HK40006725A - A package - Google Patents

Description

Package for articles

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a package, and more particularly to a package having a carton and a flexible pouch with a spout.

Background

Large plastic water bottles with a capacity of up to 19 litres are used to supply drinking water to workplaces and the like. These plastic bottles cannot be stacked efficiently and must be shipped in large custom pallets. After use, the bottles must be transported back to a recycling plant for cleaning, both empty and full, requiring nearly the same shipping costs. The cleaning process of these bottles requires approximately 5 liters of super heated water and chemicals, which adds additional cost, uses more water and presents environmental problems. Such bottles are expensive and any damage or improper placement of the bottle must be costly to replace for the customer. Furthermore, in the usual case of use with cooling systems and water distribution systems, when empty bottles are replaced with bottles filled with water, the bottles are heavy and difficult to handle.

Cartons containing flexible, collapsible bags with spouts (informally called bag-in-box) can also be used for storing and dispensing drinking water, the area required for storage being typically significantly smaller than the area of the large plastic bottles described above. The perforated area in the carton (referred to as the flap) can be removed to access the spout. However, once the spout flip is removed, the user may find it difficult to position the spout.

Embodiments of the present invention seek to address or at least ameliorate one or more disadvantages of previous systems for dispensing flowable products (e.g. water, etc.).

Disclosure of Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a package comprising a carton and a flexible bag containing a flowable product, the bag having a dispensing outlet for dispensing the flowable product, the carton having an inner wall defining a first cavity within the carton at one side of the carton for locating the bag, the inner wall having an opening within which the body of the dispensing outlet is located, the outer end of the dispensing outlet being located within a second cavity defined between the adjacent outer wall and the opposite side of the inner wall of the carton, the carton comprising a removable zone opening into the second cavity to expose and allow access to the dispensing outlet.

According to a preferred embodiment, the removable area is at least partially located within the adjacent outer wall. Preferably, the removable region is located entirely within the adjacent outer wall. Preferably, the removable area is located partially within an adjacent outer wall and partially within another outer wall transverse to the adjacent outer wall.

According to a preferred embodiment, one of the outer walls of the carton has a further removable area open to the first cavity for exposing and allowing access to the bag.

According to a preferred embodiment, the removable area has at least one finger opening. Preferably, the further removable area has a finger opening. Preferably, the removable area and/or the further removable area are provided with perforations to assist in the removal process. Preferably one of the outer walls has perforations extending outwardly from opposite sides of the further removable area to assist in removal of the bag.

According to a preferred embodiment, the carton has securing means for retaining the body of the dispensing outlet in the opening of the inner wall.

Preferably, the dispensing outlet is a spout. More preferably, the dispensing outlet has a removable cap.

In one embodiment, wherein the dispensing outlet is closable by a removable valve. The valve may be a tap.

According to one embodiment, the removable valve has a tubular member having an open end portion arranged to be connected to the dispensing outlet of the flexible bag to allow the contents of the bag to flow into the tubular member, the interior of the tubular member having a transverse wall comprising a flexible diaphragm, a dispensing opening normally closed by the flexible diaphragm, and a stem extending transversely outside the wall and connected to the flexible diaphragm to move the diaphragm between a position in which it sealingly closes the dispensing opening to prevent the contents from leaving the bag and a position in which it is removed from the dispensing opening to allow the contents of the bag to leave the bag, and wherein the open end portion is arranged to be connectable to the dispensing outlet by a threaded connection.

According to one embodiment, the open end portion is directly connected to the dispensing outlet.

According to one embodiment, the open end portion is connected to the dispensing outlet by a threaded tubular connection to the tubular member.

The dispensing outlet may have a valve. In a preferred embodiment, the dispensing outlet has a removable cap with an integrated valve. For example, the valve may be a faucet.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for dispensing and cooling a flowable product from a package as described above, the apparatus having cooling or heating means, wherein the cooling or heating means is arranged to cool or heat the contents of a bag in the package.

