GB2182914A - Ingredient packaging and dispensing - Google Patents

Abstract

A vending machine has a dispense nozzle connected to a hopper (1) adapted to be supplied with dehydrated ingredient from a cardboard container. The hopper (1) has a square or rectangular upper end, including projections (5) to receive the opened end of the container. The end closure of the container has a central portion which can be torn out to leave particularly short flaps (14, 15). The container is fitted into the hopper (1) and is retained by the projections (5). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Ingredient packaging and dispensing This invention relates to the vending or dispensing of beverages by means of machines which, at the time a beverage is dispensed, deliver a quantity of dehydrated ingredient into a cup, which also receives water to reconstitute the beverage.

The invention is particularly appiicableto (but is not necessarily limited to) machines in which a cup is placed by hand undera dispensing nozzlefor dehydrated ingredient, possibly underfurther nozzles for additives such as whitener and sugar, and under a water outlet. Such machines are frequently used in offices and otherworkplaces.

They may vend the beverage by a coin-feed mechanism, or be freed with a token which is not money, or dispense without any coin or token (so-called "free vend" machines). The term "vending machine" is used herein to denote all machines which dispense dehydrated ingredient on demand, as a stage in dispensing a liquid beverage, regardless ofwhetherthe operation requires payment by insertion of a coin ortoken, or not.

Such vending machines frequently have a plurality of dispensing nozzles for dispensing dehydrated ingredients, and one such nozzle isthesubjectofour UK Patent 2063218. The nozzle incorporates a closure which can be opened temporarily (in the course of operation of the vending machine) to dispense a quantity of dehydrated ingredient.

For vending machines of the type where an empty cup is placed by hand undera dispense nozzle, it isat present customary for dehydrated ingredients to be supplied in plastic bottles. These are attached by a screwthread atthe bottle necktothe upper end of a dispensing nozzle. The dehydrated ingredients are then delivered directly to the nozzle from the plastic bottle. The bottle progressively empties through the nozzle as drinks are vended. To fitthe bottle it is normal forthe nozzle to be taken out ofthe vending machine and fitted on the bottle in place of a screw cap, after which the bottle and fitted nozzle are inverted and placed in the vending machine.

Broadly, in this invention, we have appreciated that dehydrated ingredients could be supplied in boxes, typically of so-called cardboard, and delivered to a nozzle out of such boxes, so that the box progressively empties as drinks are dispensed.

We also provide means to accomplish this.

According to a first aspect ofthis invention,there is provided a vending machine nozzle having upon its upper end a hopper having a rectangular or square upper opening, an upper portion of said hopper comprising upright walls around said upper opening so asto receive the open end of an upturned box containing granular or powdered ingredients for beverages.

in orderto maintain such a box in position it is preferredthattheuprightwallsofthehopperhavea depth of at least 1 cm. Preferably at least one upright wall has on its inner surface an inwardly directed formation forthe purpose of engaging the sidesof the box.

The invention also includes apparatusforthe preparation of beverages from granular or powdered ingredients, the apparatus including a plurality of nozzles and associated boxes as described above.

It is theoretically possible for various box constructions of suitable size to be used in conjunction with the above hopper, provided that the box has an end closure which does not prevent adequate discharge ofthe beverage ingredients from within the box when it is engaged with the hopper. However, a box with a preferred and novel end closure provides a further aspect of the invention.This comprises a containerforthe storage of granularor powdered dehydrated beverage ingredientsforvending machines, in the form ofa boxoffoldable board material and which is of square or rectangular section so as to have four side faces and two opposite end faces, one of said end faces being openableto give an opening bounded on at least two sides by flaps extending from the edges of the side faces of the box, said flaps terminating at, or having tear lines or perforations at, such a distance from the respective edges of the box that the flaps (having been torn, cutor bent backalong anytear lines or perforations) extend from the respective side walls to which they are attached by not more than one quarter of the minorwidth ofthe box end (orthe width of a square end).

Preferably each such flap extends from its respective side wall by not more than 20% of this width, and they may well extend less, e.g. by not more than 10% or 15%. In consequence of this arrangement, the flaps can beallowed to extend partly across the open end of a box upturned in a hopper without blocking it.

Preferably the box also contains an inner lining of a flexible material which may be sealed to form an airtight enclosure around the beverage ingredients.

Carton-typeboxeswith an inner lining arewell known. The box of the present invention is novel because of the small extent two which the flaps at its open end coverthe opening.

One preferred embodiment of the invention and its operation will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure lisa perspective view of a hopper at the top of a vending machine nozzle; Figure 2 is a vertical section along the line Il-Il of Figure 1; Figures 3 to 6 are perspective views of the operable end face of a box embodying an aspectof the invention, at different stages of its preparation for fitting to a hopper; Figure 7 is a vertical section of a hopper engaging an upturned box; the section is on the line Il-Il of Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown a hopper 1 mounted upon the upper end of a nozzle 2. The hopper has inclined walls 3 and an upper portion comprising vertical walls 4. Inwardly directed formations 5 are present on all fourwalls 4. Vending machines are commonly constructed with a plurality of holes into which dispensing nozzles are dropped, and a support surface surrounding each hole on which a projection from the nozzle rests. Our aforementioned UK Patent 2063218 shows a radially extending flange on an adaptor (numbered 12 therein) attached to the nozzle, which flange rests upon asaidsupportsurfaceandthussupportsthe nozzle in the vending machine. In the present invention, projections 6 from the hopper perform the same function.

Figure 2 shows the features of Figure 1 in cross-section. In this particular embodiment, the hopper is secured to the nozzle 2 byscrewthreads.

