EP0273102B1 - Container for transporting and stocking beverage or like concentrates - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a transport and storage container for beverage or the like. Concentrates, such as in particular fruit juice or the like. Syrups, for the production of a ready-to-drink beverage, which can be used in a beverage preparation machine and connected to its system, in which one of the concentrate stock removed Dose of water and possibly carbonic acid is added, which consists of a known inner bag package with an outer cardboard sleeve in the manner of a folding box with interconnected, in particular glued bottom and lid flaps and a liquid-tight inner bag, which is sealed at its upper and lower ends by a seal - or weld seam is closed, in which in the area of the bottom or lid closure, the inner bag gussets folded inwards lie between two bottom or lid flaps, the bottom and the lid closures of both the inner bag and the cardboard sleeve are of identical design, the removal and vending machine connection spigot is connected to a side wall of the inner bag by means of a flange and the spigot protrudes outwards through an opening in the side wall of the cardboard sleeve, the two triangular wall parts being in the bottom and lid levels of the pack located inner bag gussets are sealed or welded together and the two narrow side walls, as well as the lid and the bottom of the pack are arranged parallel to each other. Such a container is known from DE-A-3541010.

So far, plastic containers have been used for the transport, storage or storage of the beverage concentrate and its storage in the beverage preparation machines, which are inserted into these and connected to the removal device. The disadvantage of the known plastic containers is that after they have been emptied they still have a relatively large, unusable residual amount. In addition, only certain plastics, which are harmless for food and beverages, can be used for the production of the containers, but these have the disadvantage that they are not optimal with regard to some beverage concentrates, since they have a negative effect on the taste of the container contents when stored for a long time. The removal of the empty plastic containers also has a significant impact on the environment.

There have already been proposed the aforementioned transport and storage containers consisting of an inner bag pack for the purpose in question, but they have not yet been satisfactory in their previous form and design in order to be able to use them safely in practice.

The invention is therefore based on the object of improving the containers which can be used in beverage preparation machines for the beverage concentrates in such a way that after their emptying there is effectively only a minimal residual amount, but also the fill level of the container used in the beverage preparation machines should be controllable without the stability through a window that enables this the pack or its contents are impaired. Finally, any taste impairment of the contents of the container should also be avoided.

To achieve this object, it is proposed according to the invention to design the container of the type mentioned in such a way that the narrower side wall containing the removal and connecting piece and the opposite side wall with the lid or with the bottom form an angle of approximately 93 ° or Include 87 °.

Inner bag packs of the type described have become known in a wide variety of embodiments. A considerable disadvantage of such packs in the present case when they are used as transport and storage containers for beverage concentrates for use in beverage preparation machines is that a considerable residual amount of the liquid filled into them remains in the container because the inner bag is generally not flat on the inner wall abuts the surrounding cardboard wrapper, but forms folds, hollows and the like. Bumps that prevent a desired drainage of the contents of the container. Thus, a certain, even if only relatively small, amount of the filling material is lost for the consumer. Such losses, however, are of considerable importance added up over a longer period of time.

If, instead of the beverage concentrates, there are concentrated chemicals that are harmful to the environment, for example those that are used for pest control or for plant protection and the like, the remaining quantities in the emptied packs have a particularly serious effect. Therefore, there has recently been a strong demand that such substances should only be packaged in such a way that they can be removed from the packs virtually completely. Thus, the packs proposed according to the invention can also be used successfully in the latter field.

Fig. 1

eine perspektivische Ansicht der fertigen, verschlossenen Innenbeutelpackung in ihrer Füllposition;

Fig. 2

eine perspektivische Ansicht der erst teilweise verschlossenen, noch nicht befüllten Innenbeutelpackung nach Fig.1;

Fig. 3

eine Seitenansicht der Packung nach Fig. 1 in einer Lage, die sie nach dem Einsetzen in einen Getränkezubereitungsautomaten einnimmt;

Fig. 4

eine perspektivische Ansicht des Füll- und Auslaufstutzens mit seinem Flansch;

Fig. 5

einen Schnitt durch den Auslaufstutzen in einer zweiten Ausführungsform.

