within the can 120.
12 A piston assembly 100 of the second embodiment is 13 moulded in a single piece instead of being assembled 14 separately from the separately formed pi~ton 75, spacer bar 35, spring 27 and closure element 20 of the first 16 embodiment. In the second embodiment, the closure 17 element of the inlet valve assembly 3 is proYided by a 18 hemispherical protrusion lQ2 from a hinged plastic 19 spring 103 which provides the force to hold the hemispherical protrusion 102 against the valve seat 7 21 of the inlet valve assembly 3 thereby closing the inlet 22 aperture 5. The 0-ring seals 8~ and 90 of the first 23 embodiment are replaced in the second embodiment by 24 mouldad seals 105 and 110 respectively (Fig. 8), these seals 105 and 110 being formed during the moulding 26 process employed to form the components of the second 27 embodiment to be continuous with the piston assembly 28 100. Assembly of the second embodiment is analogous to 29 that of t~e first embodiment, and op ration of the second e~bodiment will be described below along with 31 that of the first embodiment.
33 Referring now to Figs. 10 and 11, these illustrate a 34 third embodiment which differs from the first and second embodiments described above in that the inlet W093/0~55 PCT/GB92/02~
21~737 14 1 valve assembly 3 of the previous embodiments is 2 replaced by a one-way inlet valve 130 as describe in 3 GB1066508 and sometimes known as a "Woodford valve").
4 The one-way inlet valve 130 comprises a pliable plastic tube 135 intregal with the end cap 1 and open at each 6 of its ends 135a and 135~. One end ~35a of~e tube7 135 has a circular opening 137 therein which presents 8 negligible resistanc~ to the passage of beverage 9 therethrough. The oth~r end 135b of the tube 135 io comprises a flattened portion 138 of reduced diameter 11 (in comparison to that of 135a) having an opening 139 12 which consists of a slit in the end 135b of the tube 13 135, the slit opening 139 being perpendicular to the 14 longitudinal axis of, and in the same plane as the flattened portion 138.
17 In addition, the third embodiment has a modified outlet 18 ~alve piston assembly 140 lacking any physical contact 19 with the inl~t valve 130 and the single orifice 61 in the wall 13 of the previous embodiments of ~he device 21 is replaced by four longitudinal exhaust grooves 145 22 (Fig. 11) on the inner surface of the cylindrical end 23 wall portion 17.
In use of the first or s~cond embodiment of the 26 in~ention (Figs. 1 6; Figs. 7-9), the device is placed 27 across a diameter of an unmodified beverage can prior 28 to filling, sealing and pasteurisation such that the 29 side w211 120 of the can 119 (Fig. 1; Fig . 7 ) is in contact with the end cap 1 at one end of the device and 31 in contact with the cylindrical portion 17 at the other 32 end. Thus the de~ice is held in position by the force 33 exerted by the pliable circumferential ring (second 34 em~odiment only). The device is disposed at the bottom of the can 119 throughout the charging and discharging .. .... . .
~W093/OgO55 ~ 7 PCT/GB92/02 1 of the device. The inlet valve assembly 3 requires a 2 pressure differential o~ approxinately one bar to open.
3 Ther~fore, upon pas~eurisation, when he pressure rise 4 in the can 119 (due to the heating of the pasteurisation process) exceeds 1 bar, the inlet valve 6 assembly 3 opens and beverage flows into t~e reservoir 7 9 until the pressure therein increases to a level 8 greater than the pressure in the can minus 1 bar (to 9 account for the bias of the sprin~ 27 or 103) at which point the inlet valve assembly 3 closes.
12 The outlet valve assembly 60 has a high external/low 13 internal area ratio that causes it to remain closed at 14 high internal/low external pressure differentials. The value of this differential is dependent on the area 16 ratio such that P~A~ < P~2 where P1 and A, are the 17 internal pressure and area respectively and P, and A2 18 are the external pressure and area respectively.
19 Therefore, increases in the pre~sure differential above the given value result in outward movement of the 21 piston assembly 51 or 100 until the ori~ice 61 is 22 exposed allowing efflux of beverage therethrough. This 23 efflux continues until the pressure differential is 24 eliminated. Thus a generally constant pressure differential is maintained wi~hin the reservoir g, the 26 value of which can be selected by varying the 27 internal/external area ratio of the outlet valve 28 assembly 60.
2g Upon depressurisation o~ the can 119 by opening, the 31 pressure of the beverage in the can 119 decreases very 32 rapidly and this alters the force balance across the 33 outlet valve assembly 60. ~he pressure in the 34 reservoir 9 then causes outward movement of the piston asse~bly 51 or 100 and exposure of the orifice 61. The W093J09055 PCT/GB92/02~.
21227~7 16 1 outward movement of the piston assembly 51 or lOo is 2 restrained by the wall 120 o~ the can 119 such that the 3 escape of the beverage/gas mixture is through the 4 orifice 61 or the small annular gap in the outlet valve assembly 60 between the chamfered rim 18 of the 6 cylindrical portion 17 and the chamfered rYm-~82 of the 7 piston assembly S1 or lOo. This provides the seed 8 bubbles necessary for head generation in the beverage.
io In use of the third embodiment of the invention (~igs.
11 10 and 11), the device is placed in a can 119 as 12 described for the first and second embodiments. As ~he 13 pressure in the can 119 rises due to pasteurisation, 14 beverage flows into the reservoir 9 through the inlet valve 130 until the pressure in the reservoir 9 16 increases to a level at which the pressure therein 17 equals the pressure in the can minus the small amount 18 of pressure required to open the inlet valve 130, at 19 which point the inflow of beverage stops. Increases in the pressure in the reservoir 9 above the pressure in 21 the can cause the walls of the flattened portion 138 to 22 be compressed together thus closing the opening 139 and 23 preventing efflux of beverage through the inlet valve 24 130.
26 Increases in the internal/external pressure 27 differential above a given value determined by the 28 internal/external area ratio of the outlet valve 29 assembly 150 as de~cribed above result in outward movement of the piston assembly 140 until the seal 110 31 passes the opening 144 of the groo~es 145 allowing the 32 excess pressure within the reservoir 9 to escape 33 there~hrough.
Upon depressurisation of the can 119 by opening, the _ W093/O90SS 2 1 2 2 7 3 7 PCT/GB92/02~
1 pressure of the beverage in the can 119 decreases very 2 rapidly, upsetting the force balance across the outlet 3 valve assembly 150. The pressure in the reservoir 9 4 then causes outward movement of the piston assembly 140 and allows escape of beverage/gas mixture from the 6 reservoir 9 through the grooves 145. The ~utward 7 movement of the piston assembly 140 is restrained by 8 the wall 120 of the can 119 such that the escaping 9 beverage/gas mixture is forced through the grooves 145 and this initiates the seed bubbles necessary for head 11 generation in the beverage held in the can 119.
