FR2979098A1 - Dispenser i.e. liquid container, for dispensing beverage e.g. wine, has lifting unit including accessible strip, where strip is movable to upper position so that lifting unit is spaced from bottom of container for lifting pouch - Google Patents

Abstract

The dispenser has a rigid outer container (1) made of cardboard, where a flexible pouch (2) containing a beverage is housed in the container. The pouch includes a tap (3) movable between storage and operating positions, where the tap is held by its neck (7) in an opening (4) formed in a wall (5) of the container. A lifting unit (8) includes a strip (11) accessible from the outside and movable between a low position in which the lifting unit is supported on the bottom (12) of the container and an upper position in which the lifting unit is spaced from the bottom for lifting the pouch.

Description

Soft drink dispenser with optimized flow.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of food beverage dispensers (wines, fruit juices, etc.), in particular rigid carton containers containing a flexible bag, also referred to as "bag-in-box" or "bag-in-box". BIB ". These containers have a flow tap for distribution of the drink by gravity and are very interesting in terms of conservation, practicality and ecological impact. PRIOR ART AND TECHNICAL PROBLEM: Tap drink dispensers make it possible to obtain a flow without moving the container itself. Manipulation of the tap is conventionally done with one hand, simply by presenting the container or glass to be filled. This mode of use in the manner of a fountain is particularly appreciated.

The users nevertheless note that there is still a residual amount of drink inside the flexible bag, at the end of use, despite the opening of the tap. This phenomenon is naturally due to the height of the tap on the outer packaging, which is greater than that of the bottom of the flexible bag. For reasons of manufacture and assembly, the valve can indeed be placed at the lowest point of the device, which implies that a residual amount of drink remains trapped below the level of the valve. Considering by way of example a "BIB" dispenser with a capacity of 3 liters, the tap is placed about 2 cm from the bottom of the rigid packaging. The residual amount of beverage corresponding to about 4 glasses, about 50 cl, in other words, 1 / hr of the total capacity of the dispenser. This proportion is not negligible if we consider that the tap becomes inoperative while there remains 1/6 of drink in the pocket. This situation leads either to extract the flexible bag of the rigid packaging at the end of use, or to lean the device to better distribute the drink vis-à-vis the tap and facilitate its flow, or to spoil a quantity of drink when the packaging and the pocket are thrown away. In all cases, the current devices are impractical in this phase of use, the manipulations are impractical, uncomfortable, especially in reception situations or when productivity is sought, for example in restaurants (opening of the rigid packaging, extraction of the bag, flow of the drink by keeping the pocket above the tap, storage of the pocket and the cardboard packaging, risk of drips and stains on a garment etc.). OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The object of the invention is to overcome the above disadvantages by proposing a particularly effective and very inexpensive device allowing the maximum distribution of beverage, requiring neither a displacement of the device nor an extraction of the flexible bag. The invention therefore aims to make even more flexible pouch dispensers, completing the product even more convenient throughout its use. Object of the invention: For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a beverage dispenser comprising a rigid outer packaging, in particular made of cardboard, inside which is housed a flexible bag containing the drink, the bag being provided with a flow valve movable between a packaging position spaced from an axis of use, and a position of use along this axis, wherein the valve is installed and is held by its neck in a preformed opening in a wall of the rigid packaging, characterized in that it comprises a means of lifting the base of the flexible bag placed in the rigid packaging, shaped to be retained by the neck of the faucet during the installation of the valve in its position d use, the lifting means comprising a tab accessible from the outside of the rigid package, adapted to be moved between a low position in which the lifting means is supported on the bottom of the rigid package and a high position in which the lifting means is spaced from the bottom of the rigid package, lifting the flexible bag by its base. Thus, at the end of use or use of the dispenser, the base of the flexible bag is raised at or above the tap, so that the residual drink can again flow through the tap. A lifting means as proposed in the invention is of a very inexpensive design, easily achievable and insertable into the rigid packaging during packaging. Its hanging on the neck of the tap is not achieved during packaging, to limit costs. The attachment is performed by the user who, unknowingly when he installs the valve in its housing of the wall of the package, automatically and simultaneously holds one end of the lifting means, placed in the vicinity of the opening . This restraint is necessarily assured. It is robust enough considering the least amount of drink to lift, equivalent to about 0.5 liters for a 3 liter dispenser. The use is intuitive and ergonomic, since it consists of catching a tab accessible on the outside of the package, and pulling it upwards. Such a dispenser does not need to be tilted. Its use, like a fountain, is possible until the last glasses, which is appreciable in reception or in intensive use, in restaurants for example. The invention is also an element of innovation and communication 25 always appreciable in the highly competitive world of beverage distributors. According to still further advantageous features of the invention, the elevating means is in the form of a flat and elongated piece, especially of cardboard, a retaining end of which comprises a cutout having the general shape of a C or a hook bypassing the neck of the tap when it is in the position of use.

