This invention relates generally to flexible packages and more particularly to flexible packages including a fitment for dispensing a metered amount of liquid within the packages.
Various packages for dispensing bulk fluids are commercially available. One of the most common types of such packages are so-called “bag-in-box” packages. Those packages include a rigid, generally parallelepiped outer container which houses and protects a flexible bag therein. The flexible bag is sealed and holds the liquid to be dispensed via an externally located tap or fitment that is connected to the bag. One of the most popular types of “bag-in-box” constructions is used for wines, water and other liquids dispensed in commercial environments. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the external attachment of the tap and/or dispensing fitment to the flexible bag permits storage of liquid in air-tight and even sterile condition until, and possibly even after, such time as fluid is dispensed. Improvements to such constructions have also been made with the tap and/or fitment attached to the sealed bag with no port or hole in bag for the fluid to exit until the first use of the tap or fitment, whereby a piercing member is activated to create an opening in the bag wall that allows the liquid to flow into the device to be dispensed through its exit port.
Numerous patents disclose flexible packages for holding liquids and for dispensing the liquid through a fitment outlet or tap forming a portion of the package. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,810 (Hample et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,969 (De Van et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,314,654 (Gaubert); U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,395 (Gaubert); U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,316 (Christine); U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,378 (Christine); U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,670 (Rutter); U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,725 (Malpas et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,392 (Malpas et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,970 (Rutter et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,377 (Roos); U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,767 (Savage et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,466 (Karpisek); U.S. Pat. No. 6,446,845 (Steiger); U.S. Pat. No. 7,188,749 (Miller et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 7,303,713 (Gabriel et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 7,708,164 (Pritchard); U.S. Pat. No. 7,789,269 (Pritchard); U.S. Pat. No. 8,695,851 (Pritchard); and U.S. Pat. No. 8,967,430 (Wrigley).
While the aforementioned packages with fitments may be generally suitable for their intended purposes, they suffer from one or more drawbacks, e.g., simplicity of construction, cost, ease of use, flow rate, etc. The subject invention addresses the needs of the prior art.
One aspect of this invention is a fitment for package holding a liquid therein. The fitment is configured for selectively dispensing a quantity of the liquid from the package. The package comprises a flexible bag having a hollow interior in which the liquid is disposed, a wall contiguous with the hollow interior, and a gland located in the wall and having an opening extending therethrough in communication with the hollow interior of the bag. The fitment comprises a body, an actuator, a plunger, a valve, and a piercing member. The body has a portion configured for securement to the gland, a passageway having a frangible seal closing off a portion of the passageway, and an outlet in communication with the passageway. The actuator comprises a member configured to be repeatedly depressed and released. The plunger is coupled to the actuator and is configured to be moved through the passageway in one direction to an extended position upon the depression of the actuator and moved through the passageway in a second direction to a retracted position in automatic response to the release of the actuator. The valve is coupled to the actuator and configured to be in either an open state or a closed state. The valve is in the open state when the actuator is depressed and is in the closed state when the actuator is released. The piercing member comprises a hollow member coupled to the plunger and located in the passageway. The plunger when moved to the extended position causes the piercing member to pierce through the frangible seal, whereupon a portion of the piercing member is in communication with the liquid in the hollow interior of the bag. The valve when in the open state enables the liquid within the hollow interior of the bag to flow out of the bag through the piercing member and the passageway to the outlet.
