IES85020Y1 - System and method for containing and dispensing a liquid - Google Patents
System and method for containing and dispensing a liquidInfo
- Publication number
- IES85020Y1 IES85020Y1 IE2007/0805A IE20070805A IES85020Y1 IE S85020 Y1 IES85020 Y1 IE S85020Y1 IE 2007/0805 A IE2007/0805 A IE 2007/0805A IE 20070805 A IE20070805 A IE 20070805A IE S85020 Y1 IES85020 Y1 IE S85020Y1
- Authority
- IE
- Ireland
- Prior art keywords
- bag
- container
- liquid
- box
- spout
- Prior art date
Links
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 55
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 9
- 238000005057 refrigeration Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- 235000013361 beverage Nutrition 0.000 description 4
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 4
- 238000004806 packaging method and process Methods 0.000 description 3
- 235000012206 bottled water Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000003019 stabilising Effects 0.000 description 2
- 208000003766 Back Injury Diseases 0.000 description 1
- 210000001138 Tears Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 210000003932 Urinary Bladder Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 238000009825 accumulation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000994 depressed Effects 0.000 description 1
- LFQSCWFLJHTTHZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N ethanol Chemical compound CCO LFQSCWFLJHTTHZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 235000015203 fruit juice Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 230000005484 gravity Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004137 mechanical activation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001681 protective Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000284 resting Effects 0.000 description 1
- 235000014214 soft drink Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 239000002699 waste material Substances 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D77/00—Packages formed by enclosing articles or materials in preformed containers, e.g. boxes, cartons, sacks or bags
- B65D77/04—Articles or materials enclosed in two or more containers disposed one within another
- B65D77/06—Liquids or semi-liquids or other materials or articles enclosed in flexible containers disposed within rigid containers
- B65D77/062—Flexible containers disposed within polygonal containers formed by folding a carton blank
- B65D77/065—Spouts, pouring necks or discharging tubes fixed to or integral with the flexible container
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B67—OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
- B67D—DISPENSING, DELIVERING OR TRANSFERRING LIQUIDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B67D3/00—Apparatus or devices for controlling flow of liquids under gravity from storage containers for dispensing purposes
- B67D3/0009—Apparatus or devices for controlling flow of liquids under gravity from storage containers for dispensing purposes provided with cooling arrangements
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B67—OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
- B67D—DISPENSING, DELIVERING OR TRANSFERRING LIQUIDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B67D3/00—Apparatus or devices for controlling flow of liquids under gravity from storage containers for dispensing purposes
- B67D3/0029—Apparatus or devices for controlling flow of liquids under gravity from storage containers for dispensing purposes provided with holders for bottles or similar containers
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D31/00—Other cooling or freezing apparatus
- F25D31/006—Other cooling or freezing apparatus specially adapted for cooling receptacles, e.g. tanks
Abstract
ABSTRACT This invention relates generally to a system and method for containing and dispensing liquid. More specifically this invention is directed to an improved bag—in-box system for dispensing liquid.
Description
Title
System and Method for containing and dispensing a Liquid
Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a system and method for
containing and dispensing liquid. More specifically this
invention is directed to an improved bag—in-box system for
dispensing liquid.
Background to the Invention
In the field of beverage and liquid systems an apparatus,
commonly known as a bag-in-box package, is used to store
and dispense beverages such as soft drinks, fruit juices,a
water, or alcohol, but not limited thereto. Typically such
bag~in—box packages comprise a collapsible bag or bladder
disposed within a cardboard or plastic box. The bag has a
spout for filling the bag with liquid and the spout
protrudes through a side wall of the box for dispensing the
liquid from the bag.
one of the problems associated with such bag-in-box
packaging is that the bag collapses upon itself as the
liquid is withdrawn, which tends to create pockets of
liquid that are isolated from the spout or tap and cannot
be withdrawn from the lower portion of the bag. Another
drawback with bag and box packaging or containers is that
the tap or spout needs to be supported within in one of the
side walls of the box and this results in an accumulation
of the liquid in the area of the box below the level of the
tap or spout. Thus the residual portion of liquid remaining
in the bag is wasted. It is cumbersome and awkward for a
user to open the nearly empty box, remove the bag and to
squeeze the remaining fluid out from the box. This problem
is amplified by the fact that when a bag and box container
is placed inside the dispenser the residual liquid cannot
be squeezed dry by a user and results in wastage of the
beverage or liquid.
