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
  • B65D77/00—Packages formed by enclosing articles or materials in preformed containers, e.g. boxes, cartons, sacks or bags
  • B65D77/04—Articles or materials enclosed in two or more containers disposed one within another
  • B65D77/06—Liquids or semi-liquids or other materials or articles enclosed in flexible containers disposed within rigid containers
  • B65D77/062—Flexible containers disposed within polygonal containers formed by folding a carton blank
  • B65D77/065—Spouts, pouring necks or discharging tubes fixed to or integral with the flexible container
  • B65D77/067—Spouts, pouring necks or discharging tubes fixed to or integral with the flexible container combined with a valve, a tap or a piercer
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B67—OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
  • B67B—APPLYING CLOSURE MEMBERS TO BOTTLES JARS, OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; OPENING CLOSED CONTAINERS
  • B67B7/00—Hand- or power-operated devices for opening closed containers
  • B67B7/24—Hole-piercing devices
  • B67B7/26—Hole-piercing devices combined with spouts
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B67—OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
  • B67D—DISPENSING, DELIVERING OR TRANSFERRING LIQUIDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B67D3/00—Apparatus or devices for controlling flow of liquids under gravity from storage containers for dispensing purposes
  • B67D3/04—Liquid-dispensing taps or cocks adapted to seal and open tapping holes of casks, e.g. for beer
  • B67D3/047—Liquid-dispensing taps or cocks adapted to seal and open tapping holes of casks, e.g. for beer with a closing element having a rotational movement

Definitions

• This invention relates to a liquid dispensing assembly and more particularly to a tap for use in the dispensing of liquids from deformable containers usually retained in a self-supporting package.
• a tap assembly including a tubular spout having a mounting means at one end, a hollow probe movably located in the spout in sealing engagement therewith and closed at an end projecting from the spout remote from the mounting means end, radial openings extending through the walls of the probe and spout located to be brought into alignment on relative movement of the spout and probe and complement ⁇ arily engaging formations on the spout and probe to cause predetermined axial movement of the probe in the spout to project the open end of the probe forwardly when bringing the outlets into alignment by rotation of the probe.
• the invention also provides a flexible container for liquids having a spout as above defined secured by a flange thereto.
• Still further features of this invention provide an assembly of a container as above defined located in a self-supporting package with the projections on the spout engaging the wall of an aperture through the package in non-rotatable manner and the probe positioned in the spout with the outlets out of alignment.
• Fig. 1 is an exploded view of the tap assembly
• Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the tap assembly shown in Fig. 1 located in a self-supporting package, shown in the closed position
• Fig. 3 is a similar view to that of Fig. 2 with the tap assembly in the open position.
• the tap assembly is used for dispensing of wine or fruit juice from a flexible container retained in a self-supporting package in the form of a cardboard box. This type of package is now well known.
• the assembly is moulded from suitable plastics material and consists of two components.
• the first is a spout 1 which is a hollow tube having a flange 2 at one end. Part of the flange is removed at 3 to enable the spout to be easily properly located when the spout is attached to a flexible container 4.
• a pair of projections 5 also in the form of flanges which have between them flat parallel surfaces (not shown) at right angles to the edge 3 of the flange 2. These formations 5 and surfaces (not shown) are provided to engage the wall around an opening formed in a cardboard box 7 adjacent the bottom of the box.
• a radial outlet 8 opposite the edge 3 of flange 2 is provided through the wall of the spout. This outlet 8 is spaced further along the spout from the flanged end than the projections 5 so that it will be located outside of the box 7 in the assembled package.
• Adjacent the end 9 of the spout remote from the flange 2 are a pair of diametrically oppositely located outwardly extending protuberances 10. These form slides in a guide and slide arrangement described below.
• the second component is a probe 11 which is slidable in sealing engagement with spout 1.
• the probe 11 is hollow and open at one end 12 which is inserted into the spout from the end 9 remote from flange 2.
• the end 12 has a pointed end 17 to puncture the wall of the container 4.
• the probe also has a radial outlet 13 through the wall thereof which can be brought into and out of align- ment with the outlet 8 through the wall of the spout.
• the other and outer end 14 of the probe is closed and provided with a co-axial sleeve 15.
• This sleeve 15 receives the end 9 of the spout and has a guide 16 formed therein as part of a coarse pitched helix.
• This guide 16 accommodates the protuberances 10 on the spout 1. It will be appreciated that the arrangement is such that rotation of a grip 18 on sleeve 15 while the spout is held stationary will cause relative axial and rotational move ⁇ ment between the spout 1 and the probe 11. This movement will bring the outlets 8.and 13 into and out of alignment while also simultaneously projecting and retracting the end 12 of the probe 11 through the flanged end of the spout.
• the spout 1 is fixed to the wall of the container 4 near the bottom.
• the container 4 is then filled and sealed in known manner and placed in the box 7.
• the cut edge 3 of the flange is located parallel to the bottom of the container 4 and this ensures that the outlet 8 from the spout is directed downwardly when the assembled package is stood upright.
• the tap assembly may be packed inside the box 7 and retrieved for use through an opening in the wall of the box made by removing parts of the wall of the box along pre-formed lines of weakness.
• the opening thus formed will enable the projections 5 to engage the wall of the box around the opening with the surfaces 6 preventing any rotation of the spout 1.
• the grip 18 is turned to draw the probe 11 inwardly into the spout to puncture the container.
• the outlets 8 and 13 are also brought into alignment and the liquid can flow there- through. Reverse rotation of the knob 15 moves the outlets out of alignment to once again seal off the container 4.
• the guide 16 includes end slots 19 and 20 which are angularly offset from the helix. ' To ensure the tap assembly is turned off, and to avoid creep of the probe 11 along spout 1, locking nipples 21 are located in end slots 20.
• nipples 21 will lock probe 11 in the closed position and a slightly increased force will be required to initiate any opening of the tap assembly.
• sleeve.15 can have a wiping portion which can cover and close outlet 8 when the outlets 8 and 13 are not aligned to prevent dripping of liquid at outlet 8 when closed.
• end 12 could include cutting serrations or a cutting edge.
• the tap assembly above described enables the container to be filled and kept free from oxygen ingress until the first dispensing operation takes place thus affording a satisfactory shelf-life for the contents of the container.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Cartons (AREA)
• Automatic Analysis And Handling Materials Therefor (AREA)
• Sampling And Sample Adjustment (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)
• Bag Frames (AREA)
• Details Of Rigid Or Semi-Rigid Containers (AREA)
• Cylinder Crankcases Of Internal Combustion Engines (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=25577085

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (12)

Families Citing this family (25)

Family Cites Families (7)

• 1984
  • 1984-12-24 IT IT24244/84A patent/IT1196382B/it active
  • 1984-12-28 AU AU37853/85A patent/AU3785385A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1984-12-28 BR BR8407258A patent/BR8407258A/pt unknown
  • 1984-12-28 JP JP60500258A patent/JPS61500961A/ja active Pending
  • 1984-12-28 EP EP85900030A patent/EP0170660A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1984-12-28 WO PCT/AU1984/000271 patent/WO1985003062A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
• 1985
  • 1985-01-02 ES ES1985290962U patent/ES290962Y/es not_active Expired
  • 1985-01-03 ZA ZA8537A patent/ZA8537B/xx unknown
  • 1985-01-03 PT PT79796A patent/PT79796B/pt unknown
  • 1985-08-30 FI FI853348A patent/FI853348A0/fi not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1985-08-30 DK DK396785A patent/DK396785D0/da not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1985-08-30 NO NO85853428A patent/NO853428L/no unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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