13 Referring now to Figs. 12 to 17 inclusive, a fourth 14 embodiment of the foam-generating device of the present invention has an inlet valve 152 of elastomeric 16 material such as rubber. The inlet valve 152 is fitted 17 onto one end 15S of the reservoir wall 13. A return 18 lip 160 seals the inlet valve 152 onto the wall 13 and 19 this seal is enhanced by the compression applied to the device by the can wall 120. The compliance of the 21 valve 152 due to the elastomeric material allows up to 22 a 1% change in the can diameter during the~mal cycling 23 without affecting the valve 152. The compressive force 24 on the valve 152 is increased by the charge forces on the device causing it to expand. Thus the compliance 26 of the valve 152 allows the device to overcome the 27 mechanical changes occurring in charging of the device, 28 and in handling and storage of the filled cans.
Three reliefs 165 in the face of the inlet valve 152 31 allow liguid to pass between thè valve 152 and the can 32 wall 120.
34 Circumferential ribs 170 on the valve 152 are provided to increase resistance to collapse of the valve 152 W093/ogO~S PCT/GB92/02 ~
2122737 18 `
1 under pressure when the device is charged.
3 Beverage (or other gas-containing liquid) enters the 4 inlet valve 152 through the open end 175 and passes through an orifice in the other end of the v~lve 152.
6 The orifice comprises a slit 180 between t~o walls of 7 elastomeric material 183,185. The slit 180 opens 8 against the compressive force between walls 183 and 185 9 in response to increase in pressure outside the device and allows influx of fluid. When the external/internal 11 pressure differential across the valve 152 is 12 insufficient to open the slit 1~0, the wall ~85 is 13 pressed against wall 183 and the slit 180 is closed.
14 Thus the valve 180 admits fluid when the external/internal pressure differential across the 16 valve is sufficient to overcome the compressive force 17 of wall 185 against wall 183. Fluid thus admitted 18 cannot escape back through the slit 180 since pressure increases in the device increase the compressive force of wall 185 against wall 183, enhancing the seal on the 21 slit 180.
23 The device body 190 (Fig. 15) has an annular groove 192 24 in the outer surface for assembly, handling.and insertion purposes and also for isolating the seal from 26 the flexure of the body 190 when under pressure. The 27 body 190 has three longitudinal exhaust grooves 195 in 28 one end 197 for exhaust of pressurised fluid from the 29 device.
31 The fourth embodiment has an outlet valve assembly 32 comprising a differential piston 200 (Figs. 16 and 17) 33 having pressure-energised inner and outer seals 205, 34 207 which can expand to accommodate the full range of moulding tolerance. Inner seal 205 has a cup form ,.... . . ~.,~., . . . , ~ . .. ... . .. . . .
~ W093/09055 2 1 2 2 7 ~ 7 PCT/GB92/020~
1 whereby fluid pressure on the inner face of the piston 2 200 will produce a force reaction. Part of the force 3 produced by the internal pressure acts radially to 4 expand the seal 205 and part acts axially to push the piston 200 out of the bore when the device discharges.
6 As the pressure in the device rises, the ~adial 7 component will increase to form a sealing force which 8 balances the pressure.
g io On the outer seal 207 (which also has a cup form), a 11 lower sealing force is used than in the inner seal 205 12 to reduce friction and a small chamfer 210 at the rim 13 of the seal 207 is provided to obviate mechanical 14 jamming of the piston 200.
16 A protrusion 21S acts as a stroke-limiting end stop for 17 the piston 200 and also provides a convenient pick up 18 point when handling the component thereby reducing 19 handling damage to the seals 205, 207.
21 Prior to assembly of the fourth embodiment, the body 22 190 and the piston 200 are handled by the slot 192 and 23 the protrusion 215 respectively. The components are 24 purged with nitrogen and the piston ~00 is then inserted into the body 190, followed by the inlet valve 26 152. This seals both ends and displaces a proportion 27 of the volume of the device, thereby establishing a 28 positive pressure in the nitrogen. This prevents 29 oxygen ingress and increases the pressure of stored gas ito be released in discharge upon the can being opened, 31 thereby enhancing foam-generating performance.
33 In us~, the fourth embodiment is placed across a 34 diameter of the can 119 and is held in place by the force reaction of the elastomeric inlet valve 152. The W093/O90SS PCT/GB92/02~
1 de~ice admits fluid through the inlet valve 152 when 2 the pressure outside the device is sufficient to open 3 the slit 180 against the force of the wall 185 and the 4 pressure inside the device.
6 Beverage (or other gas-containing liquid) ~s thus 7 admitted into the device and the pressure inside the 8 device increases to a level determined by the 9 internal/external area ratio of the differential piston 200 of the outlet valve as described for previous 11 embodiments.
13 Upon opening of the can, the fourth embodiment of 14 device initiates seed bubbles in accordance with a lS mechanism similar to that described for the third 16 embodiment.
18 Referring now to Figs. 18 to 23 inclusive, the fifth 19 embodiment of device shown is similar to the fourth embodiment, but with an alternative inlet valve 220.
21 ~he inlet valve 220 is constructed from an elastomeric 22 material such as rubber and comprises a diaphragm 225 23 stretched across one end of the device body 190, the 24 valve 220 having a cross-shaped slit 230 in the centre of the diaphragm 225, a return lip 160, and three 26 inlets 165 as previously described. The device is 27 inserted across a diameter of the can and the physical 28 compression of the elastomeric material at the valve 29 220 creates a force which retains the device in position.
32 At pressure equilibrium ths diaphragm 225 is distended 33 against the can wall 120 thereby closing and sealing 34 the slit 230 until the pressure outside the device rises due to the pasteurisation process. When the Wo93/osn55 21~ 2 7 3 7 PCT/GB92/02~
1 external/internal pressure differential increases 2 beyond a predetermined level, the diaphragm 225 3 deflects and fluid is admitted through the slit 230, 4 thereby compressîng the gas in the reservoir 9.
6 When peak pasteurisation pressure in the c~n is 7 reached, inflow of beverage to the device stops. With 8 the establishment of this pressure balance, the elastic 9 energy in the diaphragm 225 causes it to distend against the wall 120 of the can and the slit 230 is 11 sealed. Thus, the slit 230 remains sealed at high 12 internal~low external pressure differentials across the 13 valve 220 and increasing pressure differentials force 14 the diaphragm harder against the wall 120 of the can, thereby enhancing the seal of the slit 230.
17 The process of discharge of the fifth embodiment of 18 device upon the can being opened is similar to that 19 described for the fourth embodiment.
21 Since all the embodiments described above employ an 22 outlet valve (or outlet valve assembly) which maintains 23 the pressure stored in the device reservoir at a 24 generally constant level, the operation of the device is generally independent of temperature; thus the 26 device mitigates the problems of temperature-dependent 27 energy r~lease shown by prior art pressure accumulating 28 devices.
Referring!now to Figs. 24 and 25, thes~ respectively 31 show a modified version of the outlet valve assembly 32 shown in Figs. 15-17, in its 'closed' configuration, 33 and an enlarged fragmentary view of the valve assembly 34 in its 'open' configuration. In Figs. 24 and 25 those parts of the modified outlet valve assembly which .;.. . ~ -W093/09055 PCT/GB92/02~
212~737 22 1 correspond to parts of the outlet valve assembly of 2 Figs. 15-17 are given the same reference numerals.