The features which serve to achieve the task, or which promote and further develop it, are evident from the patent claims and also from the following description of an exemplary embodiment of a pack designed according to the invention, which is shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 of the drawing. Show it:

Fig. 1

a perspective view of the finished, sealed inner bag package in its filling position;

Fig. 2

a perspective view of the only partially closed, not yet filled inner bag package according to Fig.1;

Fig. 3

a side view of the package of Figure 1 in a position that it takes after insertion into a beverage preparation machine.

Fig. 4

a perspective view of the filler and spout with its flange;

Fig. 5

a section through the outlet nozzle in a second embodiment.

As can be seen in particular from FIG. 2, the pack consists, as usual, of the outer cardboard sleeve 11 and the inner bag 12 consisting of a composite film.

The packs of the type in question are usually delivered to the consumer lying flat, in order to be erected and filled by a machine only before use. The inner bag 12 is closed both at its lower and at its upper end by means of a transverse seam 13 by sealing or welding. The bottom is already closed, in the same way as the lid lock. At the top, the pack is still partially open.

The filler and outlet spout 16 to be provided with a closure 15 is connected to the inner bag 12 firmly and liquid-tight by means of a flange 17; it protrudes through an opening 18 in one narrow side wall 19 of the cardboard sleeve 11 out of the pack.

The fill and discharge nozzle 16 with its flange 17 is shown in particular in FIG. 4. The flange 17 is of relatively large area and has a shape such that three of the edges lying at right angles to one another abut the adjacent walls of the bag 12. The flange 17 has a kink 31 which roughly intersects the axis of the outlet connection 16. The angle which the two flange parts 17a and 17b form with one another is preferably 174 °. However, it is also possible to design the flange 17 overall as a very flat funnel 17ʹ, the funnel angle also having approximately 174 °, as can be seen from FIG. 5. This ensures that the container contents can almost completely leak out of the pack and be used.

The inner bag 12 is advantageously bonded to the inside of the cardboard sleeve 11 at the upper and at the lower end in the area of the dashed areas 20 in order to ensure that the bag rests securely on the inner wall of the pack and to prevent the inner bag 12 from collapsing as the emptying progresses.

In order to achieve the necessary, necessarily very considerable dimensional stability, the inner bag 12 is held or firmly clamped in the area of the lid and the bottom by the special design of the lid and bottom closure, which results in a particularly stable construction in the area of the lid and bottom results.

If, for the sake of simplicity, the description below relates to the design of the pack in the area of the lid opening or its closure, this applies accordingly to the design of the bottom closure.

The size of the two opposite, larger lid and bottom flaps 21, 22 essentially correspond to the size of the lid and bottom opening of the pack.

When the package is closed, the inner bag 12 is first closed by means of the liquid-tight weld or sealing seam 13 and then the edge 14 containing it is folded into the plane of the lid opening of the cardboard sleeve 11, whereupon the superimposed wall parts of the side gussets 23 are sealed or welded to one another . This prevents liquid from getting into the gusset 23, which would otherwise remain in the emptied package as a residual amount. This measure also serves to stiffen the pack in the base and lid area. The side gussets 23 are placed on the smaller lid flaps 24 folded outwards and preferably glued to them. The bottom or innermost lid flap 21 is folded against the upper end of the inner bag 12 and then the smaller lid flaps 24 with the gussets 23 of the inner bag package 12 are folded against the larger lid flap 21 resting on the inner bag 12 and glued to it. Finally, the upper or outer cover flap 22 is folded down and glued to the cover flaps 21 and 24 already closing the cover opening.

In order to be able to produce the best possible and firm connection between the upper or outer cover flap 22 with the bottom or inner cover flap 21 by gluing, the corners 25 of the smaller cover flaps 24 are cut off, so that the free edge 26 of the upper cover flap 22 is practical can be glued in its entire length to the cover flap 21.

For a good and stable gluing of the smaller lid flaps 24 with the lower or inner lid flap 21, the outer corners 27 of the inner bag edge 14 can be folded against the gusset 23, whereby a larger adhesive surface can be obtained.

As can be seen in particular from FIG. 3, the narrow side walls 19 are not at a right angle with respect to the vertical lid or bottom flap 22, but at an angle of only about 87 ° or 93 °, so that after the pack has been inserted in a beverage preparation machine, the narrow side wall 19 with the removal or discharge nozzle 16 is inclined downward by approximately 3 ° with respect to a horizontal H against it. As a result, the remaining container contents inevitably run into the outlet connection 16. This is also promoted by the formation of the flange 17 or 17ʹ of the outlet connection 16 or 16ʹ according to FIG. 4 or FIG. 5.

