GB2327932A

GB2327932A - Non-return outlet fitment for containers

Info

Publication number: GB2327932A
Application number: GB9716201A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Charles Logue
Original assignee: GR Advanced Materials Ltd
Current assignee: GR Advanced Materials Ltd
Priority date: 1997-07-31
Filing date: 1997-07-31
Publication date: 1999-02-10
Also published as: GB9716201D0

Abstract

A fitment for an outlet of a container 1 comprises a two part valve body 9,1 with a captive valve member 6. It acts as a non-return valve allowing the fluid in the container to egress via the threaded portion 4 while preventing ingress of any other material. The valve body has stops 10 to retain the valve member when in the open position. The valve member can be biassed to a conical seat 8 by a spring. A recess 12 acts as a line of weakness which if broken shows tampering. The valve member may be conical (Figure 4), pyramidal or spherical shaped and of a harder material than the valve body also to prevent tampering. It can rotate in its seat to preclude tampering and have a stabilising stub (13). The fitment can be attached to a collapsible container (2, Figure 1) and have a dip tube (3). The container can be filled when only one part 9 of the valve body is attached to it and the valve member 6 and second part 7 of the body are added after filling.

Description

OUTLET FOR A CONTAINER The present invention relates to an outlet for a container, and in particular to a container which will allow discharge of liquid contents from within the container which will not permit introduction of liquid from outside.

There are various applications in which it is desirable for a container1 when closed, to allow liquids to be dispensed but nevertheless to prevent ingress of liquid, for example, a pollutant, into the assembled container. Another possible application for such a container is where liquid of a particular grade is supplied as contents for the container, and it should be guaranteed to the user of those contents that the correct liquid is present in the device. If refilling is possible without impedance, the original liquid may be replaced by another and the user is left with uncertainty as to the quality of the contents.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a fitment for an outlet from a container, comprising a body defining a passage between a first end and a second end of the body for discharge of material through said body from said first end towards said second end, and a non-return valve preventing passage of fluid from said second end towards said first end, wherein said one-way valve includes a valve member movable axially within a part of said passage, and wherein between said valve member and each of said second end of the body, the passage has a minimum cross-section dimension which is smaller than a corresponding cross-section of the valve body.

A second aspect of the present invention provides a container including the fitment of the first aspect attached as exit from that container with said first end of said body nearer the interior of the container and said second end of the body further from the interior of the container.

A third aspect of the invention provides a method of filling the container of the second aspect comprising attaching said first part to a closed, completed container, filling said container through said first part, and then connecting together said first part and said second part of the fitment body with said valve member trapped therebetween.

In order that the present invention may more readily be understood, the following description is given, merely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic view of a liquid-containing bag having an outlet fitment in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a detail of the outlet throat of the outlet fitment of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a front elevation viewed from the left hand side of Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a detail of an alternative form of valve member (illustrating two possible faces for the valve member).

As shown in Figure 1, the outlet fitment 1 constitutes a discharge spout for a plastic bag 2 which is chosen as one form of a preferably collapsible container. If desired the spout may include a dip tube extending down into the bag, in order to permit the upright bag to be used so that liquid can be sucked from the very bottom part of the bag. This optional dip tube is shown in broken lines at 3.

Figure 2 shows that the inlet fitment 1 has a threaded outer end portion 4 of internal diameter 1, communicating with a valve chamber 5.

Figure 2 does not illustrate the means by which the fitment is attached to the bag, but this will normally be by way of welding the margin to the bag to and around a cylindrical portion 9 of the fitment, to which portion 9 the optional dip tube 3 may be attached.

As indicated in Figure 2, there is in the chamber 5 a valve member, in this case in the form of a ball 6 having a diameter gf2 which is greater than the internal diameter p1 of the bore in the thread outlet portion 4. The thread root of that portion 4, defining the external diameter of outlet portion 4, has a diameter 3 which is not substantially greater than the diameter 02 of the valve member 6 and is preferably equal to or less than that diameter 2.

