PROCEDE POUR PLACER UN SAC DE BOISSON ALCOOLISEE DANS UN CONTENEUR

METHOD OF INSTALLING A BEVERAGE BAG INTO A CONTAINER

Abrégé français

L'invention concerne un procédé pour placer un sac contenant une boisson alcoolisée dans un conteneur, tel qu'un tonnelet de bière, à travers une ouverture du conteneur. Ce procédé consiste à plier le sac en pans se chevauchant, de façon à obtenir une section transversale pouvant passer à travers l'ouverture du conteneur, et à insérer ensuite le sac ainsi plié dans le conteneur à travers ladite ouverture. Le sac à boisson comporte un premier et un deuxième pan rectangulaire, dont les bords périphériques sont soudés ensemble pour former un premier raccordement. Chaque pan a une surface supérieure à la section transversale du tonnelet et les pans sont dimensionnés en fonction de la section transversale du tonnelet, afin de leur permettre d'être écartés pendant le remplissage du sac et d'agrandir ainsi le volume intérieur du sac approximativement au volume du tonnelet. Le sac est doté d'un élément à col ouvert traversant une ouverture du premier pan, auquel il est soudé pour former un deuxième raccordement. L'ouverture dans le premier pan du sac est de préférence excentrée afin de diminuer le risque, pour le premier raccordement du sac, d'être mis en paquet et poussé simultanément à travers l'ouverture du tonnelet pendant l'extraction du sac. Ainsi, les raccordements ne sont pas soumis aux mêmes contraintes pendant l'extraction du sac hors du tonnelet, augmentant ainsi les possibilités de recyclage du sac.

Abrégé anglais

The method of installing an alcohol beverage bag (10) into a container (12)
such as a beer keg through an aperture (46) in the container has the steps of
folding the bag into overlapping panels so as to have a cross-sectional area
able to pass through the aperture of the container and then inserting the
folded bag through the aperture and into the container. The beverage bag
comprises first (14) and second (16) rectangular panels having peripheral
edges (22) welded together to form a first seam (18). Each panel has an area
larger than a cross-sectional area for the keg and the panels are sized
relative to the keg cross-sectional area to permit the panels to be forced
apart during bag filling so as to expand bag internal space to approximate the
volume of the keg. The bag has an open neck (30) member passing through an
aperture of the first panel and welded thereto to form a second seam (32). The
aperture in the first panel of the bag is preferably offset from the center
(26) of the panel to reduce the likelihood of the first seam of the bag being
bunched together and pulled at one time through the keg aperture during bag
extraction. Consequently, less stress is placed on the seams during bag
extraction from the keg thereby enhancing the recycling life of the bag.

