GB2285792A

GB2285792A - Beverage container with insert

Info

Publication number: GB2285792A
Application number: GB9501023A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Erich Sillince; Erwin Anton Rosens
Original assignee: Whitbread PLC; Whitbread and Co Ltd; Heineken Technical Services BV
Current assignee: Whitbread PLC; Whitbread and Co Ltd; Heineken Technical Services BV
Priority date: 1994-01-21
Filing date: 1995-01-19
Publication date: 1995-07-26
Also published as: GB9501023D0

Abstract

A cylindrical hollow insert 1 containing a fluid under pressure floats on a beverage in a container, e.g. a bottle, with its longitudinal axis parallel to the surface (figure 2), and is arranged to jet the fluid into the beverage through a restricted orifice 4 when the container is opened and pressure changes take place, causing shear and leading to a good head being formed. The diameter of the insert is preferably slightly smaller than the container opening and the insert may have a deformable portion to allow easy insertion into the container. A weighted wall portion 5 preferably surrounds the orifice which may be in the form of a duckbill valve, the weighted portion orientating the insert. A second duckbill valve 3 or a gas permeable membrane may allow gas from the container headspace to enter the insert, or the insert may be pre-charged and have a closure which permanently opens on the occurance of high pressure or temperature, e.g. during pasteurisation. The bottle and insert are preferably formed of the same plastics material for recycling purposes. <IMAGE>

Description

BEVERAGE CONTAINER This invention relates to a beverage container for a carbonated beverage which enables a close-knit creamy head to be formed on the beverage as it is dispensed so that it has an appearance similar to that of a beverage dispensed from draught.

Such an appearance can be achieved by causing shear of the beverage. This encourages the liberation of small bubbles from the beverage and these gradually separate out to form the close-knit creamy head. It is well known that shear of the beverage can be caused by jetting fluid into the beverage in the container.

Various methods have been disclosed for jetting fluid into a beverage in a container upon opening of the container to cause shear of the beverage.

Our earlier specification WO-A-91/07326 discloses a container with a hollow insert which includes a means responsive to the opening of the container to provide communication between the inside of the insert and the beverage in the body of the container. Gas in the insert is jetted into the beverage in the container when there is communication between the inside of the insert and the container.

There are a number of examples of inserts which are disclosed in our earlier specification. Most of these are designed for cans, and have a bucket shaped portion having a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the can.

The insert is generally secured near the bottom of the can, although there is one example in which the insert floats on the surface of the beverage. The internal volume of these inserts is between 5 and 20ml.

To include an insert of the type described in our earlier specification in a can, the bottom and side wall of the can is first formed, leaving the whole of the top of the can open. The insert is introduced through the open top, and fixed in place in the can if required. The can is then filled with beverage, and an end including a dispensing feature such as a ring pull or stay on tab is sealed to the open end of the can. It is difficult to include such an insert in a container such as a bottle in which the container is moulded in one piece with only a small dispensing aperture. Accordingly, bottles including inserts have not been commercialized.

It is also well known to jet either liquid, or a combination of gas and a liquid into the beverage to cause the required shear.

According to the present invention, a container comprises a primary chamber including a beverage, and a separate hollow insert containing a fluid under pressure, which is arranged to jet into the beverage, in which the insert has a generally cylindrical shape, wherein the insert is arranged to float on the beverage with its longitudinal axis generally parallel to the surface of the beverage.

The use of an insert of this shape is advantageous when the container is a bottle or other container having a small aperture through which the insert must be introduced into the container. In this case, the insert preferably has a diameter slightly smaller than the neck of the bottle, and a length larger than its diameter. In this way, the insert may pass into the bottle, yet have a large internal volume which is required to contain enough fluid to give the required appearance to beverage dispensed from the container.

By arranging the insert so that it floats with its longitudinal axis generally parallel to the surface of the beverage, the insert is easily able to rotate around its longitudinal axis. The insert may include an orifice or other means through which the fluid is jetted, and in this case it is advantageous to include an orientating means in the form of a weight near the jetting means. As the insert is easily able to rotate around its longitudinal axis, the weight ensures that the jetting means remains below the surface of the beverage.

Preferably the insert includes at least one one-way valve through which fluid is jetted into the beverage. In this case, the fluid is preferably jetted into the beverage upon opening of the container, in which case the pressure in the insert exceeds the pressure in primary chamber of the container. Alternatively, the insert may include a permanently open orifice through which the fluid is jetted.

In either case, the insert advantageously includes a oneway valve arranged to allow gas from the headspace to enter the insert to increase the internal pressure. Alternatively, the insert may be precharged, or may include a gas permeable membrane through which gas from the headspace or from the carbonated beverage enters the insert.