Preferably, the apparatus has a structure for receiving the package thereon, and wherein the cooling or heating means comprises a raised cooling or heating portion arranged to project into the first cavity of the package when the structure receives the package such that the raised cooling or heating portion is in contact with the bag via an access opening in the package.

Preferably, the access opening may be provided by removing the further removable area.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for dispensing a fluent product from a package as described above, the apparatus having a pumping device connected to the package via a dispensing outlet of the package for supplying a withdrawn fluent product to the dispensing outlet of the apparatus.

According to a preferred embodiment, the apparatus may have cooling means for cooling the withdrawn flowable product. The apparatus may have heating means for heating the withdrawn flowable product.

Preferably, the device has a housing configured to house the pumping device and at least one package. The housing may have a door that is openable to allow removal and insertion of one or more packages.

Preferably, the at least one package is contained in a lower portion of the housing and the dispensing outlet of the device is located in an upper portion of the device. The apparatus may be floor mounted. The device may be self-contained.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for cooling a flowable product having an apparatus as described above and a package as described above.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a valve for dispensing a flowable product contained in a flexible bag, the valve having a tubular member having an open end portion arranged to be connected to a dispensing outlet of the flexible bag to allow the contents of the bag to flow into the tubular member, the interior of the tubular member having a transverse wall comprising a flexible diaphragm, a dispensing opening normally closed by the flexible diaphragm, and a stem extending transversely of the outside of the wall and connected to the flexible diaphragm to move the diaphragm between a position in which it sealingly closes the dispensing opening to prevent the contents from exiting the bag and a position in which it is removed from the dispensing opening to allow the contents of the bag to exit the bag, and wherein the open end portion is arranged to be connected to the dispensing outlet by a threaded connection.

According to one embodiment, the open end portion is directly connected to the dispensing outlet.

According to one embodiment, the open end portion is connected to the dispensing outlet by a threaded tubular connection to the tubular member.

Drawings

The invention will now be described, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a package according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the package of FIG. 1 with the carton partially opened;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the spout in the carton of FIG. 2 from within the carton;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the carton from the outer end of the spout of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a user dispensing a fluent product from the package of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of an apparatus for dispensing a fluent product from the package of FIG. 1, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the package of FIG. 1 on the apparatus of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of an apparatus for dispensing a fluent product from the package of FIG. 5, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 illustrates an example blank that can be used to form the carton of fig. 1-4;

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of a spout with an integrated support and removable cap with an integrated faucet for use with the package of FIG. 1;

11 a-11 c are perspective, exploded and cross-sectional views of a first embodiment of an alternative removable valve for use with the package of FIG. 1; and

fig. 12a to 12c are perspective, exploded and cross-sectional views of a second embodiment of an alternative removable valve for use with the package of fig. 1.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1-5, a carton 4 is shown, the carton 4 being configured to receive a flexible bag to contain a liquid 8 therein. The pouch has a dispensing outlet 10, which may be defined as a spout, for dispensing the liquid 8, such that the carton 4 and the pouch define a package 2 for containing and dispensing the liquid in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The pouch may be a conventional flexible pouch formed of a substantially impermeable material suitable for use with flowable products that require storage and dispensing. The flowable product may comprise a dry or liquid flowable product that readily flows under the force of gravity. Examples of liquid flowable products include chemical or chemical-based products such as cosmetics, inks, paints, solvents, adhesives, and liquid consumer products including oils, beverages, and condiments such as soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, and the like. Examples of dry flowable products may include powders or particulate materials such as detergents, salt, sugar or cereals. The embodiments herein describe the containment and dispensing of liquids by way of example, however, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments herein may be used with any suitable flowable product. The bag may be sized to hold any volume as desired, but in these embodiments the bag may have a volume of 10 to 15 liters. Accordingly, the carton 4 is sized to accommodate such bags.

