JPH0418297A - Drink container - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To permit contents to be poured out easily and accurately into a cup or the like and to be conserved without loss of the flavor by providing a valve mechanism for regulating the supply of content flow in a pouch of a container body to a nozzle. CONSTITUTION:The subject container comprises a flexible pouch 1 received in a container body 5 with a cylindrical adaptor 3 provided at the neck part 2 of the pouch threadedly engaged with the neck part 6 of the container body 5, an air passage 7 formed between the adaptor 3 and the container body 5 leading from the exterior of the container body 5 to a space between the con tainer body 5 and the pouch 1, a spout 4 threadedly engaged with the neck part 6 of the container body 5 to block the air passage 7 and consisting of a holder 12 for mounting an aerosol can 11 on a cap-like spout body 8 and a drink pour-out nozzle 13. The end part of a lever 31 is depressed to open a passage 23 of the spout 8 in order for a compressed gas to be sent from the aerosol can 11 through a hole 22 and the air passage 7 and filled between the container body 5 and the pouch 1. In this way the pouch 1 is pressed by this compressed gas to send a drink in the pouch 1 through the passage 23 to a nozzle 13 and, from there, the drink is poured into a cup.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a beverage container for storing mainly carbonated drinks and fruit juice drinks such as beer, cola, and tomato juice.

[Conventional technology]

As is well known, beer is sold in bottles and aluminum cans, but aluminum cans are increasingly being used because of their ease of handling. There are many types of aluminum cans ranging from small capacity ones of about 200 m1 to large capacity ones of several grams.

For small to medium capacity can containers, a lid with an annular handle is attached to the top end of the bottomed can body, and by pulling the annular handle and removing a portion of the lid, beer can be poured directly or directly through the opening. It is meant to be poured into a cup and drunk. In addition, for large-capacity can containers, a small-diameter mouth is provided above the large-diameter body through a shoulder whose inner diameter gradually narrows, and a male-threaded spout is fitted around the outer periphery of the mouth. Some had a female-threaded cap screwed onto the spout and tightened to seal the mouth, and when drinking beer, the cap was removed, the container was tilted, and the beer was poured into a cup.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

By the way, I sometimes leave beer in the relatively large container mentioned above, but even if I try to drink it later,
Because it was oxidized and carbonated, it tasted bad and was not drinkable at all. This is because with conventional containers, air flows into the container as beer is poured out, so even if you cover the spout with a cap, carbon dioxide gas will not escape into the new air that has entered the container. This is thought to be due to the beer being oxidized by the oxygen contained in the fresh air. Similar to beer, containers that store carbonated drinks such as cola and fruit juice drinks, which are subject to significant deterioration due to oxidation, also have such drawbacks.
This was a particular problem in the case of large-capacity containers where there was often leftover drinking.

In addition, large-capacity containers are heavy when filled with contents, making it difficult to handle when tilting the container to pour out the stored beverage.

Therefore, the present invention has been made based on the above-mentioned circumstances, and it is possible to easily and reliably pour out the contents into a cup or the like.
To provide a beverage container that can be stored deliciously without oxidizing or losing carbonation even if the contents are left behind.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the beverage container according to the present invention includes an adapter attached to the opening of a flexible pouch that can be crushed by compressed gas, and the pouch is installed in the container body, and the adapter is attached to the opening of the container body. A ventilation path is formed between the adapter and the mouth of the container body, and the compressed gas ejected from the aerosol can is supplied to the gap between the container body and the pouch through the ventilation path to constantly press the pouch. A spout is screwed to the mouth of the container body, and the spout has a spout body, a nozzle, and a holder for holding the aerosol can, and a flow path of the spout body that communicates from the mouth of the container body to the nozzle includes a pouch. It is characterized by being equipped with a valve mechanism that controls the outflow of the contents inside.

Further, in the valve mechanism, a valve seat is formed in the flow path of the spout body, the valve seat being wider at the bottom, a valve is provided on the valve seat to close the flow path closer to the bottom, and an upwardly directed valve stem is attached to the valve. The valve stem is slidably inserted into a vertical hole provided in the upper wall of the spout body, an operating member for pushing down the valve stem is attached to the upper end of the valve stem that protrudes from the upper surface of the spout body, and the operating member is attached to the spout body. It is characterized in that it is equipped with a biasing member that pushes upward.