According to still other advantageous features of the invention, the tongue is situated opposite the retaining end.

According to still other advantageous features of the invention, the lifting means comprises a central part, delimited by folds, able to be pressed against the bottom of the rigid package in the low position, the central part having a matching contour. substantially the side walls of the rigid package.

According to still other advantageous features of the invention, the lifting means comprises folded edges, providing wedging and / or guiding against the walls of the rigid package.

According to still other advantageous features of the invention, the rigid packaging comprises a window in which at least a portion of the tongue appears, the latter being manually grippable. According to still other advantageous features of the invention, the lifting means comprises a traction part connected to the central part, the traction part running vertically along a wall of the rigid package which is opposite to the wall traversed by the tap. , the traction part ending in the upper part by the tongue.

According to still other advantageous features of the invention, the traction portion comprises anchoring conformations cooperating in opposition to the edge of the window in order to maintain the lifting means in the high position. According to still other advantageous features of the invention, the traction part comprises abutment conformations cooperating with the walls of the rigid package, in the vicinity of the window, in order to prevent the rise of the lifting means from occurring. beyond the high position. According to still other advantageous features of the invention, the dispenser comprises a scale for measuring the quantity of beverage present in the flexible bag, made in the form of the lifting means, the scale being inscribed on one side of the part traction, able to be visible through the window.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ONE EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION The invention will be better understood on reading the following description of a non-limiting example of the invention, and in the light of the appended drawings in which: 1 and 2 are perspective views of a beverage dispenser according to the invention, of the "bag-in-box®" type, respectively seen from the front, next to the tap, and seen from the rear, where the top of the tongue of the lifting means, - Figures 3 to 6 are side views illustrating the different phases of use of the beverage dispenser of Figures 1 and 2, - Figure 7 is a developed view of the lifting means according to the and Figure 8 shows an alternative embodiment of the end of the tongue of the lifting means according to the invention. There is shown in Figure 1 a bag-in-box® type drink dispenser. The dispenser comprises a rigid outer packaging 1 enclosing a flexible plastic bag 2, visible in FIGS. 3 to 6 (pocket not visible in FIG. 1). The dispenser is usually arranged vertically. The bag 2 comprises a tap 3 of flow. The valve 2 is conventionally welded or glued by its base on one of the faces of the bag 2. During packaging, the bag 2 is introduced into the package with the tap 2 down and on the side of a opening 4 provided in a wall 5 of the package 1. The installation of the valve 2 in its position of use, along an axis of use perpendicular to the wall 5, is provided by the user himself. The latter pushes or tears the preformed or pre-cut opening 4 in the wall 5. The user generally opens an access zone 6 at the base of the wall 5 which is adjacent to the opening 4 (FIG. 1). This access zone 6 facilitates on the one hand the gripping and cutting of the opening 4 according to the preformed shape, and on the other hand makes it possible to catch the valve 3 enclosed in the rigid package 1, in its position of conditioning, to install it in the opening 4, in its position of use. The transition from the packaging position to the position of use is generally effected by pivoting the valve to arrange it along an axis of use perpendicular to the wall 5. The valve 3 is held in place in the position of use by its neck 7 cooperating with the edge of the opening 4. A wedging conformation, in particular a groove, is provided for this purpose on the neck 7 of the valve 3. When the valve 3 is installed in the opening 4, the zone 6 is closed so as to reconstruct the edge of the opening 4 and thus ensure the maintenance of the valve 3. According to the invention, the dispenser comprises a lifting means 8 of the base of the flexible bag 2. This- This is placed in the rigid package 1, partly below the flexible bag 2. The lifting means 8 is shaped to be retained by the neck 4 of the valve 3 in its position of use (FIGS. 6). The lifting means 8 is in the form of a flat and elongate piece, typically made of cardboard, a flattened view of which is shown in FIG. 7. According to this view, the lifting means 8 comprises a retaining end 25. 9 provided with a cutout having the general shape of a C or hook of similar shape, bypassing the neck 7 of the valve 3 in the position of use (neck 7 shown fictitiously as a thin dotted line in FIG. 7) . Note that the lifting means 8 comprises a notch 10 corresponding to the opening of the C or the hook, to completely release the access zone 6 and facilitate the cutting or depression of this preformed or pre-cut area. In addition, this notch 10 makes it possible not to hinder the passage of the valve 3 when it is installed in the opening 4. The neck 7 of the valve 3 can thus penetrate laterally into the opening 4, without being impeded by the neighboring presence of the means of uplift 8.

