ITPN20130028A1 - IMPROVED PACKAGING FOR BARRELS, IN PARTICULAR KEG - Google Patents

Description

â € œPACKING PERFECTED FOR BARRELS, IN PARTICULAR KEGâ €

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to an improved type of packaging for storing, transporting, stacking and in general for containing and handling in a protected manner a particular type of containers for liquids, especially beverages and in particular beer.

For convenience, these containers will later be defined with the term â € œkegsâ € or â € œKEGâ €, as they are more commonly known and called in the sector.

It is known that these types of kegs are generally commercial beverage containers, used in bars, restaurants, and public places in general and therefore their capacity is quite high and varies from about 10 to over 50 liters.

The refueling of drinks in said public places is carried out by filling said kegs with the drink requested by the producers or wholesalers, who then send said kegs to the final destination, for consumption to the public, particularly to supply single doses of so-called â € œa drink. plugâ €.

For this purpose, said containers are pressurized inside them with an inert gas, typically carbon dioxide, but other types of gas can be used.

To introduce both the beverage and the gas inside the keg, special types of double-way valves are used which allow the segregated admission of both the beverage and the gas.

There are beverage containers (kegs) generally made with different materials and technologies:

- According to a first operating mode, the kegs are made of injected plastic material, particularly PET, and their manufacturing technique is quite similar, if not identical, to the manufacturing technique of plastic bottles for domestic use; also in this case, as for domestic bottles, said plastic kegs are thrown away after use, (and desirably the material is recycled);

- In a second operating mode the kegs are made with other types of material, generally much more resistant, heavier, safer but also much more expensive, such as typically steel.

For this reason (they cost more but also last longer), these types of kegs are normally reused for a new filling and a new shipment, and therefore undergo a series of processes and processes completely different from injected plastic kegs.

To protect these steel kegs (and in any case not in recyclable plastic) from shocks, from harmful external agents in general and above all to allow better handling, since said kegs are normally semi-cylindrical but heavy and bulky containers, not suitable for being handled by single operators, it is known to protect these kegs in specific external packaging.

Furthermore, said packages must be able to be easily and securely stacked, in order to substantially reduce their size horizontally.

This procedure, which is generally simple and safe from a technical and operational point of view, nevertheless has severe drawbacks from the general economic level; in fact said kegs must be subjected to some mandatory operations; the most important of these briefly are:

- collection of used and empty packaging and related kegs in special rooms not exposed outdoors,

- their shipment to collection and recovery centers,

- external examination to verify their integrity for subsequent use, - internal washing,

- removal of the valve and relative revision and re-assembly.

Furthermore, it must be considered that a certain percentage of kegs and related packaging are eliminated for defects of various types, in particular caused by handling for their return.

All the aforementioned presents a non-negligible and progressively increasing overall burden.

Numerous and different types of packaging for kegs are known:

- from US patent 6,302,291 B1 a particular base is known on which each single keg is deposited; this base is economical and efficient, and achieves the result of considerable stability, but does not in any way protect the keg from the external environment, in particular from shocks and light; furthermore, the problems of handling are not solved at all;

- from patents US 4,963,174A and US 2008196447A it is known to associate a keg with a particular type of cylindrical outer packaging, whose cylindrical side wall is suitably separated from the cylindrical side wall of the keg; ice is introduced into the annular cavity between the two cylindrical walls which, melting, ensures the cooling of the drink; obviously this solution does not solve the problems listed above.

It should also be noted that a considerable quantity of packaging for kegs requires that these packaging allow the beverage to be cooled in various ways; this need, and the characteristics to satisfy it, however, do not solve the aforementioned drawbacks and therefore, for the sake of brevity, mention is omitted.

- from patent DE 3328447A1 a specific packaging made of thermo-insulating material is known, able to maintain the temperature of the beverage in a keg, regardless of said temperature; this packaging is shaped in such a way as to couple with the external shape of the keg, and has an opening for accessing the valve.

However, even in this case this packaging cannot be easily separated from the respective container, and also does not solve the problems highlighted above.

It would therefore be desirable, and it is the main object of the present invention, to be able to produce an improved packaging for kegs designed and manufactured in such a way as to eliminate or at least significantly reduce the drawbacks described above.

This packaging must be achievable with freely available technologies, and ensure a safe and easily practicable result.

