U.S. patent application number 10/897516 was filed with the patent office on 2005-09-29 for dispenser for hot and cold beverages and food.
Invention is credited to Fulcher, Fred.
Application Number | 20050211754 10/897516 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35787428 |
Filed Date | 2005-09-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050211754 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fulcher, Fred |
September 29, 2005 |
Dispenser for hot and cold beverages and food
Abstract
A foldable beverage dispenser. The dispenser has an outer shell
with a front wall, a pair of sidewalls, a back wall, a top, a
bottom, and a sloped front wall joining between the top and said
front wall. The sloped front wall has an opening therein. A
flexible bag with an aperture is provided within the outer shell. A
fitment is secured to the aperture and the opening, defining a
fluid path and supporting the flexible bag. A plurality of upper
flaps extending from the sidewalls, the front wall and the back
wall, with one of the upper flaps forming a portion of the top when
folded, one of the upper flaps forming a portion of the sloped
front. A plurality of lower flaps extending from the sidewalls, the
front wall and the sidewalls to form the bottom.
Inventors: |
Fulcher, Fred; (Los Angeles,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PHILIP K. YU
20955 PATHFINDER ROAD
SUITE 100
DIAMOND BAR
CA
91765
US
|
Family ID: |
35787428 |
Appl. No.: |
10/897516 |
Filed: |
July 23, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60556712 |
Mar 26, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
229/117.3 ;
229/108; 229/125.15 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 5/46024 20130101;
B65D 77/065 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
229/117.3 ;
229/108; 229/125.15 |
International
Class: |
B65D 005/56 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A foldable beverage dispenser carton, comprising: an outer shell
comprising a top, a bottom, a front wall, a back wall, a pair of
sidewalls, and a sloped front wall, said sloped front wall joining
between said front wall and said top, said sloped front wall having
an opening therein, each of said sidewalls being substantially
perpendicular to said front and back walls; a flexible bag within
said outer shell defining an aperture; a fitment secured to said
flexible bag surrounding said aperture and said opening, defining a
fluid path, said fitment being sized and shaped such that fluid can
be poured through said fitment; a plurality of upper flaps foldably
connected to said sidewalls, said front wall, and said back wall,
said plurality of upper flaps forming at least a portion of said
top, and said upper flaps connected to said front wall and to said
back wall forming at least a portion of said sloped front wall, and
a plurality of lower flaps foldably connected to said sidewalls,
said front wall and said back wall, forming at least a portion of
said bottom.
2. A foldable beverage dispenser carton of claim 1, wherein: said
flexible bag is a self heating bag, having an actuator; said back
wall has a first opening, which is sized and shaped such that it
can be used as a handle by a user; said back wall has a second
opening to provide access to said actuator.
3. A foldable beverage dispenser carton of claim 2, further
comprising: an insulation layer, positioned between said flexible
bag and inside of said outer shell.
4. A foldable beverage dispenser carton of claim 3, wherein said
insulation layer is a foam liner bag positioned between said
flexible bag and the inside of said outer shell.
5. A foldable beverage dispenser carton of claim 3, wherein said
insulation layer is a foam liner laminated on the inside of said
outer shell.
6. A foldable beverage dispenser carton of claim 3, wherein: said
top has a plurality of openings therein, which are sized and shaped
to provide anchor support for an add-on handle.
7. A foldable beverage dispenser carton of claim 6, wherein said
opening on said sloped front wall is an oversized opening
overlapping an undersized opening such that said fitment can reach
through and be secured to said opening.
8. A foldable beverage dispenser carton of claim 7, wherein said
bottom is formed by one of auto lock and glue lock.
9. A foldable beverage dispenser carton of claim 2, wherein said
flexible bag is supported within said shell at said bottom and said
opening.