Another aspect of this invention is a package for holding and dispensing a quantity of a liquid therefrom. The package comprises a flexible bag and a fitment. The flexible bag has a hollow interior in which the liquid is disposed, a wall contiguous with the hollow interior, and a gland located in the wall and having an opening extending therethrough in communication with the hollow interior of the bag. The fitment comprises a body, an actuator, a plunger, a valve, and a piercing member. The body has a portion configured for securement to the gland, a passageway having a frangible seal closing off a portion of the passageway, and an outlet in communication with the passageway. The actuator comprises a member configured to be repeatedly depressed and released. The plunger is coupled to the actuator and is configured to be moved through the passageway in one direction to an extended position upon the depression of the actuator and moved through the passageway in a second direction to a retracted position in automatic response to the release of the actuator. The valve is coupled to the actuator and configured to be in either an open state or a closed state. The valve is in the open state when the actuator is depressed and is in the closed state when the actuator is released. The piercing member comprises a hollow member coupled to the plunger and located in the passageway. The plunger when moved to the extended position causes the piercing member to pierce through the frangible seal, whereupon a portion of the piercing member is in communication with the liquid in the hollow interior of the bag. The valve when in the open state enables the liquid within the hollow interior of the bag to flow out of the bag through the piercing member and the passageway to the outlet.
The invention will be described in conjunction with the following drawings in which like reference numerals designate like elements and wherein:
Referring now to the various figures of the drawing wherein like reference characters refer to like parts, there is shown in
The fitment 20 basically comprises an assembly of a body or housing 22, a plunger 24, a valve 26, an actuator 28, and a piercing member 30. The body 22 is a molded, hollow component having a planar flange 32 configured to be fixedly secured, e.g., welded, to the outer surface of a portion of the wall 14 of the bag 10. The portion of the body 22 contiguous with the flange is in the form of a collar 34. The collar 34 includes a flange 34A projecting outward from its proximal end. The flange 34A is configured to receive a portion of the wall of the box between it and the flange 32, when the fitment is used as a part of a bag-in-box package. It should be pointed out that such use is merely exemplary, such that the fitment of this invention can be used for other applications than bag-in-box.
The body 22 of the fitment includes a central passageway 36 extending partially through it. The passageway is centered about a longitudinally extending axis A. The passageway 36 is at the end of the body 22 contiguous with the flange 32 and is open, whereupon a portion 14A of the wall 14 of the bag is in communication with the passageway 36. That portion 14A forms a frangible penetration zone in the bag (i.e., the portion of the bag that will be penetrated by the piercing member 30, as will be described later). The open end of the central passageway is best seen in
The opposite end of the fitment's body 22 is in the form of a hollow tubular throat 38, which is centered on the axis A and whose inside diameter is larger than the inside diameter of the passageway 36. The portion of the body 22 located between the tubular throat 38 and the collar 34 is in the form of an outlet or spout 40. The spout 40 constitutes a tubular portion of the body which extends generally perpendicularly to the longitudinal central axis A and has an open end 42 which forms the outlet of the fitment 20. A passageway 44 extends through the spout from the open end 42 to the central passageway 36. It is through the spout that the liquid is dispensed from the bag.
The valve 26 basically comprises a valve member 46 and a valve seat 48. The valve member forms an integral portion of the plunger and is preferably molded of a suitable plastic material, e.g., high density polyethylene. The valve member is configured to move with the plunger between a closed and open position, and vice versa. The movement of the valve member from the closed position to the open position selectively opens the valve to enable the liquid within the bag to be dispensed from the bag. Conversely, when the valve is moved to its closed state it halts the flow of liquid from the bag.
The valve member is best seen in
The valve seat 48 is best seen in
The valve member is configured to be moved between a closed state and an open state, and vice versa, in response to the operation of the actuator. When the valve 26 is in its closed state the free end of the tapered valve seat 48 will be flexed and disposed in intimate engagement within the annular ledge 46A of the valve member to form the first of the aforementioned compression seals. At the same time the portion of the valve seat contiguous with its sharpened inner edge will be flexed and in intimate engagement with the contiguous portion sloping proximal surface 46A of the valve member 46 to form the second of the aforementioned compression seals. Those two compression seals serve to isolate the central passageway 36 from the spout's passageway 44 and thereby prevent any liquid within the central passageway from flowing into the spout. Conversely, when the valve 26 is in its open state, the valve member 46 is spaced off of the valve seat 48 so that the central passageway 36 is in fluid communication with the spout passageway 44 via the open space between the valve member and the valve seat. Thus, liquid may flow from the central passageway into the spout passageway and out of the open end of the spout.