The inner bag advantageously consists of a three-layer composite film in which the middle layer is an aluminum film or a gas-tight, transparent plastic film.

In order to be able to check the fill level of the liquid inside the container, it is advantageous to provide a viewing window 32 which enables this, but this presupposes that the inner bag 12 of the container is made of a transparent film. For the intended purpose, as can be seen from FIG. 2, the viewing window 32 is arranged in the region of the edge 33 between the one side wall 28 and the cover flap 22. So that the stability of the package is not impaired before it is inserted into a beverage preparation machine, there is a perforation line 34 in the side wall 28 and in the lid 22 along the edges of the viewing window 32, so that the cardboard strip 35 bounded by the perforation line is only available at a suitable time Formation of the viewing window 32 the cardboard sleeve 11 needs to be separated. This construction also has the advantage of protecting the content from exposure to light.

Advantageously, in the cover flap 22 there is an incision 29 which extends over a three-quarter circle and through which a flap 30 is formed, with the aid of which the package is pulled out of a stack and also out of the shaft of the beverage preparation machine in which the package is inserted , is relieved.

However, the packs designed according to the invention also have the advantage that they can be subjected to considerable loads because of their high dimensional stability, in particular when packs of packs are formed. In these cases, the packs are turned 90 °, which turns the bases and lids into side walls.

Claims (8)

1. A transport and storage container for concentrates of beverages or the like, particularly such as fruit syrups or the like, for making a ready-to-drink beverage, said container being insertable into a drink-making machine and being connectable to its system, in which water and, if applicable, carbon dioxide are added to a dose taken from the supply of concentrate; said container consisting of an inner bag package known per se with a folding-box type outer cardboard casing (11) having interconnected, especially glued together bottom and top flaps (21, 22, 24) and a liquid-tight inner bag (12) closed at its upper and lower ends by a sealed or welded seam (13), wherein the inner bag gussets (23) folded inwardly in the area of the bottom and top closures lie between two bottom or top flaps (21, 22, 24) each; the bottom and the top closures both of the inner bag (12) and of the cardboard casing (11) are identically embodied; the concentrate removal and machine-connection piece (16) is connected by a flange (17) to a side wall of the inner bag (12) and the connection piece (16) projects outwardly through an orifice (18) in the side wall (19) of the cardboard casing (11), with the two triangular wall portions of the inner bag gussets (23) located in the bottom and top planes of the package being sealed or welded together and the two narrow side walls (19), as well as the top and bottom of the package, being parallel to each other, characterized in that the narrower side wall (19) containing the removal and connection piece (16) and the opposite narrower side wall (19) form angles of approximately 93° and 87° with the top and bottom, respectively.
2. A container according to claim 1, characterized in that the flange (17) belonging to the concentrate removal and connection piece (16) and connected to the inner bag (12) extends to the three wall surfaces adjacent thereto.
3. A container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the flange (17) of the concentrate removal and connection piece (16) has a bend (31) and the flange parts (17a, 17b) on both sides of the bend (31) form an angle of approximately 174°.
4. A container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the flange (17) of the concentrate removal and connection piece (16) is in the shape of a very shallow funnel with a funnel angle of approximately 174°.
5. A container according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the inner bag (12) is connected to the inside of the outer cardboard casing (11) by gluing in spots or strips located at least in the area of the upper and the lower ends of the package.
6. A container according to one or more of claims 1 to 5, with an inner bag consisting of a transparent plastic foil, characterized in that a closed perforated line (34) is arranged in the cardboard casing (11) in the side wall (19) containing the concentrate removal and connection piece (16) or in said side wall and the adjoining side wall, said perforated line enabling the removal of a cardboard strip (35) to form a viewing window (32) for determining the level of the container contents.
7. A container according to one or more of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the inner bag (12) consists of a three-layered composite foil whereof the middle layer is aluminum foil.
8. A container according to one or more of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the inner bag (12) consists of a three-layered composite foil whereof the middle layer is a gas-tight, transparent plastic foil.

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