US3448889A - Containers - Google Patents

Description

June 10, 1969 c. H. MALPAS CONTAINERS Filed April 10, 1968 07. v J v United States Patent US. Cl. 22063 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A container, for liquids, having a substantially rigid outer containeras one made of tinplate, cardboard or a relatively rigid plastic materialhas a flexible bag-like inner container mounted within it. A tubular housing is fastened to the outer container and is adapted to receive a tap or cock for engagement with the inner container, and the inner container is fastened to the housing by retainer ring means which lock the inner container to the housing and, therefore, relative to the outer container. A removable plug is fitted within the tubular housing to ensure that when the inner container is fitted, it does not become inadvertently disengaged from the housing storage or transport.

The inner container and the locking ring means may be made as a subassembly to facilitate the production of the complete container.

This invention relates to improvements in containers and it refers particularly to containers having an outer container of a rigid or substantially rigid materialsuch as tinplate, wood, cardboard or relatively rigid plastic material, or a combination thereof-and a flexible inner container or bag for holding liquid, and wherein there is made provision for the insertion of a tap or cock for dispensing the contents of the container.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved means for fastening a bag-like inner container to the outer container at a location whereat the tap or cock is to be fitted.

In fastening the bag-like inner container to the outer container at the location whereat the tap or cock is to be fitted it is desirable for the inner container to be so held that the inner end of the tap will penetrate the inner container very readily as said tap is fitted to the outer container. It is also most desirable that the inner container should not become detached from the outer container either before or after the tap has been so fitted, as otherwise leakages of the liquid contents may occur.

Therefore, it is a further object to provide means for so holding the inner container at the location of its connection to the outer container that the entering end of the tap or cock will penetrate the inner container very readily, and the inner container will not become detached from its connection to the outer container either before or after the tap has been fitted to the outer container.

It is another object to provide an assembly of an inner container and fastening means, such that the inner container may be readily engaged with a tap housing fitted to the outer container. A still further object is to provide means for preventing disengagement of the inner container from the outer container during storage and transport of the filled container.

Summary of this invention Accordingly, this invention provides a container for liquids comprising an outer container having fitted to it a housing for supporting a dispensing valve or cock, said housing having a neck portion extending within the outer "Ice container, and an inner container fastened to said housing, characterized in that a retainer ring is mounted on and engaged securely with said housing neck, the retainer ring being operative to clamp portion of the inner container on to the housing neck in such a manner that part of the inner container constitutes a frangible diaphragm extending across the inner end of the housing neck.

Preferably, there are two retainer rings, an inner ring and an outer ring, the inner ring being adapted to engage the neck of the housing and the outer ring being adapted to lock on the inner ring to clamp the inner container to the inner ring and thus to the housing.

The invention also provides a plug for engagement within the housing so as to lock the retainer ring or rings against displacement from the housing neck.

Additionally, the invention provides an inner container assembly for mounting within an outer container; comprising a bag-like inner container of flexible material for containing liquid, an inner retainer ring and an outer retainer ring, said outer retainer ring being within the inner container and said inner retainer ring being outside the inner container, and said inner and outer retainer rings being locked together with portion of the inner container tightly across one face of the inner ring to constitute a diaphragm, and a rim portion of the inner container about the diaphragm gripped between said rings.

It is preferred that the housing and that retainer ring which fits within the inner container be made of polyethylene, so as to avoid likelihood of contamination of the contents of the container. If desired the retainer ring may be made of high density polyethylene to provide for a suitable degree of rigidity. When two retainer rings are used, as is preferred, the outer ring may be of polyethylene and the inner ring of polypropylene.

The inner container is made as a flexible bag and it is preferably made of several plies-as an inner ply of polyethylene to prevent contamination of the contents of the container, an outer layer of a material to prevent or great- 1y restrict passage of oxygen through the wall of the inner container and a layer of a strengthening material such as polyvinyl chloride or polypropylene. However, it is to be understood that the construction of the inner container itself does not form part of the invention.

Brief description of the drawings In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily put into practical form I shall now describe one exemplary construction made according to the invention and a modification "thereof, with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an end view of a container of the type specified, incorporating the means for fastening the inner container to the outer container;

FIG. 2 shows a vertical, longitudinal, cross-section on the line and in the direction of the arrows 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates part of an assembly of inner container and fastening means;

FIG. 4 shows the manner of assembly of the fastening means to the inner container;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the valve housing which, in the complete container assembly, is attached to the outer container and to which the inner container is fi-tted;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the plug for ment in the valve housing; and

FIG. 7 illustrates a modification.

