Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Packaged or wrapped product – Having consumer oriented diverse utility
Patent
1992-10-21
1994-08-23
Tentoni, Leo B.
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Packaged or wrapped product
Having consumer oriented diverse utility
206222, 220501, 220505, 220527, 220553, 220555, 426115, 426123, 426131, B65B 3100, B65D 1700, B65D 2500
Patent
active
053405951
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to drinks containers of the kind comprising a cylindrical wall, first and second end walls at opposed ends of the container, one of the end walls comprising an area which is adapted to provide a non-resealable, normally-closed pouring opening to enable drink to be poured from the container. Such a container will hereinafter be referred to as a `drinks container of the kind set forth`.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Nitrogen is valuable in promoting a good head on beer. When the beer is sold in cans there is difficulty in introducing nitrogen into the beer, because nitrogen is relatively insoluble in beer as compared with the solubility of carbon dioxide. It has been proposed in specification no. EP 02 27 213A to provide a plastics nitrogen-containing vessel inside a can of stout at the bottom, with a small hole through which the pressurised nitrogen escapes when the can is opened. Whilst that proposal is feasible, it requires the manufacture of the special vessel which must then be retained in place at the bottom of the can in some way.
In specification GB 2,211,813 a drinks container of the kind set forth is described in which an independently formed partition wall is inserted into the container to partition the interior into a gas and a drinks chamber.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the present invention, in a drinks container of the kind set forth a gas reservoir is defined between a cap and one of the end walls, said one end wall being formed with an annular rib which co-operates with the margin of the cap to retain the cap, and to effect an annular seal therewith, the cap being formed with one or more passage means to provide restricted communication between the gas reservoir and the main chamber, to enable gas under pressure in the reservoir to pass into drink in the main chamber When the pouring opening is opened.
The cap is preferably made of a plastics material and is arranged to have a snap-engagement with the rib. It is then an easy matter to assemble the cap to said one end wall by urging the cap against said one end wall.
When said one end wall is made of metal, the rib can be produced by a pressing and/or spinning operation. The pressing operation can form part of the deep-drawing process commonly employed with drinks cans to produce a can end wall integral with the cylindrical wall of the can.
A second aspect of the invention is concerned with maintaining a seal between a gas reservoir and a main drinks chamber in a drinks container of the kind set forth until just before it is desired to pour drink from, or to drink from, the container.
According to the second aspect of the invention, a drinks container of the kind set forth comprises a partition wall extending substantially parallel to the end walls and being positioned axially closer to the first end wall to define a gas reservoir between the partition wall and the first end wall, and to define a main drinks chamber between the partition wall and the second end wall, the second end wall comprising said area which is openable to provide the pouring opening, the partition wall being formed with an annular rib projecting from the wall in the direction towards the second end wall, and a resilient cap which is arranged to fit on the rib, and form an annular seal therewith, a passage means being provided in the partition wall within the area covered by the cap.
The fit of the cap on the rib is chosen such that when the container is opened by opening of the pouring opening, gas under pressure in the gas reservoir ejects the cap from the rib, and gas passes into the drink in the main chamber by way of the passage means.
Since the cap isolates the reservoir gas from drink in the main chamber until the container is opened, it is possible to employ in the reservoir a gas, such as air, which would produce deterioration of the drink if it were in permanent contact therewith.
The partition wall may be of metal or plastics, and when the partition wall is of metal the rib can be produ
E J Price (Development) Limited
Tentoni Leo B.
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