4 The essential difference in the modified assembly of Figs. 24 and 25 with respect to the assemb~y.of Figs.
6 15-17 consists of the provision of an inturned lip 801 7 at the discharge end 197 of the devicé to prevent total 8 e~ection of the differential piston 200 from the 9 discharge end 197 of the device body 190 upon opening io of the beverage can (not shown in Figs. 24 and 25) in ll which the device is emplaced. To enhance the piston-12 retentive properties of the lip modification 801, the 13 chamfer 210 in the unmodified piston 200 (Fig. 17) may 14 be omitted as particularly illustrated in Fig. 25.
While certain modifications and variations have been 16 described above, the inve~tion is not restricted 17 thereto, and other modifications and variations can be 18 adopted without departing from the scope of the 19 invention as defined in the appended claims.
F~AM ~TION s~ DISPERSION OF BVBBLES
3 This invention relates to a device and a method for 4 generation of a foaming dispersion of bubbles within a beverage or other liquid packaged within a sealed, 6 non-resealable can or other container, and to'a 7 beverage package incorporating a beverage frothing 8 device. This invention is especially although not 9 exclusively suited to use with canned alcoholic beverages such as beer, ale, porter, stou~ or lager, 11 but may also be used with non-alcoholic "soft" drinks.
13 A device and method for the production of a foamy 14 dispersion ~f ~ubbles or "head" is desirable in canned b~verages such as beer, ale, porter, stout or lager 16 s~nce these beverages tend to have a diminished head 17 when dispensed from a can, in comparison to be~erages 18 dispensed on draught~ Head generation is assisted by 19 the release of gas dissol~ed în the beverage when it is depressurised whether by ~eing drawn fro~ a keg as with 21 ~raught beYerage, or by the opening o~ a can or bottleO
22 In draught beverages this head generation is enhanced 23 by the pressurisation of the kegs with car~on dioxide 24 (CO~), nitrogen (N2~ or other suitable inert gases, combined with the use of foaming devices in the W093/O~SS PCT/GB92~02~
2122 if 37 1 dispense equipment. Thus draught beverages usually 2 release more bubbles during depressurisation caused by 3 dispensing and have more dense, longer lasting heads 4 than beverages dispensed from cans or bottles.
6 Prior art has addressed ~hese pro~lems by ~a~rious 7 methods.
9 Disclosure has been made of various moulded inserts which are wholly or partially gas-filled and discharge 11 their gas (or gas and beverage) through an oriice in 12 the insert upon depressurisation of the can. The 13 energy released from the insert upon depressurisation 14 may be ~emperature sensitive causing inconsistent head production at varying temperatures. At room 16 temperature this may result in excessive foaming, 17 spillage and loss of beverage.
19 Alternative approaches to the problem include cans modified to comprise one chamber for beverage and one 21 for gas that mixes with the beverage when the can is 22 ope~ed. This sophisticated design of can leads to high 23 costs and could prove commercially unviable.
Various interm~diate systems have been propo~ed wherein 26 gas chambers are incorporated in can lids or bases. In 27 addition chemical methods of inducing a head have been 28 disclosed but it is unclear to what ext~nt these affect 29 the taste of the beveragè.
31 According to a first aspect of the present invention 32 there is provided a device for generating a foaming 33 dispersion of bubbles in a fluid surrounding the 34 exterior of said device, said fluid comprising a liquid 3S having gas dissolved therein, said device comprising an .. W093/09055 2 1 2 2 7 3 7 PCT/GB92/02~
1 internal chamber provided with valve means adapted to 2 admit some of said fluid surrounding said exterior of 3 said device through said valve means and into said 4 chamber when the pressure of said surrounding fluid exceeds the internal pressure of said chamber by a 6 first predetermined amount, thereby to esta~ish a 7 reserve of pressurised fluid within said chamber, said 8 valve means being further adapted to release said 9 reserve of pressurised fluid from said cham~er to pass outwardly via orifice means into said fluid surrounding 11 said exterior of said device when said internal 12 pressure of said chamber exceeds the pressure of said 13 surrounding fluid ~y a second predetermined amount, 14 said orifice means being dimensioned to cause the outward passage of fluid therethrough to generate a 16 foaming dispersion of buhbles in said surroundin~
17 fluid.
19 The generation of said foaming disperæion of bubbles in said surroundin~ fluid is preferably brought about in 21 use of said device by so dimensioning said orifice 22 means as to depressur.ise said fluid passing outwardly 23 through sai~ orifice means in a manner which causes the 24 gas dissolved in said liquid to come out of solution in the fo~m of a plurality of foam-generating seed 26 bubbles.
28 Said valve means may comprise functionally separate 29 inlet valve means and ou~let valve means respectively adapted for the admission and release of fluid to and 31 from ~aid chamber.
33 Said inlet valve means may comprise a poppet valve or a 34 flap valve, or more preferably a one-way fluid valve as described in British Patent Specification GBl066508.
W093/09055 PCT/GB92/02~
1 Said inlet valve means may alternatively comprise a 2 diaphragm having at least one slit therein, said 3 diaphraqm partly bounding said chamber and being 4 substantially closed to the outward passage of fluid therethrough, said diaphragm being inwardly ~eforma~le 6 by external pressure to open said at leas~ one slit for 7 the passage therethrough of fluid into said chamber.
9 Said outlet valve means may comprise a poppet valve or io a flap valve, or more preferably a differential val~e 11 which may have the form of an outer passage normally 12 closed by a plug having a chamber-facing inner area 13 acted upon by the internal pressure of said chamber, 14 said plug further having an exterior-facing outer area acted upon by the pressure of said fluid surroundîng 16 the exterior of said device, said outer area being 17 greater than said inner area by an extent which 18 maintains said outlet passage plugged until said 19 int~rnal pressure of said chamber exceeds the pressure of said surrounding fluid by said second predetermined 21 amount thereupon to cause or allow said outlet passage 22 to come unplugged to release said reserve of 23 pressurised fluid from said chamber. Said differential 24 valve is preferably such that upon said outlet passage becoming unplugged, said outlet passage remains 26 unplugged and does not become replugged by subsequent 27 pressure changes.
29 According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a m~thod of generating a foaming 31 dispersion of bubbles in a fluid, said fluid comprising 32 a liquid having gas dissolved herein, said method 33 comprising the steps of providing a device according to 34 the first aspect o~ the present invention, submerging said device in said fluid to surround the exterior of W093~09055 2 1 2 2 7 ~ 7 PCT/GB92/02~
1 said device with said flui~, pressurising said : 2 surrounding fluid above the internal pressure of said 3 chamber in said device by at least said first 4 predetermined amount thereby cause some of said surrounding fluid to be admitted through said.valve - 6 means of said device and into said chambe~ to establish 7 a reserve of pressurised fluid within said chamber, 8 maintaining said device submerged in said fluid and ; g maintaining the pressurisation of said fluid surrounding the exterior of said device above the 11 initial pressure ~hereof by an amount that 12 substantially obviates premature discharge of a 13 substantial proportion of said reserve o~ pressurised 14 fluid from ~aid device, said pressurisation of said surrounding fluid being maintained until the generation 16 of a foaming dispersion of bubbles is required and 17 thereupon depressurising the fluid surrounding the .,;
:: 18 exterior of said device to a pressure below the 19 internal pressure o~ said chamber by at least said predetermined second amount to cause the ou~ward `' 21 passage of .aid reserve of fluid through said orifice `~ 22 means whereby to generate a foaming dispersion of t'' 23 bubbles in said surrounding fluid.
