Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1126695
This invention relates to the dispensing of liquids
and it refers particularly to means for use in the dispensing
of liquids from flexible bag-like containers thereinafter
referred to as "bag") normally housed in a relatively rigid
outer container such as a carton, can or plastics barrel
(hereinafterreferred to as "box"). Such composite containers
are well known and are often referred to as bag-in-a-box
containers. They are used particularly in the merchandising
of still wines but may also be used in the merchandising of
other liquids which tend to deteriorate due to the action of
air or oxygen and in the merchandising of other alcoholic
beverages such as saki and whisky.
Specifically, the invention relates to means by which the
bag may be fill~d with liquid and by which the liquid may be
dispensed from the bag.
It is known to provide a bag-like inner container
having a filler neck through which the bag may be filled with
liquid, the filler neck being then sealed off against the
escape of the liquid, and a dispensing neck with a frangible
diaphragm across the inner end of the neck, the dispensing
neck being engageable with a socket member fitted in or to
the outer container or box and said socket being adapted to
receive a separate tap which, on insertion in the socket, will
break the diaphragm to enable liquid to flow from the bag-like
inner container to and through the tap.
It is also known to provide a bag-like inner container
having a filling-and-dispensing neck to enable the bag to be
filled with liquid and to which, when the bag has been filled,
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a dispensing tap is fitted to enable the liquid contents of
the bag to be dispensed.
It is believed that in respect of this latter
construction the tap may be caused to open, either inadvertently
when liquid may be spilled, or deliberately for pilfering of
the contents of thebag, before the sale of the bag-in-a-box
container. For that reason it is believed the construction
which provides a frangible diaphragm across the dispensing
neck is preferable. However, with thatconstruction it has
hitherto been considered necessary to have both a filling
neck and a dispensing neck at spa~ed locations on the bag-
like inner container.
Accordingly it is an object of this invention to
provide a bag-liXe inner container, for the reception and
retention of liquid, having a single neck through which the
bag may be filled with liquid and through which the liquid
may be dispensed, and frangible diaphragm means for sealing
that filling-and-dispensing neck against escape of liquid
until such time as a dispensing tap has been fitted to it.
Another object is to provide a bag-like container,
for the reception and retention of liquid, having a single
neck through which the bag may be filled with liquid with
a desired rapidity and through which the liquid may be
subsequently dispensed, and means for closing the neck after
the filling of the bag so as to prevent the escape of liquid
through it, said closure means being adapted to receive and
hold a dispensing tap in position.
A further object is to provide means for cloRing the
opening through a filling neck of a container for liquids
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such that leakage or escape of liquid through the filling neck
will be prevented or inhibited, the closure means being adapted
to receive and hold in position a tap for dispensing the liquid
contents of the container.
Yet another object is to provide a bag-like container
having a filling neck, through which it may be readily filled
with liquid, and a closure for that filling neck to prevent the
flow of liquid from the bag through the neck, said closure being
adapted to receive and hold in position a tap for the dispensing
of the liquid contents of the bag and having a frangible dia-
phragm which will be fractured upon engagement of the tap in the
closure whereby liquid will be permitted to flow from the bag
through the filling neck and tap when said tap is operated.
Yet another object is to provide means for inhibiting
the passage of oxygen~air to the contents of the inner container
so as to increase the life of those contents should they be such
that oxygen or air causes deterioration thereof.
According to one aspect of this invention there is
provided a filling-dispensing neck member and closure member
20 combination for a bag-like container, said neck member having a
passageway through which liquid may be caused to flow into the
bag-like container and through which liquid may be dispensed,
said closure member having a socket for the reception of a barrel-
of a dispensing tap, an oxygen impermeable diaphragm across said
socket, means in said socket for restraining the barrel of the
tap against longitudinal movement once the tap is engaged in it
and has broken the diaphragm, said closure member having a
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circumferential skirt adapted to fit over and engage with the
outer end of the neck member, and said skirt having at least one
internal circumferential rib for locking engagement with an
external complementary bead on the outer end part of the neck
member.
In another aspect the invention provides a filling-
dispensing closure for a box-supported bag-like container compris-
ing a unitary, generally tubular resilient plastic neck member
having an inner end and an outer end and a through passage extending
from one end to the other, said inner end being equipped with an
outwardly radially extending integral ~lange for mounting within
said container, said outer end being equipped with an integral
radially outwardly extending bead, a unitary generally tubular
resilient plastic closure member having an inner end and an outer
end and a through passage extending from one end to the other,
said closure member being disposed in telescopic relation relative
to said neck member with said closure member outer end being
disposed outwardly of the outer end of saia neck member and the
inner end of said closure member being positioned in said neck
member through passage and with said passages being coaxial, an
oxygen impermeable diaphragm mounted across said closure member
inner end and closing the through passage of said closure member,
said closure member having an integral face-providing wall portion
extending radially away therefrom intermediate the ends thereof
for bearing engagement of the face thereo~ with the outer end of
- said neck member, said wall portion being equipped with an axially
extending skirt on the periphery thereof extending toward said
neck member inner end and being disposed radially outwardly of
said neck member, said skirt being equipped with an internal
annular rib spaced from said wall to resiliently clamp said neck
member bead between said rib and wall, said closure member in the
through passage thereof being e~uipped with annular groove means
for retaining the barrel of a tap against longitudinal movement
after the tap has ruptured said diaphragm by inward sliding move-
ment within said closure member through vassage, and further
engaging means on said memhers spaced from said head and rib to
provide a second liquid seal.
