Pastry Bag Having Discharge Valve

Abstract

A pastry bag package comprises a dispensing tip assembly including a self-sealing dispensing valve having resiliently deflectable valve flaps that open when pressure is applied to allow product to pass through a valve orifice and close when pressure is removed to cleanly cut off a dispensed ribbon of topping, icing, or other fluid product. One or more of the valve flaps may be provided with a respective protrusion on a front side of the valve flap facing the direction of applied pressure, wherein the protrusion extends into the flow path of fluid product passing through the valve orifice to form a decorative longitudinal ridge along a dispensed ribbon of product.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the field of culinary tools, and more particularly to pastry bags having a dispensing tip through which toppings, icings, fillings, or other fluid products are discharged from the pastry bag during food preparation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Toppings, icings, fillings, and like fluid products are packaged in generally conical pastry bags for application to pastry or other food items through a dispensing tip extending through a bottom tip portion of the pastry bag. As a user applies pressure to the pastry bag and its contents, the fluid product in the pastry bag is forced out through the dispensing tip to form a dispensed ribbon. Decorator dispensing tips having a serrated edge about a discharge orifice of the dispensing tip are well known for providing longitudinal ridges along a dispensed ribbon of product.

A recognized problem with dispensing tips of the prior art is that when the user removes pressure to stop flow, the dispensing tip does not provide a clean cut off of the ribbon. This makes it more difficult for the user to achieve desired decorative results, and the dispensed ribbon may look messy near one end. Moreover, if the dispensing tip is held in close proximity to the item being decorated, the dispensing tip becomes messy as topping or icing dries on the tip, and this affects subsequent dispensing operations.

Self-sealing valves are known in connection with dispensing food products and other fluids. Such dispensing valves have a plurality of resiliently deflectable valve flaps that deflect under applied pressure to open a valve orifice of the valve and permit fluid product to pass therethrough. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,213,236; 5,339,995; 5,377,877; 5,409,144; and 5,439,143. These valves permit product to be discharged by application of pressure and provide a clean cut off when pressure is removed, but they do not impart a decorative appearance to a discharged ribbon of product.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a pastry bag package having a discharge valve in the dispensing tip which cleanly cuts off of a dispensed ribbon of topping when the dispensing tip is held away from the item being decorated.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a pastry bag package having a discharge valve in the dispensing tip which achieves the aforementioned object while also providing decorative ridges along a dispensed ribbon of topping.

In furtherance of these and other objects, a dispensing package for fluid products generally comprises a tapered bag for receiving fluid product, the bag having a wide end and a narrow end; and a dispensing tip assembly extending through the narrow end of the bag, the dispensing tip assembly including a dispensing tip having a discharge passage through which fluid product is discharged from the bag, and a dispensing valve arranged to control flow of fluid product through the discharge passage. The dispensing valve includes a plurality of valve flaps and a valve orifice covered by the plurality of valve flaps when the dispensing valve is closed. The plurality of valve flaps resiliently deflect in response to a predetermined discharge pressure to open the dispensing valve to permit fluid product to pass through the valve orifice, and then return to cover the valve orifice upon removal of the predetermined discharge pressure. Accordingly, a sharp, clean cut off of the dispensed ribbon from the dispensing tip is achieved. In addition, the product remaining in the bag is sealed off from the outside environment and protected from contamination.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, at least one of the plurality of valve flaps includes a protrusion on a front side of the valve flap that faces the direction of applied pressure, and the protrusion extends into a flow path of fluid product passing through the valve orifice when the dispensing valve is opened. As a result, each protrusion contacts the flowing product to form a decorative longitudinal ridge along a dispensed ribbon of product. The dispensing valve may be removably secured within the dispensing tip to facilitate cleaning and allow exchange with another dispensing valve having a different configuration providing different decorative characteristics. The dispensing valve may also be permanently secured within the dispensing tip, and the dispensing tip may be disposable with the bag or threadably exchangeable with other dispensing tips having differently configured dispensing valves.