:: 24 .~, 25 According to a third aspect of the present invention i 26 there is provided a method of packaging a beverage in a . 27 sealed container for the subsequent generation of a !~' 28 foaming dispersion of bubbles in said beverage upon ~, 29 ~aid container being unsealed, said beverage comprising ;i 30 a liquid having gas dissolved therein, said method 31 comprising the steps of providing a sealable container q 32 which is initially open, unsealed and empty of liguid;
`', 33 providing a device according to the first aspect of the 34 present invention; emplacing said device in said open container; prior or subsequent to the emplacement of W093/0905~ PCT/GB92/020~
2122~37 6 1 said device in said open con~ainer, adding a quantity 2 of said bevera~e to said open con~ainer sufficient to 3 submerge said device when emplaced in said container 4 and to surround the exterior of s~id device with said beverage; closing and sealing said container ~ith said 6 quantity of beverage and said submerged de~ice therein;
7 and temporarily elevating the temperature of at least 8 the contents of said closed and sealed container by an 9 amount to cause a concomitant increase in the pressure of said beverage surrounding said device ~ufficient to 11 cause some of said beverage to be admitted through the 12 valve means of said device and into the internal 13 chamber of said device to establish a reserYe of 14 pressurised beverage within said chamber, whereby when said container is subsequently unsealed and opened, 16 said beverage surrounding the exterior of said device 17 emplaced in said container depressurises towards 18 ambient atmospheric pressure and the pressure of this lg beverage falls by at least said second predetermined amount below the internal pressure in said chamber of 21 said device due to the beverage reserved therein 22 thereby to initiate the discharge of said reserved 23 beverage from said internal chamber of said device 24 outwardly through said orifice means of said devi~e and into said surrounding beverage to generate a foaming 26 dispersion of bubbles in said surrounding beverage to 27 tend to form a head on said beverage.
29 At least the internal cha~ber of ~aid de~ice is preferably purged of oxidising gases prior to 31 emplacement thereof in said container, for example by 32 displacing air initially present in said device with a 33 suitable non-oxidising gas which may be nitrogen, 34 carbon dioxide, or a mixture of these gases. Said container is preferably likewise purged of oxidising ~W093/09055 1 gases before the addition thereto of said quantity of 2 beverage.
. 3 4 Said temporary elevation of the temperature of at least the contents of said sealed container is pre~erably 6 su~sumed within a conventional pasteurisa~ion procedure 7 for newly sealed con~ainers of beverage, conveniently 8 by conjointly heating the sealed container and its g contents.
io 11 According to a fourth aspect of thc present invention, 12 there îs provided a packaged beverage comprising a 13 closed and sealed container containing a quantity of 14 beverage and a device according to the first aspect of lS the present invention, said beverage having been 16 packaged in said container by the method according to 17 the third aspect of the present invention.
19 Said beverage may be an alcoholic beverage which is preferably a fermented beverage containing dissolved 21 carbon dioxide as a product of fermentation, but the 22 beverage may additionally or alternatively comprise 23 ersatz carbonation, for example an injected gas 24 comprising carbon dioxide andJor nitrogen.. (Ersatz carbonation is likely to be employed where the beverage 26 is unfermented as in the cases of non-alcoholic "soft"
27 drinks and cocktails of soft drink mixed with distilled 28 alcohol).
Said container is preferably a can which may have a 31 one-piece body of deep-drawn aluminium or steel closed 32 by an initially separate top end disc (preferably also 33 of aluminium or steel) incorporating an integral 34 closure tab defined by coining of the top end disc and attached to a manually operable pull ring for partial W093/0905~ PCT/GB92/020~
1 or total separation of the tab from the top end disc to 2 unseal and open the filled can, the can being closed 3 and sealed by seaming of the top end disc to the ri.m of 4 the body.
6 Embodiments of the present invention will now be 7 described, by way of example, with reference to the 8 accompanying drawings, in which:
.9 Fig. l is a longitudinal section through a first 11 embodiment of a device for the generation of a 12 foaming dispersion of bubbles in a fluid;
14 ~ig. 2 is a longitudinal section to a reduced scale through an end cap of the device of Fig.
16 l;
18 Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section to a reduced 19 scale through the body of the device of Fig. 1;
20 `
21 Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the device of 22 Fig. 3;
24 Fig. S is a longitudinal section to a reduced scale through an inlet valve and spacer bar 26 assembly in the device Fig. l;
28 Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section through the 29 plug of an outlet valve of the device of Fig.
1;
32 Fi~ 7 is a longitudinal section through a 33 partially assembled second embodiment of a 34 device for the generation of a foaming dispersion of bu~bles in a beverage;
~ . .. . . . . . .
WO93J0905~ ~12 2 7 3 7 PCT/GB92/02~
2 Fig~ 8 is a side view of a piston assembly of 3 the device of Fig. 7;
S Fig. 9 is a side view ~o an enlarged scale, of an 6 end of the piston assembly shown in F~g. 8, 7 rotated by 90 around its longitudinal axis;
9 Fig. 10 is a longitudinal section through a third embodiment of a device for the generation 11 of a foaming dispersion of bubbles in a 12 beverage, 14 Fig. 11 is a cross section through a cylindrical end portion of the device of Fig.
16 10;
18 Fig. 12 is a longitudinal section through part 19 of a fourth embodiment of a device for the generation of a foaming dispersion of bubbles 21 in a beverage;
23 Fig. 13 is an end view of the valve of ~ig. 12;
Fig. 14 is a longitudinal section through an 26 inlet valve of the device of Fig. 12;
28 Fig. lS is a longitudinal se~tion, to an 29 enlarged scale, through a body of the device of Fig. 12;
32 Fig. 16 and 17 are respectively an end view and~
33 .a longitudinal section of a piston forming part 34 of the device of Fig. 12;
W093/090s5 PCT/GB92/020~
2122~37 1~
1 Fig. 1~ is a longitudinal section through an 2 inlet valve intended to form part of a fifth 3 embodiment of a device for the generation of a 4 foaming dispersion of bubbles in a beverage;
6 Fig. 19 is a longitudinal section thr~u~h thè
7 valve of Fig. 18 , shown here assembled into 8 the fifth embodiment while the device is in 9 pressure equilibrium prior to being charged;
i0 11 Fig. 20 is a longitudinal section through the valve 12 of Fig. 18, shown here assembled into the fifth 13 embodiment while the device is charging;
Fig. 21 is a longitudinal section through the 16 valve of Fig. 18, shown here assembled into the 17 fifth embodiment while the device is in a 18 charged state;
Fig. 22 and 23 respectively show an end view 21 and a half-sectional side view of the valve of 22 Fig. 18;
24 Fig. 24 is a sectional elevation of an assembly of a modified form of the body and piston of 26 Fig.s lS-17; and 28 Fig. 25 is a fragmentary section, to an enlarged 29 scale, of part of Fi`g. 24 with the piston displaced i along the body relative to the positions shown in 31 Fig. 24.