This results in fluid being either thrown out or being
manually" squeezed out of the box, after the liquid has
ceased dispensing and the bag has been removed from the
protective box and the box has been removed from the
dispenser. For example, from tests carried out a typical
litre box had 1.3 litres of beverage or liquid left
inside the bag by the time the dispense flow rate had
turned into a trickle or almost non—existent trickle.
Numerous solutions have been disclosed to solve the above
mentioned problems. European Patent Publication number EP
l 520 836, in the name of Model AG, discloses a bag-in—box
dispensing apparatus in which the box is tilted at an angle
to the dispensing apparatus to urge the liquid from the bag
and box through a tap or spout. However this solution has
been shown to be unsatisfactory.
Another solution is proposed by US Patent Publication
Number US 2003/0155372, in the name of Yorn et al,
discloses a bag-in—box apparatus where the interior bottom
of the surface of the box is preferably sloped or terraced
downwards towards the spout of the bag such that gravity
helps the liquid towards the spout, as shown in figure 1 by
the dotted lines. However it has been found that this bag—
in—box apparatus still results in waste liquid forming at
the base of the box. In addition the box manufacturing
costs are substantially increased to accommodate a slope in
the box.
Heretofore, no satisfactory solution has been proposed to
overcome the above mentioned problems.
Summary of the Invention
According to the present invention there is provided, as
set out in the appended claims, a system for use in
dispensing a liquid comprising: a container, for example a
box, for housing a flexible bag, the flexible bag having a
bag wall with an interior surface for storing the liquid;
and a spout disposed through said bag wall for dispensing
liquid front said. bag;
tear-off portion positioned near the base of the container
to provide an opening to allow the spout project from the
container, and allow the bag to be substantially pulled out
of the container, so that the spout projects substantially
under the base level of said container in use.
Ideally, the tear—off portion is adapted to provide an
opening at the base of the container. In another embodiment
the tear—off portion is positioned in one of the sidewalls
of the container and extending around to the base of the
container to form part of the base of the container.
The container or box design and the tear-off section to the
front and underside of the box are specifically designed to
maximise the gravitational flow rate from the container.
The invention protects against manual damage to the bag as
it is pulled out from the box. The advantage of the
present invention. is that the liquid is fully" dispensed
without the need for additional manual force. The combined
wherein. the container comprises at
effect of the specific tear-off portion of the bag and
lower level gravitational well and the lowest level tap
dispense point allows the invention to work in tandem to
produce an improved flow rate of liquid and eliminate the
requirement to manually squeeze the remaining liquid from
the bag. In this way more liquid is dispensed from the
bag.
Preferably, the spout is adapted to be pulled by a user
through the opening and dropped down to a dispensing
position such that the spout is positioned at a level under
the base of the container in use.
Suitably, the dispensing position provides a gravitationalg
well to urge the liquid from the bag to be dispensed via
said spout. It will be appreciated that the liquid flow
rate is maximised through the funnelling of the liquid in
the bag into a lower level “gravitational well", before
dispensing from the lowest level of the spout.
Suitably, the flexible bag is a collapsible bag. Ideally
the container is made from cardboard.
In one embodiment the flexible bag is adapted such that
when. a force is applied. part of the bag can. be pulled
through said opening to a dispensing position.
In a further embodiment a mechanism comprises means to
securely hold the spout in place in a dispensing position.
The tap trapping mechanism ensures that the tap is held in
position to maximise the effectiveness of the combined
effects of the tear-off sections of the box.