The dimension L1 (FIG. 7) of the retaining end 9 corresponds to the height of the lifting means 8 which matches the internal face of the wall 5 through which the valve 3 passes. The dimensions of the retaining end 9, c ' that is to say the dimensions of the C or the hook are adapted to ensure a sufficient maintenance and rigidity of the lifting means 8 around the neck 7 of the valve 3. The width of the retaining end 9, considered transversely to the longitudinal direction, is adapted to ensure a wedging between the side walls of the rigid package 1, so that the retaining end 9 remains in position and therefore engaged with the neck 7 of the valve 3. The C-shaped or hooked form comprises a foot 91 providing the connection of an attachment zone 92 located at the free end of the retaining end 9. The foot 91 runs on the side of the neck 7 which is opposite the notch 10. The width of the foot 91, measured transversely to the longitudinal direction, e adequate wedging between the neck 7 of the valve 3 and the side wall of the package 1. This width is typically of the order of 25 to 30 mm for a 3-liter dispenser. It can be superior for larger capacity dispensers. The width of the attachment zone 92, measured longitudinally, is at least 20 mm. A width of 30 or 40 mm is suitable, it being understood that other dimensions are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. At least one fold 93 is preformed on the foot 91, to facilitate the raising of the lifting means 8. This folding is oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the sliding means 8 and acts as a hinge. This folding 93, also marked in Figure 6, is located at a height corresponding substantially to the bottom of the ring fixing the valve 3 to the flexible bag 2 (glued or welded fastening ring, not shown).

Opposite the retaining end 9, the lifting means 8 comprises a tongue 11 accessible from outside the rigid package 1. The tongue 11 can be moved between a low position, illustrated in FIGS. in which the lifting means 8 rests at the bottom 12 of the rigid package 1, and a high position, illustrated in Figure 6, in which the lifting means 8 is spaced from the bottom 12 of the rigid package 1 This displacement is carried out according to the arrow F of FIG. 6. In view of the hooking formed between the retaining end 9 and the neck 7 of the valve 3, a central portion 13 of the lifting means 8 inclines and raises, including in the vicinity of the valve 3, so as to raise the drink initially located below the level of the valve 3.