The valve member, in this case ball 6, is rotatable about the axis of the fitment 1 so that any attempt to drill out the valve member will simply entrain the valve member for such rotation and the drill bit will not be able to exert any purchase on the valve member. The rounded shape of the ball helps to resist such drilling by deflecting the drill bit off-centre with respect to the ball.

Finally, in this case, the outlet bore of the portion 7 of the fitment has a lead-in chamfer 4a of part-toric shape having a maximum diameter 4 (which is smaller than either of p2 and 3), and as minimum diameter the internal diameter 01 of the portion 4. This part-toric surface 4a seals against a nozzle of equipment e.g. a stencil duplicator inking system, into which the contents of the bag 2 are to be drawn (under vacuum by a suction pump in that case).

Attempts to destroy the valve member 6 by drilling out the outlet bore portion with a drill having a diameter greater than .4 will destroy the lead-in chamfer 4a totally and render the fitment unusable by failure to make this seal.

The configuration shown in Figure 2 is where there is a fluid pressure differential urging the valve member 6 into its open position against a seat, in this case four stops 10, of the tubular member 7 of the fitment. The sleeve 9 at the other end of the fitment extends into the container and may, for example, be the end of the above-mentioned dip tube 3.

When any attempt is made to extract contents from the container, for example during operation of an ink pump where the bag is the ink container of a printing device such as a stencil duplicator, the valve member 6 is drawn leftwardly against the stops 10 in this case formed on an end face of the threaded outlet portion 4 of the fitment. If desired another form of discontinuous seating may be provided instead of the stops 10. Thus ink, or other liquid contents, will be able to flow past the valve member 6 which will have lifted away from sealing engagement with the conical face 8 but will now be resting against the stops 10 with the possibility of the liquid passing from the interior of the container along the bore of portion 9, through the valve chamber 5, and into the outlet bore of diameter p1.

When the fluid pressure differential reverses, for example when an attempt is made to recharge the bag 2 through the fitment 1, the valve member (ball 6) moves rightwardly against a seat, formed in this case by the conical face 8, to close the fitment.

The outer portion 4, 7 of the fitment is formed as a body of plastics material, for example by injection moulding; equally the inner sleeve 9 is formed by moulding of the same or a different plastic material. Although in this case the members 7 and 9 are united by ultrasonic welding, the outer sleeve may be provided with a triangular groove of sawtooth form, to receive a corresponding triangular rib of the sleeve 9 so as to allow the two components 7 and 9 to be pushed together until the rib comes into engagement with the conforming groove 9 to lock the components 7 and 9 together by catch-engagement. This uniting operation would take place only after the valve member 6 has been inserted into the chamber 5 and will then serve to trap the valve member 6 in position.

The valve member 6 is preferably formed of a hard material, and its shape as a ball in the preferred embodiment is particularly advantageous.

Preferably the hardness of the valve member 6, either in the form of a ball or of any other form, is at least 45, preferably from 60 to 66, as measured on the Rockwell C scale of hardness. Even an extra-hard drill bit will be unable to drill out such a valve member. In one case, the valve member 6 is a stainless steel ball which is thus much harder than the injection moulded plastic fitment 1, comprising the components 4, 7, 9 and thus any attempt to drill away the valve ball will be thwarted by the hard surface of the valve member which tends to deflect the drill bit aside from its intended direction of introduction.

Other possible forms of valve member may be used, and materials other than stainless steel may be used, although it is preferred for the material of the valve member to be harder than that defining the rest of the fitment (in this case the externally threaded outlet portion 4 and optionally the inner sleeve 9). Other materials for the valve member of a relatively hard form include glass and ceramics. Making the valve member non-metallic will make it difficult to refill the container by attracting the valve member magnetically towards the outer (left hand) end of the housing to allow inward flow of liquid past it.

The valve member is shown in this preferred form as a ball, but various other shapes are possible. Another preferred possibility is for the valve member to comprise a "bullet" which may have a generally cylindrical form with a hemisphere on one end for seating against the body in order to prevent filling (in this case as represented by the conical seating surface 8). For example a noncircular form of valve member is possible. The valve member may be pyramidal or have a pyramidal seating face and the valve passage may have a corresponding polygonal, e.g. square, cross-section. Other such shapes are shown in Figure 4.