In order that the invention may be readily understood
and conveniently put into practical effect, reference will now
be made to the accompanying illustrative drawings, wherein:
Fig. 1 depicts an inner bag-like container having near
one end a neck for the reception of a nozzle of a filling machine;
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross-section on the line and
in the direction of the arrows 2-2 of Fig. 1, on enlarged scale;
Fig. 3 is- a front elevation of a closure for the filling
neck, having itself a passageway for the reception of the barrel
of a tap to be used for dispensing the contents of the filled
bag-like container;
Fig. 4 is a side view of the closure depicted in Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 shows a cross-section through the closure, on
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the line and in the direction of the arrows 5-5 of Fig. 3,
Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the closure,
Fig. 7 shows the closure of Figs. 3 to 6 fitted to
the neck of Figs. 1 and 2, in longitudinal cross-section,
and
Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 but showing a tap
engaged in the passageway of the closure.
The bag-like container 11 may be made of any suitable
material, for example it may have an inner lining of
polyethylene and an outer cover or lining of a metallised
polypropylene or a metallised polyester, the object being
to provide an inner surface material which will not react
with or adversely affect the contents of the bag and a
further lining which will inhibit the passage of oxygen or
air through the wall of the bag to the liquid contents. The
bag has two opposite walls which are sealed together around
the perimeter, at 12.
~ear the lower end and close to one side of the
bag 11 is an opening in one side wall, and a filling neck 14
of known construction is secured to that side wall so that
it extends through the opening and enables liquid to be fed
into and drained from the bag. That neck 14 has a
substantially cylindrical part having at its inner end a
peripheral flange 15 with a shoulder 16, two spaced peripheral
flanges 17 and 18 which are relatively wide in the radial
direction and at the outer end an external peripheral bead
or rib 19 of relatively small radial extent. A cylindrical
passageway 20 extends through the neck 13 and at the inner
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1126695
end thereof is a peripheral recess 21. An internal peripheral
bead 22 is shown at the outer end of the passageway 20.
The flanges 17 and 18 are spaced apart a distance to
permit engagement in known manner, in a slot in a side wall
of the outer container or box (not shown) with the material
at the edges of the slot engaging between said flanges so
that the neck will be held against longitudinal movement.
The closure 23 shown particularly in Figs. 3 to 6
has an outer face 24, a substantially cylindrical skirt 25
extending from the rear surface of that-face 24, a short neck
26 on the outer surface with a substantially circular flange
27 at its outer end, a part-circular flange 28 with an
angled wall-part 29 on the outer surface of the flange 27,
a socket 30 for the reception of the barrel of a tap
substantially co-axial with the skirt 25, two spaced
circumferential ribs 31, 32 within the inner surface of the
skirt 25, a circular rib 33 on the rear surface of the outer
face 24, a frangible diaphragm 34 across the inner end of
the socket 30 and a shallow inner peripheral bead 35 at the
outer end of the socket 30.
The closure 23 is made so as to be a tight fit on the
outer end part of the neck 14, with the outer bead 19 engaged
behind the inner circumferential rib 32 and the circular rib 33
pressing upon the inner peripheral bead 22 at the outer end of
the passageway 20, with the object of preventing leakage of
liquid through the passageway 20 past the closure. Further
it is desirable for the inner end of the skirt 25 to press
firmly on the flange 18, for the same purpose.
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Both the neck 14 and the closure 23 may be made of
polyethylene, to inhibit reaction between those parts and
the liquid contents of the inner container.
In use, the closure 23 is fitted to the end of the
neck 14 after the bag 11 has been filled with liquid so as
to provide a substantially leak-proof container for the
liquid. The closure is so fitted to the neck that when the
bag 11 is placed in its outer container or box and said box
is placed in its correct upright position for dispensing
its contents the angled wall part 29 on the outer side of
the closure will be in the upright position as shown in
Figs. 3 and 4 so as to receive a complementary part on the
outer side of a barrel of a tap T as shown in Fig. 8. That
construction of tap is well known, and is made in accordance
with Australian Patent ~o. 407656 and known as the AIRLESFL0*
top.
Fig, 8 shows that tap engaged in the socket 30 with
the probe at the inner end of the tap having broken and
penetrated through the frangible diaphragm 34 of the closure
and the shallow peripheral rib 35 engaged behind a shallow
peripheral rib 36 on the outer surface of the barrel of the
tap.
It is to be realised that the closure 23 may be made
to receive a tap other than the AIRLESFL0 tap referred to and
shown in Fig. 8 of the dr~wings. Also, the closure may be
made to engage tightly on the outer end of neck parts of
different design from that illustrated in the drawings.
Thus, merely by way of example, the peripheral flange 18 may
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* Trade Mark
~Z669~i
be eliminated and the overall length of the neck reduced
accordingly as the inner end of the closure 23 may be made to
serve the same purpose as that flange 18 in engaging the
material of the box so as to hold the neck part in position
in the box.
In a modification of the filling neck 14 the external
flange 18 is eliminated and the neck is made shorter by the
thickness of thatflange. When the closure is fitted on the
neck 14 the inner end of the skirt 25 functions in the same
manner as the flange 18 of the construction illustrated in
the drawings,
In the constructions described above there may be
provided an additional barrier to inhibit the flow of oxygen
to the contents of the bag-like container. This may be done
by welding a film of a suitable material, such as polyethylene-
coated metallised polypropylene or polyethylene-coated
metallised polyester, across the opening at the inner end of
the passageway 20 after the bag has been filled with wine or
other liquid. Such material may be accommodated in the
peripheral recess 21. Alternatively, a film of such material
may be secured across the outer end of the socket 30 to
restrict the flow of oxygen through the plastics material of
which the closure is made.
It will be understood that various modifications in
detail of design and construction may be made without
departing from the ambit of the invention as defined by the
appended claims.
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