[For production]

In the present invention, a beverage such as beer is stored and filled inside a pouch attached to a container body, and a valve and its operating member are provided to open and close the flow path of the spout. When the valve is opened by the operating member, the compressed gas filled between the container body and the pouch expands, crushing the pouch with the compressed gas, and allowing the beverage inside the pouch to flow into the flow path of the spout. This prevents new air from flowing into the pouch, while smoothly dispensing the beverage and keeping the remaining beverage in the pouch almost the same as it was before opening.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the beverage container according to the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. In the container of the present invention, a cylindrical adapter 3 is attached to the opening 2 of a flexible pouch 1 by a method such as welding or gluing. The container body 5 is inserted into the mouth part 6 and inserted between the adapter 3 and the container body 5 from outside the container body 5.
A spout 4 that closes the air passage 7 is screwed into the opening 6 of the container body 5, and the spout 4 connects the cap-shaped spout body 8 and the aerosol can 1.
1 and a nozzle 13 for dispensing a beverage 27, and a through hole 22 into which the nozzle 14 is inserted when the aerosol can 11 is attached and compressed gas is discharged is communicated with the ventilation path 7, A valve seat 33 is formed in the flow path 23 of the spout body 8, and the valve seat 33 is provided with a valve seat 33 that is wider at the bottom.
4 is attached with an upwardly directed valve stem 28, and the valve stem 28 is slidably inserted into a vertical hole 30 provided in the upper wall 29 of the spout body 8.
An operating member 31 for pushing down the valve stem 28 is attached to the upper end of the valve stem 28 protruding from the upper surface of the spout body 8, and a biasing member 32 for pushing the operating member 31 upward is attached to the spout body 8.

The pouch 1 is made of a film having great flexibility and high gas barrier properties, and is formed in a shape that is substantially inscribed in the container body 5. The film is usually a multilayer film, such as a polyethylene film laminated on both sides of aluminum foil or an EVOH (saponified ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer) film, depending on the type of beverage to be stored.

The container body 5 of this embodiment is made of an aluminum alloy like a conventional large-capacity beer can, and has a small-diameter male-threaded opening 6 above a large-diameter body 9 through a shoulder 10 whose diameter gradually narrows. It was established.

The adapter 3 has an annular piece 19 on the outer periphery of the upper end of a cylinder 15 having a thickness that allows it to be loosely inserted into the mouth 6 of the container body 5, and an annular piece 19 that contacts the rim of the mouth 6 from above, and a lower surface side of the annular piece 19 that almost touches the mouth 6. A thick walled portion 16 of an inscribed outer diameter is provided on the upper surface side of the annular piece 19 of the cylindrical body 1.
An annular groove 17 having a diameter larger than 5 is formed, and through holes 20 passing through the thick portion 16 and communicating with the lower surface thereof are bored at equal intervals in the annular groove 17.

The spout 4 has a cylindrical cap-shaped spout main body 8 with a nozzle 13 projecting in the radial direction on the upper side surface, and in the embodiment, a holder 12 on the opposite side of the nozzle 13 is protruding to attach a small aerosol can 11 irremovably. It was established.

As another embodiment, the holder 12 may be formed on the upper surface of the spout 4 in parallel with the axial direction. The spout body 8 is attached to the annular piece 1 of the adapter 3 on the inner surface of the upper part of the lower outer peripheral wall 34 which has a female thread shape and is screwed into the male threaded mouth part 6 of the container body 5.
A downward inner circumferential wall 36 is provided in a double cylindrical shape and is in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the upper cylinder part 15 of the adapter 3 via an annular flat part 35 that is in close contact with the adapter 9 from above. In the embodiment, as the valve mechanism A,
The flow path 23 of the spout body 8 is provided with a valve seat 33 whose upper inner diameter becomes narrower, and above the valve seat 33, the flow path 23 is bent sideways to communicate with the nozzle 13. A vertical hole 30 is bored through which the rod 28 is inserted. A valve 24 with a packing 37 is closely fitted to the valve seat 33 from below to close the flow path 23.