Revendications

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A method of installing a bag into a container to be ready for receiving an
alcohol beverage where the container has an aperture for receiving the bag
that has an
aperture cross-sectional area smaller than the bulk of the bag, the method
comprising the
steps of:
folding the bag into overlapping panels having a bag cross-sectional area able
to pass
through the aperture cross sectional area; and,
inserting the folded bag through the aperture into the container.
2. The method of installing a bag of Claim 1 further including the step of:
removing air from the bag and flattening the bag prior to the step of folding
the bag.
3. The method of installing the bag of Claim 1 further comprising the steps
of:
sealing the bag to the neck aperture of the container after the step of
inserting the bag
into the container, and
drawing a vacuum from the container to cause the bag to unfold within the
container
and be drawn towards walls of the container.
4. A method of installing a bag into a container to be ready for receiving an
alcohol beverage where the container has an aperture for receiving the bag
that has an
aperture cross-sectional area smaller than the bulk of the bag and the bag has
a neck of
corresponding cross-sectional area as the aperture, the method comprising the
steps of:
orientating the bag to one side of the neck;
folding the bag into overlapping panels having a collapsible bag cross-
sectional area
less than the aperture cross sectional area; and,
inserting the folded bag through the aperture into the container.
5. The method of installing a bag of Claim 4 further including the step of:
removing air from the bag and flattening the bag prior to the step of folding
the bag.
6. The method of installing the bag of Claim 4 further comprising the steps
of:
sealing the bag to the neck aperture of the container after the step of
inserting the bag
into the container, and
drawing a vacuum from the container to cause the bag to unfold within the
container
and be drawn towards walls of the container.
7. A bag suitable for containing an alcohol beverage when placed in a
container
having a cross-sectional area and a volume, the bag comprising:
a first panel and a second panel having peripheral edges welded together to
form a
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first seam, each of the first and second panels having an area larger than the
cross-sectional
area of the container, the first panel having an aperture contained therein,
and the first and
second panels being moveable apart from each other when the bag is filled to
expand bag
internal space to approximate the volume of the container; and,
an open neck member passing through the aperture of the first panel and welded
thereto to form a second seam, and the neck having a passageway for filling
the bag with the
alcohol beverage.
8. The bag of Claim 7 wherein the container is a generally cylindrical shaped
keg
and the first and second panels comprise generally rectangular shapes.
9. The bag of Claim 7 wherein the aperture of the first panel is offset from
the
center of the first panel.
10. The bag of Claim 8 wherein the aperture of the first panel is offset from
the
center of the first panel whereby the first seam of the bag is not removed
from the keg all at
once.
11. The bag of Claim 10 wherein the aperture of the first panel is located
proximate a corner of the first panel.
12. The bag of Claim 11 wherein the keg has a keg aperture and an end wall to
which the open neck is secured and the keg aperture is located centrally of
the keg end wall.
13. The bag of Claim 7 having a volume when filled that brings portions of the
bag into contact with interior walls of the container.
14. The bag of Claim 7 having a potential volume when filled greater than that
of
the container and having a bag filled volume restricted by the volume of the
container.
15. A bag suitable for containing an alcohol beverage when placed in a keg,
the
bag comprising:
two circular panels having peripheral edges welded to a cylindrical panel to
form the
bag with three seams, the bag being expandable to approximate the volume of
the keg, and
the first panel having a center and an aperture therein positioned off-center
from the center;
and,
an open neck member passing through the aperture of the first panel and welded
thereto to form a fourth seam and the neck providing a passageway for filling
the bag.
16. The bag of Claim 15 wherein the keg has a keg aperture and an end wall to
which the open neck is secured and the keg aperture is located centrally of
the keg end wall.
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Description

CA 02508694 2005-05-27
WO 2004/050491 PCT/IB2003/005398
METHOD OF INSTALLING ALCOHOL
BEVERAGE BAG INTO A CONTAINER
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improved alcohol beverage bags and a method
of
installing alcohol beverage bags into containers.
Background of the Invention
It is known to construct an alcohol bag in a manner that when the bag is
filled with an
alcohol beverage, such as, for example, beer or wine, the bag resembles the
shape of the
container in which the bag is housed.
In applications where the bag is used to contain beer, the bags are typically
housed in
a keg having a generally cylindrical shape. The bag has a neck portion secured
to the keg.
The bag is deflated, passed through a keg aperture and then filled with beer.
After the beer is
dispensed from the keg, the bag is removed through the aperture. Typically,
the bag
comprises two circular panels spaced apart by a cylindrical shaped sheet. The
sheet is welded
at its ends to the circular panels to form two end seams. The sheet is also
welded along its
length to form a third seam. A fourth seam is made where the neck passes
through one of the
circular panels. During bag removal from the keg, the end seams have a
tendency to bunch
together and are pulled together through the keg aperture. As a consequence,
stress is placed
on the end seam which reduces the recycling life span of the bag. Accordingly,
any '
improvement in bag construction that extends the recycling life of the bag is
beneficial.
An alternative form of bag comprises a first panel and a second panel having
peripheral edges welded together to form a first seam. Each of the first and
second panels has
an area larger than a cross-sectional area for the keg. This sizing of the
panels relative to the
keg cross-sectional area permits the panels to be forced apart during bag
filling so as to
expand the bag internal space to approximate the volume of the keg. The bag
has an open
neck member passing through an aperture of the first panel and welded thereto
to form a
second seam.
A problem occurs during bag insertion into the keg. Typically, the keg has an
aperture for receiving the bag where the size of the aperture corresponds to
the size of the bag
neck and the size of the aperture is much smaller than the bulk of the bag.
This makes it
difficult to insert the bag into the keg. Further care must be taken not to
rupture the bag
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CONFIRMATION COPY

