EP1736421B1

EP1736421B1 - Container for fluids, in particular liquids

Info

Publication number: EP1736421B1
Application number: EP05105671A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jan Veenendaal; Jan Dirk Veenendaal; Hubert Joseph Frans Hanssen
Original assignee: Eurokeg BV
Current assignee: Eurokeg BV
Priority date: 2005-06-24
Filing date: 2005-06-24
Publication date: 2009-04-08
Anticipated expiration: 2025-06-24
Also published as: RS50985B; EP1736421A1; ATE427902T1; AR054398A1; PT1736421E; DE602005013756D1; PL1736421T3; CY1109164T1; DK1736421T3; ES2325167T3

Description

The invention relates to a container for fluids according to the preamble of claim 1.
EP-A-862 535 discloses a container for fluids comprising an outer and preferably ellipsoid casing of a flexible, pressure resistant material, a gastight inner casing of flexible material located inside the outer casing, and a filling connection for filling the inner casing. As a result, the container is collapsible so that filling the container may take place from the collapsed condition and filling is therefore possible without pressure difference while the fluid does not enter an empty space. The egress of gas from the fluid is substantially reduced.
In practice, some embodiments according to EP-A-862 535 , have been provided with an outer package, i.e. a cardboard box.
US 3,325,030 relates to a bottle for, e.g., beer and other carbonated beverages. The bottle comprises a container of a plastic and having a shell and two bulged end walls closing the ends of the shell. The container further has "a supporting sleeve made from a stiff and mechanically resistant material, e.g. cardboard, placed around the container with a close fit for stiffening the shell of the container, the supporting sleeve at one end extending slightly beyond the adjacent bulged end wall of the container so as to function also as a foot for the bottle."
US 2,331,085 relates to a jacket for bottles containing materials, such as vitaminized milk, subject to deterioration of loss of efficacy upon exposure to light.
WO 00/09404 relates to a container including a flexible liner for holding the fluent material, a plurality of substantially vertical support walls spaced around the periphery of the liner, and a flexible skin interconnecting the walls and encircling the liner so as to laterally constrain and support it when fluent material is added.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved container.
To this end, the container according to the present invention is characterized as defined in claim 1.
It is preferred that the shell is cylindrical and has a circular cross-section or a polygonal cross-section with at least five angles. It is further preferred that at least one of the ends of the cylindrical shell is open and that the valve part is accessible through this open end.
Also, it is preferred that the shell comprises a plurality of grips, e.g. openings for accommodating a hand, such that, when the container is lifted by means of these grips, the valve part will normally face upwards.
The outer package according to the present invention significantly improves handling and provides effective protection of the spherical or spheroid casing with a relatively small amount of material, especially when compared to a box. Further, the package allows the container to be stored and stacked in an upright position and provides an appearance that resembles an ordinary keg.
To secure the container inside the outer package, the shell preferably comprises, on its inner wall and at or near its (upper) rim nearest the valve part and/or at or near its (bottom) rim remote from the valve part, means for retaining the casing inside the shell, preferably a plurality of inwardly extending lamella providing a one way retaining means, as will be explained in more detail below.
The invention also relates to a blank for folding an outer package around a spherical or spheroid casing, which blank is substantially oblong in shape and which comprises a plurality of fold lines, extending substantially parallel to the short sides of the blank, and, at or near at least one, preferably both, of the long sides and on the fold lines, a plurality of cuts or slots.
The invention further relates to a container for fluids comprising an outer casing, a gas and/or fluid tight inner casing of a flexible material located inside the outer casing, and a valve part for filling the container with a fluid, wherein the inner casing comprises at least one polygonal sheet of a flexible material, preferably two polygonal sheets of a flexible material sealed together along their edges.
Within the framework of the present invention the term "spheroid" is defined as any shape generated by a half-revolution of an square or rectangle with rounded corners or preferably an ellipse or oval about its major axis or minor axis.
The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings, which show a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a prior art container, with part of the outer and inner casings cutaway.
Figures 2A to 2C are perspective views of a container according to the present invention enveloped by a cardboard shell.
Figure 3 is a top plan view of a blank suitable for forming a shell as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a top view of an empty inner casing for use in the present container.