The valve stem 28 of the valve 24 projects from the flow path 23 through the vertical hole 30 into a groove 38 formed on the upper surface of the spout body 8. An enlarged portion 39 is formed at the upper end of the valve rod 28 that protrudes into the groove 38, and the base end of the lever (operating member) 31 is inserted into the groove 3.
A recess 4 formed near the proximal end of the lever 31 and pivoted within the lever 31.
At the same time, a coil spring (biasing member) 32 is fitted to the protrusion of the valve stem 28, and the lever 31 is urged upward by the coil spring 32. By doing so, the valve 24 connected to the lever 31 via the valve stem 28 is brought into close contact with the valve seat 33, and the valve seat 33 is pressed down only while the tip of the lever 31 is pressed down against the biasing force of the coil spring 32. The valve 24 is separated from the flow path 23 so that the flow path 23 is opened. Reference numerals 41 and 42 in the figure indicate a protrusion and a protrusion receiver for pivotally supporting the lever 31. Note that the valve mechanism A is not limited to the embodiment, and may be a push-button type valve used in ordinary aerosol cans or another mechanism in which the channel 23 is opened by pressing a button. The holder 12 has a cylindrical shape with a thickness that allows the small aerosol can 11 to be inserted into the proximal end near the spout body 8, and the distal end has a gutter shape with a semicircular cross section, and the aerosol can can be inserted into the inner peripheral surface of the proximal end. An annular protrusion 4 that engages with an annular constriction 43 of No. 11
4 is provided. The spout body 8 has an aerosol can 1
A through hole 22 into which the nozzle 14 of No. 1 is inserted is provided, and this through hole 22
is communicated with the ventilation passage 7 through the through hole 20 of the adapter 3, and the nozzle 14 is pushed slightly into the can body 45 when the aerosol can 11 is attached, that is, the compressed gas in the aerosol can 11 is discharged from the nozzle 14. The through hole 22 is constricted in a stepped manner at a position slightly shallower than the length of the nozzle 14 when it is not in use.

Next, an example of a method for manufacturing a container and a method for filling a beverage according to the present invention will be briefly described. First, while manufacturing the container body 5 in the same manner as before, fit the gasket 18.25 of approximately the same diameter as one annular piece into the adapter 3 from above and below, and fit the lower end of the adapter 3 into the mouth 2 of the pouch 1. Glue or fuse in a continuous state. The gasket 18 that is fitted from above has a plurality of small holes 21 which are in close contact with the entire upper surface of the annular piece 19 and which face the through hole 20 via the annular groove 17. Also, the lower patch skin 2
5 fits on the outer periphery of the thick portion 16 and contacts the lower surface of the annular piece 19. Then, the pouches 1 are gathered together into a small size and inserted into the container body 5 from the opening 6 of the container body 5, and the adapter 3
is fitted into the mouth part 6, and the annular piece 19 is brought into contact with the mouth edge of the container body 5 via the packing 25. Then, the adapter 3 is inscribed in the mouth part 6 only at its thick part 16, and a through hole 20 and a gasket 18 are formed between the adapter 3 and the mouth part 6 of the container body 5.
A ventilation path 7 leading to the outside of the container body 5 is formed through the small hole 21 of the container body 5, and this ventilation path 7 communicates between the container body 5 and the pouch 1. Thereafter, a predetermined amount of a beverage 27 such as beer is injected into the pouch 1 through the adapter 3. At this time, as the beverage 27 is poured, the pouch 1 expands to a state where it is almost inscribed in the container body, and the air between the pouch 1 and the container body 5 is discharged through the ventilation path 7. Then, the spout 4 with the nozzle 13 and the holder 12 is screwed into the mouth part 6. At this point, there is no need to attach the aerosol can 11 to the holder 12.

