GB2179526A

GB2179526A - Containers for a wine box

Info

Publication number: GB2179526A
Application number: GB08623543A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stephen Nigel Manvers Tallowin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-02-28
Filing date: 1986-10-01
Publication date: 1987-03-04
Also published as: GB8623543D0; GB8605006D0; GB2179526B

Abstract

A rigid container 10 for a single wine box 1 comprises an enclosure substantially congruent to the outer dimensions of the wine box 1 and adapted to support and contain the wine box 1, the enclosure being provided with a first aperture through which the valve mechanism 5 of the wine box 1 can be deployed so as to permit operation of the valve mechanism when the wine box is located within the enclosure. The periphery of said first aperture at least in part engages with and supports the valve mechanism 5. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Container The present invention relates to a container, notably to a container for a wine box.

Wine and other beverages are often put up in sealed flexible walled containers which collapse as the beverage is dispensed. In this way the beverage can be stored under substantially anaerobic conditions to reduce oxidative degradation of the beverage. However, since the container is flexible and collapses as the beverage is dispensed, the container is housed within a cardboard or similar box or outer container. For convenience the term bag will be used herein to denote the flexible inner container; the term box will be used to denote the outer container which retains the bag; and the term wine box will be used herein to denote the overall assembly of the bag within the box.

In general, wine boxes are provided with a valved outlet to the bag, usually at one corner of a generally rectangular or square bag, which is located so that the outlet is located adjacent the base of the box when the bag is packed within the box. The wall of the box is provided with perforations in the area adjacent the outlet whereby part of the wall of the box can be removed to expose the outlet to permit the valve mechanism to be deployed through the resultant aperture for operation by a user. Typically, the perforations are such that a section of the box wall can be pivotted to enable the valve mechanism to be deployed, but can be restored to its original position so as to trap the valve mechanism in the deployed position.However, such a construction is often cumbersome in use and does not permit adequate access to the outlet where the packing of the bag within the box is not wholly accurate. Furthermore, the support provided to the valve mechanism by the entrapment by the pivotted section of the box wall is often inadequate and the valve flexes during operation leading to spillage of the beverage as it is dispensed. This problem is aggravated where mis-packaging of the bag has required the user to remove more than the intended amount of the box wall to achieve deployment of the valve mechanism.

I have now devised a form of container for a wine box which reduces the above problems.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a substantially rigid container for a single wine box, which container comprises an enclosure substantially congruent to the outer dimensions of the wine box and adapted to support and contain the wine box, the said enclosure being so formed that a wine box can be inserted into and removed from the enclosure, for example by having one wall thereof as an open wall or as a movable wall so as to provide a re-closable aperture through which the wine box can be inserted and removed from the enclosure, the enclosure also being provided with a first aperture through which the valve mechanism of the wine box can be deployed so as to permit operation of the valve mechanism when the wine box is located within the enclosure, the periphery of said first aperture being adapted at least in part to engage with and support the valve mechanism.

Preferably, the enclosure is of generally rectangular form with one wall, which can be a side, front or base wall, formed at least in part as a movable wall which can be either slid axially to be removed and provide a second aperture for the insertion and removal of the wine box. Alternatively, the enclosure can be formed as a hinged or pivotted construction so that the enclosure can be opened in a clam shell-like opening operation to expose the interior of the enclosure.

The enclosure is preferably made from a single skin of wood, plastics, metal or other material, but it is within the scope of the present invention for the walls of the enclosure to be made from a laminated or composite material. Thus, a wooden or plastics enclosure can be provided with an interior lining of a foamed plastics or other insulating material so that the enclosure also acts to maintain the temperature of the contents of the box.

Whilst the preferred shape of the enclosure is generally rectangular, it will be appreciated that the exterior of the enclosure may be of a more complex shape if desired for aesthetic reasons. The interior of the enclosure, however, is substantially congruent to the exterior of the wine box which it is to house. The term congruent is used herein to denote that the interior of the enclosure follows the shape of the wine box and is adapted to be in contact with the walls of the wine box, eg over at least 50% of the side walls, so as to provide support for the wine box. It is preferred that the enclosure support the base of the wine box and the side walls so that the trapping of the valve mechanism does not cause the weight of the wine box to be carried solely upon the valve mechanism.Since the dimensions of wine boxes may vary, it will usually be preferred to provide at least the base of the enclosure with a compressible interior surface or insert, eg of foamed plastics, or a sprung base to accommodate these variations.