As best seen in
The proximal end of the plunger 24 is connected to the actuator 28. The actuator comprises a depressible member configured to be repeatedly depressed and released to effect its operation. In the exemplary embodiment shown the actuator is in the form of a compressible bulb 50 formed of any suitable resilient material, e.g., a thermoplastic polyester elastomer such as HYTREL® of DuPont. The compressible bulb is of generally hemispheric shape having an annular peripheral flanged rim 52 (
The bulb 50 is configured to be pressed by a user's finger or thumb to collapse the bulb. This action has the effect of sliding the plunger through the body of the fitment along the axis A to the extended position, whereupon the valve member 46 is brought out of engagement with the valve seat 48, like shown in
The details of the construction and operation of the piercing member 30 will be described shortly. Suffice it for now to state that the piercing member is releasably disposed on the plunger and configured so that when the plunger is initially moved (e.g., slid) to the extended position it will push a tip portion of the piercing member through the frangible zone 14A of the bag's wall 14 to pierce or penetrate that wall portion, whereupon the tip and a contiguous portion of the piercing member will be located within the interior of the bag. Once the piercing tip portion is so positioned, and pressure released on the bulb 50, the plunger will move back to its retracted position, leaving the piercing tip permanently located within the hollow interior of the bag, with another portion of the piercing member permanently located outside the outer surface of the bag. Thus, the piercing member (which had been temporarily disposed on the valve member of the plunger) will be freed from the plunger so that it will not move with any subsequent movement of the plunger in opening and closing the valve. The decoupling of the piercing member from the plunger enables the plunger to move the valve to its open or closed position, without affecting the positioning of the piercing member. Thus, the valve can be operated independently to enable liquid from the bag to flow out of the fitment's spout when desired and to halt such flow when that action is desired.
As best seen in
When the piercing member 30 is in its extended position, its tip section 64 will be located within the bag and the flange 68 of its tubular section 62 will be located outside the outer surface of the wall of the bag contiguous with the frangible penetration zone 14A but still within the central passageway 36, as best seen in
The length of the plunger 24 is selected so that before first use of the fitment its piercing member 30 is spaced from the frangible zone of the bag's wall and the valve 26 is in its normally closed state, such as shown in
Operation of the fitment 20 will now be described. To that end, when it is desired to initially dispense liquid from the interior of the bag 10, the user merely presses on the depression 56 at the apex of the bulb 50 to collapse the bulb. This action causes the plunger 24 to slide along the passageway 36 guided by the rails 70 from the retracted position shown in
When it is desired to halt the dispensing of the liquid from the bag all that is required is for the user to stop depressing the bulb 50, whereupon the natural resiliency of the bulb will cause it to reassume its un-flexed state, thereby automatically carrying the plunger 24 and its integral valve member 46 back to the retracted position. Thus, as soon as the valve member 46 has re-engaged the valve seat 48, the flow of liquid through the fitment will be immediately stopped, i.e., the two compression seals formed between the valve seat and the surfaces 46A and 46B will isolate the central passageway 36 from the spout passageway 44.
If after the flow of liquid has been stopped, additional liquid is desired to be dispensed from the bag, all which is required is for the user to re-depress the bulb 50 to cause the valve member 46 to move off of the valve seat 48. Inasmuch as the piercing member had been permanently moved to its operating position within the bag during the first depression of the bulb, the opening of the valve will result in the liquid within the bag being permitted to flow through the now open valve and out of the fitment. The liquid from the bag will continue to flow out of the bag through the fitment's spout for as long as the user presses on the bulb, or until the bag is devoid of its liquid contents, whichever occurs first.
