Abstract:
A method for the distribution and dispensing of beverages utilizes a one-way system including a disposable and freestanding container. The container is blow-molded in one piece from a preform of plastics. The system also includes a tube to be inserted in the container and a closure cap. The container can be filled, distributed to an end user and connected to standard beverage dispensing structure. After use, the empty container is collapsed and discarded.

Description:
This application is the U.S. national phase of International Application No. PCT/SE2006/001355, filed 29 Nov. 2006, which designated the U.S. and claims priority to Sweden Application No. 0502604-2, filed 29 Nov. 2005, and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/740,282, filed 29 Nov. 2005, the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present inventive concept concerns a system and a method for distribution and dispensing of beverages. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     When supplying relatively large amounts of beverage, in the order of tens of liters, to an establishment it is known to use refillable steel containers, in the case of beer and such, or heavy duty refillable or recyclable plastic containers, in the case of water for water dispensers. The steel containers or kegs are costly to produce and to keep in stock for a supplier of beverage, and after they have been emptied and prior to their return trip they demand a large storage volume for an end user. The steel kegs are rather heavy; a 20 liter keg weighs about 10 kg (empty). 
     WO 00/78665 discloses a beer container or keg comprising an inner hollow shell of blow moulded polyethylene terephtalate (PET), a rigid outer hollow shell of moulded high-density polyethylene enclosing and supporting the inner shell and a spear structure including a dispenser tube extending from a bottom interior region of the inner shell and through a dispensing outlet at the top of the outer shell. The above publication addresses the mentioned problem associated with steel containers but still only provides a partial solution since the container still is a relatively expensive and elaborate construction. 
     While the above known containers operate in a conventional way, by application of an internal pressure in order to force beer out of the container, an alternative solution is described in WO 99/11563. This known solution includes applying an outer pressure to a flexible container, said pressure being a mechanical pressure or a gas pressure. This known system also requires several accessories which makes it expensive and complicated. 
     WO 04/099060 describes a method for dispensing a beverage and devices therefor. The system is similar to the one previously mentioned by an external gas pressure being applied between the container and an outer housing, though the container is placed upside down in a tailor-made stand. 
     A further example of a plastic container for beer is described in WO 03/008293. However, this container is to be disposed in an outer casing, such as a box of metal or paperboard. 
     When non-carbonated or low-carbonated beverages have been filled in plastic containers, it has been necessary to use a container with relatively thick walls in order to ensure manageability and stability so that the container does not collapse when being handled and/or emptied. A known example is water containers adapted to be mounted upside down in a support, see for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,128. These containers have a wall thickness of about 0.8-1.0 mm in order to meet the demands of manageability and stability as mentioned above. During portion-by-portion dispensing from these containers, a sub-atmospheric pressure is generated inside the container, leading to surrounding air being drawn into the container. This has an injurious effect on the hygiene in the container and the quality of the water can consequently not be vouched for. Thick-walled containers result in increased production and transportation costs, relative to thin-walled containers. Further, the thick-walled containers demand larger resources in terms of disposal systems. This is especially a problem in developing countries where drinking water often needs to be transported in various kinds of containers to areas that do not have access to safe running water. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide solutions to, or at least reductions of, the above and related problems. 
     According to the invention, this is achieved by the provision of a system for distribution and dispensing of beverages, comprising: 
     a container for beverage blow moulded from a preform of plastics, said container having a mouth portion, a shoulder portion, a base portion and a body portion extending between the shoulder portion and the base portion, said container being freestanding, formed in one piece and disposable; and 
     a tube structure comprising an elongate tube to be inserted in the container and having an inner conduit for beverage, and a closure element to be connected to the mouth portion of the container, wherein—in use—an inner end of the tube is located adjacent to the base portion of the container for passing beverage from said inner end, through said conduit and to the closure element for dispensing. 
