GB2310651A

GB2310651A - Aseptic packaging system and flexible bag therefor

Info

Publication number: GB2310651A
Application number: GB9604373A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dykhuizen Ron Van
Original assignee: Rexam Packaging Ltd
Current assignee: SCA Packaging Britain Ltd
Priority date: 1996-02-29
Filing date: 1996-02-29
Publication date: 1997-09-03
Anticipated expiration: 2016-02-29
Also published as: GB2310651B; DE29703575U1; GB9604373D0

Abstract

A flexible bag for storing and dispensing large volumes of liquid is formed of two superimposed layers of flexible sheet material (3) connected to each other around their peripheries, one end of a flexible filling tube (9) extending outwardly from one layer of the bag and having a filling spout (15) closed by a cap at or adjacent its opposite end. The bag is also provided with a closed discharge spout (7). The bag can be filled aseptically on known aseptic filling machines, and for filling, the bag is located in a rectangular restraining container with its discharge spout (7) located in a discharge aperture of the container. The filling machine removes the filling spout cap, fills the bag which expands to fill the container, and replaces the cap. The filling tube (9) is then disposed on top of the filled bag and a lid placed on the container.

Description

ASEPTIC PACKAGING SYSTEM AND FLEXIBLE BAG THEREFOR The present invention relates to a flexible bag for storing and dispensing large volumes of liquid and to a method or system of packaging large volumes of liquid aseptically.

Bags for packaging large volumes of liquid in rigid outer containers or bodies are well known, as are methods of packaging large volumes of liquid, and one of the well known products comprises a cubic bag made of synthetic resinous sheet material which is located in a rectangular outer container to confine the bag and protect it during transport and storage. Such containers are known as intermediate bulk containers and one such system is known as the POLYBULK packaging system. Normally, the rigid outer container is formed of a multiply corrugated board material formed into a rectangular or square box supported on a pallet, the box containing the cubic bag which is made up from many different sheets of polymeric material and provided with a discharge spout in a lower part of one end wall and a filling tube in a central region of a top wall thereof, the filling tube being heat sealed into the top wall of the bag in the location of a central seal therein and having at its distal end a filling spout. Such a packaging system can be filled with liquids aseptically, but it suffers from the major disadvantage that the cubic bag is very expensive to manufacture. The savings in cost brought about by being able to package large volumes of liquid in such a packaging system are to a great extent lost by virtue of the cost of the bag.

Less expensive flexible bags for packaging large volumes of liquids in rigid or semi-rigid outer containers are also known, these less expensive bags being lay-flat bags fitted with discharge outlets and short stiff polyethylene filling tubes in an upper wall thereof, Unfortunately, due to such bags only being provided with short stiff polyethylene filling tube, it is only possible to fill such bags aseptically with specific large bag aseptic filling machinery. This is because standard filling machinery is not adjustable in height to enable a filling spout on the distal end of the stiff polyethylene filling tube to be connected to the bag when the latter is empty and remain connected to the bag when the bag is full. In this respect, it will be appreciated that when such bags are used for volumes of liquid ranging from about 200 to about 1000 litres, the top of the lay-flat bag could move upwardly during the filling operation through a distance of approximately one metre.

For some considerable time now there has been a requirement for companies packaging large volumes of liquid using large bag-in-box or POLYBULK packaging systems, to be able to fill the packaging systems aseptically using standard filling machinery. This requirement exists in the fruit juice, jam pulp, and other liquid packaging industries, and the present invention provides a solution to the problem.

According to one aspect of the invention, we provide a flexible bag for storing and dispensing large volumes of liquid, the bag, when empty, being formed of two superimposed layers of flexible sheet material connected to each other around their peripheries, one end of a flexible filling tube extending outwardly from one layer of the bag and having a filling spout closed by a cap at or adjacent its opposite end, and wherein the bag is provided with a closed discharge spout. The bag is preferably adapted to be filled aseptically on known aseptic filling machines, the bag being located in a rectangular restraining container for filling, and the discharge spout being located in a discharge aperture in the container for discharging the liquid from the bag.

Preferably, the two superimposed layers are formed from two separate rectangular sheets of polymeric material, which are heat sealed together along all four edge regions.

Preferably, the filling tube is heat sealed to a central opening in an upper one of the sheets, and the discharge spout is located in the lower one of said sheets, centrally towards one of the shorter sides thereof.

Also according to the present invention, we provide a method of packaging a large volume of liquid comprising locating a flexible bag in a four-sided container so as to confine the bag, the bag being formed of two superimposed rectangular sheets of flexible polymeric material connected to each other around their peripheries, with one of the sheets resting on the base of the container, locating a discharge spout formed in said one sheet in a discharge aperture in one of the side walls of the container at a low level therein and securing it in position, locating the container and bag in the vicinity of an aseptic bag filling machine, taking a spout on the free end of a filling tube extending outwardly from a central region of an upper one of said sheets and connecting it to said filling machine, causing said filling machine (a) to remove a closure cap from said filling spout, (b) to fill the bag through the tube with liquid, while allowing the bag to expand and fill the container, and (c) replacing the cap on the spout when the bag is full, all under aseptic conditions, disconnecting the spout and tube from the filling machine, and placing the filling tube on top of the filled bag in the container, and subsequently closing the top or the container.