33 Refarring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows, in 34 longitudinal section , a fully assembled device according to a first embodiment of the invention. This ._W093~0~55 2 1 2 2 ~ 3 7 PCT/GB92/02~
1 first embodiment is a re-usable device particularly 2 intended to demonstrate the operational principles of 3 the present invention (as distinct from the other 4 embodiments which are single-use.devices intended to be disposed of along with the singe-use dispos~le 6 beverage cans in which they are incorporatéd). The 7 device as shown in Fig. 1 has an end cap (see also Fig.
2) having an axial inlet aperture S countersunk at 7 to 9 act as the valve seat of a poppet inlet valve assembly 3. The end cap 1 is threaded on an internal surface 10 11 to co-operate with a corresponding external thread on a 12 wall 13 of a reservoir or internal chamber 9 of the 13 device (see also Fig.s 3 and 4). A male part 20 of the 14 inlet valve assembly 3 (see also Fig. 5) is provided as the movable closure element thereof. One end 22 of the 16 part 20 is conically shaped to be complementary to the 17 valve seat 7 of the valve assembly 3 and normally co-18 operates with the valve seat 7 to close the inlet 19 aperture 5. The other end of the male part or closure element 20 has a cavity 25 adapted to receive a spring i 21 27 and one end 30 of a spacer bar 35. The end 30 of 22 the spacer bar 35 comprises an axial bore 38 which co-23 operates with the cavity 25 in the closure element 20 24 to enclose the spring 27 which biases.the closure element 20 firmly against the valve seat 7 of the inlet 26 valve assembly 3, thus closing the valve's inlet 27 aperture 5.
29 The other end 40 of the spacer bar 35 comprises a second axial bore 45 (Fig. 5), of shorter length than 31 the bore 38, and which accommodates one end 50 of a 32 piston extension 55 of a piston assembly 51 (Fig~. l 33 and 6). The other end 65 of the piston extension 55 34 has an annular groove 70 and extends from a piston 75 3S into which is cut a second annular groove 80. The W093/0~05S PCT/GB92/02~
2 1~2 '7~7 12 1 piston 75 is of a larger diameter than the piston 2 extension 55 and hence the ou ward-facing area A2 of 3 the piston 75 (see Fig. 6) substantially exceeds the 4 inward-facing area A1 of the piston ex~ension 55. (The functional significance of this area ratio w,lll be 6 explained below).
8 The device of Fig. 1 is assembled as follows:
The piston extension 55 is inserted into the reservoir 11 9 through the aperture 1~ such that the piston 75 fits 12 into a cylindrical end wall portion 17 of the device.
13 O-ring seals 85 and 90 are fitted contiguously with 14 annular grooves 70 and 80 and with the walls of the aperture 15 and the cylindrical portion 17 respectively 1~ to provide sliding seals therebetween. The piston 17 assembly Sl, the aperture 15 and the cylindrical port 18 17 toge~her define an outlet valve assembly 60 for the 19 device of Fig. 1. The piston extension S5 is then slotted into the spacer bar axial bore ~5. The spring 21 27 is located in the cylinder formed between axial bore 22 38 in the spacer bar 35 and cavity 25 on the closure 23 element 20 of the poppet valve. The end cap 1 is then 24 screwed on to the wall of the reservoir 13 until a right fit is achieved by sufficient pressure on an O-26 ring seal 95 such that the closure element 20 of the 27 inlet valve assembly 3 engages with the valve seat 7 28 and is held against it by the force of the spring 27 29 thus closing the inlet aperture 5. tOperation of the device of Fig. 1 will be described subsequently).
32 Referring now to Figs. 7, 8 and 9, these illustrate a 33 second em~odiment of the invention which differs from 34 the first embodiment (described above with reference to Figs. 1-6) in respect of certain details o~ its 1 construction. (Parts of the second embodiment which 2 are not significantly different from the first 3 embodiment are given the same reference numerals).
In the second embodiment an end cap 1 is welded 6 ultrasonically-onto the device body 13 an~ lncludes a 7 pliable circumferential ring 2 which presses both ends 8 of the device against the side wall of a beverage can 9 120 thereby holding the device firmly in position within the can 120.
12 A piston assembly 100 of the second embodiment is 13 moulded in a single piece instead of being assembled 14 separately from the separately formed pi~ton 75, spacer bar 35, spring 27 and closure element 20 of the first 16 embodiment. In the second embodiment, the closure 17 element of the inlet valve assembly 3 is proYided by a 18 hemispherical protrusion lQ2 from a hinged plastic 19 spring 103 which provides the force to hold the hemispherical protrusion 102 against the valve seat 7 21 of the inlet valve assembly 3 thereby closing the inlet 22 aperture 5. The 0-ring seals 8~ and 90 of the first 23 embodiment are replaced in the second embodiment by 24 mouldad seals 105 and 110 respectively (Fig. 8), these seals 105 and 110 being formed during the moulding 26 process employed to form the components of the second 27 embodiment to be continuous with the piston assembly 28 100. Assembly of the second embodiment is analogous to 29 that of t~e first embodiment, and op ration of the second e~bodiment will be described below along with 31 that of the first embodiment.
33 Referring now to Figs. 10 and 11, these illustrate a 34 third embodiment which differs from the first and second embodiments described above in that the inlet W093/0~55 PCT/GB92/02~
21~737 14 1 valve assembly 3 of the previous embodiments is 2 replaced by a one-way inlet valve 130 as describe in 3 GB1066508 and sometimes known as a "Woodford valve").
4 The one-way inlet valve 130 comprises a pliable plastic tube 135 intregal with the end cap 1 and open at each 6 of its ends 135a and 135~. One end ~35a of~e tube7 135 has a circular opening 137 therein which presents 8 negligible resistanc~ to the passage of beverage 9 therethrough. The oth~r end 135b of the tube 135 io comprises a flattened portion 138 of reduced diameter 11 (in comparison to that of 135a) having an opening 139 12 which consists of a slit in the end 135b of the tube 13 135, the slit opening 139 being perpendicular to the 14 longitudinal axis of, and in the same plane as the flattened portion 138.
17 In addition, the third embodiment has a modified outlet 18 ~alve piston assembly 140 lacking any physical contact 19 with the inl~t valve 130 and the single orifice 61 in the wall 13 of the previous embodiments of ~he device 21 is replaced by four longitudinal exhaust grooves 145 22 (Fig. 11) on the inner surface of the cylindrical end 23 wall portion 17.
In use of the first or s~cond embodiment of the 26 in~ention (Figs. 1 6; Figs. 7-9), the device is placed 27 across a diameter of an unmodified beverage can prior 28 to filling, sealing and pasteurisation such that the 29 side w211 120 of the can 119 (Fig. 1; Fig . 7 ) is in contact with the end cap 1 at one end of the device and 31 in contact with the cylindrical portion 17 at the other 32 end. Thus the de~ice is held in position by the force 33 exerted by the pliable circumferential ring (second 34 em~odiment only). The device is disposed at the bottom of the can 119 throughout the charging and discharging .. .... . .
~W093/OgO55 ~ 7 PCT/GB92/02 1 of the device. The inlet valve assembly 3 requires a 2 pressure differential o~ approxinately one bar to open.
3 Ther~fore, upon pas~eurisation, when he pressure rise 4 in the can 119 (due to the heating of the pasteurisation process) exceeds 1 bar, the inlet valve 6 assembly 3 opens and beverage flows into t~e reservoir 7 9 until the pressure therein increases to a level 8 greater than the pressure in the can minus 1 bar (to 9 account for the bias of the sprin~ 27 or 103) at which point the inlet valve assembly 3 closes.