     The fact that the container is freestanding and disposable as well as formed in a single piece provides a cost-efficient container that can be produced from a preform at the location where the container is later supposed to be filled. After use the empty container can be efficiently discarded without taking up a significant amount of storage space. In one embodiment the container system replaces a conventional keg system for draught beer. Compared to regular steel containers that are utilised for draught beer, the inventive container is more cost-efficient in more than one aspect. First, it is less costly to produce in terms of raw material costs, power consumption and processing steps. Second, since the containers are blow moulded from preforms on demand at the location in which it subsequently will be filled, they do not require nearly as much storage space. Third, in the case of steel containers, there is a need for an organisation handling the returned containers, which obviously increases the costs further. Because of the fact that the container of the inventive system is freestanding and durable, there is no need for the provision of an outer, protecting and/or supporting structure. In use the container is simply placed standing upright without any support, and connected to a standard dispensing system. This is obviously more cost-efficient than known solutions, but it also requires less space than if an additional supporting structure needs to be used. 
     The disposable container is preferably made of a polymer material used for smaller size plastic bottles, for example polyesters, such as polyethylene terephtalate (PET); polyethylene naphtalate (PEN) and others; polyolefin; polyamide (nylon); polylactide or any combination of these. In the case that the container is made from polylactide, the container is biodegradable under the appropriate conditions. Further, a container made from polylactide can be produced at lower temperatures with the result that a wider range of scavengers can be used for protection of the contents of the container. Polyolefins have an inherent advantage in that they are potent steam barriers and that they are widely used within the field of containers. Polyethylene terephtalate is widely used within the field of plastic bottles in general and is in that aspect a suitable material to use. In order to protect the contents of the container from destructive radiation, such as sunlight, the container may be coloured. 
     The body portion of the container preferably has a sidewall thickness of about 0.2-0.6 mm, most preferably 0.35-0.40 mm. The thinner the wall thickness the lighter and less expensive the container. Thanks to the thin-walled structure, the empty container can easily be collapsed to a very small volume before it is discarded. In this context, the invention provides a freestanding container that is highly cost-efficient in terms of container volume capacity per weight of container base material. The sidewall thickness is generally measured approximately in the middle region of the body portion. 
     In one embodiment the freestanding container is supported on a number of legs which form part of the base portion. This is called a petaloid base. Since the container is likely to be subjected to an internal pressure exceeding atmospheric pressure—at least in use—possible flat surfaces of the container tend to bulge. Therefore the provision of legs extending from the base portion makes it possible for the container to stand firmly on a surface and still be formed in one piece. 
     The disposable and thin-walled container is preferably provided with a barrier against oxygen and carbon dioxide in order to prevent that these gases diffuse into and out of the container. To prolong the shelf life of the product contained in the container, the oxygen barrier is an important factor in order to prevent oxygen from diffusing into the container. Also, if the contents of the container are carbonated it is important for the contents to stay carbonated for the expected shelf life, which is facilitated by the provision of a carbon dioxide barrier. These barriers can be achieved with known multilayer techniques including a combination of polyester and polyamide with optional additional scavengers, and/or by doping the container material with metal ions, such as cobalt, iron, nickel, copper, manganese, etc, as described for instance in the applicant&#39;s patents EP-B-429,476; EP-B-427,751; EP-B-527,902 and EP-B-527,903; and preferably by blend techniques. An example of a blend technique is when a container material such as PET is blended with another material, such as polyamide, carrying a scavenger. This technique generally does not provide as good barrier properties as the multilayer techniques, but is less costly. 
     The barrier can also be provided in the form of coatings, such as lacquers and/or silicon oxide. Lacquers are generally applied to the outer surface of the container and silicon oxide to the inner surface, the latter in a plasma coating process. If silicon oxide is used on the inside this inhibits the use of scavengers in the actual container, and in this case scavengers are added to the tube structure and/or the closure element. Even if the container is filled with great precaution, it is likely that a small amount of oxygen will be present, and scavengers added to the tube structure and/or closure element will take care of this. Because of their properties, scavengers are often referred to as being an “active” barrier as opposed to “passive” barriers such as a lacquer. Barriers are generally also provided to inhibit “diffusion” into or out of the container of steam, radiation, such as UV-radiation, and aroma. In order to protect the contents of the container from destructive radiation, such as sunlight, the container may be coloured. 
