Receptacles – High-pressure-gas tank – With removable closure
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-03
2001-12-04
Pollard, Steven (Department: 3727)
Receptacles
High-pressure-gas tank
With removable closure
C215S228000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06325235
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a closed receptacle that is used more particularly, but not exclusively, for packaging foodstuffs, and in particular liquid beverages, and in which there is provided a chamber for containing a gas under pressure, e.g. nitrogen, which gas is automatically released when the receptacle is opened and acts on the contents of the receptacle. The invention also relates to a novel method of packaging a product by means of the receptacle. The invention is particularly, but not exclusively, applicable to making a closed receptacle containing beer and advantageously capable of being in the form of a glass, e.g. obtained by injection blow-molding one or more thermoplastic resins, with the action of the gas on the beer when the glass is opened enabling a head to be formed that is firm and smooth. This novel packaging in the form of a glass advantageously gives consumers at home the chance to drink beer comparable to beer that has been served traditionally, from a hand-pulled pump, for example in premises specialized in selling drinks.
It is now common practice to sell foodstuffs, and in particular beverages, such as beer, that are packaged in closed metal cans made mainly of aluminum. In conventional manner, such a can is in the form of a closed hollow body made up of two distinct portions: a main portion which is generally cylindrical and closed at its bottom end by a bottom wall, and having a top face that is open; together with a cover or closure member designed to be fitted to and fixed on the main portion so as to close it. The main portion and the cover or closure member are manufactured separately. During manufacture, manual opening means are provided on the cover or closure member, which means are generally in the form of a tab enabling the consumer to open the can by hand so as to be able to empty out its contents, with this being done by pushing or pulling the outside face of the cover or closure member on the can so as to rupture it by piercing it and/or by tearing it.
To package a product using that known type of receptacle, the first step consists in filling the main portion of the receptacle with the product, prior to putting the cover or closure member into place. Once the main portion has been filled, the cover or closure member is fixed to the main portion by any appropriate means, and the full receptacle is suitable for being put on sale. The step of fixing the cover or closure member on the main portion is relatively difficult to perform because of the sealing constraints that must be satisfied between the cover and the main portion of the receptacle, which constraints are made all the more difficult to satisfy when sealing needs to be achieved over a relatively long length, e.g. the entire periphery of the main portion of the receptacle.
It is also known at present to make receptacles containing a chamber filled with gas under pressure, which gas is released when the receptacle is opened and acts on the product contained in the receptacle. This type of receptacle is used in particular in the field of packaging beer in cans. In this particular field, and for the purpose of putting beer on sale which, once served in a glass, is comparable to a hand-pulled draught beer, numerous brewers fit their cans of beer with internal chambers that are in communication with the inside of the can and that contain a gas under pressure, e.g. nitrogen. In practice, the chamber is in the form of a small hollow add-on part [sometimes called a “widget”] which can have a wide variety of shapes, which is usually made of plastic, and which is fixed by any appropriate means to the inside face of the bottom wall of the can. The add-on part also has one or more escape openings formed therein, enabling the inside of the hollow part to communicate with the inside of the can. When the consumer opens a beer can fitted with an internal chamber containing gas under pressure, the act of putting the inside of the can to atmospheric pressure allows the gas contained in the chamber to be released, thereby putting a head on the beer.
At present, beer is packaged in a can having a chamber containing a gas under pressure as follows. The add-on part that is to form the chamber containing the gas under pressure is fixed to the inside of the main portion of the can, by being inserted through its open top face. This part is fixed by any appropriate known means, and in particular by adhesive or by heat-sealing. This step is relatively difficult, and it also requires special tooling to be used that is capable of passing through the opening in the top face of the main portion of the can so as to enable the chamber to be positioned and fixed in the bottom of the can. Thereafter the main portion of the can is filled with beer, and a predetermined quantity of gas under pressure is inserted, where the quantity is a function of the capacity of the can. In general, the gas used is nitrogen. Once the quantity of gas has been inserted, the top portion of the can is closed by mechanically fixing the cover on its open top. All of the above steps are performed with the bottom of the can generally pointing downwards. Once the main portion and the cover of the can have been assembled together in sealed manner, a last step consists in turning the can upside-down so as to cause its bottom to be on top, thereby having the effect of filling the chamber with the gas under pressure, with molecules of gas rising towards the chamber and entering therein. After a given length of time has elapsed, the chamber is full of gas under pressure and the can be handled freely, in particular for the purpose of being transported to its point of sale.
In prior art EP.O.360.373A, it is disclosed a can constituted by a tubular body closed at both sides by two separate closure walls that are sealed thereto: one closure wall (top wall) is openable via a pull ring. An add-on hollow part (widget) constituted by an inner partition wall with a small communication orifice is mounted inside the tubular body. This inner partition wall is locked to the rim of the tubular element by the closure of the bottom closure wall, or may be sealed to the tubular body prior to the closure of the bottom closure wall. The use of a can having a tubular body and a separate bottom closure is advantageous since it enables to introduce the beverage and the gas in the can via the bottom opening of the tubular wall, prior to the fitting of the partition wall to the rim of the tubular body. But this solution complicates the assembling operation of the can and in particular the step of fixing the bottom closing wall to the tubular body is relatively difficult to perform because of the sealing constraints that must be satisfied over the entire periphery of the tubular body. This step is further more difficult to perform when the bottom closure wall is used for locking the inner partition wall to the rim of the tubular body.
The main object of the invention is to propose a receptacle that makes it possible to simplify the process of packaging a product in a receptacle of the type including an internal chamber for the purpose of containing a gas under pressure that is suitable for being released when the receptacle is opened.
This object is achieved by the receptacle of the invention having the features of claim
1
.
The invention also provides a method of packaging a product by means of a receptacle according to claim
1
. In the method, the product is inserted into the inside of the hollow body by causing it to pass through the filling orifice, a quantity of gas is inserted through the same orifice, the hollow part is put into place through said orifice, and the hollow body is closed by closing the filling orifice.
Compared with can structures that have been used in the past for packaging a beverage, and in particular a beer, the novel structure of the receptacle in accordance with claim
1
makes it possible to simplify the operations of installing and fixing the add-on chamber-forming part relative to the hollow body. It also makes it poss
Telvin John
Wallis Andrew
Harness & Dickey & Pierce P.L.C.
Pollard Steven
Schmalbach-Lubeca AG
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