As should be appreciated by those skilled in the art the dispensing of the liquid from the bag when the fitment's valve is in its open state will automatically draw down the liquid within the bag, thereby causing the bag's walls to collapse toward each other. Such action could have the effect of interrupting the flow of the liquid out of the bag if a portion of the collapsing walls of the bag move into engagement to block inlet to the fitment. However, the presence of the piercing member within the bag tends to prevent any such action. In particular, once the actuator has been initially depressed to cause the piercing member to pierce through the frangible zone of the bag so that a portion of the piercing member is permanently located within the bag the presence of that portion of the piercing member will hold any wall portion of the bag from the fitment's inlet, thereby ensuring that so long as there is any liquid within the bag it will be enable to flow out when the valve is in the open state. Moreover, the presence of the piercing member within the bag tends to spread open a larger outlet in the bag to enhance flow as compared to merely having a slit in the bag.
Turning now to
The fitment 120 basically comprises an assembly of a body or housing 122, an actuator 124, and a piercing member 126 (
The body 122 of the fitment 120 includes a central passageway 136 extending partially through it. The passageway is centered about a longitudinally extending axis A. The passageway 136 is at the end of the body 122 contiguous with the flange 132 and is open, whereupon the frangible penetration zone 14A of the wall 14 of the bag is in communication with the passageway 136. The open end of the central passageway 136 is best seen in
The opposite end of the fitment's body 122 is in the form of a hollow tubular throat 128, which is centered on the axis A and whose inside diameter is larger than the inside diameter of the passageway 136. The actuator 124, which is in the form of a depressable bulb (which will be described later), is located within the throat 128. The throat 128 includes a pair of diametrically opposed recesses 128A to facilitate the actuation (depression) of the bulb. In addition, the throat includes a pair of tabs or flanges 128B projecting outward from the exterior surface of the throat between the recesses. The flanges 128B serves as a means which can be held by a user's index finger and middle finger, while the user's thumb presses on the bulb to operate the actuator. The portion of the body 122 located between the throat 128 and the collar 134 is in the form of a spout 140. It is through the spout that the liquid is dispensed from the interior 12 of the bag 10. To that end, the spout 140 constitutes a tubular portion of the body having a passageway 142 which extends generally perpendicularly to the longitudinal central axis A. The inner end of the passageway 142 forms the outlet port 142A of the fitment 120 and is in fluid communication with the passageway 136. The outer end 142B of the passageway 142 is open so that any liquid from the interior of the bag that enters the outlet port 142A from the passageway 136 will exit the spout at the open end 142B.
The piercing member 126, which will be described in detail shortly, is located within the central passageway 136 of the body 122 and includes wall portions which are configured to close the outlet port 142A and thus block the spout to prevent any liquid from entering the spout when the piercing member is in its retracted (normal) state, like shown in
The piercing member 126 is best seen in
The secondary piercing points and the contiguous cutting edges 154 located proximally thereof serve to create the cross-sectioned flaps, designated by the reference number 14B, in the material making up wall of the bag at the frangible penetration zone 14A when the piercing member is extended through the wall of the bag. An annular flange 162 (
The actuator 124 comprises a depressible member configured to be repeatedly depressed and released to effect its operation. In the exemplary embodiment shown the actuator is in the form of a compressible bulb 166 formed of any suitable resilient material, e.g., the same material as used for bulb 50 of the fitment 20 and is similarly constructed to the bulb 20. To that end, the bulb 166 is of generally hemispheric shape having an annular peripheral flanged rim 166A (
The bulb 166 is configured to be depressed by the user to collapse the bulb. This action has the effect of sliding the piercing member 126 through the central passageway 136 in body of the fitment 120 along the axis A to its extended position, whereupon the distal or leading piercing point 156 engages the wall of the bag at the penetration zone 14A to pierce through it. Further inward movement of the piercing member by the depression of the bulb 166 causes the secondary piercing tips 160 to engage the wall of the bag contiguous with the portion that the leading piercing tip 156 engaged, thereby beginning the formation of four, triangularly shaped flaps 14B at the penetration zone. Further inward movement of the piercing member causes the tapered cutting edges 154A to cut into to material of the wall of the bag to complete the formation of the four flaps 14B and to fold them backward into the interior of the bag as best seen in
Turning now to
Inasmuch as the compressible bulb 166 is formed of a resilient material, the release of pressure on the bulb by the user enables the bulb to automatically reassume (e.g., flex back) its normal un-collapsed state, whereupon the piercing member 126 is carried back to its retracted position. That action brings the proximal end surface 162A of the annular flange 162 of the piercing member into a fluid-tight sealing engagement with the fin 172 and proximal end surface 150B of the sidewall 150 into a fluid-tight sealing engagement with the fin 170, whereupon the outlet port 142A is isolated from the central passageway 136 so that the flow of liquid out of the fitment is halted.
