The invention relates to a device for storing beverage.
Beverage such as carbonated beverage, for instance soft drink or beer, can be offered in, for instance, bottles, cans or kegs. When the beverage is packaged in a plastic bottle, usually a blown plastic bottle is used, having a neck which is closed off by a screw cap. For pouring out the beverage, the cap is unscrewed, whereupon a part of the beverage can be poured out and the cap can be screwed back onto the neck again.
When beverage is packaged in a can or keg, usually an external pressure source is used, such as for instance a gas cylinder and dosing device for regulating pressure in the can or keg. The beverage is then dispensed under pressure via a tapping device configured for that purpose.
From EP 1064221 a device is known where in a plastic or metal container a pressure regulator is provided, which is for instance glued onto the bottom of the container or suspended from the cover.
An object of the invention is to provide a holder for beverage which is simple in structure and use. Another object of the invention is to provide a holder for beverage with which beverage can be dispensed under pressure. A further object of the invention is to provide a holder for beverage in which the beverage is protected from outside influences, such as contamination. These and/or other objects can be achieved with a holder or method according to the invention.
In a first aspect, a holder for beverage according to this specification is characterized by a container manufactured substantially from plastic, provided with a neck having an opening, wherein the container is filled with beverage and on or in the neck a closure is provided. Through the closure extends a dispensing means. The closure is fixed to the neck utilizing at least welding technique. A pressure device is provided for pressurizing the beverage in the container for dispensing the beverage under pressure via the dispensing means.
In another aspect, a holder according to this specification is characterized in that in the holder a pressure regulator is suspended, with the aid of the closure, such that it is preferably suspended eccentrically of the neck, such that a filling pipe can be inserted into the holder alongside the pressure regulator, through the neck, for filling the holder.
In clarification of the invention, embodiments of a holder or dispensing device and parts thereof and methods will be further elucidated with reference to the drawing. In the drawing:
In this description the same or corresponding parts have the same or corresponding reference numerals. The embodiments shown are shown only by way of illustration and should not be construed in any way as limiting. In this description, examples will be discussed and shown for dispensing beer, in particular lager-type beer. However, also other types of beverage can be dispensed from a device according to this specification. In this description the designation “lower” designates a side of a holder which is represented at the bottom in the figures. The designation “upper” is accordingly to be understood as being the opposite side.
The dispensing device 4 in this embodiment comprises for instance a device as known from NL 1008601, for instance as shown in
A pressure device 9 in the embodiment shown comprises an aerosol container 10 as a storage reservoir, closed off by an aerosol valve (not shown). A pressure-controlled regulating unit 11 as a pressure regulating device is fixed on the aerosol container 10, such that the aerosol valve can be opened by the regulating unit 11 if the pressure in the inner space 8 falls below a desired pressure. Preferably, as a result, the pressure device 9 operatively regulates the pressure in the inner space to an equilibrium pressure of CO2 in the beverage, at a desired temperature, for instance a pressure between approximately 1.2 and 2 bar absolute, more particularly between approximately 1.4 and 1.6 bar between for instance 0 and 15° C., for instance at approximately 6° C. For instance for beverages other than beer, of course, in each case a suitable pressure can be set.
In the embodiment shown in
On the side of the neck 6 the bracket 13 is attached to or provided with a suspension ring 15. In an embodiment, the suspension ring 15 is substantially disc-shaped and rests by an edge 16 at the lower side 17 on an upper side 18 of the neck 6. At the lower side 17 of the suspension ring 15, a clamping ring 19 is provided, within the neck 6, in which a ring 20 which is attached to the upper side of the bracket 13 is clamped. In another embodiment, the bracket 13 may be formed integrally with the suspension ring 15 or be fixed thereto in a different manner, for instance by welding, gluing, snap-fitting, screws or otherwise.