As indicated below, the aperture through which the valve mechanism of the wine box is deployed has lips or the like which engage with and support the valve mechanism, typically the barrel or collar of the valve stem which protrudes through the wall of the wine box, so as to reduce flexing of the mechanism during use. This is convenientlt achieved by trapping the deployed valve mechanism in suitable registering cut-outs of opposed portions of the openable wall through which the wine box is inserted into and removed from the enclosure. Thus, with a clam shell type enclosure the contacting edges of the two parts of the shell are formed with registering slots, semi-circular recesses or the like which form the aperture to trap the valve when the enclosure is closed about the wine box.Alternatively, where a wall is formed as a sliding wall, the foot of the wall can be formed with a suitable slot or recess to trap the valve against the opposing portion of the enclosure as the wall is slid into position to close the enclosure. If desired, the opposing portion of the enclosure can have a co-operating recess therein to act as part of the lip of the aperture trapping the valve mechanism.

To aid understanding of the invention, it will be described in terms of the preferred forms thereof as shown in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic vertical section through one form of the enclosure; and Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view of an alternative form of the enclosure.

As shown in Fig. 1, a wine box 1 is mounted within an enclosure 10 of the invention. Typically, the wine box comprises a generally square shaped flexible bag 2, made for example from a plastics material, packaged within a generally rectangular cardboard box 3. The bag 2 is provided with an outlet 4, usually located adjacent one edge thereof, through which the contents of the bag can be dispensed via a valve 5. Typically, the valve is located terminally upon an outlet tube extending from the bag, and the valve is of the simple sprung obturator type in which the obturator is moved out of sealing engagement with a bore in the valve by depressing a stem which extends through a wall of the valve assembly and carries the obturator.

The bag is packed within the box so that the valve 5 lies adjacent one corner of the box. The wall 'of the box is provided with perforations at this point to permit a user of the wine box to remove part of the box wall to form an aperture 6 to expose the valve 5 which can then be pulled through the aperture to stand proud of the box wall as shown. Part of the wall, 7, can then be pushed back into piace so as to bear against the outlet 8 to the bag and trap the valve in the deployed position. The tube 8 often has one or more flanges 9 extending radially around it to provide a surface which bears against the wall of the box adjacent the aperture 6 so as to retain the valve in its deployed position.

The box is mounted within an enclosure 10.

This is typically of substantially the same size and shape as the outer surface of the box 1 so that it provides not only an enclosure but also a support for the somewhat flexible cardboard walls of the box. The enclosure can as indicated above, have an internal lining of a thermally insulating material so as to keep the contents of the box cool. Typically, the enclosure is made from wooden, plastics or metal sections secured to one another by any suitable means so that the enclosure can be constructed to simulate a wooden crate, a military chest etc. Alternatively, the enclosure can be moulded from a plastics material in the form of a barrel or other shape. In a typical construction, the enclosure is made from wooden panels carrying cross and longitudinal battens so as to simulate a wooden crate.

As stated above, the enclosure 10 is provided with means for gaining access to its interior so that a wine box can be inserted and removed from the enclosure. As shown in Fig. 1, this can be achieved by forming one of the walls of the enclosure (in this case the base) as an open face so that the box can be inserted through the base of the enclosure.

Alternatively, the enclosure can be formed with a removable wall so that the enclosure totally encloses the box, thus facilitating transport of the box within the enclosure and aiding support of the valve mechanism. Thus, a side wall 11 of the enclosure can be slideably journalled in grooves adjacent the edges of the co-operating front and rear walls of the enclosure so that it can be slid upwards to expose the interior of the enclosure. In an alternative form of construction shown in Fig. 2, the enclosure 10 can be formed in two sections pivotally or otherwise connected to one another so that the enclosure can be opened like a clam shell to expose its interior. Thus, the enclosure can be constructed in the form of a military chest with upper and lower halves 20 and 21 hinged together so that the chest opens to allow a wine box to be inserted into the chest.

Other forms of moveable wall can be used if desired. Thus, the sliding wall 11 can be in the form of a roller blind or the like or can be in the form of a series of bars to provide different decorative effects to the enclosure.

The enclosure is provided with an aperture in a wall thereof which registers with aperture 6 in the box so as to permit the valve 5 to be deployed through the wall of the enclosure so that it can be actuated and is trapped and supported by the lips of the aperture. As described above, this aperture is preferably formed between the co-operating portions of the enclosure at the moveable wall. Thus, the two halves of the aperture can be formed at the opposing edges of a clam shell type of enclosure as shown in Fig. 2 or at the foot of a sliding wall 11 as shown in Fig. 1.