The carton 4 has an inner wall 12, the inner wall 12 defining a first cavity 13 within the carton 4 at one side of the wall for positioning the pouch. The wall 12 has an opening 14 and the body 16 of the spout 10 is located in the opening 14 such that the outer end 18 of the spout 10 is located within a second cavity 20, the second cavity 20 being defined between an opposite side of the inner wall 12 and an adjacent outer wall 22 of the carton 4. The carton 4 has a removable area 24, the removable area 24 opening into the second cavity 20 to expose the outer end 18 of the spout and allow access to the outer end of the spout. This provides the following advantages: once the removable area 24 is removed, the user can easily position the spout outer end 18 within the second chamber 20. Furthermore, if the user removes the removable area 24 by means of a sharp object, the possibility of the bag being pierced by the sharp object is much less, since the spout outer end 18 is isolated from the bag by the inner wall 12.

In the illustrated embodiment, the removable area 24 is partially located in the adjacent outer wall 22. The removable area 24 may also be partially located in another outer wall 26 transverse to the adjacent outer wall 22. This allows easy access to the spout outer end 18. In one example, the removable area 24 may be entirely within the adjacent outer wall 22.

In fig. 3 and 4, the opening 14 of the inner wall 12 has a recess 28, and a portion of the spout body 16 may be suitably received in the recess 28. The inner wall 12 may have a securing means for securing the spout body 16 in the recess 28. The securing means may be defined as a support portion 30 in the inner wall 12. The support portion 30 is arranged to extend between adjacent edges of the spout body 16 and the inner wall 12 such that the recess 28 and the support portion 30 circumferentially surround the spout body 16. The support portion 30 itself may be secured to the inner wall 12, for example, by an adhesive. Thus, the spout body 16 is securely held in the inner wall 12 regardless of the orientation of the package 2. In a preferred embodiment, the support portion 30 and the spout body 16 may be formed as a unit 31, as shown in FIG. 10. Thus, the user does not have to look into the carton 4 to find the outer end 18 of the spout and adjust the orientation for use.

The spout outer end 18 may have a removable cap 32 or a removable valve 34. According to the embodiment shown in fig. 3, 4 and 7, the cap 32 may be connected by a screw and thread arrangement and a corresponding removable tap 34 may replace the cap 32 to dispense the liquid 8. Alternatively, as shown in fig. 5, the liquid 8 may be dispensed directly from the package 2 through the spout 10 without the use of a tap 34. Although in fig. 3 and 4 the second chamber 20 is sized to accommodate the height of the cap 32, the second chamber 20 may be configured to accommodate a tap 34, the tap 34 being secured to or removable from the bag, such as a removable tap or valve (see fig. 7, 11a to 11c and 12a to 12 c). In a preferred embodiment, the spout 10 may have a detachable tap 34, 35 or valve 37, 39, so that the liquid 8 may be taken directly through the spout 10 or dispensed directly through the tap/valve 34, 35, 37, 39 by detaching the removable cap 32 or valve 37, 39.

As shown in fig. 11a to 11c and 12a to 12c, the removable valve 37 has a tubular member 80, the tubular member 80 having an open end 82 and further being configured to be connected to the dispensing outlet 10 of a flexible bag (not shown) to allow the contents of the flexible bag to flow into the tubular member 80. The interior of the tubular member 80 has a transverse wall 84, the wall 84 including a flexible diaphragm 86 and a dispensing opening 88 normally closed by the flexible diaphragm 86. The wall also includes a lever 90, the lever 90 extending laterally outside the wall 84 and connected to the flexible diaphragm 86 to move the flexible diaphragm 86 between: a position where the flexible diaphragm 86 sealingly closes the dispensing opening 88 to prevent the contents from exiting the bag and a position where the flexible diaphragm 86 is removed from the dispensing opening 88 to allow the contents of the bag to exit the bag. The lever 90 is connected to the flexible diaphragm 86 so that the flexible diaphragm 86 can be manipulated between these two positions by manipulating the lever 90. The open end of the tubular member 80 is arranged to be connectable to the dispensing outlet 10 by a threaded connection, for example, the inner wall of the open end 82 is provided with threads arranged to engage with corresponding threads on the outer wall of the dispensing outlet 10.