     The body portion of the one-piece container can be cylindrical with an essentially constant diameter. This is beneficial in terms of a more space-efficient packaging during transport compared to a container where a substantial part of the container bulges radially outwards. This cylindrical surface is also suitable for provision of outer labels, brands, trademarks etc, as well as for being provided with a relief during the blow moulding of the preform into a container. 
     The closure element of the container system preferably comprises a check valve biased in a closing direction. This makes it possible to apply the valve to the mouth portion of the container before filling the container and makes the use of an additional transportation lid redundant. Further a tamper and/or dust seal is simply applied covering the check valve. 
     The closure element can also be a pierceable cap formed in one piece. This variant is simple to produce and ensures a cost-efficient and secure seal. This type of pierceable cap is applied after filling of the container. Before use the cap is penetrated by piercing means, e.g. syringe-type needles, of a dispense head, providing for an opening for dispensing beverage in liquid communication with the tube, and an opening for injection of propellant gas, such as carbon dioxide or nitrogen. 
     If such a pierceable cap is used, the system is preferably provided with a dispense head having cap piercing means. In this way the dispense head can be attached to the container without the cap being removed. The cap piercing means comprise means for putting the dispense head in fluid communication with the tube extending down in the beverage, and means for providing a propellant gas to the container. 
     In a preferred embodiment the inventive system is intended to replace current draught beer kegs or barrels used commercially as well as domestically. The preferred size range is therefore large, with a preferred volume capacity of 3-40 liters, preferably 15-30 liters and more preferably 20-25 liters for commercial use. For domestic use the preferred range is 3-10 liters, and most preferably 4-6 liters. 
     The container of the inventive system is preferably blow moulded from a PET preform that has been subjected to a stretch ratio on the order of 10-20, preferably 12-16, and more preferably 14-16. As used in this context “stretch ratio” refers to the ratio between the thickness of the preform side wall which is basically constant, and the thickness of the container side wall, at its thinnest. 
     The invention also refers to a method for distribution and dispensing of beverages, comprising the steps of: 
     providing a preform of plastics; 
     blow moulding said preform into a container for beverage having a mouth portion, a shoulder portion, a base portion and a body portion extending between the shoulder portion and the base portion, said container being freestanding, formed in one piece and disposable; 
     filling said container with a beverage; 
     providing the container with a tube structure comprising an elongate tube to be inserted in the container and having an inner conduit for beverage, and a closure element to be connected to the mouth portion of the container, wherein—in use—an inner end of the tube is located adjacent to the base portion of the container and beverage is passed from said inner end, through said conduit and to the closure element for dispensing; and 
     closing the filled container by means of the closure element which is connected to the mouth portion, said closure element acting as a closure cap, 
     wherein said filled and capped container forms a unit for distribution. 
     This inventive method makes it possible for a producer of beverages to have in-house production and filling of containers, just purchasing the preforms and the tube/valve structure from an external supplier. The preforms do not require a massive storage space, and since the containers are blow moulded in the processing step preceding the filling step—after which they are loaded and delivered to a customer—the total storage space needed is substantially reduced as compared to the standard keg system. Further, the producer of beverages can deliver the filled and capped container to customers at a low cost, again compared to the conventional keg system, and a threshold to expand into new markets is significantly reduced due to the reduction of associated costs. The tube/spear structure is generally assembled prior to being attached to the container. Depending on the type of closure element, this can be performed before or after filling of the container, which will be described later on. Hence, the step of filling the container and the step of providing the container with a tube structure can occur in reversed order. 
     The inventive method can also comprise the step of sealing the mouth portion of the container with a tamper and/or dust seal applied to the closure element following the step of adding the tube structure. For obvious reasons this step can be of importance to an end consumer. 