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during its installation in the keg.
SummarX of the Invention
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for installing a
bag in a
container which method is easier to implement.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a bag suitable for
containing an
alcohol beverage in a container that places less stress on the bag seams
during bag removal
from the container.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a bag suitable for
use in a beer
keg that has fewer seems than a cylindrical formed bag.
In one aspect, the present invention relates to a method of installing a bag
into a
container to be ready for receiving an alcohol beverage. The container has an
aperture for
receiving the bag where the aperture of the container has a cross-sectional
area smaller than
the bulk of the bag. The method comprises the steps of folding the bag into
overlapping
panels having a bag cross-sectional area able to pass through the aperture
cross-sectional
area. The method includes inserting this folded bag through the aperture and
into the
container.
By folding the bag, it is possible to collapse the bulk of the bag in a
structured manner
whereby the cross-sectional volume of the bag becomes less than or of a size
that is able to
pass through the cross-sectional aperture of the container without adversely
effecting the
integrity of the bag wall.
It is contemplated that the method of the present invention may further
include the
step of removing air from the bag so as to flatten the bag prior to the bag
being folded.
The method of installing the bag may further include the steps of sealing the
bag to
the neck aperture of the container after the bag has been inserted into the
container and
drawing a vacuum from the container to cause the bag to unfold within the
container and be
drawn towards the walls of the container. While the bag may unfold by itself
after it passes
through the aperture or may unfold during the step of inflating the bag, it
should be
understood that by drawing a vacuum, the bag is positively pulled out of its
folded condition
towards the inside walls of the container.
In another aspect, the present invention relates to a bag suitable for
containing an
alcohol beverage, preferably beer, in a container, preferably a keg. The bag
comprises a first
panel and a second panel having peripheral edges welded together to form a
first seam. Each
of the first and second panels has an area larger than a cross-sectional area
for the keg. This