In a further embodiment there is provided a capture
mechanism comprising means to securely hold the spout in
place in a dispensing position. Ideally the capture
mechanism is a single unit adapted to operate either in a
push arrangement or a pull arrangement to dispense said
liquid.
In another embodiment there is provided a housing adapted
for storing one or more containers wherein at least one
container is arranged in a dispensing position. Ideally,
the housing least one
comprises at stabilisingp leg
connected to a base of said housing. Suitably, the
container, arranged in the dispensing position, is arranged
on a sloping floor of the housing relative to the ground.
Preferably the housing comprises a refrigeration unit. The
refrigeration unit may comprise a chilling plate positioned
to engage with said flexible bag to allow heat transfer to
aid chilling plate to chill said liquid. Ideally the top
surface of the housing comprises a tactile surface.
In will be appreciated that the system of the present
invention provides a combination of specifically designed
tear—off sections which allows for the safe drop—down and
out of the bag, the specifically‘ designed gravitational
trapping well, the specifically designed tap capture
mechanism all work in tandem to ensure a free flow of the
liquid is dispensed from the bag thereby ensuring the
maximunl gravitational forces are brought to bear‘ on the
dispensing water to ensure the most efficient flow rate.
In a further embodiment there is provided a container, for
example a box, comprising: a housing for housing a flexible
bag, the flexible bag having a bag wall with an interior
surface for storing the liquid; and a spout disposed
through said bag wall for dispensing liquid from said bag;
wherein. the container tear—off
comprises a portion
positioned near the base of the container to provide an
opening to allow the spout project from the container, and
allow the out of the
bag to be substantially pulled
container, so that the spout projects substantially under
the base level of said container in use.
Brief Description of the Drawings
The invention will be more clearly" understood from the
following description of an embodiment thereof, given by
way of example only,
drawings, in which:—
Figure 1 shows a prior art bag—in—box;
Figure 2 illustrates a bag—in—box system according to
one aspect of the invention;
Figures 3 — 5 illustrate the bag~in—box system in use;
Figure 6 is a front View of the housing for the bag-
in-box system;
Figure 7 is a cross sectional View of the housing;
Figures 8 and 9 are a perspective view of the housing
in an open and closed position;
Figure 10 illustrates a capture mechanism according to
another aspect of the invention;
Figure 11 and 12 illustrates the capture mechanism of
Figure 10 in use;
Figure 13 is a first embodiment of the capture
mechanism;
Figure 14 is a second embodiment of the capture
mechanism; and
with reference to the accompanying.
Figure 15 and 16 are a plan View of the top of the
housing for the bag-in-box system.
Detailed Description of the Drawings
Referring now to the drawings and specifically Figures 2 to
inclusive there is illustrated a bag—in-box according to
a first aspect of the present invention.
Figure 2 shows a blank illustrated generally by the
reference numeral (1) having at least one side wall (2) and
a portion (3) that will form the part underside of a
container. The dotted line portion (4) indicates a tear-
off portion that forms part of the side wall (2) and the
(3).
folded to form a container, for example a box for housing a
underside (base) portion In use the blank (1) is
flexible bag, as shown in Figure 3. The flexible bag has a
bag wall with an interior surface for storing a liquid.
Figure 3 shows the box ready for storage or transporting to
another location. The tear—off portion defined. by the
dotted-line (4) is provided and positioned near the base of
the container. The tear-off portion can be torn off to
define a large opening at the base of the side wall (2) of
the container. In addition the tear—off portion (when torn
off) defines a large opening on the underside base of the
box. This is illustrated in Figure 4 where the tear-off
portion (4) has been removed to reveal the bag (5) inside
(1).
communication with the bag
the box A spout, or tap, (6) is shown and is in
(5) to provide an outlet for the
liquid to be dispensed.