The invention also extends to a dispensing valve having protrusions as described above, apart from any packaging in which it may be incorporated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The nature and mode of operation of the present invention will now be more fully described in the following detailed description of the invention taken with the accompanying drawing figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of pastry bag having a discharge valve in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is cross-sectional view of a dispensing tip portion of the pastry bag, wherein the discharge valve is in a closed state;

FIG. 2B is cross-sectional view of a dispensing tip portion of the pastry bag, wherein the discharge valve is in an opened state;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the discharge valve;

FIG. 4A is a top (front side) plan view of the discharge valve in the closed state; and

FIG. 4B is a top (front side) plan view of the discharge valve in the opened state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made initially to FIG. 1, wherein a pastry bag package formed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown and generally identified by reference numeral 10. Package 10 includes a substantially conical bag 12 having a wide end 14 through which topping or other fluid product may be introduced into the bag in a filling operation, and a narrow end 16 through which the fluid product is dispensed by a user. For this purpose, a dispensing tip assembly 18 is arranged to extend through a hole 19 in narrow end 16 of bag 12. It will be understood that other bag shapes may be used, and that the location of the dispensing tip assembly 18 is a matter of design choice depending on the shape of the bag and the particular application for which it is used. As a non-limiting example, the bag may have a generally rectangular shape, and dispensing tip assembly 18 may be located at a bottom corner of the bag.

Dispensing tip assembly 18 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 2A and 2B. Dispensing tip assembly 18 includes a dispensing tip 20 having an upper tapered portion 22 sized to be retained at the narrow end 16 of bag 12, and a lower discharge portion 24 from which product is dispensed. As may be seen, dispensing tip 20 includes an axially extending discharge passage 26 through which fluid product 4 may exit bag 12. Dispensing tip 20 may be economically formed from plastic, but may also be formed from non-corrosive metal or other material suitable for contact with a food product.

Dispensing tip assembly 18 further includes a dispensing valve 30, also shown in FIG. 3, which is arranged to control flow of fluid product 4 through discharge passage 26. Dispensing valve 30 includes a marginal flange 32 for use in securing the dispensing valve within dispensing tip 20, a valve head 34 connected to marginal flange 32 by a connector sleeve 36, and a valve orifice 38 normally covered by a plurality of radially extending valve flaps 40 when the dispensing valve is closed as shown in FIGS. 2A and 3. The valve flaps 40 may be defined by radially extending slits 42 through valve head 34. Dispensing valve 30 is of a self-sealing type wherein valve flaps 40 resiliently deflect under a predetermined applied pressure to open the valve and allow fluid product 4 to flow through valve orifice 38, and when the predetermined applied pressure is removed, valve flaps 40 return from there deflected state to once again cover valve orifice 38 and stop flow. A clean cut off of the dispensed ribbon from dispensing tip assembly 18 is thereby achieved.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, at least one of the valve flaps 40 may be provided with a protrusion 44 on a front side of the valve flap against which positive pressure is applied to open the valve. In the embodiment described herein, the front side of each valve flap 40 faces the wide end 14 of bag 12.

The present embodiment also has a respective protrusion 44 on each of the valve flaps 40, however this aspect of the invention does not require a protrusion 44 on every valve flap 40.

The purpose of protrusions 44 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B, which show dispensing valve 30 in closed and opened conditions, respectively. As may be understood, when valve flaps 40 deflect under applied pressure, the front side of each valve flap moves from an orientation facing perpendicular to the axial direction of applied pressure and flow to an orientation facing generally parallel to the direction of flow and radially inward toward a flow path 46. Consequently, protrusions 44 extend into the flow path 46 of fluid product 4 passing through valve orifice 38, and thereby contact the flowing product to form decorative longitudinal ridges along a dispensed ribbon of product.

A suitable dispensing valve 30 may be made by modifying or customizing a commercially available elastomeric dispensing valve sold by Liquid Molding Systems, Inc. of Midland, Mich., U.S.A. (http://www.siliconelms.com/) under one of the trademarks SUREFLO®, MEDIFLO®, or SIMPLISQUEEZE®. The modification or customization includes the addition of a protrusion 44 on the front face of selected valve flaps 40 to achieve a desired longitudinal ridge configuration in a dispensed ribbon of product. The number of flaps 40 may also be modified to suit particular applications.