CA 02508694 2005-05-27
WO 2004/050491 PCT/IB2003/005398
sizing of the panels relative to the keg cross-sectional area permits the
panels to be forced
apart during bag filling so as to expand the bag internal space to approximate
the volume of
the keg. The bag has an open neck member passing through an aperture of the
first panel and
welded thereto to form a second seam. The bag of the present invention has
advantage
because it has fewer seams to be stressed during bag insertion and removal
into the container
than a cylindrical formed bag. The fewer seams also results in a manufacturing
labour cost
reduction.
The aperture in the first panel of the bag is preferably offset from the
center of the
panel. This off center aperture orientation reduces the likelihood of the
first seam of the bag
being bunched up and pulled at one time through the keg aperture during bag
extraction.
Consequently, less stress is placed on the first seam during bag extraction
from the keg
thereby enhancing the recycling life of the bag.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention there is provided a
bag
suitable for containing an alcohol beverage when placed in a container having
a cross-
sectional area and a volume. The bag comprises a first panel and a second
panel having
peripheral edges welded together to form a first seam. Each of the first and
second panels
have an area larger than the cross-sectional area of the container. The first
panel has an
aperture contained therein. The first and second panels are moveable apart
from each other
when the bag is filled to expand bag internal space to approximate the volume
of the
container. The bag has an open neck member passing through the aperture of the
first panel
and welded thereto to form a second seam. The neck has a passageway for
filling the bag
with the alcohol beverage.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the bag may
comprise a
cylindrical shaped bag having a neck and four seams. The improvement resides
in the neck
of the bag passing through a circular bag panel off-set from the center of the
circular panel.
As a result, when the bag is removed from a keg, the off-set neck pulls the
bag from the keg
in such a manner that the bag seams are not bunched together and removed at
once.
Consequently, less stress is placed on these seams.
In accordance with this other embodiment of the present invention therefore,
there is
provided a bag suitable for containing an alcohol beverage when placed in a
keg. The bag
comprises two circular panels having peripheral edges welded to a cylindrical
panel to form
the bag with three seams. The bag is expandable to approximate the volume of
the keg. The
first panel has a center and an aperture therein positioned off-center from
the center. The bag
has an open neck member passing through the aperture of the first panel and
welded thereto
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to form a fourth seam. The neck provides a passageway for filling the bag.
Brief Description of the Drawings
For a better understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention
reference
may be had to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the bag of the present invention shown in a
flattened
condition;
Figure 2a is a perspective view of a bag of the present invention shown
inserted and
deflated in a keg;
Figure 2b is a perspective view of a bag of the present invention shown
inserted and
deflated in a keg;
Figure 3 is a view of a cylindrical shaped bag suitable for insertion into a
keg; and
Figures 4 through 9 illustrate various steps in the method of the present
invention.
Detailed Description of the Invention
Refernng to Figure 1 there is shown a bag 10 having a preferred construction
for use
in a container 12. The bag 10 is suitable for use for housing an alcohol
beverage and in the
preferred embodiment for housing beer. The bag 10 is pliable and preferably
comprises two
layers of plastic material 14 and 16 which are welded together along their
peripheral edges 20
and 22 respectively to provide a peripheral edge seam 18. The panels 14 and 16
are generally
rectangular in shape and in the preferred embodiment are square. It should be
understood
that each panel may comprise one or more layers of plastic material joined
along the
peripheral edges and that these layers are not necessarily laminated together.
The first panel 14 has an aperture 24 positioned in the first panel offset
from its center
at 26. A neck 30 extends through the first panel 14 at aperture 24 and is
secured to the
aperture 24 by a weld 32. The neck 30 typically comprises a rubber like
material and has an
opening or passageway 34 through which alcohol or beer is filled into the
space or volume
between the panels 14 and 16.
The bag 10 is shown in Figure 1 to be considerably oversized relative to the
size of
the keg 12. The lceg 12 has top and bottom circular walls 40 and 42 with a
cylindrical side
wall 44. The bag 10 has a cross sectional area that is considerably larger
than the cross
sectional area of the keg 12. That is the periphery of panels 14 and 16 have
an area which is
considerably larger than the area of the top or bottom and wall portions 40
and 42 of the keg
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12. In an alternative embodiment where the inflated bag has a cylindrical
shape, the size of
the inflated bag may correspond to the size of the keg 12.
Referring to Figure 2a, there is shown a view of the keg 12 having the bag 10
inserted
into the keg 12 through an upper aperture 46 in the top end wall portion 40 of
the keg 12.
The bag 10 is adapted to have its neck 30 to be secured with aperture 46 of
corresponding
size and shape and the panels 14 and 16 are pulled through the aperture 46
into the internal
volume of the cylinder or keg 12 in accordance with the method of the
invention described
hereinafter. The panels 14 and 16 are shown in Figure 2a with the seam 18
following a
generally serpentine type shape. It should be understood that in Figure 2, the
bag 10 is not
inflated or filled with any alcohol. The shape shown is simply illustrative to
show that the
bag may be stretched to have several folds as it extends into the interior of
the keg 12. When
COZ, alcoholic beverage or beer is inserted through neck 30 into the bag 10,
the bag expands
such that portions of panels 14 and 16 come into contact with cylindrical
walls 44 and the end