10. A foldable beverage dispenser carton of claim 9, wherein: said
front wall and said back wall have a narrow width than said
sidewalls
11. A foldable liquid container, comprising: an outer shell,
comprising a front wall, a pair of sidewalls, a back wall, a top, a
bottom, and a sloped front wall joining between said top and said
front wall, said sloped front wall having an opening therein; a
flexible bag within said outer shell having an aperture; a fitment
secured to said aperture and said opening, defining a fluid path
and supporting said flexible bag; a plurality of upper flaps
extending from said sidewalls, said front wall and said back wall,
at least one of said plurality of upper flaps forming at least a
portion of said top when folded, a least one of said plurality of
upper flaps forming at least a portion of said sloped front; a
plurality of lower flaps extending from said sidewalls, said front
wall and said sidewalls, forming said bottom.
12. A foldable liquid container of claim 11, wherein: said flexible
bag is a self-heating bag, having an actuator; said back wall
further comprises a punched-in opening, which is sized and shaped
to provide a handle; said back wall further comprises an closeable
opening, to provide access to said actuator.
13. A liquid container, comprising: an outer shell having a top
side, a bottom side, a front side, a back side and an angled front
wall joining said top side and said front side, said outer shell
having an opening on said angled front wall; an opening formed by
punching in a predetermined cut-out on said back side, said opening
being sized and shape to provide a handling point; a flexible
self-heating bag inside said outer shell, said flexible bag having
an aperture, said flexible bag having an actuation lead; an
insulation layer positioned in-between at least a portion of the
inside of said outer shell and the outside of said flexible bag; a
fitment removably coupled to said aperture and to said opening,
defining a fluid path.
14. A liquid container of claim 13, wherein said back side also has
a closeable opening to provide access to said actuation lead of
said bag.
15. A liquid container of claim 13, wherein said insulation layer
is a foam layer laminated onto the inside of said outer shell.
16. A liquid container of claim 14, wherein said opening on said
sloped front wall is formed with an oversized opening and an
undersized opening, said oversized opening allowing said fitment to
reach through, said undersized opening locking onto said fitment
after it reaches through.
17. A foldable liquid container, comprising: a single piece of
blank in a collapsed state, said blank being foldable along
predetermined fold lines to form an outer shell comprising: a front
wall with upper and lower flaps; a back wall, with upper and lower
flaps, said back wall having predetermined punch-out line for at
least one opening; a pair of side walls, with upper and lower
flaps; a top side, formed by said upper flaps from front, back and
sidewalls; a bottom side, formed by said lower flaps from said
front, back and sidewalls; a sloped front wall joining between said
top side and said front wall, said sloped front wall having an
opening, said sloped front wall formed by said upper flaps from
said front wall and said back wall; a flexible self-heating bag
within said outer shell, said bag having an aperture, said aperture
being aligned to said opening on said sloped front wall, said bag
having an activation control leading out through said closeable
opening on said back wall; an insulation layer between said
flexible bag and the inside of said outer shell; a fitment secured
to said aperture and through said opening on said sloped front
wall, defining a fluid path.
18. A foldable liquid container of claim 17, wherein said
insulation layer is pre-laminated onto at least a portion of the
inside of said outer shell.
19. The foldable liquid container of claim 17, wherein said
punch-out line on said back wall defines one opening such that a
user's fingers can reach through said opening to carry said liquid
container.
20. A method of making a foldable liquid container, comprising:
preparing a foldable blank, said blank having predetermined fold
lines and cut-out lines, said fold lines defining a front wall, a
back wall, a pair of sidewalls, a plurality of upper flaps
extending from said front wall, said back wall and said sidewalls,
a plurality of lower flaps extending from said front wall, said
back wall and said sidewalls, at least one of said upper flaps
forming a top side, at least one of said lower flaps forming a
bottom side, at least one of said upper flaps defining an angled
front wall joining between said front wall and said top, said
cut-out lines defining an opening on said angled front wall and an
opening on said back wall; preparing a flexible bag, said bag
having an aperture; folding said blank according to said fold
lines, defining an erected outer shell; cutting said blank
according to said cut-out lines; fitting said bag into said erected
outer shell, aligning said aperture to said opening on said angled
front wall, defining a fluid path; securing a fitment to said
aperture and said opening.
