Adapter assembly and a process for supplying a sterilant to a packaging system for cleaning and filling of packages

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9388034-B2
Application number	US-201214343865-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2012
Priority date	Sep 16, 2011
Publication date	Jul 12, 2016
Grant date	Jul 12, 2016

Abstract

An adapter assembly ( 10 ) and a process for supplying a sterilant to a packaging system for cleaning and filling of packages. Specifically, an adapter assembly ( 10 ) for directly supplying from a packaging container, such as a blow-molded tight-head plastic packaging container, a sterilant, such as hydrogen peroxide, to the packaging system without using any intermediate carrier, such as a carboy.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An adapter assembly for supplying a sterilant from a packaging container with an externally threaded neck surrounding a container opening and with an internally threaded screw cap for sealing the container opening, into a packaging system for cleaning and filling of packages, the adapter assembly comprising:
an adapter body having a tubular body portion, a discoidal body portion at a first end of the tubular body portion, a dispensing passage and at least one venting or pressurizing passage extending through the adapter body from the first end to a second end of the tubular body portion, and a dip tube fitted to the first end of the tubular body portion and communicating with the dispensing passage;
a gasket surrounding the dip-tube and having at least one venting or pressurizing hole communicating with the venting or pressurizing passage of the adapter body; and
a screw cap having an annular cap portion with a through-hole for the tubular body portion of the adapter body and having a skirt portion with an internal thread for engagement with the externally threaded neck of the packaging container, the screw cap being rotatable with respect to the adapter body;
wherein the discoidal body portion has a surface surrounding the dip tube, the at least one venting or pressurizing passage of the tubular body portion opens into the surface surrounding the dip tube, and the at least one venting or pressurizing hole of the gasket faces the surface surrounding the dip tube.

2. The adapter assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the internal thread of the screw cap is a buttress thread.

3. The adapter assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the tubular body portion has four venting or pressurizing passages spaced in 90°-intervals.

4. The adapter assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the surface surrounding the dip tube defines a recess, the at least one venting or pressurizing passage of the tubular body portion opens into the recess, and the at least one venting or pressurizing hole of the gasket faces the recess.

5. The adapter assembly according to claim 1 , wherein an upper end of the dip tube is welded into a socket of the first end of the tubular body portion.

6. The adapter assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the gasket has a planar upper surface facing a planar lower surface of the discoidal body portion, and wherein the gasket has a planar lower surface for abutment with a planar rim surrounding the container opening of the packaging container.

7. The adapter assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the gasket has a plurality of venting or pressurizing holes.

8. The adapter assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising a ferrule on the dip tube for retaining the gasket in close proximity to the discoidal body portion of the adapter body.

9. The adapter assembly according to claim 8 , wherein the ferrule and the dip tube are made from stainless steel, and wherein the ferule is tack-welded to the dip tube.

10. The adapter assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the tubular body portion of the adapter body is provided with at least one projecting lug for retaining the screw cap.

11. The adapter assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the adapter body is made from stainless steel, and wherein the at least one projecting lug is a tack-weld bead.

12. The adapter assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the annular cap portion of the screw cap has a planar lower surface, and wherein the discoidal body portion of the adapter body has a planar upper surface facing the planar lower surface of the annular cap portion.

13. The adapter assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the second end of the tubular body portion opposite from the first end is provided with an external thread.

14. A process for supplying a sterilant directly from a packaging container into a packaging system for cleaning and filling of packages, comprising the following steps:
providing the sterilant in the packaging container with an externally threaded neck surrounding a container opening and with an internally threaded screw cap for sealing the container opening,
removing the internally threaded screw cap from the externally threaded neck of the packaging container,
sealingly attaching the adapter assembly according to claim 1 to the packaging container by engagement of the internal thread of the skirt portion of the screw cap with the externally threaded neck of the packaging container after introducing the dip tube into the container opening,
connecting an interface of the packaging system to the tubular body portion of the adapter body, and
supplying the sterilant directly from the packaging container through the adapter body of the adapter assembly into the packaging system.

15. The process according to claim 14 , wherein the step of supplying the sterilant directly from the packaging container through the adapter body into the packaging system comprises: a step of pumping the sterilant from the packaging container with a pump of the packaging system, or a step of applying an overpressure through the interface to the at least one venting or pressurizing passage at the second end of the tubular body portion of the adapter body for displacing the sterilant from the packaging container.

16. The process according to claim 14 , wherein the packaging system is an aseptic packaging system for sterilizing and aseptic filling of packages or an extended shelf-life packaging system.

17. The process according to claim 14 , wherein the packaging container is a blow-molded tight-head plastic container, and wherein the packages are food or beverage packages selected from the group consisting of pouches, bottles, and laminated carton packages.

18. An adapter assembly for supplying a sterilant from a packaging container with an externally threaded neck surrounding a container opening and with an internally threaded screw cap for sealing the container opening, into a packaging system for cleaning and filling of packages, the adapter assembly comprising:
an adapter body having a tubular body portion, a discoidal body portion at a first end of the tubular body portion, a dispensing passage and at least one venting or pressurizing passage extending through the adapter body from the first end to a second end of the tubular body portion, and a dip tube fitted to the first end of the tubular body portion and communicating with the dispensing passage;
a gasket surrounding the dip-tube and having at least one venting or pressurizing hole communicating with the venting or pressurizing passage of the adapter body; and
a screw cap having an annular cap portion with a through-hole for the tubular body portion of the adapter body and having a skirt portion with an internal thread for engagement with the externally threaded neck of the packaging container, the screw cap being rotatable with respect to the adapter body,
wherein the discoidal body portion has a recess surrounding the dip tube, the at least one venting or pressurizing passage of the tubular body portion opens into the recess, and the at least one venting or pressurizing hole of the gasket faces the recess.

19. The adapter assembly of claim 18 , wherein the second end of the tubular body portion comprises an externally threaded portion for connecting the tubular body portion of the adapter body to the packaging system.

Assignees

• Hearon Matthew
• Solvay

Inventors

• Hearon Matthew

Classifications

• B67D7/0288 Primary

  Container connection means (for dispensing beverages on draught B67D1/0829) · CPC title

• B67D7/0283

  specially adapted for transferring liquids of high purity · CPC title