12 The outlet valve assembly 60 has a high external/low 13 internal area ratio that causes it to remain closed at 14 high internal/low external pressure differentials. The value of this differential is dependent on the area 16 ratio such that P~A~ < P~2 where P1 and A, are the 17 internal pressure and area respectively and P, and A2 18 are the external pressure and area respectively.
19 Therefore, increases in the pre~sure differential above the given value result in outward movement of the 21 piston assembly 51 or 100 until the ori~ice 61 is 22 exposed allowing efflux of beverage therethrough. This 23 efflux continues until the pressure differential is 24 eliminated. Thus a generally constant pressure differential is maintained wi~hin the reservoir g, the 26 value of which can be selected by varying the 27 internal/external area ratio of the outlet valve 28 assembly 60.
2g Upon depressurisation o~ the can 119 by opening, the 31 pressure of the beverage in the can 119 decreases very 32 rapidly and this alters the force balance across the 33 outlet valve assembly 60. ~he pressure in the 34 reservoir 9 then causes outward movement of the piston asse~bly 51 or 100 and exposure of the orifice 61. The W093J09055 PCT/GB92/02~.
21227~7 16 1 outward movement of the piston assembly 51 or lOo is 2 restrained by the wall 120 o~ the can 119 such that the 3 escape of the beverage/gas mixture is through the 4 orifice 61 or the small annular gap in the outlet valve assembly 60 between the chamfered rim 18 of the 6 cylindrical portion 17 and the chamfered rYm-~82 of the 7 piston assembly S1 or lOo. This provides the seed 8 bubbles necessary for head generation in the beverage.
io In use of the third embodiment of the invention (~igs.
11 10 and 11), the device is placed in a can 119 as 12 described for the first and second embodiments. As ~he 13 pressure in the can 119 rises due to pasteurisation, 14 beverage flows into the reservoir 9 through the inlet valve 130 until the pressure in the reservoir 9 16 increases to a level at which the pressure therein 17 equals the pressure in the can minus the small amount 18 of pressure required to open the inlet valve 130, at 19 which point the inflow of beverage stops. Increases in the pressure in the reservoir 9 above the pressure in 21 the can cause the walls of the flattened portion 138 to 22 be compressed together thus closing the opening 139 and 23 preventing efflux of beverage through the inlet valve 24 130.
26 Increases in the internal/external pressure 27 differential above a given value determined by the 28 internal/external area ratio of the outlet valve 29 assembly 150 as de~cribed above result in outward movement of the piston assembly 140 until the seal 110 31 passes the opening 144 of the groo~es 145 allowing the 32 excess pressure within the reservoir 9 to escape 33 there~hrough.
Upon depressurisation of the can 119 by opening, the _ W093/O90SS 2 1 2 2 7 3 7 PCT/GB92/02~
1 pressure of the beverage in the can 119 decreases very 2 rapidly, upsetting the force balance across the outlet 3 valve assembly 150. The pressure in the reservoir 9 4 then causes outward movement of the piston assembly 140 and allows escape of beverage/gas mixture from the 6 reservoir 9 through the grooves 145. The ~utward 7 movement of the piston assembly 140 is restrained by 8 the wall 120 of the can 119 such that the escaping 9 beverage/gas mixture is forced through the grooves 145 and this initiates the seed bubbles necessary for head 11 generation in the beverage held in the can 119.
13 Referring now to Figs. 12 to 17 inclusive, a fourth 14 embodiment of the foam-generating device of the present invention has an inlet valve 152 of elastomeric 16 material such as rubber. The inlet valve 152 is fitted 17 onto one end 15S of the reservoir wall 13. A return 18 lip 160 seals the inlet valve 152 onto the wall 13 and 19 this seal is enhanced by the compression applied to the device by the can wall 120. The compliance of the 21 valve 152 due to the elastomeric material allows up to 22 a 1% change in the can diameter during the~mal cycling 23 without affecting the valve 152. The compressive force 24 on the valve 152 is increased by the charge forces on the device causing it to expand. Thus the compliance 26 of the valve 152 allows the device to overcome the 27 mechanical changes occurring in charging of the device, 28 and in handling and storage of the filled cans.
Three reliefs 165 in the face of the inlet valve 152 31 allow liguid to pass between thè valve 152 and the can 32 wall 120.
34 Circumferential ribs 170 on the valve 152 are provided to increase resistance to collapse of the valve 152 W093/ogO~S PCT/GB92/02 ~
2122737 18 `
1 under pressure when the device is charged.
3 Beverage (or other gas-containing liquid) enters the 4 inlet valve 152 through the open end 175 and passes through an orifice in the other end of the v~lve 152.
6 The orifice comprises a slit 180 between t~o walls of 7 elastomeric material 183,185. The slit 180 opens 8 against the compressive force between walls 183 and 185 9 in response to increase in pressure outside the device and allows influx of fluid. When the external/internal 11 pressure differential across the valve 152 is 12 insufficient to open the slit 1~0, the wall ~85 is 13 pressed against wall 183 and the slit 180 is closed.
14 Thus the valve 180 admits fluid when the external/internal pressure differential across the 16 valve is sufficient to overcome the compressive force 17 of wall 185 against wall 183. Fluid thus admitted 18 cannot escape back through the slit 180 since pressure increases in the device increase the compressive force of wall 185 against wall 183, enhancing the seal on the 21 slit 180.
23 The device body 190 (Fig. 15) has an annular groove 192 24 in the outer surface for assembly, handling.and insertion purposes and also for isolating the seal from 26 the flexure of the body 190 when under pressure. The 27 body 190 has three longitudinal exhaust grooves 195 in 28 one end 197 for exhaust of pressurised fluid from the 29 device.
31 The fourth embodiment has an outlet valve assembly 32 comprising a differential piston 200 (Figs. 16 and 17) 33 having pressure-energised inner and outer seals 205, 34 207 which can expand to accommodate the full range of moulding tolerance. Inner seal 205 has a cup form ,.... . . ~.,~., . . . , ~ . .. ... . .. . . .
~ W093/09055 2 1 2 2 7 ~ 7 PCT/GB92/020~
1 whereby fluid pressure on the inner face of the piston 2 200 will produce a force reaction. Part of the force 3 produced by the internal pressure acts radially to 4 expand the seal 205 and part acts axially to push the piston 200 out of the bore when the device discharges.
6 As the pressure in the device rises, the ~adial 7 component will increase to form a sealing force which 8 balances the pressure.
g io On the outer seal 207 (which also has a cup form), a 11 lower sealing force is used than in the inner seal 205 12 to reduce friction and a small chamfer 210 at the rim 13 of the seal 207 is provided to obviate mechanical 14 jamming of the piston 200.
16 A protrusion 21S acts as a stroke-limiting end stop for 17 the piston 200 and also provides a convenient pick up 18 point when handling the component thereby reducing 19 handling damage to the seals 205, 207.