In the embodiment described herein, dispensing valve 30 may be removably secured within dispensing tip 20 by seating marginal flange 32 against an annular step surface 28 formed in the inner wall of the dispensing tip, and fitting a retainer ring 48 into an annular groove 29 formed in the inner wall of the dispensing tip near step surface 28 such that retainer ring 48 abuts with marginal flange 32 as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. Other configurations may be used for removably securing dispensing valve 30 within dispensing tip 20, including configurations wherein an annular seating channel is provided in the inner wall of dispensing tip 20 for receiving marginal flange 32 in tight fit, such that retainer ring 48 is unnecessary. Dispensing valve 30 may be removed from dispensing tip 20 to facilitate cleaning of both the dispensing valve and the dispensing tip, or to permit exchange with another dispensing valve having a different geometric configuration for achieving a different decorative appearance in the dispensed ribbon of product. Alternatively, dispensing tip 20 and dispensing valve 30 may be formed together as an integral unit such that dispensing valve 30 is not removable from dispensing tip 20. As another alternative, an internally threaded coupler (not shown) may be provided about a discharge opening in bag 12, and dispensing tip 20 may be provided with an externally threaded portion such that the dispensing tip may be screwed into the coupler. Such a threaded embodiment allows various dispensing tips having differently configured discharge valves to be easily interchanged with one another.

Claims

1. A dispensing package for fluid products comprising: a bag for receiving fluid product, the bag having a wide end and a narrow end; anda dispensing tip assembly extending through the narrow end of the bag, the dispensing tip assembly including a dispensing tip having a discharge passage through which fluid product is discharged from the bag, and a dispensing valve arranged to control flow of fluid product through the discharge passage, the dispensing valve including a plurality of valve flaps and a valve orifice covered by the plurality of valve flaps when the dispensing valve is closed, the plurality of valve flaps deflecting in response to a predetermined discharge pressure to open the dispensing valve to permit fluid product to pass through the valve orifice, and the plurality of valve flaps returning to cover the valve orifice upon removal of the predetermined discharge pressure.

2. The dispensing package according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of valve flaps includes a protrusion on a side thereof facing the wide end of the bag, and the protrusion extends into a flow path of fluid product passing through the valve orifice when the dispensing valve is opened.

3. The dispensing package according to claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of flaps includes a respective protrusion on a side thereof facing the wide end of the bag, and the protrusions extend into the flow path of fluid product passing through the valve orifice when the dispensing valve is opened.

4. The dispensing package according to claim 1, wherein the dispensing valve is removably secured in the dispensing tip.

5. The dispensing package according to claim 4, wherein the dispensing tip assembly further includes a retainer ring for removably securing the dispensing valve in the dispensing tip.

6. A dispensing valve for controlling flow of fluid product through a passage, the dispensing valve comprising: a valve head having a valve orifice therethrough; anda plurality of valve flaps covering the valve orifice when the dispensing valve is closed, the plurality of valve flaps deflecting in response to a predetermined positive pressure applied to a front side of the valve flaps to open the dispensing valve and permit fluid product to pass through the valve orifice, and the plurality of valve flaps returning to cover the valve orifice upon removal of the predetermined positive pressure;wherein at least one of the plurality of valve flaps includes a protrusion on the front side thereof, and the protrusion extends into a flow path of fluid product passing through the valve orifice when the dispensing valve is opened.

7. The dispensing valve according to claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of flaps includes a respective protrusion on a front side thereof, and the protrusions extend into the flow path of fluid product passing through the valve orifice when the dispensing valve is opened.

8. In a dispensing valve having a plurality of resiliently deflectable valve flaps that deflect under applied pressure to open a valve orifice of the valve, the improvement comprising: at least one of the plurality of valve flaps including a protrusion on a side of the valve flap against which pressure is applied.