Operation of the fitment 120 will now be described. When it is desired to initially dispense liquid from the interior of the bag 10, the user merely presses on the depression 166 at the apex of the bulb 166 to collapse the bulb. This action causes the piercing member 126 to slide along the central passageway 136 from the retracted position shown in
When it is desired to halt the dispensing of the liquid from the bag all that is required is for the user to stop depressing the bulb 166, whereupon the natural resiliency of the bulb will cause it to reassume its un-flexed state, thereby automatically carrying the piercing member 126 back to its retracted position. Thus, as soon as the heretofore described surface portions 150B and 162A of the cutting member engage the seals 170 and 172, respectively, the flow of liquid through the fitment will be immediately stopped by the isolation of the outlet port 142A from the central passageway 136.
If, after the flow of liquid has been stopped, additional liquid is desired to be dispensed from the bag, all that is required is for the user to re-depress the bulb to cause the piercing member to move back to its extended position, whereupon the distal end portion of the piercing member will cause the flaps 14B at the film port to again fold backward and out of the fluid flow path, while holding the flaps open so that the distal end portion of the piercing member is within the interior of the bag, whereupon the liquid can flow through the piercing member and the outlet port, as described above. The liquid from the bag will continue to flow out of the bag through the fitment's spout for as long as the user presses on the bulb, or until the bag is devoid of its liquid contents, whichever occurs first.
Turning now to
As is known some prior art wine dispensing bags are typically constructed of a flexible material and include a filling port or gland extending through a portion of the wall of the flexible material making up the bag through which the bag is filled. U.S. Design Pat. D582,788 (Smith) shows one such prior art wine dispensing bag. The filling gland of prior art wine dispensing bags is typically a flanged member having an opening extending therethrough in communication with the interior of the bag. The bag is typically filled with the wine in an apparatus that grasps the flanged gland to hold it, whereupon the wine is introduced through the opening in the gland into the bag's hollow interior. Once that has occurred a dispensing fitment tap is typically attached to the gland, e.g., inserted into its opening, thereby completing the wine dispensing bag. In some cases the wine dispensing bag may be disposed in an outer box or container to produce a bag-in-box dispenser. Irrespective of whether the bag with the fitment for dispensing wine therefrom is located in an outer container or not, the dispensing of the wine from such a prior art flexible package is accomplished by operating the fitment to open it, whereupon the wine can flow out of the fitment.
While prior art dispensing fitments prevent the liquid from exiting the bag until the fitment is operated to dispense the liquid therefrom, they are not constructed to provide long term resistance or isolation of the ambient air gaining ingress into the bag, which action can degrade the wine over time.
The dispensing fitment or tap 220 of the subject invention is configured to be secured to a flexible bag making use of a filling gland, wherein the fitment is connected to the gland to enable the wine to be dispensed from the bag when the fitment is actuated, e.g., opened. However, due to the fitment's construction it (or any other fitment constructed in accordance with this aspect of the invention) overcomes several disadvantages of prior art fitments. For example, it completely isolates the wine in the interior of the bag from the ambient atmosphere until the fitment is first used to dispense wine from the bag. Moreover, once used to initially dispense some wine, the fitment maintains good air isolation for the wine before and after each subsequent wine dispensing operation until all of the wine within the bag has been dispensed. This action is accomplished by means of an air-isolating seal forming a portion of the fitment and the fact that the fitment 220 is a pierce at first use device, like the fitments 20 and 120.