21. A method of claim 20, further comprising: fitting an insulation
layer to at least a portion of the inside of said outer shell.
22. A method of claim 21, wherein said fitting step comprises
laminating said insulation layer.
23. A method of claim 21, wherein said fitting step comprises
providing a insulation bag between the inside of said outer shell
and said flexible bag.
24. A method of claim 21, wherein said opening on said back wall is
sized and shaped to provide a carrying point for a user's
fingers.
25. A method of claim 21, wherein said flexible bag is a
temperature-maintaining bag, which is controllably activated by an
activation lead, and wherein said back wall further defines an
access window to allow said activation lead to reach out.
26. A method of claim 25, wherein said top side has a cut-out
opening sized and shaped to provide anchoring points for an add-on
handle.
27. A method of claim 21, wherein said opening on said angled front
wall is formed by upper flaps from said front wall and said back
wall, said opening defining an oversized opening overlapping an
undersized opening, to allow said fitment to reach through and to
secured by said opening.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This non-provisional application claims priority under 35
U.S.C. .sctn. 119(e) on U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/556,712
filed on Mar. 26, 2004, which is herein incorporated by
reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention generally relates to a bag-in-carton
dispenser for hot and cold beverages, food or liquids, and more
particularly relates to an improved bag-in-carton dispenser that is
convenient for storage and for transport of multiple servings of
beverages or food.
ART BACKGROUND
[0003] It has become quite common to use rigid bottles, containers
or canteens to store and transport beverages or food, whether to a
picnic in the park, to a ball game or just to the outdoors. To keep
the beverage or food at a desired temperature until serving,
containers with insulation material, such as vacuum, foam or other
non-conductive materials, have been used. However, these rigid
bottles or canteens are not entirely convenient, since the users
still have to lug the empty bottles home after use. Worse yet,
these rigid containers or bottles tend to take up space in
transport or storage, even when they are not in use. Thus, it would
be desirable to have a container that is both effective in
maintaining proper temperature and convenient for transport and
storage.
[0004] With the growing popularity of gourmet coffee or gourmet
food, people have come to enjoy taking multiple servings of gourmet
coffee or food to their offices, homes or meetings. To accommodate
this new trend, gourmet shops have provided "loaner" thermos
containers for the customers' convenience. However, these
containers, which are generally bulky and heavy, even when they are
empty, tend to take up more precious storage space in the gourmet
shop. Also, the conventional containers tend not to have the
convenient "form factor" to fit with the brewing machine's fluid
path, adding to the frustration of the workers. Finally, the fact
that a customer has to return the container to the shop after use
is inconvenient, for both the customer and the gourmet shop, since
the shop is now left with the task of having to clean the
container. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a dispenser
that is transport- and storage-friendly, and yet is cost-effective
to be disposed of after use.