In fig. 11a to 11c, the removable valve 37 is directly connected to the dispensing outlet 10. However, in fig. 12a to 12c, the removable valve 39 comprises two tubular portions 39a, 39 b. The tubular portion 39a comprising the wall 84 with the flexible membrane 86, the dispensing opening 88 and the lever 90 may be connected to the dispensing outlet 10 by a threaded tubular portion 39b connected to the lever 90, as described above. The two parts 39a, 39b may be connected by a snap-fit connection. Mounting the valve 39a by means of a threaded tubular connection 39b makes it easier to manufacture the components 39a, 39b compared to the embodiment of the one-piece detachable valve 37 illustrated in fig. 11a to 11 b.

In another embodiment, package 2 may be provided with at least one handle 36. The handle 36 may be defined by a hand opening 38, the hand opening 38 being formed as a cutout in an outer wall of the carton 4. Carton as shown in fig. 4, a pair of hand openings 38 may be provided in the opposing outer carton walls to allow a user to carry package 2 with both hands. Additionally or alternatively, the handle 36 may be formed from a strip of material, such as plastic, cloth, or string. The handle end may be connected to the edge of the opposite outer wall so that the body of handle 36 extends over one end of package 2, as shown in fig. 4.

According to a preferred embodiment, one of the outer walls 26 of the carton 4 has a second removable area 40. The second removable section 40 opens into the first cavity 13, forming an access opening to the bag to expose the bag and allow access to the bag for cooling purposes, as described below.

The removable areas 24, 40 may have perforations 42 to aid in the removal process. The removable sections 24, 40 have finger openings 54, one finger opening 54 in each outer wall 22, 26, allowing the removable sections 24, 40 to be easily grasped so that the removable sections 24, 40 can be removed by lifting the removable sections 24, 40 and tearing along the perforations 42.

As particularly shown in fig. 4, the removable areas 24, 40 comprise a single outer layer of cardboard, the inner layer of cardboard below the removable areas 24, 40 having a cut 25, 41, respectively, corresponding to the removable areas 24, 40, which allows the removable areas 24, 40 to be easily torn along the perforations 42. The cutouts 25, 41 are arranged slightly smaller than the respective removable areas 24, 40 so that the inner walls of the carton 4 support perforations 42 to prevent the removable areas 24, 40 from being accidentally torn or collapsed inwardly during transport or handling.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the outer layer of the paperboard may be provided with additional perforations 43, the perforations 43 extending between the removable areas 24, 40 and the recessed hand and finger openings 54, respectively. These perforations 43 assist the user in breaking the outer layer of cardboard to allow access to the bag so that the bag may be inserted into a separate dispensing device (not shown) or alternatively the bag may be removed so that the package 2 may be separated for recycling.

As shown in the embodiment of fig. 6 and 7, package 2 may be configured for use with an apparatus 46 for dispensing a liquid. The apparatus 46 has a cooling or heating device 50 arranged to cool or heat the contents of the bag. The device 46 has a structure 48 for receiving the package thereon. The cooling or heating means 50 has a raised cooling or heating portion 50 configured to protrude into the first cavity 13 of the package 2 when the second removable area 40 has been removed and the package 2 is received on the structure 48, whereby the liquid 8 filled bag is deformed into a shape conforming to the raised cooling or heating portion 50, directly contacting and effectively cooling or heating the contents of the bag. In a preferred embodiment, the raised cooling or heating portion 50 has an arcuate shape. The cut-out 41 of the inner layer of the carton 2 below the other adjacent outer wall 26 has a smaller diameter than the diameter of the removable area 40 to help support the weight of the package 2 when the package 2 contacts the raised cooling or heating portion 50.