The spout (6) is adapted to be pulled by a user through the
opening and dropped down in a dispensing position such that
the spout (6) is positioned at a level under the base of
the container (1). The effect of the tear—off portion is to
provide a single opening (7) in the side wall and the base
of the box to allow the spout (6) to descend easily into a
dispensing position. It will be appreciated that the bag is
pulled forward partially out of the box itself and dropped
downwards towards the ground to form a “gravitational well”
due to the opening formed by the tear-off portion being in
the side wall and the base. In the descended position the
spout (6) is at a level substantially under the base of the
container (1). This allows for 21 natural gravitational
flow so that the liquid is urged towards the spout (6). It
has been found that this arrangement is very efficient in
that most or all of the liquid in the bag will be dispensed
through the spout (6) without the need for additional
force.
The spout or tap is lowered past the gravitational well to
sit snugly in a specifically designed tap capture mechanism
holding the spout (6) in place at the lowest possible level
relative to the base of the box (1). The combined effect
of the specific tear-off portion of the bag and lower level
gravitational well and the lowest level tap dispense point
allows the invention to work in tandem to produce an
improved flow rate of liquid and eliminate the requirement
to manually squeeze the remaining liquid from the bag. In
this way more liquid is dispensed from the bag.
Referring now to Figures 6 to 9 illustrates a housing for
the bag-in-box system to allow liquid to be dispensed,
generally indicated by the reference numeral (10). Figure
7 shows a cross sectional view of the bag-in-box system
working with the housing (10). The operation of the
housing (10) is illustrated in more detail in Figure 7.
Three containers, la, lb and 1c are shown in the housing
(10). Two of the containers 1b and 1c are simply stored in
the housing for future use. Container (la) is positioned
in the upper part of the housing (10). The container la is
placed on a sloping floor (12) in the housing (10). The
tap (6) engages a capture mechanism (11). The capture
mechanism (11) comprises means to securely hold the spout
(6) in place in a dispensing position.
The top of the housing comprises a tactile surface (15)
designed to provide a non-slip surface for either people
resting their hands on the surface or people placing a cup
or bottle or other item on the top of the housing. The
housing (10) comprises a pair of stabilising legs (16)
positioned at the back of the housing to prevent the.
housing (10) from falling over when a force is applied. A
refrigeration. unit is provided (17) in the door of the
housing (10). The refrigeration unit (17) chills the
liquid stored in the bag—in-box containers.
Referring now to Figures 10 to 12 inclusive there is
illustrated the capture mechanism (11) to securely hold the
spout (6) in place in the dispensing position. The capture
mechanism (11) is in the form of a single cartridge that
can. be easily slotted into the housing (10). when. the
tear-off portion has been removed from the container, and
the spout (6) in the descended. position, the spout can
engage the cartridge (11) in a substantially u~shaped
trapping mechanism to engage with the spout or tap (6) and
securely hold in place. An important aspect to the
cartridge design is that it is easy to use and it is simple
to have the spout (6) engage with the cartridge (11). It
will be appreciated that the capture mechanism hides the
spout from view. The capture mechanism is specifically
designed so that it can be activated either to operate in a
push arrangement or a pull arrangement to dispense liquid
from the bag.
Figure 13 illustrates how the tap can be activated by a
mechanical activation system that will push in the tap (in
the Case of pushing taps) or as illustrated in Figure 14 a
lever up the tap (indicates of a pull up tap). These
mechanisms can thus operate on the majority type of spouts
available in the marketplace. By having a single capture
mechanism (11) that can operate in both a push and pull up
mode means that the invention can be adapted to various
dispensers available in the marketplace. The tap capture
mechanism can be activated to dispense liquid from the.
spout (6) using a button (20) located on the outside of thee
housing (10). The single unit comprises a solenoid
mechanism to provide a direct pull in mechanism and the
latter having a pull in and pivot mechanism.
As illustrated in Figure 13 the button (20) can be
depressed so that the spout (6) is engaged via actuating
elements (21) in a push arrangement. In the other
embodiment as illustrated in Figure 14 the button (20) is
pressed to engage an actuating element (22) and lever (23)
to dispense liquid from the bag using a lever arrangement
using a pivot mechanism. It will be appreciated that both
actuation elements are included in a single capture
mechanism unit to dispense liquid from the spout.