This and other purposes are achieved by an improved packaging made and functioning according to the attached claims.

Characteristics and advantages of the invention will become evident from the following description, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

- figure 1 and figure 2 show as many external perspective views, from two respective points of observation, of the general shape of a package according to the invention,

- figure 3 shows a median plane section, passing through the axis of a substantially cylindrical keg, having the â € œXâ € axis, used in the technique,

- figure 3A shows the section of figure 3 in perspective,

- fig. 4 and figure 4A respectively show a median flat section, passing through the axis of the keg of figure 3, and a perspective section of the same section, on which a first upper part of the packaging is mounted according to the invention,

- fig. 5 and figure 5A respectively show a median flat section, passing through the axis of the keg of figure 3, and a perspective section of the same section, on which a second lower part of the packaging is mounted according to the invention,

- fig. 6 and figure 6A respectively show a median flat section, passing through the axis of the keg of figure 3, and a perspective section of the same section, on which both parts of figures 4 and 5 are mounted,

- figure 6B shows an external perspective of the packaging of figure 6, in a first improved variant,

- figure 6C shows an external perspective of the packaging of figure 6, in a second improved variant,

- fig. 7 and fig. 7A respectively show a perspective view of a lower part of the package, and the relative median section according to a plane passing through said X axis,

- fig. 8 and fig. 8A respectively show a perspective view of an upper part of the package, and the relative median section according to a plane passing through said X axis

- Figures 9, 9A and 9B show an improved embodiment of the packaging of the invention, respectively with a median section, with an external perspective view of the assembled package, and with an exploded view of the same parts packaging,

- - figure 10 shows a median section, passing through the axis of the container, of a construction variant of the packaging of the invention, and of the respective container housed in said packaging,

- fig. 10A shows an external view, in perspective, of the packaging portion shown in fig. 10, and the respective container partially housed in said packaging portion,

- figures 10B and 10C show respective views of the packaging portions corresponding to figures 10 and 10A, but without the relative container,

- figure 10D shows a perspective and schematic view of the two parts of a package shown in figure 10-10C, but separated from each other,

- figure 11 shows the representation of a plurality of packages stacked vertically and horizontally, and in particular a vertical section passing through the axes of said packages, and relative containers, commonly and neatly stacked in rows by columns,

- fig.11A shows the perspective view of the representation of figure 11.

In the rest of the description and claims, terms such as â € œupraâ €, â € œunderâ € â € œuperiorâ €, â € œinferioreâ € etc will be used; they refer for pure convenience of course to the casing and its parts as shown in the relative figures, and cannot be used in any way to define or interpret the description in an exclusive way, since the casing of the invention can evidently assume any attitude or orientation not shown in these same figures.

Furthermore, in the following description and in the respective figures constant reference will be made, for pure expressive convenience and representation, to a container whose median portion is substantially cylindrical; however it is herein established with the utmost clarity that such containers can assume any shape, naturally compatible with the packaging of the present invention, and in particular they can assume the typical shape of a barrel, or any other spatial shape.

Therefore the following description, claims and figures are to be understood only as simplified examples and not limiting in any way of the spatial shape of the containers.

With reference to figures 3 and 3A, the packaging of the invention is made to allow the protection and handling / transport of liquid containers 1, in particular for kegs (KEG) which have a substantially cylindrical median shape 2 bounded at the two opposite ends 3, 4 by respective convex surfaces, typically hemispherical, known per se.

The upper surface 3 has an opening in the upper zone in which a valve 5 is inserted and stabilized for the introduction of the beverage and the compressed gas.

With reference to figures 1 and 2, the packaging of the invention consists, essentially but not exclusively, of:

- a first upper portion 10 which surrounds the upper valve 5 of the barrel,

- a second lower portion 11 which surrounds and supports the lower convex end 4 of the barrel,

- a third substantially cylindrical intermediate portion 12 arranged between said first and second portions 10 and 11, and connected thereto.

With reference to Figures 4 to 8A, said third intermediate portion 12 has an internal surface 13 which is substantially cylindrical and internally hollow.

It must now be specified that the external median surface 2 of the keg, and said internal surface 13 of the third intermediate portion 13 of the packaging are two cylindrical surfaces, coaxial on the same axis â € œXâ € and substantially with the same height and at the same level , so that, as shown in Figure 6, said internal cylindrical surface 13 completely envelops the substantially cylindrical median shape 2 of said container.