It is preferred that the insert has a low buoyancy so that when it floats on the beverage, the height of the insert above the beverage is small, and accordingly the insert can be accommodated in a normal headspace, without requiring enlargement of the can. By having an insert which floats with its longitudinal axis generally parallel to the surface of the beverage, the freeboard is much larger than is the case for an insert floating with its longitudinal axis generally perpendicular to the surface of the beverage. This is advantageous as it ensures that the one-way valve arranged to allow gas to enter the insert from the headspace is well above the height of the beverage. This is of benefit for any type of container.

The insert may be made from plastics, although for ease of re-cycling, the insert is preferably of the same material as the container.

When the insert is introduced into the container through the dispensing aperture of the container, it is preferable that the insert includes a deformable portion so that the insert may easily be deformed to allow it to pass through the aperture of the container, but after insertion it returns to its normal shape in which case it is too large to pass through the aperture when the contents of the container are dispensed.

Particular examples of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows an example of an insert according to the present invention; and, Figure 2 shows the insert of Figure 1 included in a bottle.

Figure 1 shows an example of an insert 1 according to the present invention. The insert 1 is generally cylindrical having circular end walls 6 when viewed axially, and a curved side wall 7. Two one-way duckbill valves 3, 4 are mounted on opposite sides of the side wall 7. The insert 1 contains a weighted portion 5, made by forming the lower part of the insert 1 with a thicker portion. This ensures that when the insert 1 is arranged to float on the surface of a beverage in a container, the insert 1 floats in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis passing through the centre of the end walls 6, with the first duckbill valve 3 above the surface of the beverage, and the second one-way duckbill valve 4 below the surface of the beverage.In use, when the insert 1 is in a container including a carbonated beverage, gas from the headspace above the beverage enters the insert 1 via the first one-way duckbill valve 3, and is subsequently jetted into the beverage via the second oneway duckbill valve 4 upon opening the container.

Figure 2 shows the insert 1 of Figure 1 included in a bottle 10 with carbonated beverage 11. In this case, the insert 1 floats on the surface of the beverage with the first one-way valve 3 in the headspace and the second oneway valve 4 below the surface of the beverage 11.

Where the insert 1 is included in a container for a carbonated beverage to produce a draught like appearance in the beverage when dispensed, other arrangements may be provided for introducing pressurised fluid into the insert 1, for example by pre-charging before the insert 1 is introduced into the container, and by which the inside of the insert 1 is arranged to communicate with the beverage upon opening the container. This may include a closure which is arranged to be permanently opened by a high temperature or pressure, for example a temperature or pressure obtained during pasteurisation.

The diameter of the insert is slightly smaller than the opening of the container through which it is inserted.

The length of the insert is determined so that the internal volume of the insert is able to contain the volume of pressurised fluid required to create the required amount of shear in the beverage. This volume must not be too small otherwise insufficient shear will be generated, but must not be too large otherwise too much shear will be generated and the beverage will overfoam.

The insert is inserted into the container by pushing it through an aperture in the container, for example through the neck of a bottle. When in the container, and the container is filled with beverage, the insert will float on the surface of the beverage.

Where the bottle is made from a plastics material, the insert is made from the same plastics material. This means that there is no need to separate the insert.from the bottle as the combined bottle and insert can be recycled together.

Claims

1. A container comprising a primary chamber including a beverage, and a separate hollow insert containing a fluid under pressure, which is arranged to jet into the beverage, in which the insert has a generally cylindrical shape, wherein the insert is arranged to float, on the beverage with its longitudinal axis generally parallel to the surface of the beverage.

2. A container according to claim 1, in which the insert is arranged to be introduced into the container through a dispensing aperture of the container.

3. A container according to claim 2, in which the insert has a diameter slightly smaller than the aperture through which it is arranged to be inserted, and a length larger than its diameter.

4. A container according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the insert further includes a jetting means through which the fluid is jetted, and a weight near the jetting means, the weight being arranged to ensure that the jetting means remains below the surface of the beverage.

5. A container according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the insert includes a one-way valve through which fluid is jetted into the beverage.

6. A container according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the insert includes a one-way valve arranged to allow gas from the headspace to enter the insert.

7. A container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in which the insert includes a gas permeable membrane arranged to allow gas from the headspace or from a carbonated beverage contained in the primary chamber to enter the insert.

8. A container according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the insert is manufactured from the same material as the rest of the container.

9. A container according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the insert includes a deformable portion so that the insert may easily be deformed to allow it to pass through an aperture of the container, and arranged so that it returns to its normal state after passing into the container so that it is too large to pass through the aperture when the contents of the container are dispensed.

10. A container substantially as shown in or described with respect to either of the accompanying drawings.