The drawings are not necessarily to scale and details, which are not necessary for understanding the present invention, may have been omitted. Further, elements that are at least substantially identical or that perform an at least substantially identical function are denoted by the same numeral.
Figure 1 shows a container 1 for fluids, in particular liquids, such as beer under pressure or water, comprising a spheroid and pressure resistant outer casing 2, a gastight inner casing 3 of a flexible material, i.e. a bag, located inside the outer casing 2, and a valve part 4 for filling the container with a fluid respectively tapping fluid from the container.
In this example, the outer casing 2 is collapsible and made from a blow-molded thermoplastic e.g. PE or elastomeric liner provided with a filament wound outer reinforcement and an outer layer of latex obtained by immersing the liner (with filaments) in a latex bath. In an alternative example, the liner is rigid and made of e.g. a relatively thick-walled thermoplastic material or even a metal, such as aluminum. Yet other suitable casings are described in, for example, EP 0 626 338 .
The valve part 4 is connected to the inner casing 3 and in fluid communication with the interior 5 of the inner casing 3. Further, the valve part 4 is screwed into an opening in the top of the outer casing, as will be explained in more detail below. As preferred valve part is disclosed in International patent application WO00/07902 (see especially page 8, line 12 ff. in conjunction with Figures 4A and 4B).
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, the container 1, shown in Figure 2, is provided with an outer package, which follows and abuts the circumference of the outer casing 2 at its maximum diameter. The outer package comprises a substantially cylindrical shell 6, made of cardboard, which partially envelops the outer casing 2 and which is open at its top and bottom ends, i.e. the cylindrical shell 6 is co-axial with the central axis of the outer casing.
The shell 6 has a polygonal cross-section with N, e.g. twelve, sixteen or twenty, angles and N substantially flat panels 7 connected via fold lines 8. A plurality of rectangular openings 9, e.g. four equidistant openings, are provided in the shell 6 to serve as grips. Further, resilient lamella 10 are present on the inner wall of the shell 6 and at or near its top and bottom rims. In this preferred example, the lamella 10 are extensions of the panels 7 folded inwards and provide a very effective one-way retaining means to lock the outer casing 2 inside the shell 6. When a casing 2 enters the top end of the outer package, the upper lamella 10 are urged, by the lower half of the casing 2, towards the inner wall of the shell 6. When the middle of the casing 2, i.e. its maximum diameter portion, passes the lamella 10, the lamella 10 flex inwards thus preventing the casing 2 from being easily removed from the shell 6. The lower lamella serve as a stop. As soon as the casing 2 reaches these lower lamella the casing 2 is locked in place.
Optionally, a strip 11 (Figure 2B) of a reinforcing material, for instance cardboard, is attached to the inner wall of the shell 6 in between the upper rim and the grips.
The outer package according to the present invention significantly improves handling and provides effective protection of the spherical or spheroid casing with a relatively small amount of material, especially when compared to a box. Further, the package allows the container to be stored and stacked in an upright position and one on top of the other, thus utilizing the load-bearing capabilities of the present container in its upright position. The equidistant grips also facilitate handing the container from one person to the next, for instance while loading a vehicle or vessel.
Figure 3 shows a preferred cardboard blank 12 for folding the shell 6. The blank 12 is substantially oblong in shape and comprises two (relatively long) fold lines 13, extending parallel to the long sides of the blank, and a plurality of fold lines 8, extending parallel to the short sides of the blank 12. It further comprises, at a distance in a range from 1 to 4 cm from both of its long sides and on the fold lines 8, a plurality of outwardly divergent, e.g. triangular, slots 14, preferably extending up to the (relatively long) fold lines 13.
The blank 12 is formed into a shell 6 by gluing the short ends of the blank 12 together and pressing the lamella 9 through the open top and bottom ends. Subsequently, an outer casing can be pushed through the top end of the shell 5, as set out above.
To prevent water from reaching the shell, the outer package in turn is wrapped in a water-impermeable shrink film 15 (Figure 2C). It is preferred that printing, such as a trademark of the fluid in the container or decorations e.g. the outlines and colors of a metal keg, is applied to the film.
Figure 4 a top plan view of an empty, that is to say flat, inner casing 3. In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, this casing 3 comprises two polygonal, in this example octagonal, flexible sheets 15 of a gas and liquid tight laminate, preferably a laminate comprising a sealing layer (e.g. PP), a barrier layer (e.g. aluminum) and one or more further layers (e.g. PA and/or PET), sealed together along their edges, e.g. by means of welding. As a matter of course, one of the sheets is provided with a valve part 4. This preferred inner casing is robust, corresponds, in its fully expanded condition, in shape to the inner wall of the outer casing and can be obtained in a relatively straightforward manner. Furthermore, due to the fact that, in its fully deflated condition, the inner casing is flat, it allows relatively easy folding to a size and shape that facilitate entering the inner casing into the outer casing.
In this example, the outer casing was obtained by melting a polymeric material, forming the casing, and a threaded opening in it wall, from the melted material by means of blow-moulding, and screwing the valve part into the opening the casing before it has cooled down to a temperature below 50ºC. Thus, a tight fit between the valve part and the casing is obtained and milling of the upper rim of the opening, to improve the fluid-tightness of the connection, is no longer required.
The invention is not restricted to the above-described embodiments which can be varied in a number of ways within the scope of the claims. For instance, the shell can be made of more durable material, such as a plastic or metal, preferably aluminium, sheet material.
Also, although the container described above typically has a capacity of 30 litres, smaller versions, preferably weighing less that 25 kilograms, are useful in reducing the strain on those who have to handle the containers. As the (empty) containers according the present invention typically weigh less than 1,5 kilograms, a container having a maximum total weight of 25 kilogram would still have a capacity of 23,5 kilograms (-litres) of liquid. In comparison, an empty metal keg having a capacity of 23,5 kilograms of liquid would weigh at least 8 kilograms, yielding a total of at least 31,5 kilograms.
The container according to the present invention is also suitable for holding pressurised gasses, for instance medical gasses or industrial gasses, such as LPG, natural gas, or hydrogen.

