Container and valve for a container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10882671-B2
Application number	US-201314426663-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2013
Priority date	Oct 30, 2012
Publication date	Jan 5, 2021
Grant date	Jan 5, 2021

Abstract

Beverage container ( 1 ) and valve ( 6 ) for a beverage container ( 1 ). Valve ( 6 ), comprising a base element ( 26 ) and a snap ring or snap fingers ( 48 ) extending there from, positioned around an opening ( 27 ) through the base element ( 26 ), wherein within the snap ring or between the snap fingers ( 48 ) a valve housing ( 24 ) is provided, having at least one inlet opening ( 9 ) and a spring loaded valve body ( 29 ), biased towards the base element ( 26 ) and closing off the opening ( 27 ), wherein the valve body ( 29 ) is operable through the opening ( 27 ) for opening a fluid connection between the inlet opening ( 9 ) or openings and the opening ( 27 ) in the base element ( 26 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A valve, comprising a base element and a snap ring or snap fingers extending from an outward facing surface of the base element, positioned around an opening through the base element, and a valve housing within the snap ring or between the snap fingers, the valve housing having at least one inlet opening and a spring loaded valve body, biased towards the base element and closing off the opening, wherein the spring loaded valve body is operable through the opening for opening a fluid connection between the at least one inlet opening and the opening in the base element.

2. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the valve housing is snap fit into the base element.

3. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the base element with the snap ring or snap fingers, the spring loaded valve body and the valve housing are made of plastic.

4. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein a safety provision is connected to the valve, which in at least one direction perpendicular to a direction of movement of the spring loaded valve body within the housing is wider than the base element.

5. The valve according to claim 4 , wherein the safety provision is connected to the valve housing.

6. A valve assembly, comprising a mounting ring and a valve according to claim 1 , for mounting in an opening in said mounting ring.

7. The valve assembly according to claim 6 , wherein the mounting ring comprises an opening having axially opposite peripheral edges and with a snap provision for cooperating with the snap fingers or the snap ring of the valve, wherein the snap ring or the snap fingers have a rounded end or ends opposite the base element, such that when the valve is snap fit in said opening, said rounded end or ends form a smooth transition from an inward facing surface of the ring and a surface part of the valve formed by said rounded end or ends.

8. A container, comprising a body and a neck, wherein the neck further comprises the valve according to claim 1 .

9. The container according to claim 8 , wherein the valve is mounted in a mounting ring that is mounted to the neck.

10. The container according to claim 8 , wherein the neck defines an opening with a snap provision for cooperating with snap fingers or a snap ring of the valve.

11. The container according to claim 10 , wherein the snap ring or the snap fingers have a rounded end or ends opposite the base element, such that when the valve is snap fit in said opening, said rounded end or ends form a smooth transition from an inward facing surface of the ring and a surface part of the valve formed by said rounded end or ends.

12. The container according to claim 8 , wherein the valve is provided for dispensing a beverage from the container, wherein an inner surface part of the container adjacent the valve is smooth and sloping towards the inlet side of the valve, such that foam is prevented from being trapped at the inner surface of the neck.

13. The container according to claim 12 , wherein the surface part is sloping towards an end of the inlet side of the valve opposite the body.

14. The container according to claim 12 , wherein the inner surface part is substantially free of crevices having a general direction different from towards an inlet side of the valve.

15. The container according to claim 12 , wherein the inner surface part is substantially free of crevices having a width larger than about 0.2 mm.

16. The container according to claim 12 , wherein the inner surface part of the container is within the neck between the body and an inlet side of the valve.

17. The container according to claim 8 , wherein the body is provided with a stand support opposite the neck, and wherein the inlet side of the valve is open towards an inner volume of the container, without a riser pipe.

18. The container according to claim 8 , wherein the valve is mounted in a closure ring that is mounted to the neck, wherein the valve comprises a peripheral wall portion with at least one opening forming an inlet of the inlet side of the valve.

19. The container according to claim 18 , wherein the at least one opening is elongated in said direction of the body.

20. The container according to claim 8 , wherein the valve comprises a substantially truncated cone shaped inner surface part, extending around a valve housing of the valve, such that a first end of the substantially truncated cone shaped inner surface part, furthest from the body, is closer to the valve housing of the valve than an opposite second end, whereas the inlet side of the valve comprises at least one opening extending through said valve housing.

21. The container according to claim 8 , wherein the container is filled with a beverage comprising gas.

22. The container according to claim 21 , wherein the beverage comprising gas is a carbonated beverage.

23. The container according to claim 8 , wherein the container is compressible for pressurizing a beverage in the container by reducing an inner volume of the container.

24. The container according to claim 23 , wherein the container is an inner container of a bag-in-container or bag-in-bottle type container.

25. The container according to claim 8 , wherein the valve is mounted in the neck or in a mounting ring provided at the neck of the container, wherein the valve is mounted by a snap-fit in a mounting opening in the neck or the mounting ring.

26. The container according to claim 8 , wherein the valve comprises a snap ring or a snap skirt, comprising a series of resilient snap fingers, rounded such that said edge forms a substantially smooth transition to the or a further inner surface part when the valve is snap fit into a mounting opening of the neck or of a mounting ring mounted at the neck.

27. The container according to claim 26 , wherein the series of resilient snap fingers are connected to a base element of the valve at an end opposite a free end.

28. The container according to claim 27 , wherein between adjacent fingers is a gap, having an end at the side of the base element sloping towards an inlet side of the valve.

29. The container according to claim 26 , wherein the resilient snap fingers have or define a free edge.

30. The container according to claim 26 , wherein at said transition no crevice is present having a width larger than about 0.2 mm.

31. The container according to claim 8 , wherein the valve housing is snap fit into the base element.

32. The container according to claim 1 , wherein the valve is provided with a safety element in the container, catching the valve when being expelled by pressure in the container.

33. A valve, comprising a base element and a snap ring or snap fingers extending there from, positioned around an opening through the base element, and a valve housing within the snap ring or between the snap fingers, the valve housing having at least one inlet opening and a spring loaded valve body, biased towards the base element and closing off the opening, wherein the spring loaded valve body is operable through the opening for opening a fluid connection between the at least one inlet opening and the opening in the base element, wherein a safety provision is connected to the valve, which in at least one direction perpendicular to a direction of movement of the spring loaded valve body wit

Assignees

• Heineken Supply Chain Bv

Inventors

• Paauwe Arie Maarten
• Bax Bart Jan
• Blom Harold Marcel

Classifications

• B67D1/08 Primary

  Details · CPC title

• B67D1/0835 Primary

  with one valve · CPC title

• B67D1/0845

  Security means · CPC title

• B67D1/0462

  Squeezing collapsible or flexible beverage containers, e.g. bag-in-box containers · CPC title

• B65D1/02

  Bottles or similar containers with necks or like restricted apertures, designed for pouring contents (thermally-insulated containers B65D81/38, A47J41/00; {feeding-bottles A61J9/00}) · CPC title