[0005] Some U.S. Patents have attempted to address the
aforementioned needs. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,715,992, 5,909,841 and
6,196,452, issued to Andrews Sr. et al. (collectively "Andrews")
disclose a beverage container including an outer shell, a flexible
bag within the shell, a mouth and a handle. While Andrews provides
a collapsible container, its assembly is awkward and confusing, due
to the handle's assembly. Also, Andrews does not provide a way to
conduct effective heat management. Finally, the form factor of
Andrews' containers requires the workers to first tilt the
container 90 degrees upright in order to fill the beverage, and
then 90 degrees back for carrying and transport.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,011, issued to Takemura et al., also
discloses a bag-in-carton dispenser for carrying liquid. However,
Takemura does not discloses an effective heat management
methodology either, since the inner bag is adhered to the inside
surface of the carton. Also, Takemura's bag-in-carton is not
designed to help the workers at the gourmet shop readily assemble
the carton on an "as needed" basis, thus making it less
storage-friendly. Takemura further lacks a handle assembly, making
it less useful when it is used with larger amount of liquid,
especially when the liquid may be hot.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,040, issued to Allanson et al.,
discloses a disposable storage and dispensing carafe, with a rigid
frame. From the viewpoint of the workers at the gourmet shop, it is
not easily assembled due to number of incongruent components
involved. The use of plastic frame increases the cost of goods,
while making the assembly less user-friendly. Also, the carafe is
not stackable, thus it unsuitable for shipping and storage. As with
other attempts, the carafe does not provide an adequate heat
management solution, since it is not an air tight structure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] A foldable beverage dispenser is disclosed. The dispenser
has an outer shell with a front wall, a pair of sidewalls, a back
wall, a top, a bottom, and a sloped front wall joining between the
top and said front wall. The sloped front wall has an opening
therein. A flexible bag with an aperture is provided within the
outer shell. A fitment is secured to the aperture and the opening,
defining a fluid path and supporting the flexible bag. A plurality
of upper flaps extending from the sidewalls, the front wall and the
back wall, with one of the upper flaps forming a portion of the top
when folded, one of the upper flaps forming a portion of the sloped
front. A plurality of lower flaps extending from the sidewalls, the
front wall and the sidewalls to form the bottom.
[0009] The foldable dispenser may be provided with or without an
add-on handle. The foldable beverage dispenser may be used with a
flexible bag within. Additionally, insulation material, such as a
foam sleeve, may be used to provide temperature management. The
dispenser may further be used in connection with a self-heating or
self-cooling mechanism so that the user may prepare a meal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIGS. 1(A) and (B) depict a perspective view of an exemplary
dispenser carton in its assembled form in accordance with the
present invention. In FIG. 1(B), a cap 132 is shown to locking the
nozzle at the opening 135 of the outer shell 10.
[0011] FIGS. 2(A) and (B) depict a top plan view of an exemplary
dispenser carton in accordance with the present invention in its
assembled form. FIG. 2(A) depicts a top side 120 with anchoring
openings 125 for an add-on handle. FIG. 2(B) depicts a top side 120
without the anchoring openings.
[0012] FIG. 3 depicts a side plan view of an exemplary dispenser
carton in its assembled form in accordance with the present
invention.
[0013] FIG. 4 depicts a front plan view of an exemplary dispenser
carton in its assembled form in accordance with the present
invention.
[0014] FIG. 5 depicts a rear plan view of an exemplary dispenser
carton in its assembled form in accordance with the present
invention.
[0015] FIGS. 6(A)-(H) depict the assembly of an outer shell of an
exemplary dispenser carton in accordance with the present
invention, beginning with a cardboard cutout 60.
[0016] FIG. 7 depicts another embodiment of an exemplary cardboard
cutout 62 of the dispenser carton in accordance with the present
invention, which can be assembled into the outer shell.
[0017] FIG. 8 depicts a simplified diagram of an exemplary foil
pouch for use with the outer shell.
[0018] FIG. 9 depicts a simplified diagram of an exemplary foam
insulator for use with the outer shell.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] A dispenser for beverages or food is disclosed. While the
description that follows makes reference to filling the dispenser
with a beverage, such as coffee, it should be appreciated by those
skilled in the art that the present invention may be applicable to
both beverage and food, hot or cold, as well as various forms of
commercial or industrial liquids. Also, the same or similar
elements in the following drawings are identified using the same
reference numerals, or differentiated by an additional alphabetic
notation appended to the numerical notation, e.g. "12a", "12b".