The structure 48 is arranged to hold the package 2 with the spout 10 above and spaced from a surface, such as a counter top, so that a container can be conveniently placed under the valve 34 to access the dispensed liquid 8. The structure 48 may have an inclined top surface 49, whereby, when the package 2 is received on said surface 49, the dispensing outlet end of the package 2 is lower than the opposite end, so that the content of the bag settles at the dispensing outlet end, thereby assisting the discharge of the content from the package 2 without further manipulation.

In an exemplary use of the device 46, a user inserts a finger or thumb into the finger opening 54 of the first and second removable areas 24, 40, tearing along the perforation 42, thereby exposing the spout outer end 18 in the second chamber 20 closed by the removable cap 32 and the pouch in the first chamber 13. The removable cap 32 may then be replaced with a valve 34. The user may then dispense the liquid 8 directly from the package 2, as shown in fig. 5. The package 2 is first grasped by the hand opening 38 and the recessed hand portion 44 on the edge of the outer wall 26, tilting the package 2 so that the liquid 8 flows out from the spout outer end 18 under the influence of gravity.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a device 56 for dispensing a liquid 8 is shown, which device 56 has a pumping means (not shown) connected to the package 2 via the dispensing outlet 10 of the package 2. The device 56 has a dispensing outlet 58 for dispensing the extracted liquid 8 supplied by the pumping means and a housing 60, the housing 60 being configured to house at least one package 2, the dispensing outlet 58 and the pumping means. Housing 60 may be provided with a door 62, door 62 being openable and closable to allow removal and insertion of one or more packages 2. At least one package 2 is contained in a lower portion of the housing 60 and the dispensing outlet 58 is located in an upper portion of the device 56 to form an upright configuration. This upright configuration allows the device 56 to be floor mounted. In a preferred embodiment, the devices 56 may be self-contained.

In an exemplary use of the device 56, the user can easily remove the removable section 24 by inserting a finger into the finger opening 54, grasping and lifting the removable section 24 and tearing along the perforation 42 to expose the spout outer end access area. The pumping means may have a hose (not shown) which, when the removable cap 32 (or removable cap with integrated valve 35 or connectable valve 34) is detached, can be extended from within the housing 60 for insertion into the spout 10, with liquid 8 drawn from the bag being fed by the pumping means into the dispensing outlet 58 of the device 56. Package 2 may then be placed into housing 60 via door 62. The liquid 8 may be heated or cooled as desired prior to dispensing.

Fig. 9 illustrates an exemplary blank 64 for the carton 4 formed from paperboard material, the carton 4 being formed by bending the blank 64 along fold line 68 and adhering the tab 70. The dashed lines represent perforations 42 which define the removable areas 24, 40. As shown in fig. 9, adjacent outer walls 22 have a pair of tabs 72, 74, each tab 72, 74 extending from an opposite edge of the adjacent outer wall 22. One of the tabs 72 is foldable and has a tab 76 that is securable in a slot 78 of the other tab 74 such that a portion of the tab 72 is parallel to the adjacent outer wall 22 and spaced from the adjacent outer wall 22, thereby defining the second cavity 20. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that this is an exemplary blank for the carton 4 described above, and that many embodiments of the blank may be configured to produce such a carton 4.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.

Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

Claims (27)

1. A package comprising a carton and a flexible bag containing a flowable product, the bag having a dispensing outlet for dispensing the flowable product, the carton having an inner wall defining a first cavity in the carton at one side of the carton for positioning the bag, the inner wall having an opening in which the body of the dispensing outlet is located, the outer end of the dispensing outlet being located in a second cavity defined between an opposite side of the inner wall and an adjacent outer wall of the carton, the carton comprising a removable zone opening into the second cavity to expose the dispensing outlet and allow access to the dispensing outlet.

2. The package of claim 1, wherein,

the removable area is at least partially within the adjacent outer wall.

3. The package of claim 1, wherein,

the removable area is located entirely within the adjacent outer wall.