One of the fundamental characteristics of the invention is based on the fact that, unlike the known art, said two surfaces 2 and 13 are substantially adjacent, indeed preferably mating.

In particular, as will be better discussed below, said third substantially cylindrical intermediate portion 12 is a body of not negligible thickness and therefore rather thick, so as to constitute an element of separation of the keg from the outside, and therefore of protection, as for any conventional packaging wall.

These three portions of the packaging identified as 10, 11 and 12 are made and configured in various different ways but which all allow them to be mounted on the keg as external protection, as shown in figures 1, 2, 6 and 6B.

Furthermore, and this is a second fundamental characteristic, said three portions are made in such a way that they, or parts of them, can not only be mounted independently on the keg, but can also be removed with great ease.

In practice, the packaging is not only made by parts, but is also assembled by parts, so that, after use, these parts can be disassembled independently; this feature allows to achieve the advantage that is the purpose of the invention, which is precisely to be able to completely separate the external packaging from the keg, to send them to respective and different recycling and reuse processes.

Furthermore, said parts of the packaging are built with the same process and material, and therefore these combined circumstances allow that, after use, that is after emptying the container, said packaging can be removed and easily sent to a recycling process. , in itself simple and very economical.

After removing the packaging, the empty container remains, only equipped with the relative valve 5.

And therefore it becomes immediately possible and immediate, after having easily removed said valve, to also send the container to a respective and economical recycling process.

Ultimately it becomes possible and easy to separate the keg from its packaging and send it to a respective recycling process; It is evident that this treatment modality allows to reach the fundamental aim of the invention, that is to avoid a complicated, expensive, articulated recovery procedure as explained above.

As mentioned above, these three portions can be combined with each other in various ways.

A first mode is shown in figures 4 to 8A.

With reference to figure 6, these illustrate how said third intermediate portion comprises two cylindrical fractions 20, 21 separated from each other according to an intermediate â € œpâ € plane and orthogonal to the â € œXâ € axis, in which:

- a first upper fraction 20 is formed as a piece with said first upper portion 10,

- a second lower portion 21 is formed integrally with said second lower portion 11,

- said two fractions 20, 21 are made in such a way that the respective opposite circular edges 22, 23 are able to engage and disengage each other, e.g. by means of an annular step as shown in the figures, since it naturally results that said cylindrical fractions 20, 21 have the same internal diameter and the same X axis.

In order to ensure that said packaging can be easily handled, stacked and transported, it is appropriate that the external dimensions of this generally take the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, preferably with a square base.

For this, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, said first upper portion 10 and said second lower portion 11 are formed as respective substantially parallelepiped rectangular bases, of which the upper surface 10A of the upper portion 10, and the lower surface 11B of the lower portion 11 are flat and naturally parallel to allow mutual stacking; furthermore, said upper surface 10A is provided with a central through opening 10B suitable for accessing the valve 5 of the liquid container 1.

Furthermore, as shown in the same figures, said first upper portion 10 and said second lower portion 12 have the same dimensions with respect to a â € œpâ € plane orthogonal to said â € œXâ € axis (see Figure 6).

Finally, with reference to figures 11 and 11A, it is shown that the particular parallelepiped shape of the packages, now identified as 100, 101, 102, 103, ..... can be easily stacked together for both parallel and contiguous rows, and naturally overlapping, as shown, for both parallel and contiguous columns.

This possibility allows, as is well known and evident, to optimize the overall dimensions to the maximum, and in general all the logistics costs, that is transport, handling, storage etc.

After having thus made said parts, i.e. the upper portion 10 together with said upper fraction 20, and similarly the lower portion 11 together with said lower fraction 21, these are symmetrically applied to the two ends of the container 1, so that these is completely surrounded as by a dress.

And in particular its median shape 2 is completely closed and engaged by the relative said third intermediate portion, which as said is formed by said two upper and lower fractions 20, 21.

Having thus arranged the container 1 inside the relative third portion 12, it is stabilized with respect to displacements orthogonal to said â € œXâ € axis.