21 Prior to assembly of the fourth embodiment, the body 22 190 and the piston 200 are handled by the slot 192 and 23 the protrusion 215 respectively. The components are 24 purged with nitrogen and the piston ~00 is then inserted into the body 190, followed by the inlet valve 26 152. This seals both ends and displaces a proportion 27 of the volume of the device, thereby establishing a 28 positive pressure in the nitrogen. This prevents 29 oxygen ingress and increases the pressure of stored gas ito be released in discharge upon the can being opened, 31 thereby enhancing foam-generating performance.
33 In us~, the fourth embodiment is placed across a 34 diameter of the can 119 and is held in place by the force reaction of the elastomeric inlet valve 152. The W093/O90SS PCT/GB92/02~
1 de~ice admits fluid through the inlet valve 152 when 2 the pressure outside the device is sufficient to open 3 the slit 180 against the force of the wall 185 and the 4 pressure inside the device.
6 Beverage (or other gas-containing liquid) ~s thus 7 admitted into the device and the pressure inside the 8 device increases to a level determined by the 9 internal/external area ratio of the differential piston 200 of the outlet valve as described for previous 11 embodiments.
13 Upon opening of the can, the fourth embodiment of 14 device initiates seed bubbles in accordance with a lS mechanism similar to that described for the third 16 embodiment.
18 Referring now to Figs. 18 to 23 inclusive, the fifth 19 embodiment of device shown is similar to the fourth embodiment, but with an alternative inlet valve 220.
21 ~he inlet valve 220 is constructed from an elastomeric 22 material such as rubber and comprises a diaphragm 225 23 stretched across one end of the device body 190, the 24 valve 220 having a cross-shaped slit 230 in the centre of the diaphragm 225, a return lip 160, and three 26 inlets 165 as previously described. The device is 27 inserted across a diameter of the can and the physical 28 compression of the elastomeric material at the valve 29 220 creates a force which retains the device in position.
32 At pressure equilibrium ths diaphragm 225 is distended 33 against the can wall 120 thereby closing and sealing 34 the slit 230 until the pressure outside the device rises due to the pasteurisation process. When the Wo93/osn55 21~ 2 7 3 7 PCT/GB92/02~
1 external/internal pressure differential increases 2 beyond a predetermined level, the diaphragm 225 3 deflects and fluid is admitted through the slit 230, 4 thereby compressîng the gas in the reservoir 9.
6 When peak pasteurisation pressure in the c~n is 7 reached, inflow of beverage to the device stops. With 8 the establishment of this pressure balance, the elastic 9 energy in the diaphragm 225 causes it to distend against the wall 120 of the can and the slit 230 is 11 sealed. Thus, the slit 230 remains sealed at high 12 internal~low external pressure differentials across the 13 valve 220 and increasing pressure differentials force 14 the diaphragm harder against the wall 120 of the can, thereby enhancing the seal of the slit 230.
17 The process of discharge of the fifth embodiment of 18 device upon the can being opened is similar to that 19 described for the fourth embodiment.
21 Since all the embodiments described above employ an 22 outlet valve (or outlet valve assembly) which maintains 23 the pressure stored in the device reservoir at a 24 generally constant level, the operation of the device is generally independent of temperature; thus the 26 device mitigates the problems of temperature-dependent 27 energy r~lease shown by prior art pressure accumulating 28 devices.
Referring!now to Figs. 24 and 25, thes~ respectively 31 show a modified version of the outlet valve assembly 32 shown in Figs. 15-17, in its 'closed' configuration, 33 and an enlarged fragmentary view of the valve assembly 34 in its 'open' configuration. In Figs. 24 and 25 those parts of the modified outlet valve assembly which .;.. . ~ -W093/09055 PCT/GB92/02~
212~737 22 1 correspond to parts of the outlet valve assembly of 2 Figs. 15-17 are given the same reference numerals.
4 The essential difference in the modified assembly of Figs. 24 and 25 with respect to the assemb~y.of Figs.
6 15-17 consists of the provision of an inturned lip 801 7 at the discharge end 197 of the devicé to prevent total 8 e~ection of the differential piston 200 from the 9 discharge end 197 of the device body 190 upon opening io of the beverage can (not shown in Figs. 24 and 25) in ll which the device is emplaced. To enhance the piston-12 retentive properties of the lip modification 801, the 13 chamfer 210 in the unmodified piston 200 (Fig. 17) may 14 be omitted as particularly illustrated in Fig. 25.
While certain modifications and variations have been 16 described above, the inve~tion is not restricted 17 thereto, and other modifications and variations can be 18 adopted without departing from the scope of the 19 invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims (17)
1. A device for generating a foaming dispersion of bubbles in a fluid surrounding the exterior of said device, said fluid comprising a liquid having gas dissolved therein, said device being characterised in that it comprises an internal chamber provided with valve means adapted to admit some of said fluid surrounding said exterior of said device through said valve means and into said chamber when the pressure of said surrounding fluid exceeds the internal pressure of said chamber by a first predetermined amount, thereby to establish a reserve of pressurised fluid within said chamber, said valve means being further adapted to release said reserve of pressurised fluid from said chamber to pass outwardly via orifice means into said fluid surrounding said exterior of said device when said internal pressure of said chamber exceeds the pressure of said surrounding fluid by a second predetermined amount, said orifice means being dimensioned to cause the outward passage of fluid therethrough to generate a foaming dispersion of bubbles in said surrounding fluid.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said orifice means is so dimensioned as to depressurise said fluid passing outwardly through said orifice means in a manner which causes the gas dissolved in said liquid to come out of solution in the form of a plurality of foam-generating seed bubbles.
3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, characterised in that said valve means comprises functionally separate inlet valve means and outlet valve means respectively adapted for the admission and release of fluid to and from said chamber.
4. A device as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said inlet valve means comprises a poppet valve.
5. A device as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said inlet valve means comprises a one-way fluid valve as described in British Patent Specification GB1066508.
6. A device as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said inlet valve means comprises a diaphragm having at least one slit therein, said diaphragm partly bounding said chamber and being substantially closed to the outward passage of fluid therethrough, said diaphragm being inwardly deformable by external pressure to open said at least one slit for the passage therethrough of fluid into said chamber.
7. A device as claimed in any of claims 2-6, characterised in that said outlet valve means comprises a differential valve.
8. A device as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that said differential valve has the form of an outer passage normally closed by a plug having a chamber-facing inner area acted upon by the internal pressure of said chamber, said plug further having an exterior-facing outer area acted upon by the pressure of said fluid surrounding the exterior of said device, said outer area being greater than said inner area by an extent which maintains said outlet passage plugged until said internal pressure of said chamber exceeds the pressure of said surrounding fluid by said second predetermined amount thereupon to cause or allow said outlet passage to come unplugged to release said reserve of pressurised fluid from said chamber.
9. A method of generating a foaming dispersion of bubbles in a fluid, said fluid comprising a liquid having gas dissolved therein, said method being characterised in that it comprises the steps of providing a device as claimed in any of claims 1-8, submerging said device in said fluid to surround the exterior of said device with said fluid, pressurising said surrounding fluid above the internal pressure of said chamber in said device by at least said first predetermined amount thereby cause some of said surrounding fluid to be admitted through said valve means of said device and into said chamber to establish a reserve of pressurised fluid within said chamber, maintaining said device submerged in said fluid and maintaining the pressurisation of said fluid surrounding the exterior of said device above the initial pressure thereof by an amount that substantially obviates premature discharge of a substantial proportion of said reserve of pressurised fluid from said device, said pressurisation of said surrounding fluid being maintained until the generation of a foaming dispersion of bubbles is required and thereupon depressurising the fluid surrounding the exterior of said device to a pressure below the internal pressure of said chamber by at least said second predetermined amount to cause the outward passage of said reserve of fluid through said orifice means whereby to generate a foaming dispersion of bubbles in said surrounding fluid.
