DISPOSABLE FERMENTATION BAG

SAC DE FERMENTATION JETABLE

English Abstract

Apparatus for the fermentation of wine and beer at home, comprising a flexible
plastic bag with an inwardly tapering lower section, ending in narrow section,
which
acts as an integrated sediment collector. A sealable inlet near the top
permits
introduction of ingredients and a valve at the bottom allows for sediment to
be
removed.

Claims

I claim:
1. A fermentation apparatus for production of alcoholic beverages at home,
comprising:
.cndot. a flexible plastic film container, having a conical shaped lower
section, the
internal volume being appropriate for producing domestic quantities of
alcoholic beverages,
.cndot. an inlet means located near the top, having a sealable closure
therefore;
.cndot. an airlock port located near the top to accept an airlock;
.cndot. outlet means at the bottom, including a valve which is removable;
.cndot. a sealer clip for temporary closure of the sediment collector.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1, constructed of sheets of plastic film
welded
together in such a pattern as to form the following:
.cndot. a seam at the top to accommodate a rod to suspend the apparatus;
.cndot. a vertical upper section;
.cndot. a conical shaped lower section;
.cndot. a narrow bottom section, forming an integrated sediment collector.
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3. Apparatus according to claim 1, including a rod for suspending the
apparatus
between two weight bearing points.
4. Apparatus according to claim 1, preferably made of transparent plastic
film,
permitting the observation of the contents.
5. Apparatus according to claim 1, preferably made of plastic film with high
oxygen-barrier properties to prevent oxidation of the contents.
6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the said inlet means is preferably
an
unsealed portion of the edge of the apparatus.
7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the said inlet means is
alternatively a
weld-on fitment with matching screw-on lid.
8. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the said outlet means is preferably
a
weld-on fitment with matching screw-on valve.
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Description