As best seen in
The fitment or tap 220 is similar in construction to the fitment 120, but with some structural differences, e.g., changes to the body of the fitment and the inclusion of a frangible barrier or seal 216 (
As best seen in
The frangible seal 216 comprises a thin member formed of any frangible or penetratable material, e.g., an air barrier film material. The frangible seal 216 is fixedly secured, e.g., welded or otherwise heat sealed, to the free end of the annular walls 226 and 228, whereupon it seals off the end of the passageway 136 bounded by the wall 226. Thus, after the bag has been filled through the filling gland and the fitment snap-fit within the gland, the frangible seal will isolate the liquid, e.g., wine, within the bag from any air that may be in or enter the fitment. This ensures that the liquid, e.g., wine, can be stored for long periods of time without degradation.
The portion of the frangible seal 216 within the bounds of the annular wall 226 forms a frangible penetration zone, which is configured to be penetrated by the piercing member 126 when the actuator is actuated to dispense the liquid, e.g., wine, from the interior of the bag. Thus, when actuator 124 is first actuated it causes the piercing member 126 to pierce through the penetration zone of the frangible seal, whereupon the liquid, e.g., wine, within the bag 200 can flow through the penetration zone into the passageway 136 and out of the fitment as will be described hereinafter.
Operation of the fitment 220 is as follows. When it is desired to initially dispense liquid from the interior of the bag 200, the user merely presses on the depression at the apex of the bulb 166 of the actuator 124 to collapse the bulb. This action causes the piercing member 126 to slide along the central passageway 136 from the retracted position shown in
When it is desired to halt the dispensing of the liquid from the bag all that is required is for the user to stop depressing the bulb 166, whereupon the natural resiliency of the bulb will cause it to reassume its un-flexed state, thereby automatically carrying the piercing member 126 back to its retracted position shown in
If, after the flow of liquid, e.g., wine, has been stopped, additional liquid is desired to be dispensed from the bag, all that is required is for the user to re-depress the bulb to cause the piercing member to move back to its extended position, whereupon the distal end portion of the piercing member will cause the flaps 14B at the film port to again fold backward (if they are not still in that orientation) and out of the fluid flow path, while holding the flaps open so that the distal end portion of the piercing member is in fluid communication with the liquid in the bag, whereupon the liquid can flow through the piercing member and the outlet port, as described above. The liquid from the bag will continue to flow out of the bag through the fitment's spout for as long as the user presses on the bulb, or until the bag is devoid of its liquid contents, whichever occurs first.
It must be pointed out at this juncture that the exemplary embodiments of the fitment as described above are merely examples of many types of fitments that can be constructed in accordance with this invention. For example, it is contemplated that the annular seals 170 and 172 may form respective portions of the piercing member, rather than forming portions of the body 122. Moreover, other types of sealing arrangements can be used so that when the piercing member is in its retracted position, the flow of liquid through the fitment is stopped, e.g., the outlet port is sealed. Further still, while it is preferred that the piercing member be constructed as described above to produce the heretofore identified flaps, other cutting arrangements can be used in the piercing member to achieve the same end.
Thus, while the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific examples thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.
This utility application is a Continuation Application of, and takes the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 120 of, application Ser. No. 15/707,235, filed on Sep. 18, 2017, entitled PIERCE AT FIRST USE DISPENSING TAP FOR FLEXIBLE BAG WITH FILLING GLAND AND BAG INCLUDING THE SAME, which in turn claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/410,539 filed on Oct. 20, 2016, entitled PIERCE AT FIRST USE DISPENSING TAP FOR FLEXIBLE BAG WITH FILLING GLAND AND BAG INCLUDING THE SAME, which applications are assigned to the same assignee as this invention, and whose entire disclosures are specifically incorporated in their entirety by reference herein.
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Number | Date | Country |
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2277821 | Jan 2011 | EP |
2082152 | Mar 1982 | GB |
2082152 | Mar 1982 | GB |
Entry |
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International Search Report for PCT/US2017/052443 dated Nov. 23, 2017. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20190256341 A1 | Aug 2019 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62410539 | Oct 2016 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 15707235 | Sep 2017 | US |
Child | 16402380 | US |