[0020] FIGS. 1-5 illustrate different views of an exemplary
dispenser carton in accordance with the present invention, which is
shown in its assembled form with an outer shell 10 only. The outer
shell 10, when assembled, provides a folded, glued, collapsible,
corrugated structure that serves as an inexpensive, unique,
re-usable dispenser for hot and cold beverages. As shown, the outer
shell has a sidewall 100, a front wall 110, a top side 120, an
angled or sloped front wall 130 joining the top side and the front
wall, a bottom side 140 and a back wall 150.
[0021] An opening 135 is formed on the angled front wall 130 for
engaging a spout fitment, which extends from a flexible bag
(illustrated in FIG. 8) within the outer shell 10. The spout
fitment has multiple rims around its neck so that the rims can grab
onto the edges of opening 135. The opening 135, upon assembly, is
generally of the shape of an oversized upper opening overlapping an
undersized lower opening (as illustrated in FIG. 6 (A), 136). Such
"over-under" combination allows the spout fitment to first inserted
through the upper, oversized opening. Then the spout fitment's rim
can be secured to the lower, undersized opening, thus providing a
point of support for the flexible bag inside the shell 10, as well
as preventing the fitment from sliding inward. The spout fitment
can then be closed by a cap 132 with a matching inside rim.
[0022] Referring to FIG. 5, the back wall 150 preferably has two
openings formed thereon: a handle opening 153 and an access door
155. The handle opening 153 may be formed by punching in, or
cutting out, a defined outline so that it allows a user's fingers
to pick up the dispenser carton through the handle opening 153.
This handle opening 153 provides essentially a "handle-less" handle
for the dispenser carton, thus making simpler assembly and "form
factor." The other opening 155 on the back wall 150 may be a
punch-in or cut-out, re-closeable access door to enable a user to
access an activation control of a self-heating bag (not shown)
inside the outer shell 10. On the top side 120 are two anchor
openings 125, which are formed by either cut-out or punch-in
method, for attaching an add-on handle 127 to the dispenser carton.
Alternately, as shown in FIG. 2 (B), such add-on handle 127 may not
need to be provided on the top side 120, since the handle opening
153 on the back wall 150 is already designed to provide a solid
grip for the user.
[0023] The "form factor" of the dispenser carton in accordance with
the present invention, as generally defined by the outer shell 10,
has a narrower front wall 110 and back wall 100, in comparison to
the sidewalls 100. The angled front wall 130 is preferably at a
45-degree incline, so that coffee from a brewing machine's spout
can flow into the dispenser carton through the opening 135 in the
carton's normal upright position. Of course, the design and
location of the opening 135 can be customized to fit any clearance
between the spout of the brewing machine and counter top.
[0024] To hold beverage or food for an extended period of time, the
outer shell 10 is preferably fitted with an inner bag. FIG. 8
illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a flexible bag, in the form
of a foil pouch, for use with the outer shell 10. Such a bag can be
a self-heating bag, self-cooling bag or a temperature-neutral bag,
depending on the application. Such foil pouches or bags may be
purchased from Scholle Corporation of Irvine, Calif.,
www.scholle.com. A self-heating bag has been disclosed by U.S. Pat.
No. 5,465,707, entitled "SELF HEATING INDIVIDUAL MEAL PACKAGE,"
issued to the inventor of the present application. The content of
this US Patent is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set
forth herein. To ensure proper temperature management, an
insulation layer can be provided between the flexible bag and the
outer shell 10. The insulation layer can be a laminated layer on
the inside of the outer shell, covering essentially six inside
faces, or a sleeve made of an insulation layer. One exemplary foam
insulator for providing insulation between the outer shell 10 and
the flexible bag is illustrated in FIG. 9. The lamination layer can
also be affixed to the cardboard concurrently with the formation of
the cardboard blank, while the sleeve may be inserted when the
carton is erected. For self-cooling applications, plastic ice cubes
or ice balls can be placed between the bag and the outer shell.
