Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
12451~32
The invention deals with a beverage holder, made
out of a flexible multi-layer film, consisting of an
internal layer of weldable plastic, impermeable to liquids
and of an intermediate layer, tight enough to prevent the
escaping of flavorings, which is provided on its one side
with a - by means of a welded-in bottom or end cap part or
portion - self-contained middle part, it especially deals
with a beverage bag.
Beverage holders of this kind, developed as bags,
are known and are for instance described in the DE-OS 22
34 933 and in the DE-PS 12 81 140.
The beverage bag according to the DE-OS 22 34 933
has an internal layer, impermeable to liquids, made out of
thermoplastic, and thus weldable plastic as well as an
intermediate layer, tight enough to prevent the escaping
of flavourings, and consists of two film webs, connected
on their longitudinal sides by longitudinal weld seams,
and of a bottom part, folded V-shaped inwards within the
area of the one narrow side of the film webs, developed
as a put-in bottom piece which is welded to each film web
by means of a U-shaped weld seam.
At the beverage bag according to DE-PS 12 81 140
the bag side-walls and the bottom are made in one piece of
continuous film web. Within the area of the one narrow
side of the bag, the bottom is folded V-shaped inwards, that
is between those parts cf the film web which form the side-
walls, and on their long tudinal sides the film webs are
connected by means of longitudinal weld seams, which grasp
at one time four film web layers within the area of the
folded bottom part.
Beverage bags of this kind have already been used
in large quantities as portion packings for so-called still
beverages, as for example fruit juice beverages. They have
proved well so far, though particular measurements are
necessary in order to guarantee a certain tightness and
also to reach stability.
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Compared to those a beverage holder according to
thls invention, made out of a flexible multi-layer film~
is developed according to claim 1 as pressure tank for
the taking-in of carbon-dioxide containing beverages, by
the fact that the middle part of this holder is self-
contained by means of the welded-in bottom or end cap
portions at both ends.
Beverage holders of the state of engineering as
mentioned above were sealed, after having been filled, by
a transverse weld seam on the other side of the welded-in
bottom part. Especially these transverse weld seams but
also the longitudinal weld seams, which connect the side
walls of the bag, could not withstand permanently the in-
ternal pressure admission, caused by carbon-dioxide con-
taining beverages. Thus the invention has solved the task
to improve the beverage holders, made out of flexible multi-
layer film, which up to now could only be used as packaging
for materials without pressure, in such a way, that they
can be filled with carbon-dioxide containing beverages,
which hitherto required far more expensive packagings as
bottles or cans. Thus this invention has adjusted the
known beverage holders to a till now not possible use and
so has largely increased their usefulness.
A design of the invention provides, that the end
cap portions~ which close the middle part on its both
ends, are identical with each other or are at least
homogeneous. A beverage holder according to this design
is at least nearly symmetrical with regard to its longitu-
dinal axis and to one medium axis, extending rectangularly
to the longitudinal axis.
At another design the middle part consists of at
least one film web, which is tube-shaped and which is welded
in a longitudinal weld seam alor~g the edges extending in
longitudinal direction of the holder, thus in principle
vertically to the end cap portioris.
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It is recommended to make the longitudinal weld seam
of the middle part and/or the weld seam, which connect
the end cap portions with the middle part, as scarf joints,
which are especially suitable for withstanding an internal
pressure admission, while other weld seams, where edge
strips of the film materlal, which extend outwards from
the inner holder, are welded together tend to come loose
gradually due to the internal pressure admission, until
finally the beverage holders with such weld seams will
burst due to the internal pressure.
Consequently according to a further feature, the end
cap portions are provided all around with edge flanges in
order to weld them to the end edges of the film web forming
the middle part and they are suitably placed in with their
flanges facing inwards into the middle part. Another
advantageous design of this invention is, that the end cap
portions are formed as dished parts on that side which is
turned away from the middle part.
It is also of advantage if one of the end cap portions
welded to the middle part at a distance from the adjacent
end of the middle part, in such a manner, that the outward
curvature of the end cap portion, which may be caused by
internal pressure caused by the stored liquid, does not
protrude beyond the near end of the middle part. In such
a design, the end of the beverage holder at which the
bottom part is welded at a distance from the front side
of the middle part, can form a kind of pedestal for the
container.
