Patent ID: 8132600
Filing Date: 2012-03-13
Classification: B65B,B65D

Abstract:
1. A method for aseptically needle filling and laser resealing a container with a fat containing liquid product, the container including a body defining an empty, sterile storage chamber therein for receiving the fat containing liquid product, wherein the body does not leach more than a predetermined amount of leachables into the fat containing liquid product and does not undesirably alter a taste profile of the fat containing liquid product; a container closure; a first material portion overlying the storage chamber and defining an internal surface in fluid communication with the storage chamber forming at least most of the surface area overlying the storage chamber that can contact any fat containing liquid product within the storage chamber and that does not leach more than the predetermined amount of leachables into the fat containing liquid product or undesirably alter a taste profile of the fat containing liquid product, wherein the predetermined amount of leachables is less than about 100 PPM; a second material portion that at least one of (i) overlies the first material portion and cannot contact any fat containing liquid product within the storage chamber, and (ii) overlies the storage chamber and forms a substantially lesser surface area overlying the storage chamber that can contact any fat containing liquid product within the storage chamber in comparison to the first material portion; the method comprising the following steps: mounting the sealed, empty container on a conveyor, and moving the conveyor through a sterile zone; transmitting within the sterile zone a fluid sterilant onto at least an exposed portion of the second material portion of the container and, in turn, sterilizing with the fluid sterilant at least the exposed portion of the second material portion of the container; transmitting within the sterile zone a heated gas onto the portion of the container exposed to the fluid sterilant, flushing away with the heated gas the fluid sterilant from at least the exposed portion of the second material portion of the container and, in turn, forming a needle penetration region of the second material portion substantially free of fluid sterilant; penetrating the needle penetration region of the second material portion with a filling needle coupled in fluid communication with a source of the fat containing liquid product, and introducing fat containing liquid product through the needle and into the storage chamber; withdrawing the filling needle from the second material portion; and applying laser radiation to a resulting needle hole in the second material portion to thermally reseal the second material portion and, in turn, hermetically seal the fat containing liquid product within the storage chamber.