A further feature which will prevent undesirable destruction of the valve mechanism in the interior of the fitment is that the diameter p2 of the ball is considerably larger than the internal diameter 1 of the threaded end portion 4 so that any attempt to drill out the stainless steel ball 6 in its entirety will automatically destroy the interior of the portion 4 and tampering will be evident.

In the ideal case illustrated, the fact that p2 is substantially equal to 03 means that the entire threaded outlet portion 4 of the fitment will be destroyed in any attempt to drill out the valve ball.

Furthermore, as the valve member 6 is free to rotate about the longitudinal axis of the housing (7, 9 in Figure 2) any attempt to drill it out will probably cause the drill to "walk" round as the valve member rotates in the housing.

The inner sleeve 9 to which any optional dip tube may be, if desired, attached, and the outer sleeve 7 of the body portion are fastened together by welding, in this case, ultrasonic welding. Alternatively, they may be secured by use of adhesives or by a catch-engagement or clipping operation. The important requirement for the preferred version is that these two components 7 and 9 cannot be physically separated without damage to one or both of the components which would then prevent re-use. In order to implement this feature, the external groove 12 provides a point of weakness on the outer component 7, so that any attempt to prise apart the inner sleeve 9 from the outer sleeve 7 by gripping the threaded end 4 of the body 4, 7 will result in the threaded end snapping off, rendering the valve useless. This predetermined zone of weakness on the outer sleeve 7 may result from forming such a deep groove 12 that the material remaining between the floor of the groove and the interior of the sleeve 7 is so thin that any attempt to prise apart the external sleeve 7 from the internal sleeve 9 will cause tensile or other rupture of the external sleeve 7, preventing its re-use.

Another important feature is that the diameter 2 of the valve ball 6 must be greater than .4so that any attempt to drill out the valve ball 6 will involve destruction of the part-toric sealing surface 4a.

The one-way valve incorporated in the device in accordance with the present invention not only prevents mischievous refilling of the device with liquid, but also prevents ingress of air into the container during the life of the container/iiquid pack. This action may be reinforced by means of an optional spring arranged to the left hand side of the valve member 6 is viewed in Figure 2, thereby always driving the valve member against the conical sealing surface 8 of the inner sleeve 9, until sufficient pressure differential is applied across the valve member 6 to drive it leftwardly off the seating cone 8, thereby opening the discharge passage through the valve chamber 5.

This pressure differential may, in the preferred form, be created by application of suction by means of a suction extraction pump to the inlet of which the threaded outlet portion 4 of the fitment is attached. Another possibility is for the container to the right of the apparatus shown in Figure 2, (for example the plastic bag type of container shown in Figure 1) to be squeezed to generate this pressure differential.

The operation of filling and assembling the container/liquid pack will now be described in respect of three preferred systems.

The first possibility is for the bag 2 of Figure 1 to be formed in its completed state and with the nozzle fitment 1 already inserted between the margins at the upper part of the bag and having those margins sealed around either the outer sleeve 7 or the inner sleeve 9 of the nozzle fitment and sealed to one another so as to form a liquid-tight bond around the nozzle fitment 1. At this stage the bag 2 will already have been filled so that attachment of the nozzle fitment completes the container and seals the pack.

A second possibility is for the container comprising the bag 2 to be finished apart from the bottom seal 2a shown in Figure 1 and for the fitment 1 to be installed in its complete state in engagement with the dry container 2. The bag defining the container can then be filled through the incomplete bottom seam 2A following which the completed bag can be sealed to close the filled container.

In both the first and second possibilities assembly of the fitment 1 shown in Figure 1 may be such that the pre-formed inner sleeve 9 (possibly with the optional dip tube), the valve member 6, and the outer body portion 4, 7 are assembled by first of all inserting the valve member 6 into the chamber 5 and then placing the inner sleeve 7 in position whereupon it is secured in place by ultrasonic welding. The body 1 is then ready for installation in a container, by sealing the internal surface of the container wall around the exterior of the sleeve 7 shown in Figure 2.