The central portion 13 is delimited by folds 14 represented by dotted lines in Figure 7. It is shaped to be pressed against the bottom 12 of the rigid package 1 in the low position. The central portion 13 has a contour substantially conforming to the side walls of the rigid package 1. This contour is understood outside folded edges provided laterally to bear against the walls of the rigid package 1. The dimension L2 of the part central 13 substantially corresponds to the length of the rigid package 1, considered between the wall 5 of the valve 3 and the opposite wall 15 located opposite (Figures 2, 3-6).

As can be seen in FIG. 7, the lifting means 8 also comprises a traction portion 16 connected to the central portion 13. The traction portion 16 runs vertically along the wall 1 opposite that of the valve 5. The traction portion 16 ends at the top by the tongue 11. The dimension L3 marked in Figure 7 corresponds substantially to the height of the rigid package 1. For convenience of representation, mixed fine lines in Figure 7 indicate that the traction part 16 is not shown throughout its length although there is naturally continuity of material between the base connected to the central portion 13 and the tongue 11.30 As seen in Figure 2, rigid repacking 1 comprises a window 17 through of which appears the free end of the tongue 11 of the pulling portion 16. This window 17 is formed in the upper part of the face 15 opposite that of the valve 3. The window can optionally d slightly roughing on an upper wall of the rigid package 1, to facilitate the gripping and / or allow a strictly vertical displacement of the tongue 11. In a variant, the window may be formed only in the vertical wall 15. The window 17 is shaped so as to be able to manually grasp the tongue 11 from the outside. The tongue 11 appears so as to obscure at least part of the window 11 when the lifting means 8 is in the low position. The tongue 11 may for this purpose include inscriptions related to its function or its mode of use, which are perfectly visible from the outside through the window 17.

In an alternative embodiment shown in Figure 8, the tongue 11a has an orifice 11b for the passage of a finger, facilitating the gripping and pulling of the tongue 11a. The traction portion 16 also comprises anchoring conformations 18 cooperating in opposition to the edge of the window 17, in order to keep the lifting means 8 in the up position, when the tongue 11 has been pulled upwards over a sufficient stroke. . These anchoring conformations 18 have the form of non-return notches, located on each side of the traction part 16. The traction part 16 can also comprise abutment conformations 19 cooperating with the walls of the rigid package 1, in the vicinity of the window 17, to prevent the rise of the lifting means 8 beyond the high position. This allows to predefine the high position, so as to make the mode of use more clear and practical. These abutments conformations are made in the form of shoulders located on each side of the traction portion. These shoulders are wider than the window 17, which prevents its crossing. The dimension marked L4 in FIG. 7 represents the height of the traction part 16 which remains inside the rigid package 1 when the lifting means is in the high position. The lifting means 8 comprises folded edges 20, extending in the longitudinal direction. These folded edges 20 allow a lateral wedging against the walls of the rigid package 1. The tongue 11 is thus correctly placed and maintained in the axis of the window 17. The retaining end 9 is also held around the neck 7 of the tap. The folded edges 20 further contribute to stiffening the lifting means 8. The folded edges 20 have slant cuts 10 in the vicinity of the fold lines between the retaining end 9, the central portion 13 and the pulling portion 16, to facilitate folding. In an alternative embodiment not illustrated, the folded edges can be continuous (without cut-skew) along the length of the lifting means, between several contiguous portions 9, 13, 16, folded areas for folding the assembly 15 inside the rigid packaging. The use of the lifting means 8 is carried out as follows, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6 which illustrate the different phases: The user first clears the opening 4 and installs the tap 3 in the opening 4 in its position of use (Figures 3 and 4). The central portion 13 of the lifting means 8 is supported on the bottom 12 of the rigid package 1. The volume is maximum above the central portion to accommodate the flexible bag 2 which is full at this stage. The drink is represented in gray. The level of beverage inside the flexible bag 2 has dropped to a low level, no longer allowing the normal flow through the tap 3 under the effect of gravity (FIG. 5). The user catches the tongue 11 through the window 17 formed in the wall 15 of the rigid package, opposite the wall 5 of the valve 3, then pulls the tongue 11 upwards, along the arrow F, so as to move the lifting means 8 from its lower position to its upper position (FIG. 6). The displacement is stopped by the abutment conformations 19 which come into contact with the edges of the window 17. The user then releases the tongue 11. The lifting means 8 is held in the upper position by the anchoring conformations 18 co-operating in The residual beverage displaced above the level of the tap 3 can therefore flow from the level N1 (FIG. 6, corresponding to the same quantity of beverage as FIG. 5), at the level N2 corresponding to the The lowest level that can flow through the tap 3. It is also possible to provide a graduated scale on the face of the traction portion 8 facing the window 17. This scale indicates the amount of beverage corresponding to a given height of the traction part. The tongue 11 is pulled upwards until the flexible bag 2 is compressed to the maximum, and thereby stops the displacement of the lifting means 8. No vertical anchoring is provided in this case. The pulling portion 16 being intended to go down to the lower position, the displacement is reversible. Indeed, it is provided an anchoring of the lifting means in the upper position only when the beverage no longer flows normally through the tap. The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and includes all technical equivalents.