CA 02501570 2005-03-29
Disposable Fermentation bag
This invention relates to a fermentation vessel, made from flexible plastic
film and
intended for domestic fermentation of beer and wine.
Background of the Invention
Home brewing
The hobby of brewing wine and beer at home is traditionally done using
different
fermentation vessels.
A plastic bucket is used for the primary fermentation stage. Using a siphon,
the
liquid is transferred to a glass carboy for the secondary fermentation stage
and back
to the plastic bucket for the bottling process,.
The main reason for the transfers between vessels is to remove the sediment
that
settles at the bottom.
Successful brewing requires an extremely clean and sanitary environment. This
necessitates the cleaning and sanitation of all equipment before and after the
use
thereof. Every transfer increases the risk of contamination.
Oxidation occurs when the liquid comes into contact with oxygen bearing air
and is
another major concern for home brewers. This risk increases with every
transfer.
Similar inventions
A number of inventions attempt to reduce the number of liquid transfers in
order to
minimize the mentioned risks and labor.
The most successful inventions are those with conical shaped bottoms, called
"Conical fermentors". (Canadian patent #1,113,413)
Their shape forces the sediment toward the centre of the cone as it settles.
This
sediment is then removed, either by opening a valve and dumping the sediment
together with some liquid or via a removable sediment collector, which is
temporarily
sealed off, removed and cleaned before being reattached to the fermentor.
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CA 02501570 2005-03-29
Some of the problems with existing conical fermentors are:
~ Because they made from rigid materials like stainless steel or hard plastic,
not all sediment can be removed as a layer of sediment will harden and
adhere to the sides of the cone.
~ The nontransparent materials used to make these fermentors does not
allow for the visual inspection of the fermentation process. This compels
the opening of the lid for inspection, increasing the risk of contamination
and oxidation.
~ When liquid is removed from a rigid container, air replaces that volume.
The oxygen in this air causes oxidation of the liquid.
~ They are expensive, mainly as a result of manufacturing and shipping
costs. Only a tiny percentage of home brewers are willing to spend that
much for a hobby designed to save money.
Summary of the Invention
General description
The present invention describes a fermentation vessel in the form of a
transparent
plastic film bag, suspended from above.
The lower part of the bag has a conical shape, ending in a narrow cylindrical
section. This forms an integrated sediment collector.
During fermentation, this conical shape force sediment to settle in the
sediment
collector.
Sediment can be removed by temporarily sealing the sediment collector above
the
sediment with a sealer clip and opening the valve at the bottom.
How it addresses the shortcomings of existing designs
~ The use of flexible plastic allows for the manipulation and agitation of the
sediment collector and the bag, thereby ensuring the removal of all sediment.
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CA 02501570 2005-03-29
~ Because the sediment collector collapses as it empties, no air is introduced
into the container. This significantly reduces the risk of contamination and
oxidation.
~ The transparency of the bag allows for observation of the sedimentation and
fermentation process.
~ The simple manufacturing process, inexpensive materials used and low
shipping cost result in very low final cost. So low that the bag becomes a
disposable product.
~ A disposable bag eliminates the need for laborious sanitizing and reduces
the
risk of contamination as a new bag is used for every batch.
~ The fermentation bag can be used to replace the square bag currently used
to ship the grape juice / beer wort to the end user, thereby eliminating
another
transfer between vessels.
~ This makes it a truly disposable, single stage fermentation vessel,
eliminating
numerous steps in the traditional fermentation process, thereby reducing the
risk of contamination and oxidation and greatly reducing the effort required
to
produce wine or beer at home.
Detailed description of the invention
Brief description of the drawings
Figure 1
An elevational view of the fermentation bag.
Figure 2
Photo of a weld-on fitment and matching valve.
Figure 3
Photo of a sealer clip
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CA 02501570 2005-03-29
Figure 4
A photo of a prototype fermentation bag.
Detail on each element
1. The Bag
The bag is constructed from two layers of transparent, high oxygen-barrier,
plastic film sheets. (Dashed lines 6)
The sheets are welded together in a specific pattern (as indicated by heavy
lines 7) to define the shape of the bag.
The shape of the bag can be described as having four sections:
i. The top section (1 ) forming a seam through which a rod (10) can be
inserted to suspend the bag.
ii. The upper section (2) contains the majority of the bag's volume and
includes an inlet (8) and a port for attaching an airlock (9).
iii. The lower section (3) is inwardly tapering at a sharp angle to direct
sediment towards the middle.
iv. The bottom section (4) forms a narrow tube, the integrated sediment
collector, where sediment settles and includes an outlet valve (5).
2. Suspending the bag
The top section of the bag defines a seam (1 ) through which a rod (10) is
inserted to suspend the bag from. The ends of the rod can be suspended
using rope (11 ). The rod distributes the weight of the contents evenly,
allowing for the use of very thin plastic film.
3. The Sediment Collector
The bottom section (4) of the bag forms an integrated sediment collector.
When sediment has collected therein, a sealer clip (14) is used to temporarily
seal the sediment collector above the sediment. The valve (5) at the bottom is
opened to release the sediment while the sediment collector (4) is
manipulated and agitated to ensure that all sediment flows out. Then the
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CA 02501570 2005-03-29
valve (5) is closed and the sealer clip (14) removed, allowing liquid to once
again fill the sediment collector (4).
4. Outlet
The outlet consists of a weld-on fitment (13) welded to the extreme bottom of
the sediment collector. A matching valve (14) is attached to the fitment. A
length of tube can be attached to the valve to facilitate the bottling of the
wine
or beer without aerating the liquid.
5. Sealer Clip
The sealer clip (14) is a commercially available rod-and-clamp arrangement
used for sealing bags. It is applied by placing the rod (15) on one side and
the clamp (16) on the opposite side of the sediment collector and forcing the
rod into the grove of the clamp.
6. Inlet
The inlet (8) is created by leaving a length of the bag unfused near the top.
A
sealer clip (14) is used to seal this opening when required.
7. Airlock port
The airlock port (9) is created by leaving a length of the bag unfused near
the
top. An airlock is simply a length of tube, one end inserted into the airlock
port
and the other end placed in a container, partially filled with water. This
allows
the C02 gas produced by the fermentation process to escape, while
preventing air from entering the bag. The resulting bubbling also gives visual
feedback as to the progress of fermentation.
Example of use
Installation
A rod is inserted through the seam of the bag and a length of rope is attached
to its
ends. The fermentation bag is suspended from an overhead point.

CA 02501570 2005-03-29
Setup
The liquid to be fermented and any other ingredients are introduced into the
bag
using the inlet. The inlet is then closed with a sealer clip.
An airlock is installed and fermentation can commence.
Fermentation
When sediment has collected in the sediment collector, it is temporarily
sealed off
from the rest of the bag with a sealer clip.
The valve is opened and all sediment is removed by agitating the sediment
collector.
The valve is closed, sealer clip removed and fermentation continues.
Bottling
At the end of the fermentation process, a piece of tubing is attached to the
valve and
used to deliver the liquid to bottles. The fermentation bag is discarded.
Abstract of the disclosure
Apparatus for the fermentation of wine and beer at home, comprising a flexible
plastic bag with an inwardly tapering lower section, ending in narrow section,
which
acts as an integrated sediment collector. A sealable inlet near the top
permits
introduction of ingredients and a valve at the bottom allows for sediment to
be
removed.
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