In order to stabilize it also with respect to displacements along the same axis, and with reference to Figures 5, 5A, 6, 6A, it is advantageous that the transition area between said first upper portion 10 and said third intermediate portion 12, and the transition between said second lower portion 11 and said third intermediate portion 12, are provided with a respective internal annular step 30, 31 coaxial with said axis X; said steps must be so sized and positioned so as to engage by contact and to center with respect to the â € œXâ € axis a respective of said two opposite convex surfaces 3, 4 of the respective container 1.

Furthermore, in order that said first portion 10 and said third portion 12 as a whole determine the external shape of a rectangular parallelepiped to obtain packages that are all identical and volumetrically interchangeable, it is necessary that they can be suitably rotated reciprocally so as to form the same projection on said â € œpâ € plane orthogonal to said X axis.

For this reason, said opposite circular edges 21 and 23 of said two fractions 20 and 21 are provided with respective mutual reference elements 25 and 25A able to mutually engage, and in particular able to allow the respective said fractions to be assembled in the manner explained above.

To definitively stabilize the packaging thus created, said two fractions 20 and 21 can then be mutually blocked by applying on said opposite circular edges 22, 23 a suitable means of joining, as simply shown in figure 6C also by a simple tape adhesive 26.

As an alternative to this solution, or even as a simple completion of the same, and with reference to figure 6B called fractions 20, 21, but more generally the entire package can be joined by wrapping it around the perimeter, from top to bottom, a second suitable means of union and constraint, represented by an adhesive tape 27 which joins, as if by bandaging them, said first upper portion 10 with said second lower portion 11.

With reference to figure 6B, an improved variant in the method of joining and transporting the packaging consists in joining said two upper and lower portions 10, 11 with a flexible connection means, such as for example a further belt sized and arranged in so as to present a free section 28 at the top which can be used as a handle for handling the entire package, which further facilitates its transport in single form.

The solutions described have proved effective and perfectly adequate for the purpose of the invention; however, a further advantageous improvement can be usefully achieved by making said packaging with a â € œmodularâ € structure, so as to allow the use of substantially the same first and second portion of a defined packaging having its own height, to protect and pack another keg, or even more other kegs, having the same section but internal volumes, and therefore different heights.

With reference to Figures 9, 9A and 9B, this improvement is obtained if a substantially cylindrical third hollow fraction 24 is arranged between said first upper cylindrical hollow fraction 20 and said second lower cylindrical hollow fraction 21, adapted to engage in a removable manner, and from opposite sides, with the previous ones called first and second hollow fractions.

Naturally, what has been said above for the mutual reference elements 25 and 25A still apply, with logical adaptation, also to the equivalent reference elements 29 relating to said third hollow fraction 24.

The present invention allows a further and advantageous embodiment of the packaging; with reference to figures 10 to 10D, the packaging considered, instead of being formed with a composition of parts that are aligned along said â € œXâ € axis, and that are assembled with a movement along the same axis, can be instead formed by simply sectioning the packaging of figures 1 and 2 with a suitable plane passing through said axis â € œXâ €, and thus obtaining two half-shells that can be closed together 40 and 41, and able to house a respective container.

Naturally, also in this case it must be provided that each half-shell is made and formed in such a way that the respective median parts 40B, 41B couple not only reciprocally to form the inner cylinder, but also so as to surround, by mating, the corresponding outer half surface. -cylindrical shape of the substantially cylindrical median shape 2 of a relative container.

Furthermore, the separation plane of said two half-shells 40 and 41 can be advantageously chosen so that these are substantially symmetrical with respect to said plane passing through said X axis.

Also in this case therefore not only the construction of said half-shells 40 and 41 takes place independently, and therefore they are only assembled around the respective same keg, but also in this case they can be separated and disassembled with the same simplicity and speed, and can therefore, as in the previous case, be immediately available for subsequent common recycling and recovery processes.

In order to maximize the advantages of the invention, it appears that said portions 10, 11 and 12 are made of suitably rigid and above all extremely light, economical and easily recyclable materials; for this purpose, it has been identified that among these materials those that offer the best combination of characteristics are materials that can be made by means of conventional extrusion and / or injection processes, from which they derive as solid bodies, i.e. without internal cavities not accessible from the outside and which are composed, in whole or predominantly, preferably of sintered expanded polystyrene (EPS, expanded polystyrene), or alternatively one of the many expanded polymers (Expanded Polyurethane), or equivalent materials available on the market.

