Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Packaged or wrapped product – Having consumer oriented diverse utility
Patent
1996-02-14
1998-03-10
Czaja, Donald E.
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Packaged or wrapped product
Having consumer oriented diverse utility
426115, 426124, 426397, 426131, 426394, 426477, 993231, 993232, 220581, 220585, 215 6, 53120, B65B 3100, B65B 1700
Patent
active
057258961
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to containers and packages and particularly, but not exclusively, beverage containers and packages, and to means for charging beverage in a container with gas.
The container may be large, such as a beer keg, or small, such as a bottle or beverage can.
Beer kegs containing beer are delivered to a public house or other establishment in a sealed condition, and pipe work and an external pressurised gas source are connected to the keg for dispensing beer. The pressurised gas source is usually a nitrogen cylinder.
Precautions need to be taken to ensure that the beer in the keg does not become contaminated in any way when the gas supply is connected to the keg, but the measures taken are not always adequate.
One application of the present invention is to the pressurization of beer kegs, but other applications of the invention relate to the gasification of beverages, which may be alcoholic or non-alcoholic, in bottles and cans:
In relation to cans of beer, in particular stout, various proposals have been made, for example in specifications no. GB 1,266,351, EP 0,227,213A, WD91/07326, WO92/02434, WO91/13006 and WO92/00897, for providing a gas reservoir within a beverage can, the reservoir emitting gas under pressure into the beer when the can is broached. The gas reservoirs have either a permanently open gas outlet, as in EP 0,227,213A for example, of restricted dimensions, or the outlet is arranged to open when the reservoir is subjected externally to atmospheric pressure, as in FIGS. 32 to 40 of WO91/07326 for example.
Various aspects of the present invention provide a gas reservoir unit which is capable of being charged with gas, such as nitrogen, under super-atmospheric pressure prior to incorporation of the reservoir unit into the container.
According to one aspect of the present invention a beverage container assembly comprises a container body defining an enclosed beverage chamber for containing a beverage, a gas reservoir unit adapted to be housed substantially within the container body, the gas reservoir unit being adapted to be charged with a gas under super-atmospheric pressure whilst the reservoir unit is outside of the container, and to retain the gas prior to insertion of the unit into the container body, the unit comprising a gas outlet means which is adapted to be opened by a valve control means during or subsequent to insertion of the unit into the container body, to allow gas in the reservoir to issue into beverage in the beverage chamber.
When the container body is a beer keg, the gas reservoir unit can be a gas cylinder assembly which is charged with nitrogen, or other suitable gas, and the gas reservoir unit can be assembled to the keg at the brewery, whereby the brewery supplies kegs of beer containing the gas reservoir unit. The operative at the drinks establishment is thereby relieved of the need to attach a gas cylinder to the keg.
The gas reservoir may or may not be removed from the keg for recharging of the reservoir on refilling of the keg with beer.
The gas reservoir unit is provided with an outlet controlled by a valve means which may be arranged to be operable by the operative by actuating means accessible from the exterior of the keg.
According to a second aspect of the invention a beer keg, or equivalent large-volume fluid container, is provided with a gas reservoir unit housed substantially within the keg, actuating means being provided which is accessible from the exterior of the keg and is operative to allow gas to flow from the reservoir unit into beer contained in the keg.
Particularly, but not exclusively, in applications of the invention to smaller containers, such as bottles or cans of the kind which are sold individually or in packs through off-licences and other retail outlets for example, the gas reservoir unit preferably comprises a gas outlet controlled by an outlet valve means, and a valve retainer is adapted to retain the outlet valve means closed after charging of the reservoir unit and prior to insertion of the reservoir unit into the containe
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patent: 5460846 (1995-10-01), Stumphauzer et al.
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CPB Innovative Technology Limited
Czaja Donald E.
Sherrer Curtis E.
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