In the preferred form shown in Fig. 1, the lips of a semicircular recess at the foot of wall 11 engage the flange 9 on the outlet tube 8 of the valve mechanism as the wall 11 is slid home to secure the wine box within the enclosure. The base of the enclosure is provided with an upstanding portion against which the wall 11 abuts and this portion has a semicircular recess registering with the recess at the foot of wall 11 to provide a circular aperture whose lips surround the outlet tube 8 of the valve mechanism and against which the flange 9 bears to secure and support the valve. If desired, the recess at the foot of the wall 11 can be in the form of an axially extending slot to accommodate variations in the position of the valve outlet tube 8.In this case the upstanding portion to the base of the enclosure may be omitted and/or the recess on that portion may be omitted and a bridging piece which fits into the foot of the slot below the outlet tube 8 can be provided to close the slot below the tube and support tube 8 around its circumference.

The enclosure of the invention provides support for the comparatively flexible cardboard walls of the wine box, and for the valve and outlet, thus reducing tilting of the valve during actuation thereof and so reducing spillage of the contents of the wine box. Where the bag is not correctly aligned within the box during packing, the wall of the box can be extensively removed to gain access to the valve mechanism without detriment, since the valve is supported by the lips of the aperture in the enclosure rather than by the wall of the box.

The enclosure also can be used to provide thermal insulation around the wine box making it possible to serve a cooled beverage over prolonged periods without the need to keep the wine box in a refrigerator.

Although the invention has been described above in terms of an enclosure which wholly encloses the wine box, it will be appreciated that the enclosure need not be a solid walled construction. Thus, it may be appropriate in some cases to form the enclosure with further apertures therein to permit the nature of the contents to be ascertained and/or to expose the decorative finish often applied by the manufacturers of the wine box to be visible.

In an extreme case, the enclosure can take the form of a framework encompassing the wine box so that the majority of the decorative features and the label on the box remain visible, the framework providing support at key areas of the box and being provided with the means to support the valve mechanism.

Thus, the framework can support the corners of the wine box and have members, eg X frames or one or more cross members, which support the side and bottom walls of the box against outward bowing, the access aperture being provided by removing one side of the framework. The valve mechanism is trapped a similar manner to that shown in Fig. 1.

The term enclosure is therefore used herein and in the claims to denote a structure which encompasses the wine box and is not limited to a solid walled construction.

Claims

1. A substantially rigid container for a single wine box as hereinbefore defined, which container comprises an enclosure substantially congruent to the outer dimensions of the wine box and adapted to support and contain the wine box, the said enclosure being so formed that a wine box can be inserted into and removed from the enclosure, the enclosure also being provided with a first aperture through which the valve mechanism of the wine box can be deployed so as to permit operation of the valve mechanism when the wine box is located within the enclosure, the periphery of said first aperture being adapted at least in part to engage with and support the valve mechanism.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1 wherein one wall of the enclosure is an open wall so as to provide a second aperture through which a wine box can be inserted into and removed from the enclosure.

3. A container as claimed in claim 1 wherein one wall of the enclosure is provided as a movable wall so as to provide a recloseable second aperture through which a wine box can be inserted into and removed from the enclosure.

4. A container as claimed in claim 3 wherein the enclosure is formed with a hinged or pivotting construction so that it can be opened to provide the said second aperture.

5. A container as claimed in claim 3 wherein one wall is formed at least in part as a moveable wall which can be moved linearly to provide the said second aperture in the enclosure.

6. A container as claimed in claim 3 wherein the said first aperture through which the valve mechanism can be deployed is located at or adjacent the periphery of the moveable wall.

7. A container as claimed in claim 6 wherein the said first aperture is provided by co-operating recesses which register with one another at the junction of the moveable wall of the enclosure and the opposing portion of the enclosure wall.

8. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said first aperture is provided at least in part by a slot or elongated aperture into which the valve mechanism engages as the wine box is located within the enclosure.

9. A container as claimed in claim 8 wherein means are provided for closing the open end of the slot to provide further support for the valve mechanism.

10. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the interior surface of the enclosure is provide with a thermally insulating and/or resilient material.

11. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the walls of the enclosure are provided by an open framework whereby the exterior of the wine box within the enclosure is visible.

12. A container according to claim 1 substantially as hereinbefore described.

13. A container substantially as hereinbefore described with respect to and as shown in either of the accompanying drawings.

14. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims enclosing a wine box with the valve mechanism of the wine box deployed through said first aperture and supported and secured by the periphery of said aperture.

15. A container as claimed in claim 14 wherein said aperture supports the valve mechanism around substantially all its circumference where it passes through the enclosure wall.