A flexible bag for storing and dispensing large volumes of liquid and a method of packaging large volumes of liquid aseptically are now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the bag; and FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a bag-in-box being filled aseptically.

Referring first to Figure 1, the bag according to the present invention is of the sachet type and is made from a first upper rectangular sheet of flexible polymeric material 3 superimposed over an identical lower sheet (not shown), the two sheets being secured together along each of their four side edges by seals 5 which are formed in known manner, e.g. by heat sealing. In the lower sheet of the bag a discharge spout 7 of known construction is heat sealed into the material of the bag, the discharge spout being located towards one end of the bag. A filling tube 9 is also heat sealed to a central region of the upper sheet 3 of the bag at 11, the filling tube 9 being formed of the same flexible material as that of the two walls of the bag and being closed at its distal end by a closure seal 13. Adjacent the distal end of the tube 9, a filling spout 15 is provided, the filling spout being fitted with a closure cap (not illustrated) in the normal manner.

The above described bag, which is generally known as a sachet bag, can be manufactured simply and cheaply and can be evacuated and then treated in known manner so as to be totally aseptic, this treatment normally occurring after the bag has been evacuated and sealed with the closure cap on the filling spout 15. Such bags can then be packaged and stored aseptically in bulk.

In order to use the bags for the bulk packaging of liquids, they are used with a rectangular container such as that shown in Figure 2. The container shown in Figure 2 comprises a rectangular box 21 formed in known manner from multiply corrugated sheet material which is supported on a pallet 23 within a rectangular cage or framework 25 which may either be part of or be attached to the top of the pallet 23. Other similar constructions of rigid outer container could alternatively be used. An empty sachet bag of Figure 1 would be placed within the bottom of the box 21 and its discharge spout 7 would be manipulated in known manner and connected to a discharge opening 27 in known manner. The pallet with the bag therein would then be taken to the vicinity of an aseptic filling machine 29 and the distal end of the filling tube 9 would then be offered up to a discharge outlet 31 of the filling machine in known manner, and attached thereto in known manner. Normally, all these operations would be carried out under aseptic conditions and if necessary, if there was a risk of the distal end of the tube 9 having been contaminated, it would then be subjected to an aseptic spray or the like. The filling machine 29 would then take over and automatically remove the cap rom the filling spout 15, connect the spout 15 to the discharge opening 31 and cause the bag to be filled, thereby largely completely filling the box 21. Once the bag was filled with the required volume of liquid, the filling machine 29 would then automatically cut off the supply of liquid, replace the cap on the filling spout 15 after disconnecting the same from the opening 31 and release the tube 9, all these operations occurring under aseptic conditions.

Because of the flexible nature of the tube 9 the bulk container can be filled aseptically. For transport and storage purposes a lid of known construction would then be placed over the filled bag within the box 21 and held in position in known manner.

It will of course be understood that the present invention has been described above purely by way of example, and modifications of detail can be made within the scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. Flexible bag for storing and dispensing large volumes of liquid, the bag, when empty, being formed of two superimposed layers of flexible sheet material connected to each other around their peripheries, one end of a flexible filling tube extending outwardly from one layer of the bag and having a filling spout closed by a cap at or adjacent its opposite end, and wherein the bag is provided with a closed discharge spout.
2. A flexible bag according to claim 1 in combination with a rectangular restraining container in which the bag is located for filling, and wherein the discharge spout is located in a discharge aperture in the container for discharging the liquid from the bag.
3. A flexible bag according to claim 2 or 2, wherein the two superimposed layers are formed from two separate rectangular sheets of polymeric material, which are heat sealed together along all four edge regions.
4. A flexible bag according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the filling tube is heat sealed to a central opening in an upper one of the sheets.
5. A flexible bag according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the discharge spout is located in the lower one of said sheets, centrally towards one of the shorter sides thereof.
6. A flexible bag, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
7. A method of packaging a large volume of liquid comprising locating a flexible bag in a four-sided container so as to confine the bag, the bag being formed of two superimposed rectangular sheets of flexible polymeric material connected to each other around their peripheries, with one of the sheets resting on the base of the container, locating a discharge spout formed in said one sheet in a discharge aperture in one of the side walls of the container at a low level therein and securing it in position, locating the container and bag in the vicinity of an aseptic bag filling machine, taking a spout on the free end of a filling tube extending outwardly from a central region of an upper one of said sheets and connecting it to said filling machine, causing said filling machine (a) to remove a closure cap from said filling spout, (b) to fill the bag through the tube with liquid, while allowing the bag to expand and fill the container, and (c) replacing the cap on the spout when the bag is full, all under aseptic conditions, disconnecting the spout and tube from the filling machine, and placing the filling tube on top of the filled bag in the container, and subsequently closing the top of the container.
8. A method according to claim 7 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.