Claims

Container (1) for fluids, in particular liquids, such as beer or water, comprising a casing (2), a valve part (4) for filling the container (1) with a fluid and an outer package surrounding the casing (2), wherein the outer package comprises a shell (6), which follows the circumference of the casing (2), the shell (6) comprises, on its inner wall and at or near its rim nearest the valve part (4) and/or at or near its rim remote from the valve part, a plurality of lamellas (10) characterized in that the casing is spherical or spheroid and the lamellas (10) are extending inwardly of the shell (6) for providing a one way retaining means for retaining the casing (2) inside the shell (6).
Container (1) according to claim 1, wherein the shell (6) is cylindrical and has a circular cross-section or a polygonal cross-section with at least five angles.
Container (1) according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the ends of the cylindrical shell (6) is open and the valve part (4) is accessible through this open end.
Container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the shell (6) comprises a plurality of grips (9), such that, when the container (1) is lifted by means of these grips (9), the valve part (4) will face upwards.
Container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, when the casing (2) enters the top end of the shell (6), the upper lamellas (10) are urged, by the lower half of the casing (2), towards the inner wall of the shell (6) and, when the maximum diameter portion of the casing (2) passes the lamellas (10), the lamellas (10) flex inwards.
Container (1) according to claim 5, wherein the lower lamellas serve as a stop.
Container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a water-impermeable film (15) covering the shell (6).
Container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inner casing (3) comprises two polygonal sheets of a flexible material sealed together along their edges.