Description of the preferred emobdime'nts engage- The complete container assembly comprises an outer container 11 which, as illustrated, is made of :metal and is of cylindrical shape, being in the form of a drum. Within theouter container 11 is a bag-like flexible collapsible inner container 12 which holds the liquid contents 13. For the dual purpose of supporting a tap or cock, and for fastening the inner container 12 to the outer container 11, a housing 14 is fitted to the front end plate 15 of the container 11, being secured in an opening on said plate 15.

The housing 14 has a neck portion 16 through which is a bore 17, which has a very shallow groove of slightly enlarged diameter near one end. On the outer surface of the neck are two spaced circumferential beads 18 and 19, with acircumferential groove 20 between them. At the outer end of the neck 16 is an external flange 21 having an upward extension 22, with a stud 23 near its upper end, and a rim 24 which provides a seating 25 on the outer surface on the flange 21. The rim 24 is so shaped that the seating 25 is noncircular, to accommodate a noncircular flange on the tap or cock and hold said tap against turning relative to the housing.

The metal edge of the opening into which the housing 14 is to be fitted is turned inwardly, as shown in FIG. 2, and the bead 19 is spaced a short distance from the external flange 21 of the housing, so that there is a circumferential groove 26 between them, and in the fitting of the housing to the front end plate 15 the inwardly curved metal edge of the opening engages tightly in that groove 26 to form a liquid-tight seal. The stud 23 is engaged tightly in a small hole in the front end plate 15 so as to hold the housing 14 against turning movement relative to the outer container 11.

For the purpose of fastening the inner container 12 to the housing 14, and thus to the outer container 11, two retainer rings 27 and 28 are provided. The inner (or smaller) ring 27 has an internal circumferential bead or shoulder 29 of such dimensions as to be adapted to fit tightly in the circumferential groove 20 of the housing. That bead 29 is in the outer end part of the ring 27, and the circular outer edge 30 of the bead is rounded or chamfered so as to facilitate engagement of that ring with the neck 16 of the housing. The outer surface of the inner ring 27 is also of stepped shape, there being an external circumferential bead 31 at the inner end of the ring.

Said outer ring 28 has an internal circumferential bead or shoulder 33 at the outer end portion thereof, and the circular outer edge 34 of the bead is rounded or chamfered to facilitate engagement with the inner ring 27. The outer circumferential surface of the outer ring 28 is formed with a shallow circumferential groove 35.

The internal dimensions of the outer ring 28 and the external dimensions of the inner ring 27 are such that the one ring is a neat fit on the other, the bead 33 of the outer ring 28 is interfitted with the bead 31 of the inner ring 27 so that when the two rings are fitted together their inner faces are substantially coplanar, as are their outer faces.

The two retainer rings 27 and 28 are conveniently made of a somewhat resilient plastic material-the outer ring may be made of polyethylene and the inner ring of po1ypropyleneand they are fitted to the inner container 12 so as to constitute a subassembly prior to their being pressed on to the inner end of the housing neck 16. For that purpose the outer ring 28 is placed within the inner container 12 and held so that its outer face is in contact with the inner surface of the inner container 12 at the correct location, and the inner ring 27 is placed so that its inner face is against the outer surface of the inner container at the same location-see FIG. 4. Then, by applying opposed forces to the two rings 27, 28 in the directions of the arrows AA (shown in FIG. 4) the two rings are pressed together and the one is slid on to the other, the. inner bead 33 of the outer ring 28, sliding over the outer head 31 of the inner ring 27. As the external diameter of the outer bead 31 is greater than the internal diameter of the inner bead 33 the outer ring 28 is stretched as it slides into position with the head 33 engaged outwardly of the bead 31.

As the two rings 27, 28 are fitted together that portion of the inner container 12 fitting over the inner face of the inner ring is stretched and drawn tightly over that inner face of the ring 27 to constitute a diaphragm 36 which will fracture when the entering end of the tap is pressed into engagement with it.

In order to fasten the inner container 12 to the housing 14 it is necessary only to press the inner ring 27 of the container 12inner ring 27outer ring 28 assembly on to the inner end of the neck 16 so that the bead 29 engages in the circumferential groove 20 of said neck 16. The rings 27 and 28 are of such longitudinal dimension and the head 29 is of such length that whenthe bead 29 is firmly seated in the groove 20 the inner faces of the rings are substantially coplanar with the inner end of the housing 14, and therefore the diaphragm 36 is held in position across the inner end of the housing 14 as shown in FIG. 2.