walls 40 and 42 of the keg 12. The unfolding is illustrated by the arrows in
Figure 2b.
Advantage is found with the bag 10 shown in Figures 1 and 2 in that the bag
only has
two seams 18 and 32. This reduction in the number of seams compared to a bag
comprising a
cylindrically shaped bag results in a bag having less opportunity for wear
along the seams
during insertion and extraction of the bag 10 from the keg 12. By reducing the
stress placed
on the seams 18 of the bag 10, the bag may be recycled more times and its life
expectancy
increased or enhanced.
Referring to Figure 3 there is shown an alternative embodiment for a
cylindrical bag
80 which may be used with the cylinder 12 shown in Figure 1. The cylindrical
bag 80 has a
top panel 60, a bottom panel 62 and a side panel 63. The side panel 63 is
wrapped in a
cylindrical fashion and is joined along seam 64. The top panel 60 is joined to
the side panel
63 by seam 66 and the bottom panel 62 is joined to the side panel 63 by seam
68. These
seams are formed by welding. A neck portion 70 which is rubber-like in
material will also
extend through the upper end portion or wall panel 60 of the cylinder of the
bag 80 and is
secured to the upper panel 60 by a separate weld 72. While this bag is
provided with three
seams on the bag plus an additional seam for the neck, the stresses placed on
the seams by the
bag 80 will be considerably less due to the fact that the neck 70 is
positioned off center from
the center 74 of the top portion or panel 60 of the bag 80.
In accordance with the present invention it should be understood that the neck
30 of
the bag 10 of Figure 1 typically has a cross-sectional area or a diameter in
this preferred
embodiment that corresponds to the diameter 46 of the container 12. In some
embodiments,
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securing rings or intermediate rings (not shown) may surround the neck 30 so
as to seal or
positively locate the neck 30 against the aperture 46. As illustrated in
Figure l, the cross-
sectional area of the bag below the neck 30 is sufficiently larger than the
cross-sectional area
or diameter of aperture 46 of container 12. It should also be understood that
the Figures
utilized herein are for the purposes of illustration and that the exact
dimensions of the cross-
sectional areas of the neck 30 of bag 10 and aperture 46 of container 12 are
not to scale.
In order to effectively insert and install the bag 10 within the container 12,
the method
of the present invention comprises the first step shown in Figure 4 of
orientating the bag 10 to
one side of, or as in this instance, below the neck 30. The bag 10 is then
deflated by
removing any air or contents out through the neck by collapsing the bag
against itself. Next,
the bag is folded as indicated by arrows 92 about fold line 94. This results
in the partially
folded bag 10 configuration shown in Figure 5. Next the bag 10 is folded at
folds 96 behind
the bag as indicated by arrows 98 to result in the folded bag 10 shown in
Figure 6. In Figure
6, the bag 10 has a folded cross-sectional area which substantially
corresponds to the cross-
sectional area of neck 30.
In the next step, as shown in Figure 7 the bag 10 is moved in the direction of
arrow
100 into the container 12 through aperture 46.
The next step is to seal the neck 30 to the aperture 46 and at this time that
the bag may
start to unfold on its own as represented by arrows 21 shown in Figure 8. In
order to assist
the bag in unfolding and moving towards the inner walls of the keg 12, a
vacuum source 102
is applied through a valve 104 of the container 12. It should be understood
that the valve 104
in an alternative embodiment may pass through a ring type valve assembly which
forms part
of the sealing mechanism of the neck 30 to the aperture 46 of the keg 12. In
the next step a
vacuum is applied as indicated by arrow 106 through a vacuum device or pump
102 from
valve 104. This evacuates the container 12 causing the walls of the bag 10 to
be drawn
towards the inner walls of the keg 12.
It should be understood that once the bag 10 is inserted in the keg 12, it may
be
inflated by an initial purging of the bag 10 with C02 or may be inflated by
filling the bag 10
with a beverage. This inflation of the bag 10 results in the bag 10 unfolding.
Returning to Figure 3 and the removal of the bag 80 from the keg, as the neck
70 is
pulled and removed from the aperture of the keg 12, the deflated bag 80 is
pulled in a manner
that the seams are not bunched together and pulled through the aperture 46 in
the keg all at
once. If the neck 70 is located at center point 74, then as the bag is pulled
from the keg, the
panel 60 is pulled from its center downwardly resulting in a good portion or
all of seam 66
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being pulled through the keg 46 at the same time. Also, a good portion or all
of seam 62
would also be pulled through the aperture 46 in the keg 12 at the same time.
By off setting
the neck 70 from the center 74 of the panel, the seams 62 and 66 are not drawn
at the same
time through the center aperture 46 in the keg thereby reducing the stresses
placed on these
seams.
While the bag structure of Figure 3 with the multiple seams is less preferred
to the bag
shown in Figure 1 with the two seams, it should be understood that there may
be a preference
to bag manufacturers to use a cylindrical shaped bag for insertion into a
cylindrical shaped
keg. By manufacturing bag ~0 with the off set neck 70, less stress is placed
on the end seams
of the bag. With less stress placed on the seams of the bag, the recycling
life span of the bag
is enhanced.
The offset neck feature and associated advantages discussed with respect to
the
cylindrical bag ~0 of Figure 3 is equally applicable to the square bag of
Figure 1. In the
rectangular bag 10 of Figure 1, the neck 30 is offset from center 26 of panel
14 and is
preferably located in a corner of the panel 14.
It should be understood that the method of folding the bag 10 described herein
is
merely an example of one manner in which the bag of Figure 1 may be folded for
one
particular embodiment or construction of a bag and that other folding patterns
will be readily
apparent to a person skilled in the art for the bags of Figures 1 and 3 and
other bag shapes in
view of the teachings contained herein.
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Dessin représentatif