The container of the present invention has the above structure, and when drinking,
Attach the aerosol can 11 to the holder 12 and attach the spout 4.
If you place a tip or the like at the tip of the nozzle 13 and press down on the tip side of the lever 31, the flow path 23 of the spout 8 will open only while the lever 31 is pressed down, and the flow path 23 will open from the aerosol can 11 to the through hole 22. The compressed gas filled between the container body 5 and the pouch 1 through the hole 20 and the ventilation path 7 crushes the pouch 1, and pours the beverage 27 inside the pouch 1 from the flow path 23/through the barrel 13 into a cup or the like. put out In addition, there is a straw 4 inside the pouch 1.
6, the contents at the bottom of the pouch 1 can be reliably poured out. When you release your hand from the lever 31, the lever 31 is pushed up by the biasing force of the coil spring 32, and the valve 24 connected to the lever 31 is moved to the valve seat 33.
The flow path 23 is closed and the pouring of the beverage 27 is stopped.

After that, if there is any leftover beverage 27, store it in a cool place or the like so that the lever 31 is not pressed down.

Here, since no new air flows into the pouch 1 even after the pouch 1 is opened, carbon dioxide does not escape from the beverage 27 and the beverage 27 does not become oxidized.

In the above embodiments, a can container for beer is described, but the present invention can also be applied to containers for other carbonated drinks and fruit juice-containing drinks, and the material of the container body 5 can be changed as appropriate. Also, as described above, a push button may be provided in place of the lever 31.

〔Effect of the invention〕

In the beverage container according to the present invention, the beverage inside the container is poured out from the nozzle tip by simply attaching an aerosol can to the holder and pressing down on the lever as described above, so even if the container is large and heavy, there is no need to tilt it. This makes it extremely easy to dispense drinks.

In addition, the container of the present invention uses compressed gas filled between the container body and the pouch to crush the pouch containing the beverage and pour out the beverage from the nozzle of the spout, and when the pouring is stopped, the flow path of the spout is closed with a valve. Since the pouch is designed to close, new air will not flow into the pouch during or after pouring, which not only allows for smooth pouring of the beverage, but also prevents the remaining beverage in the pouch from entering the pouch compared to conventional containers. This can prevent oxidation due to air newly flowing in after opening the package, and prevent the carbonic acid contained in the drink from escaping.

Additionally, since the beverage is contained within the pouch, it does not mix with the compressed gas that forces the beverage.

Therefore, with the container of the present invention, even if there is leftover drink after opening,
The remaining beverage can be stored in almost the same condition as before opening,
You can enjoy the delicious taste and drink it again later.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 4 show an embodiment of the beverage container according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the main part, FIG. 2 is a front view,
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view excluding the main body of the container, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the state in use. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Pouch, 2... (pouch) opening, 3... Adapter, 4... Spout, 5... Container body, 6...
・(Container body) mouth, 7... Ventilation path, 8... Spout body, 11... Aerosol can, 12... Holder, 13... (Spout) nozzle, 14... ( aerosol can) nozzle, 22... through hole, 23... channel, 24... valve, 27... beverage, 28... valve stem, 29... upper wall, 3o... Vertical hole, 31... Operating member (lever, button), 32... Biasing member (coil spring), 33... Valve seat, A... Valve mechanism

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An adapter (3) is attached to the mouth (2) of a flexible pouch (1) that can be crushed by compressed gas, and the pouch (1) is inserted into the container body (5). Attach it to the adapter (
3) is fixed to the container body mouth (6), and a ventilation path (7) is formed between the adapter (3) and the container body mouth (6), and the compressed gas ejected from the aerosol can (11) is , air passage (
7) into the gap between the container body (5) and the pouch (1) to constantly press the pouch (1).
A spout (4) is screwed onto the spout (4), and the spout (4) is connected to the spout body (8), the nozzle (13) and the aerosol can (1).
The spout body (8) has a holder (12) for holding the pouch (1) and communicates from the container body mouth (6) to the nozzle (13). Beverage container 2 characterized in that it is equipped with a valve mechanism (A) for controlling the outflow of contents. A valve (24) is provided which forms a seat (33) and closes the flow path (23) from below to the valve seat (33).
8), the valve stem (28) is slidably inserted into the vertical hole (30) provided in the upper wall (29) of the spout body (8),
An operating member (31) for pushing down the valve stem (28) is attached to the upper end of the valve stem (28) protruding from the upper surface of the spout body (8), and the operating member (31) is pushed upward to the spout body (8). 2. The beverage container according to claim 1, further comprising a biasing member (32) for raising the beverage container.