10. A method of packaging a beverage in a sealed container for the subsequent generation of a foaming dispersion of bubbles in said beverage upon said container being unsealed, said beverage comprising a liquid having gas dissolved therein, said method being characterised in that it comprises the steps of providing a sealable container which is initially open, unsealed and empty of liquid; providing a device as claimed in any of claims 1-8; emplacing said device in said open container; prior or subsequent to the emplacement of said device in said open container, adding a quantity of said beverage to said open container sufficient to submerge said device when emplaced in said container and to surround the exterior of said device with said beverage; closing and sealing said container with said quantity of beverage and said submerged device therein; and temporarily elevating the temperature of at least the contents of said closed and sealed container by an amount to cause a concomitant increase in the pressure of said beverage surrounding said device sufficient to cause some of said beverage to be admitted through the valve means of said device and into the internal chamber of said device to establish a reserve of pressurised beverage within said chamber, whereby when said container is subsequently unsealed and opened, said beverage surrounding the exterior of said device emplaced in said container depressurises towards ambient atmospheric pressure and the pressure of this beverage falls by at least said second predetermined amount below the internal pressure in said chamber of said device due to the beverage reserved therein thereby to initiate the discharge of said reserved beverage from said internal chamber of said device outwardly through said orifice means of said device and into said surrounding beverage to generate a foaming dispersion of bubbles in said surrounding beverage to tend to form a head on said beverage.
11. A method as claimed in Claim 10, characterised in that at least the internal chamber of said device is purged of oxidising gases prior to emplacement thereof in said container.
12. A method as claimed in claim 11, characterised in that said container is purged of oxidising gases before the addition thereto of said quantity of beverage.
13. A method as claimed in any of claims 10-12, characterised in that said temporary elevation of the temperature of at least the contents of said sealed container is subsumed within a conventional pasteurisation procedure for newly sealed containers of beverage.
14. A packaged beverage characterised in that it comprises a closed and sealed container containing a quantity of beverage and a device as claimed in any of claims 1-8, said beverage having been packaged in said container by the method as claimed in any of claims 10-13.
15; A packaged beverage as claimed in claim 14, characterised in that said beverage is an alcoholic beverage.
16. A packaged beverage as claimed in claim 15, characterised in that said alcoholic beverage is a fermented beverage containing dissolved carbon dioxide as a product of fermentation.
17. A packaged beverage as claimed in any of claims 14-16, characterised in that said container is a can having a one-piece body of deep-drawn aluminium or steel closed by an initially separate top end disc also of aluminium or steel and incorporating an integral closure tab defined by coining of the top end disc and attached to a manually operable pull ring for partial or total separation of the tab from the top end disc to unseal and open the filled can, the can being closed and sealed by seaming of the top end disc to the rim of the body.
Applications Claiming Priority (6)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB919123451A GB9123451D0 (en) | 1991-11-05 | 1991-11-05 | Packaging for beverages |
| GB9123451.8 | 1991-11-05 | ||
| GB9126702.1 | 1991-12-17 | ||
| GB919126702A GB9126702D0 (en) | 1991-12-17 | 1991-12-17 | Package for beverages |
| GB9206483.1 | 1992-03-25 | ||
| GB929206483A GB9206483D0 (en) | 1992-03-25 | 1992-03-25 | Packaging for beverages |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2122737A1 true CA2122737A1 (en) | 1993-05-13 |
Family
ID=27265912
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002122737A Abandoned CA2122737A1 (en) | 1991-11-05 | 1992-11-05 | Foam generation by dispersion of bubbles |
Country Status (8)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0610312B1 (en) |
| JP (1) | JPH07500797A (en) |
| AT (1) | ATE169284T1 (en) |
| AU (1) | AU2890692A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2122737A1 (en) |
| DE (1) | DE69226533D1 (en) |
| HU (1) | HUT67660A (en) |
| WO (1) | WO1993009055A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (11)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB9312677D0 (en) * | 1993-06-18 | 1993-08-04 | Pyxis Limited | Beverage container and method of producting a filled beverage container |
| GB2279057B (en) * | 1993-06-18 | 1996-08-14 | Whitbread & Co Ltd | Container with head enhancing insert |
| NZ269836A (en) * | 1993-08-12 | 1996-10-28 | Whitbread & Co Ltd | Floating froth producing insert for beverage containers: insert has one-way gas inlet and outlet valves |
| CA2167049C (en) * | 1993-08-12 | 2000-06-27 | Timothy Wright | Carbonated beverage container |
| EP0719230B1 (en) * | 1993-09-28 | 1997-11-05 | American National Can Company | Foaming insert for a beverage container |
| US5827555A (en) * | 1993-09-28 | 1998-10-27 | American National Can Company | Foaming insert for a beverage container |
| DK0739299T3 (en) * | 1994-01-21 | 1999-10-11 | Whitbread & Co Ltd | Beverage container insert |
| WO1995019925A1 (en) * | 1994-01-21 | 1995-07-27 | Whitbread Plc | Beverage container |
| US7228789B1 (en) | 1999-05-18 | 2007-06-12 | Whitbread Plc | Beverage container |
| EP1055614A1 (en) * | 1999-05-18 | 2000-11-29 | Whitbread Plc | Beverage container |
| JP6932445B2 (en) * | 2017-07-31 | 2021-09-08 | 株式会社吉野工業所 | Foam widget |
Family Cites Families (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB1266351A (en) * | 1969-01-27 | 1972-03-08 | ||
| GB2222570A (en) * | 1988-09-12 | 1990-03-14 | Guinness Son & Co Ltd A | Carbonated beverage container |
-
1992
- 1992-11-05 WO PCT/GB1992/002048 patent/WO1993009055A1/en active IP Right Grant
- 1992-11-05 AT AT92922253T patent/ATE169284T1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1992-11-05 HU HU9401203A patent/HUT67660A/en unknown
- 1992-11-05 EP EP92922253A patent/EP0610312B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1992-11-05 CA CA002122737A patent/CA2122737A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 1992-11-05 AU AU28906/92A patent/AU2890692A/en not_active Abandoned
- 1992-11-05 JP JP5508280A patent/JPH07500797A/en active Pending
- 1992-11-05 DE DE69226533T patent/DE69226533D1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| AU2890692A (en) | 1993-06-07 |
| DE69226533D1 (en) | 1998-09-10 |
| JPH07500797A (en) | 1995-01-26 |
| EP0610312A1 (en) | 1994-08-17 |
| HUT67660A (en) | 1995-04-28 |
| HU9401203D0 (en) | 1994-09-28 |
| ATE169284T1 (en) | 1998-08-15 |
| WO1993009055A1 (en) | 1993-05-13 |
| EP0610312B1 (en) | 1998-08-05 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| FZDE | Discontinued |