A third way of completing the pack comprises attaching the inner sleeve 9 (optionally with its dip tube 3) to the opening of the container such as bag 2, before the threaded outlet portion 4 and outer sleeve 7, or the valve member 6, have been mounted on the inner sleeve 9. This closes the container around the sleeve 9, and filling of the container 2 through the sleeve 9 is possible.

Subsequently the filled container is sealed by adding the valve member 6 and attaching the outer sleeve 4, 7 thereto.

Figure 4 shows an alternative form of the valve member1 and a correspondingly modified version of the components 7 of the fitment. In this case the valve member is a disc which is provided on each side with a projection to seat against the corresponding faces of the left and right hand walls of the chamber 5.

The solid line configuration 11 of the front face of the valve member 6a is conical and preferably matches the conicity of the rear face on which a stabilizing stub 13 is formed.

As an altemative, the front face may be a bulging curved face 11', for example a part-spherical face.

In each case these non-flat front faces 11 or 11' of the valve member 6a will act to deflect a drill bit off-centre in the event of an attempt to drill out the valve member 6a or to drill a hole through it to allow two-way flow of liquid through the chamber 5.

The pack comprising the bag 2 and the nozzle fitment 1 is a disposable item which will simply be discarded after use and be replaced by a fresh full pack. It is, of course, possible for the ink containers to be interchanged within the same consumer machine such as a duplicator, so that an ink colour change from one colour to another can be effected, in which case it is conceivable for one empty container to be replaced, upon complete depletion, by another which may be only partly full. This is not the crux of the present invention but is an example of the use of the finished container.

Claims

1. A fitment for an outlet from a container, comprising a body defining a passage between a first end and a second end of the body for discharge of material through said body from said first end towards said second end, and a non-return valve preventing passage of fluid from said second end towards said first end, wherein said one-way valve includes a valve member movable axially within a part of said passage, and wherein between said valve member and each of said second end of the body, the passage has a minimum cross-section dimension which is smaller than a corresponding cross-section of the valve body.

2. A fitment according to claim 1, wherein said passage is circular in crosssection and said valve member is also circular in cross-section, and wherein the diameter of the cross-section of the passage is smaller than the cross-sectional diameter of the valve member.

3. A fitment according to claim 2 wherein the said passage has a lead-in chamfer at the second end of the body, and wherein the maximum diameter of said chamfer is less than said cross-sectional diameter of the valve member.

4. A fitment according to claim 2 or 3, wherein said body has an external diameter between the valve member and said second end which is smaller than the cross-section dimension of said valve member.

5. A fitment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the valve member is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of said passage.

6. A fitment according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said valve member presents a spherical, or a conical, or a flat end facing said second end of the body.

7. A fitment according to claim 6, wherein said valve member is a sphere.

8. A fitment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the valve member is formed of material which is harder than the material defining said body at least between the valve member and said second end of the body.

9. A fitment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said valve member is non-metallic.

10 . A fitment according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said body is formed of two inter-engageable parts which trap between them the valve member of said one-way valve, and wherein at least one of said interengageable parts has a zone of weakness at which at least one part will fracture in the event of an attempt to prise apart said two inter-engageable parts.

11. A fitment according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein said valve member is spring-loaded to close the valve against movement of fluid along said passage from said second end towards said first end.

12. A container including the fitment of any of the preceding claims, attached as exit from that container with said first end of said body nearer the interior of the container and said second end of the body further from the interior of the container.

13. A container according to claim 12 when appendant to claim 10, wherein said first end is defined on a first one of said parts and said second end is defined on the second one of said parts, and wherein said container is secured to said body at said first end.

14. A container according to either of claims 12 and 13, wherein the container is collapsible and is open to discharge only by way of said fitment.

15. A fitment for defining the outlet from a container, constructed and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.

16. A method of filling the container of claim 12, 13 or 14, comprising attaching said first part to a closed, completed container, filling said container through said first part, and then connecting together said first part and said second part of the fitment body with said valve member trapped therebetween.

17. A method of filling a container to be fitted with a discharge fitment according to any one of claims 1 to 11, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.