     The invention also relates to a container for use in the inventive system and the inventive method, said container for beverage being blow moulded from a preform of plastics and having a mouth portion, a shoulder portion, a base portion and a body portion extending between the shoulder portion and the base portion, said container being freestanding, formed in one piece and disposable. This gives the advantages previously described. The container is in particular suitable for draught beer and low-carbonated beverages, such as cider and soft drinks, but could also be used for non-carbonated beverages, such as wine, still drinks, milk, water and fruit juices. 
     Though generally being larger, the container is preferably made from a thermoplastic polymer material used for smaller size plastic bottles, for example polyesters, such as polyethylene terephtalate (PET) polyethylene naphtalate (PEN) and others; polyolefin; polyamide (nylon); polylactide (NatureWorks® PLA polymer) or any combination of these. 
     Preferred embodiments of the freestanding, single-piece and disposable container of the invention are set forth in the appended subclaims  19 - 31 . 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the following the present inventive concept will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred but non-limiting embodiments and in which: 
         FIGS. 1 and 2  are schematics of a first embodiment of a system according to the invention, in a disassembled and an assembled state, respectively, with some accessories included, 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic of a container produced from a preform shown in  FIG. 4  and forming part of the system illustrated in  FIG. 1 , 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view of a preform (on a larger scale) for the container shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , 
         FIGS. 5 and 6  are sectional views of a closure element forming part of the system illustrated in  FIG. 1 , in an open and a closed position, respectively, 
         FIG. 7  shows an alternative closure element used in a second embodiment, 
         FIG. 8  illustrates an alternative dispense head used for a container provided with the cap of  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a method of using a container. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic illustration of a system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. The system comprises a freestanding and disposable container  100  for beverage, a tube or spear structure  104  comprising a closure or valve element  102  and a tube  136 . A handle  106  can optionally be attached to the upper portion of the container  100  for transportation purposes. 
     The container  100  further illustrated in  FIG. 3  is formed in one piece and generally comprises a neck finish or mouth portion  108 , a shoulder portion  110 , a body portion  112  and a base portion  114 . The mouth portion  108  has circumferential flanges  116  for engagement with the valve element  102  which has a mating circumferential groove/flange arrangement  119  ( FIGS. 5-6 ). The container  100  has a petaloid base portion  114  to make it freestanding. The thickness of the sidewall of the body portion  112  is approximately 0.40 mm. 
     The container  100  is blow moulded from an injection moulded parison or preform  113  of plastics. The preform  113  has a wall thickness of approximately 5 mm and the plastic material comprises about 94% polyethylene terephtalate and about 6% polyamide. 
     The container wall has a barrier against diffusion of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Preferably, cobalt ions are used as scavenger substance blended into the polyamide. 
     The weight of the preform  113  used is 233 g for a 20 liter container  100 , and the weight of the tube/valve assembly  104  is about 40 g. Thus, a complete 20 liter container  100  according to this embodiment ready for filling weighs only about 273 g which is a great advantage compared to heavy duty steel kegs which weigh about 10 kg for the same volume. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the valve element  102  effectively forms part of the spear structure  104  which is used to dispense beverage from the container  100 . The valve element  102  comprises a structural body  118  with an essentially rotationally symmetrical shape. The structural body  118  has an annular groove  120  for receiving a rim  122  of the container mouth portion  108  with a close fit. As the valve element  102  is slipped onto the mouth portion  108 , the annular groove  120  will receive the rim  122 , as described above, and as the valve element  102  is slipped further the circumferential groove/flange arrangement  119  will engage with the circumferential flange  116  of the mouth portion  108  in a snap-lock engagement which can be seen in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . An O-ring  124  arranged around the mouth portion  108  is clamped between the mouth portion  108  and the valve element  102  and thus provides a seal. 