Referring to Figures 15 and 16 illustrates a top plan view
of the housing (10) showing the tactile surface (15) to
provide a non—slip surface for the user and for objects
placed on the surface (15). In addition the pair of
Is:
O
stabilising legs are shown located at the bottom of the
housing (10) to provide additional support for the housing
(10).
It will. be appreciated that the refrigeration. unit (17)
provides a chilling plate to engage with the surface of the
container or the liquid bag to engage with the flexible bag
to allow the heat transfer to chill the bag.
In a further embodiment of the present invention the tear-
off portion can essentially have two tear—off steps. Tear-
off portion allows the bag and tap to either to be pulled
substantially out of and down from the box or which by only
tearing a portion of the box allows for the tap to be—
pulled out and slid against the main wall of the box. The
tear~off flap remains attached to the container and can be
pushed back in place resulting in the tap being held in
place by" the walls of the box and. the replacement flap
below.
It will be appreciated the invention is very suitable to
dispensing water or other types of liquids in a hygienic
and efficient manner. In addition bottles for dispensing
water are heavy and can be difficult to refill to the user
with the possibility of causing back injury for the user.
The housing (10), in the form of a water cooler/dispenser,
of the present invention makes it easy to store and empty
containers.
It is envisaged that the present invention will provide 15
litre units of water per container. It will be appreciated
that the empty containers use far less space than packaging
and can be easily collapsed as opposed to empty bottles
that have to be collected and are bulky to transport back
to a site for refilling. It has been found that bottled
water uses very poor storage facility. For example for
every 9 bottles stored there is space for 4 bottles used up
due to the circular shape of the bottles. It will be
appreciated that the bag—in—box system of the present
invention is much more efficient to store and to transport
when compared to bottled water. There are obvious cost
advantages and environment advantages in using the bag—in—
box system according to the present invention for use in
dispensing water. It will be appreciated that the housing
of the present invention. used for dispensing water can
include an LCD screen on the outside of the housing for
graphics marketing or branding the product.
It will be appreciated that the container can be made from
cardboard or any other suitable type of material. The
flexible bag to store the liquid can be made of any
suitable type of plastics material. It will be appreciated
that the spout that is integrally formed with the flexible
bag can be designed such that the portion around the spout
is adapted to be pulled down under the level of the box to
form the gravitational well. In the context of the present
invention the term spout is to be used interchangeably with
the term tap. Furthermore the term container and box are to
be used interchangeably and are to be afforded the widest
possible interpretation in the context of bag—in-box
systems. The term liquid should also be interpreted broadly
when interpreting applications of the invention.
“comprises/comprising" and the words
The words
“having/including” when used herein with reference to the
present invention are used to specify the presence of
stated features, integers, steps or components but does not
preclude the presence or addition. of one or more other
features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof.
It is appreciated that certain features of the invention,
which are, for clarity, described in the context of
separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination
in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of
the invention which are, for brevity, described in the
context of a single embodiment, may also be provided
separately or in any suitable sub—combination.
The invention is not limited to the embodiments
hereinbefore described but may’ be varied in bothy
construction and detail.
Claims (5)
1.A system for use in dispensing a liquid comprising: a container, for example a box, for housing a flexible bag, the flexible bag having a bag wall with an interior surface for storing the liquid; and a spout disposed through said bag wall for dispensing liquid from said bag; wherein the container comprises a tear-off portion positioned near the base of the container to provide an opening to allow the spout project from the container, and allow the bag to be substantially pulled out of the container, so that the spout projects substantially under the base level of said container in use.
2.The system as claimed in claim 1 comprising a housing adapted for storing one or more containers wherein at least one container is arranged in a dispensing position.
3.The system of any of claims 11 to 13 wherein said housing comprises a refrigeration unit.
4.A system as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying description and/or drawings
5. A water dispenser comprising the system of preceding claims
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
IES85020Y1 true IES85020Y1 (en) | 2008-10-15 |
Family
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