[0025] FIGS. 6(A)-(H) illustrate the assembly of an outer shell 10
from an exemplary cardboard blank. It should be noted that the
cardboard blank may take on various initial forms, but still have
the same eventual structure of the present invention after
assembly. What is illustrated herein is merely an example of one of
the preferred designs for a cardboard blank. Currently, a
corrugated cardboard material with E-Flute grade (i.e. 90
flues/linear foot) is used, although cardboard materials of
different Flute profiles, and even plastic materials, may be used
for the construction of the outer shell 10.
[0026] As shown in FIG. 6(A), the cardboard blank 60 defines a
front panel 110, a right and left side panels 100 (a) and (b), a
rear panel 150. From these main panels, several upper and lower
flaps are extended. The top side of the carton 60 is formed by
overlaying an outside flap 120, a left top flap 121, a right top
flap 122, and an inside top flap 123. The bottom side of the carton
60 is formed by lower flaps 140 extended from the left and right
side panels 100 (a) and (b), the front panel 110 and the rear panel
150. An angled front wall is formed by a section joining between
the outside top flap 120 and the front panel 110, and a section
extending from the inside top flap 123.
[0027] The opening on the angled front wall is formed by the nozzle
hole 135 and the inside nozzle hole 136 overlapping each other,
which together provide an oversized opening overlapping an
undersized opening. The cut-out or punch-in lines for the outside
back handle 153 and the access door 155 are defined on the rear
panel 150, as well as on the glue joint panel 101 with the inside
access door 156 and inside back handle 154 defined therein. If
add-on handle is to be used, the anchor openings 125 (a), (b) and
(c) are defined by the holes on the left top flap 121, outside top
flap 120 and inside top flap 123.
[0028] FIG. 6(B) shows the cardboard blank 60 in a flat and
unfolded state. FIG. 6(C) shows the automatic bottom 140 folded.
FIG. 6(D) shows the main panels folded with the glue joint 101 in
position to meet rear side panel 100. FIG. 6(E) shows the carton
erected in an upright position, where the front wall, the back
wall, the sidewalls and the bottom side have been formed. FIG. 6(F)
shows the inside top flap 123 folded in position. FIG. 6(G) shows
the right and left top flaps 121, 122 folded over. FIG. 6(H) shows
the top front flap 120 folded over with an add-on handle 127 ready
to be inserted.
[0029] If the add-on handle 127 is not needed, no anchor openings
125 are not provided on the top flap 121, 122, as shown in another
embodiment illustrated by FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 7, the top flaps
120 (B) and 123 (B) are now assembled in a reversed order, where
the inside top flap 120 (B) at the front wall 110 (B) is first
folded down, and the outside top flap 123 (13) comes from the back
wall 150 (1B) thereafter. Additionally, to provide a buffer between
the hot liquid inside the flexible and the user's fingers hooking
in the handle opening 153, the inside top flap 120 (B) may be
extended so that the extended flap 128 can be inserted into the
inside of the back wall 150 (B) first. Then the outside top flap
123 (B) is folded from the back wall 150 (B) to engage the spout
fitment at the angled front wall. A fold line 127 may be provided
on the extended flap 128, which reaches into the handle opening 153
(B), so that the extended flap 128 does not obstruct the user's
fingers. Access door 155 is still provided for the activation
control, if needed.
[0030] As described, an outer shell 10, whether it is equipped with
an add-on handle 127 or not, may be used with a flexible bag for
storing and transporting liquid, beverage or food. Such combination
may also include insulation foam or sleeve to provide additional
temperature management of the liquid or food. If equipped with
self-heating mechanism, the bag-box-foam-heating combination, with
or without an add-on handle, can provide a host of functions for
the liquid, beverage or food industry.
[0031] Although the invention is described herein with reference to
the preferred embodiment, one skilled in the art will readily
appreciate that other applications may be substituted for those set
forth herein without departing from the scope of the present
invention. Accordingly, the invention should only be limited by the
claims included below.
* * * * *
References