Figure 3 showsthe openable end face 8 of a preferred embodiment of the box. In Figure 3 the box is notyetopen.This endface8 is formed bythe overlap oftwo flaps extending from the edges 9 of the longer side faces ofthe box, the flaps being glued together attheir overlap. The upper flap extends two the edge 10; the extent ofthe underneath flap is indicated by the dotted line 11. Each flap has a line of discrete cuts extending along its entire length parallel to the edges 9. These cuts form two tear lines 12 positioned outwardly ofthe overlapping central portion, such thatthis central portion may be ripped out.Two additional flaps 15 extend inwardly from the edges 13 ofthe shorter side faces ofthe box, and are positioned underneath the end face 8; they are notvisible in Figure 3.

The box is opened by ripping out the central portion of the end face 8to leave the box as shown in Figure 4. Ripping out the central portion leaves two shortened flaps 14 extending from each ofthe edges 9 in addition to the aforementioned flaps 15 which are nowvisible. The boxcontainswithin tan inner paper-dry lining which is hermetically sealed to form a bag 16 which encloses the dehydrated beverage ingredients. Figure 4 illustrates the degree to which theflaps cover the opening when they extend over it.

All theflaps 14,15 extend the same distance from the respective side walls to which they are attached.

Theirflap width x is lessthan one quarter of the minor width W. This is a significant distinction from known boxes of this construction, in which the flaps equivalent to flaps 15 are longer.

The top ofthe internal bag 16may be pulled up as in Figure 5. The top portion ofthe bag is next cut off as in Figure 16, thus exposing the enclosed beverage ingredients (not shown). The box is now ready for use in a vending machine.

A nozzle with attached hopper is removed from its position in the vending machine, inverted, and placed over the upright box so that the inward formations 5 in the hopper engage the sides ofthe box. The whole assembly nozzle, hopper and box is then inverted so that the box is upside down (Figure 7), and placed in position in the vending machine.

Figure 7 ill ustrates how the inwa rdly directed formations 5 engage the sides ofthe box beyond the hinge lines 9,13, securing the boxmorefirmly in the hopper. When the box is empty, and ultimately detached from the hopper, these inward formations are likely to damage the box end as it is removed.

Sincethe box is specifically intendedfor use once - only, this is not adisadvantage, and may actually be advantageous in preventing the unhygienic re-use of the box.

When the assembly of box, hopper and nozzle is in the vending machine, the powdered beverage ingredients flow by gravity into the hopper, and hence to the nozzle top, in the same fashion as ingredients supplied in a conventional screwtop bottle flow to the nozzle top. The hopper acts to funnel the powder to its bottom outlet. The flaps 14, 15 need to be relatively short so that instead of hindering theflow of powder as largerflaps would do, they contribute to the fu n ne I I i ng effect, as shown by Figure 7.

It should be appreciated that the hopper does not need to be large enough to receive the entire contents ofthe box. Indeed it is preferable not to use so large a hopper. Then, when a full box is fitted to an empty hopper and nozzle and the resulting assembly inverted, part only of the box contents drops straightaway into the hopper, filling itto the level of the box. The remainder ofthe box contents is left in the box, and is progressively delivered to the hopper as drink ingredients are delivered through the nozzle.

A partly empty box should not of course be removed. In orderto allowsomeoneto checkthe fullness or otherwise of a partly used box, the box may have one or more small perforationsthrough which a small area ofthe liner is visible, hence allowing ingredients to be seen through the paper line, ifthe box is still full up to the level ofthe perforation concerned.

Claims (12)

1. Avending machine nozzle having upon its upper end a hopper having a rectangularorsquare upper opening, an upper portion of said hopper comprising uprightwalls around said upper opening so as to receive the open end of an upturned box containing granular or powdered ingredients for beverages.

2. A nozzle according to claim 1 wherein the upright walls ofthe hopper have a depth of at least 1 cm.

3. A nozzle according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein at least one of the upright walls has on its inner surface an inwardly projecting formation for the purpose of engaging the sides of a said box received in the said open end.

4. A nozzle substantially as herein described and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

5. Avending machine as herein defined, including a plurality nozzles according to anyone of claims 1 to 4.

6. Acontainerforthestorageofgranularor powdered dehydrated beverage ingredients for vending machines, in the form of a box offoldable board material and which is of square or rectangular section so as to have four side faces and two opposite end faces, one of said end faces being openable to give an opening bounded on at leasttwo sides by flaps extending from the edges of the side faces ofthe box, said flaps terminating at, or having tear lines or perforations at, a distance from the respective edges at which they are attached, which distance is not more than one quarter of the minor width of the box end.

7. A container according to claim 6 wherein the distance which each such flap extends from the edge of a respective side face of the box is not more than 20% ofthe minorwidth ofthe box end.

8. Acontainer according to claim 6 orclaim 7 wherein the box contains an inner lining offlexible material, sealable to enclose the beverage ingredients.

9. A container according to claim 8 wherein the box includes at least one aperture permitting inspection ofan area of the liner.

10. Acontaineraccording to anyone of claims 6 to 9, enclosing dehydrated drink ingredient, wherein two said flaps extend from two opposite side faces of the boxto respective tear lines or perforations and respective portions beyond said perforations, which portions overlap are joined together to close the box and are removable as one piece by tearing along the tear lines or perforations.

11. Acontainerforthestorageofgranularor powdered dehydrated beverage ingredients, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

12. Avending machine as herein define including a plurality of nozzles according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which are each fitted with an opened container according to any one of claims 6to 11.