Finally, it is also of advantage, if the middle part
is developed rotary-symmetrically with regard to its long-
itudinal axis and especially if it is developed cylindrically
and if consequently the bottom parts are developed hemis-
pherically with bordering weld-in flanges. Irrespective
of the lack of stiffness of form of the film material, out
of which the beverage containers are produced, such beverage
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conatiners are superior by their extraordinarily great
resistance against internal pressure.
With the help of the attached drawing several designs
of the invention will be described. The schematic represent-
ations show
FigO 1 a perspective view of a beverage holder or
container, develpped as a pressurized con-
tainer for receiving carbon-dioxide cont-
taining beverages, having a cylindric middle
part made of a film web and end cap portions
welded to both ends of the middle part by
means of scarf joints extending about the
periphery;
Fig. 2 a cross section along the line II-II of
Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 a further design of a beverage container
with a cylindric middle part made out of a
film web and bottom parts, welded-in on
the front parts, the bottom parts are
developed as dished parts on those sides,
which are turned away from the middle part;
in a lateral side view;
Fig. 4 a sectional view according to the inter-
secting line IV-IV of Fig. 3 of the holder
end after having been filled and closed by
means of welding-in of the upper bottom part.
The beverage holder 10, developed as pressure tank,
consists according to Figures 1 and 2, of a cyllndrical
middle part 11 and of bottom parts or end cap portions
13,13', which are welded-in into the latter on its both
ends. The middle part 11 consists of a film web, formed
into a cylinder or tubular jacket, whose edges overlap
the bordering longitudinal edges and which are welded by
a longitudinal weld seam 120 The end cap portions 13,13'
are formed as a kind of turned-up caps and are each pro-
vided with a continuous, generally cylindric peripheral
flanges 15,15', which fits the cylinder shape of the
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middle part 11. The end cap portions 13,13' are inserted
in into the ends of the cylindrical middle part, such
that their flanges face inwards to the cylindrical middle
part, and they are welded with the front end edges of the
middle part by means of continuous peripheral weld seams.
The film web, out of which the middle part 11 is
formed, is a laminated film material, which consists of
an internal layer, impermeable to liquids, made out of a
weldable plastic, neutral as regards taste, for example
Polyethylene, as well as an intermediate layer, made out
of a metal foil, which, as is known, reliably prevents the
escaping of flavourings. The end cap portions 13,13' con-
sist of a similar multi-layer film, which also has a
weldable layer on its outside.
The beverage bag 10, which is to be filled with
carbon-dioxide containing beverages, is conveyed to a fil-
ling station, already provided with a welded-in end cap
portion 13 on one end of the middle part 11, is there filled
with a carbon-dioxide containing beverage and then closed
by welding-in the second end cap portion 13' on the other
end of the middle part. With the closing of both sides
of the middle part 11 by means of one end cap portion at
each end 13,13', the be-~erage holder 10 is developed as
a pressure tank, which is capable to withstand the arising
internal pressure, under normal circumstances.
In the embodiment according to Figs. 3 and 4, the
corresponding parts to Figs. 1 and 2 are designated with
reference numerals increased by 10.
The beverage holder 20 differs from the design
according to Figs. 1 and 2 by the fact, that the end cap
portions 23,23', closing the middle part 21 at its ends,
are formed as shell-parts, dished outwards and are provided
with an edge flange 25, adjusted to the cylindrical middle
part and facing inwards, into the container. They are
further welded to the middle part by means of weld seams
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24,24', developed as scarf joints. The middle part 21
consists of a cylindrical film web, whose longitudinal
edges overlap and are welded together by means of a long-
itudinal weld seam 220
Also in comparison to the design according to FigsO
1 and 2 the end cap portion 23 is welded by means of a
circular weld seam 24,24' and in a distance from the front
edge of the cylindrical middle part 21, into the middle
part 21 in such a way, that the convex curvature of the
bottom part 23, being under pressure, does not protrude
beyond the near end of the cylindrical middle part, bordering
the circular weld seam 24. The part 26, standing out from
the circular weld seam 24, connecting the end cap portion
23 with the middle part 21 thus forms a kind of pedestal
for the containerO
A characteristic for the described beverage holders
10,20 according to Figs. 1 to ~ is their design as pressure
tank made out of a flexible multi-layer material with a low
natural stiffness; a further characteristic is in its
function as a container for carbon-dioxide containing
beverages. With regard to the fact, that all weld seams
are developed as scarf joints, where, due to the internal
pressure caused by the carbon-dioxide containing beverage-
filling, only shear-strains will occur, the above described
designs of the inventive container are especially resistant
against the effects of internal pressureO
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