4. The package of claim 1 or 2,

the removable area is located partially within an adjacent outer wall and partially within another outer wall transverse to the adjacent outer wall.

5. The package of any of the preceding claims,

one of the outer walls of the carton has another removable area open to the first cavity for exposing and allowing access to the pouch.

6. The package of any of the preceding claims,

the one or more removable areas have perforations to aid removal.

7. The package of claim 5 or claim 6, wherein,

one of the outer walls has perforations extending outwardly from an opposite side of the other removable area to assist in removal of the bag.

8. The package of any of the preceding claims,

the inner wall has a securing means for retaining the body of the dispensing outlet in the opening of the inner wall.

9. The package of any of the preceding claims,

the dispensing outlet is a spout.

10. The package of any of the preceding claims,

the dispensing outlet is closed by a removable cap.

11. The package of any one of claims 1 to 9,

the dispensing outlet is closed by a removable valve.

12. The package of claim 11, wherein,

the valve has a tubular member having an open end portion arranged to be connected to the dispensing outlet of the flexible bag to allow the contents of the bag to flow into the tubular member, the interior of the tubular member having a transverse wall comprising a flexible diaphragm, a dispensing opening normally closed by the flexible diaphragm, and a stem extending transversely of the outside of the wall and connected to the flexible diaphragm to move the diaphragm between a position in which it sealingly closes the dispensing opening to prevent the contents from exiting the bag and a position in which it is removed from the dispensing opening to allow the contents of the bag to exit the bag, and wherein the open end portion is arranged to be connected to the dispensing outlet by a threaded connection.

13. The package of claim 12, wherein,

the open end portion is directly connected to the dispensing outlet.

14. The package of claim 12, wherein,

the open end portion is connected to the dispensing outlet by a threaded tubular connection to the tubular member.

15. An apparatus for dispensing a flowable product from a package according to any one of the preceding claims, the apparatus having cooling or heating means, wherein,

the cooling or heating means is arranged to cool or heat the contents of the bag in the package.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein,

the apparatus has a structure for receiving the package thereon, and wherein the cooling or heating means comprises a raised cooling or heating portion arranged to protrude into the first cavity of the package when the structure receives the package such that the raised cooling or heating portion is in contact with the bag via the access opening in the package.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 as dependent on claim 5,

providing the access opening by removing the further removable area.

18. An apparatus for dispensing a fluent product from a package in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 14, the apparatus having a pumping device connected to the package via a dispensing outlet of the package for supplying the withdrawn fluent product to the dispensing outlet of the apparatus.

19. Apparatus according to claim 18, having cooling or heating means for cooling or heating the withdrawn flowable product.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 or 19,

the apparatus has a housing configured to house the pumping device and at least one package.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein,

the housing has a door that openably allows removal and insertion of the package.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 or 21,

the at least one package is contained in a lower portion of the housing and the dispensing outlet of the device is located in an upper portion of the device.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, which is mountable on a floor.

24. A system for dispensing a flowable product having the apparatus of any one of claims 15 to 23 and the package of any one of claims 1 to 14.

25. A valve for dispensing a fluent product contained in a flexible bag, the valve having a tubular member with an open end portion arranged for connection to a dispensing outlet of the flexible bag to permit the contents of the bag to flow into the tubular member, the interior of the tubular member having a transverse wall including a flexible diaphragm, a dispensing opening normally closed by the flexible diaphragm, and a stem extending transversely of the outside of the wall and connected to the flexible diaphragm to move the diaphragm between a position in which it sealingly closes the dispensing opening to prevent contents from exiting the bag and a position in which it is removed from the dispensing opening to permit the contents of the bag to exit the bag, and wherein the open end portion is arranged for connection to the dispensing outlet by a threaded connection.

26. The valve according to claim 25,

the open end portion is directly connected to the dispensing outlet.

27. The valve according to claim 25,

the open end portion is connected to the dispensing outlet by a threaded tubular connection to the tubular member.