Claims (12)

â € œPACKING PERFECTED FOR BARRELS, IN PARTICULAR KEGâ € CLAIMS 1) Packaging for containers of liquids (1), in particular for kegs (KEG), which have a median shape preferably but not exclusively cylindrical (2) delimited at the two opposite ends by respective convex surfaces (3, 4), and comprising : - a first upper portion (10) which surrounds the upper valve (5) of the barrel, - a second lower portion (11) which surrounds and supports the base of the barrel, - a third intermediate portion (12) connected on opposite sides to said first and second portions (10, 11) characterized in that said third intermediate portion (12): - has an internal surface (13) which is internally hollow, and having an internal diameter substantially similar to the external diameter of said container (1), - and is adapted to house said median shape (2) of said container (1) internally and in a substantially mating manner, - and in which the axis (X) of said third cylindrical portion (12) substantially coincides with the axis of said median shape (2) of the container (1). 2) Packaging for containers according to claim 1, characterized in that said third intermediate portion comprises two cylindrical fractions (20, 21) separated from each other, in which: - the first upper portion (20) is formed as a piece with said first upper portion (10), - the second lower fraction (21) is formed as a piece with said second lower portion (11) - said two fractions (20, 21) are made in such a way that the respective opposite circular edges (22, 23,) are able to engage and disengage each other, - and said cylindrical fractions (20, 21) have the same internal diameter and the same axis (X). 3) Packaging for liquid containers according to claim 2, characterized in that - said first upper portion (10) comprises a substantially parallelepiped base whose upper surface (10A) is flat, and which is equipped with a central through opening (10B) suitable for accessing the valve (5) of said liquid container , - that said second lower portion (11) comprises a substantially parallelepiped base whose lower surface (11A) is flat, - that said two flat surfaces (10A, 10B) are substantially parallel, - and that each of said first and second portions (10, 11) has the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped with a square section. 4) Packaging for liquid containers according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transition area between said first upper portion (10) and said third intermediate portion (12), and the transition area between said second lower portion (11) ) and said third intermediate portion (12), are equipped with a respective internal annular step (30, 31) coaxial with said axis (X), able to engage by contact and to center a respective of said two opposite convex surfaces (3, 4) of said container (1). 5) Packaging for liquid containers according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the projections of said first and second portions (10, 12) have the same dimensions with respect to a plane (p) orthogonal to said axis (X). 6) Packaging for liquid containers according to one of claims 2 onwards, characterized in that said opposite circular edges (22, 23) of said two fractions (20, 21) are equipped with respective mutual reference elements (25, 25A ) adapted to mutually engage, and in particular adapted to allow assembly of the respective said portions so that they form the same projection on said plane (p) orthogonal to said axis (X). 7) Packaging for containers for liquids according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that between said first upper cylindrical hollow portion (20) and said second lower cylindrical hollow portion (21) a third substantially cylindrical hollow portion (24) is disposed to engage in a removable way, and from opposite sides, with the preceding first and second hollow fractions (20, 21). 8) Packaging for liquid containers according to one of claims 2 onwards, characterized in that said first upper fraction (20) and said second lower fraction (21) are joined, in correspondence with the respective said opposite edges (22, 23) by suitable connecting means, preferably an adhesive tape (26). 9) Packaging for containers of liquids as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises two closable half-shells (40, 41), able to house the same container (1) inside them, each half-shell being able to engage with the respective median part (40B - 41B) with the corresponding external surface of the median shape (2) of the same container. 10) Packaging for containers of liquids according to claim 11, characterized in that said two half-shells (40-41) are substantially symmetrical with respect to a plane passing through said axis (X). 11) Packaging for containers of liquids according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a flexible connection means (27) is arranged, able to join said first with said third portion, and is preferably sized and arranged so as to have a free section (28) usable as a handle. 12) Packaging for containers of liquids according to claim 2, characterized in that said first, second and third portions (10, 11, 12) are made individually in one piece, preferably in expanded material with rigid characteristics, and preferably in expanded polystyrene sintered (EPS, expanded polystyrene), or alternatively in expanded polymers (expanded polyurethane), or equivalent materials, and that said portions and said fractions are substantially full bodies without internal cavities not accessible from the outside.