In particular, the lifting means may be plastic. It is also possible to provide a lifting means free of folded edges. Lateral wedging relative to the walls of the package is then performed by the sharp edges of the lifting means. The deflection of the lifting means during lifting does not pose any difficulty in operating the invention.

Claims (4)

CLAIMS1 Beverage dispenser comprising a rigid outer packaging (1), in particular cardboard, inside which is housed a flexible bag (2) containing the drink, the bag (2) being provided with a tap (3) d ' displaceable flow between a packaging position spaced from an axis of use, and a position of use along this axis, in which the valve (3) is installed and is held by its neck (7) in an opening (4) preformed in a wall (5) of the rigid package (1), characterized in that it comprises a lifting means (8) of the base of the flexible bag (2) placed in the rigid package (1), shaped to be retained by the neck (7) of the valve (3) in its position of use, the lifting means (8) comprising a tongue (11, 11a) accessible from outside the rigid package (1) , able to be moved between a low position in which the lifting means (8) rests on the bottom (12) of the rigid packaging (1) and a high position in which the lifting means (8) is spaced from the bottom (12) of the rigid package (1), lifting the flexible bag (2) by its base. 2. Dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the lifting means (8) is in the form of a flat and elongate piece, in particular cardboard, a retaining end (9) comprises a cutout having the shape general of a C or a hook bypassing the neck (7) of the valve (3) when it is in the position of use. 3. Dispenser according to claim 2, characterized in that the tongue (11, 11a) is located opposite the retaining end (9). 4. Dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lifting means (8) comprises a part. 6. 7. 8. 9. 13 central (13), delimited by folds, adapted to be pressed against the bottom (12) of the rigid package (1) in the low position, the central portion (13) having a outline substantially matching the side walls of the rigid package (1). Dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lifting means (8) comprises folded edges (20), providing wedging and / or guiding against the walls of the rigid package (1). Dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rigid package (1) comprises a window (17) in which appears at least a portion of the tongue (11, 11a), the latter being manually grippable. Dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lifting means (8) comprises a pulling portion (16) connected to the central portion (13), the pulling portion (16) running vertically along a wall ( 15) of the rigid packaging (1) which is opposite to the wall (5) through which the valve (3) passes, the traction part (16) terminating in the upper part by the tongue O. The dispenser according to claim 7, characterized in that the pulling portion (16) comprises anchoring conformations (18) cooperating in opposition to the edge of the window (17) to maintain the lifting means (8) in the up position. Dispenser according to Claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the traction part (16) comprises abutment formations (19) cooperating with the walls of the rigid package (1), in the vicinity of the window (17), prevent raising of the lifting means (8) beyond the high position. 10. Dispenser according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that it comprises a scale for measuring the amount of drink present in the flexible bag (2), made in the form of the lifting means (8) , the scale being inscribed on one face of the traction part (16), able to be visible through the window (17).