The plug 37 is of somewhat top-hat shape and it has a cylindrical portion 38 with a wall 39 at its inner end, an external flange 40 at its outer end and several ex: ternal, longitudinal ribs 41 equally spaced about the outer surface of the part 38. The cylindrical portion 38 is of such diameter that it is a neat fit within the bore 17 through the housing 14, and is thus adapted to hold the neck 16 against compression and thereby prevent or at least greatly restrict the likelihood of-inadvertent removal of the inner container-retainer ring assembly from the housing neck once the plug has been fitted in the housing 14. The length of the plug 37 is such that when the inner ends of the ribs 41 are pressed against the seating 25 at the outer end of the housing 14 the inner end wall 39 of the plug will be spaced only a short distance from the frangible diaphragm 36, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The ribs 41 ensure that the flange 40 is spaced a short distance from the surface of the seating 25 to enable the plug to be readily removed from the housing 14.

In modification of the invention illustrated in FIG. 7 there is but a single ring 271, which, before the fitting of the inner container 12 to the housing neck 16, is placed within the inner container so that when the container 12 is appropriately located relative to the housing 14 that retainer ring 271 may be pressed on to the neck 16. Said single retainer ring 271 is substantially the same as the inner ring 27, save that its outer surface is not stepped but rather is of cylindrical shape. The action of pressing that single ring 271 on to the neck 16 draws the material of the inner container 12 tightly across the inner end of the neck 16 to constitute the diaphragm 36. After engagement of the ring 271 on the neck 16 the plug 37 is pressed into the bore 17 of the housing 14 so as to hold the inner container securely on the housing 14.

In the foregoing decription mention has been made of the materials from which the several parts are formed. However, it is to be realized that the parts may be made of any suitable material, which will to an extent depend on the nature of the liquid contents of the container.

What is claimed is:

1. A container, for liquids, comprising an outer container having fitted to it a housing for supporting a dispensing valve or cock, said housing having a neck portion extending within the outer container, and an inner container fastened to said housing, wherein at least one retainer ring is mounted on said housing neck operatively to clamp a portion of the inner container to the housing neck in such manner that part of the inner container constitutes a-frangible diaphragm across the inner end of the housing neck.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1 wherein a second retainer ring is fitted on to the first said retainer ring and said two retainer rings clamp the portion of the inner container between them.

3. A container as claimed in claim 2 wherein the first 5 said retainer ring has an external circumferential bead and the second retainer ring has an internal circumferential bead for interengagement with the external bead 0f the first retainer ring.

4. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing neck has an external circumferential groove and said retainer ring has an internal circumferential bead adapted to engage with said groove.

5. A container as claimed in claim 4 wherein the housing neck has two spaced-apart external circumferential beads and said groove is between said heads.

6. A container as claimed in claim 4 wherein the housing neck has two spaced-apart external circumferential beads and said groove is between said beads, the housing has an external flange at its outer end and a second external groove between the flange and the next adjacent external bead.

7. A container for liquids as claimed in claim 1 wherein a plug is fitted in said housing, said plug being operative to restrain the inner part of the housing against contractile movement whereby to lock the retainer ring in position.

8. A container for liquids as claimed in claim 7 wherein the plug is of top-hat shape.

9. An inner container assembly for mounting within an outer container comprising a bag-like inner container of flexible material for containing liquid, an inner retainer 0n the outside of the inner container and an outer retainer ring inside the inner container, said inner and outer retainer rings being locked together with a portion of the inner container extending tightly across one face of the inner ring to constitute a diaphragm, and a portion of the inner container about the diaphragm clamped between said rings.

10. An inner container assembly as claimed in claim wherein the inner retainer ring has an external circumferential bead and the outer retainer ring has an internal circumferential bead for interengagement with the external bead of the inner retainer ring.

11. An inner container assembly as claimed in claim 9 wherein the inner retainer ring has an internal circumferential bead.

12. A container for liquids comprising an outer container of relatively rigid material, a housing for supporting a dispensing tap fitted to said outer container, and an inner container assembly as claimed in claim 9 fitted to the inner end portion of the housing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,721,674 10/ 1955 Lazard 22063 2,989,208 6/1961 Gibbs 22027 3,348,728 10/196-7 Love 220-63 3,354,913 11/1967 Goto 220-63 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

JAMES R. GARRETT, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.

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