The suspension ring 15 is provided with a central opening 21, around which, at the upper side of the ring 15, an edge 22 extends. As is clearly visible in
The suspension ring 15 is provided, at the lower side 17, with a groove 31 which can be slid over the upper side 18 of the neck 6 with a relatively close fit. Within the groove 31, an edge 32 may be provided, for instance an edge 32 having a slightly pointed cross section, for instance substantially triangular or parabolic. As a result, the suspension ring 15, when laid onto the upper side 18 of the neck, will be supported on the edge 31, so that a relatively small contact surface is obtained. The edge 32 preferably has a height that is smaller than the depth of the groove 31, so that in that position the groove 31 has respective longitudinal edges 33 abutting against the inside and outside of the neck 6, which is thereby properly positioned. In this condition, the suspension ring 15 can be fixed onto the neck 6. To that end, preferably, use is made of a welding technique, such that a part of the material of the neck 6 and/or the suspension ring 15, including the edge 32, if present, melts at least partly. As a result, a good contact surface is obtained and upon cooling of the material a firm connection between the neck and the suspension ring 15 will be obtained. In an advantageous embodiment, use is made of ultrasonic welding technique, as schematically represented in
In the embodiment shown in
In the embodiment shown in
In the embodiments shown, the suspension ring 15 is supported on the upper side of the neck 6. An advantage of such a construction may be that the pressure device can be brought to its position by gravity and will not fall farther into the container. Moreover, this can simplify welding. However, naturally also other configurations can be used, so long as the suspension means and the neck 6 are mutually weldable.
In
In
In an embodiment, the holder 2 or at least the neck 6 thereof may be manufactured from a weldable, in particular an ultrasonically weldable plastic, such as for instance PET, PEN, PE, PP or the like, which plastic is moreover preferably recyclable. It is preferred to use a plastic allowing the container 2 to be blown from it, in particular with a relatively thick wall thickness, being for instance, though no limited to, thicknesses between a few tenths of millimeters and a few millimeters, in order to obtain a container 2 which is pressure-resistant at the earlier-mentioned pressures or higher. The suspension ring 15 may be manufactured from a plastic compatible therewith. Compatible should herein be understood to refer to a plastic that is weldable, in particular ultrasonically weldable, with the plastic of the neck 6. In an embodiment, the container 2 and the suspension ring 15 are manufactured from PET or a blend thereof. The bracket 13 may be manufactured from a different plastic or the same plastic. The whole suspension of the pressure device in the container 2 may also be manufactured, for instance, by 2K, or more K, injection molding. These examples merely serve for illustration and should not be construed in any way as limiting.
In an advantageous embodiment, the suspension ring 15 is at least partly translucent, in particular in that part where the suspension ring 15 is connected with the container 2. In this way, the weld between the suspension ring 15 and the container 2, in particular the neck 6, can be simply checked, in particular optically, for instance by visual inspection. Such an inspection can be carried out with the naked eye but can also be carried out, for instance, by a camera such as a CCD camera and image recognition software. Also, other systems known per se from practice may be used to check such welds (semi)automatically. Herein, translucent should be understood to mean at the least, though not exclusively so, transmissive of a light frequency suitable for checking the joint mentioned.
In the description an example has been given of a configuration of the cooperating edge of the suspension ring and the neck of the container, in particular an upper side thereof. Many variations thereon are possible, as for instance known from publications of the firm of Sonitek—Sonic & Thermal Technologies, Inc, Milford. These and comparable configurations can be used in a holder 1 according to the invention. A choice from the possible configurations can be readily made by one skilled in the art, depending on the specifications chosen. In an exemplary embodiment, the suspension ring 15 at the edge 17 had a thickness of 3.0 mm, the edge 32 having an approximately triangular cross section of a height of 0.6 mm. The suspension ring 15 and neck 6 were manufactured from PET. The suspension ring 15 was welded to the neck 6 using an ultrasonic welder type USP-3000/5KW with Sonotrode TE20 104B2/1 of the firm Telsonic, with a setting of Welding pressure 2.9 bar; Powermax 5562 W; Energy 300Ws; holdtime 0.5 sec; Sonictime 110 ms. Naturally, also other ultrasonic welding devices can be used and the setting will depend inter alia on the materials used and the geometry used.
The invention is not in any way limited to the embodiments represented in the description and drawings. Many variants within the framework of the invention outlined by the claims are possible. These include all combinations of parts of the embodiments shown. For instance, the container may be wholly or partly formed differently, a different beverage may be packaged and moreover the holder and the pressure device can have any desired shape and dimensions.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2001467 | Apr 2008 | NL | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/NL09/50184 | 4/8/2009 | WO | 00 | 10/29/2010 |