     The valve element  102  further comprises a valve portion  126  concentrically arranged in the valve element  102  acting as a cap. This valve portion  126  generally comprises an annular valve member  128  that is spring biased from below towards the upper part of the valve element  102 . The annular valve member  128  is sealingly received in a mating annular concentric gap  130  in the upper part of the valve element  102 . A spring  132  biasing the valve member  128  in a closing direction is fastened, see  FIG. 5 , to a central part of the valve element  102  and is arranged concentrically around a cylindrical member  134  having one end sealed flush with the upper part of the valve element  102  and another end adapted to receive an upper end  136   a  of the tube  136 . Between the two ends of the cylindrical member  134  there is provided radial holes  135  so that beverage being forced up the tube  136  can exit the cylindrical member  134 . If the valve member  128  is depressed, see  FIG. 6 , the beverage, in this preferred embodiment draught beer or cider, will exit the container  100 , and if the valve member  128  is biased towards the annular gap  130  the beverage cannot exit. 
     The elongate tube or spear  136  of the spear structure  104  extends from the valve element  102  and into the container  100 . The tube  136  has a hollow conduit  137  and the upper end  136   a  inserted in the valve element  102  as previously described, an inner end  136   b  being left open for the beverage to enter ( FIGS. 1-2 ). 
     The spear structure  104  comprising the elongate tube  136  and the valve element  102  is made from polyester, polyolefin, polyamide or similar, apart from the spring  132  which is made of stainless steel. The elongate tube  136  as well as the closure or valve element  102  is generally made from essentially the same group of materials as the container  100 , and the tube  136  is quite flexible in the preferred embodiment. 
     In order to provide an adequate seal of the container  100 , at least an outer portion of the annular valve member  128 , abutting the edges of the annular concentric gap  130 , is made from a material that is softer than the rest of the valve element  102 . In order to provide a rigid annular valve member  128 , which can be important to the sealing and abutment properties, the interior of the annular valve member  128  can comprise a rigid core (not shown) of a harder material than the outer abutment portion. 
     Filling of the disposable container  100  with a carbonated beverage (such as beer) is generally conducted in the following manner. Once the spear structure  104  is assembled as a unit  102 ,  136  it is attached to the container  100  with the tube  136  inserted into the container  100 . Then the container  100  is placed upside down in a filling station (not shown). Air inside the container  100  is flushed out by carbon dioxide, and an overpressure (a filling pressure) is established. These measures are taken in order to minimise the risk of foam being produced during filling, which would slow down the filling procedure. If the risk of foam production is low, said measures can obviously be cancelled. During filling the annular valve member  128  is depressed so that beverage can be injected into the container  100 . Gas contained in the container  100  is forced out upwards through the elongate tube  136 . The container  100  could also be filled prior to the arrangement of the spear structure  104 , similar to what will be described in the context of the second embodiment, though this makes less use of the properties of the valve element  102 . 
     Hence, the container producing and beverage filling comprises: blow moulding thin-walled PET containers, attaching the spear/valve structure to the containers and filling these with beverage in the manner described above. The filled containers are stored and then delivered to the customers. 
     To facilitate transportation the handle  106  can be attached to the mouth portion  108  of the container  100 , preferably by sliding it over the mouth portion  108  and fixing it to the container  100  by mounting the valve element  102  to the mouth portion  108  (see  FIG. 3 ). After the filling of the container  100  the valve element  102  is preferably provided with means for dust protection and tamper evidence, such as a foil (not shown). 
     In use a dispense head  138  is coupled to the valve element  102 , and by operating a lever  138   a  of the dispense head  138  a propellant gas, typically nitrogen or carbon dioxide from an external source (not shown), will be injected into the container  100  through the inlet  138   b . Hence, beverage is forced to exit the container  100  through the spear structure  104  and out of the dispense head  138  by an outlet  138   c  to which a conventional tapping unit (not shown) is connected. The super-atmospheric pressure will thus help maintaining the form and stability of the container  100 . 
     When the container  100  is emptied of beverage the dispense head  108  is disconnected and the container  100  is collapsed and discarded. The spear/valve structure  104  is also discarded. Hence, a true one-way system is achieved.  FIG. 9  illustrates this method. 
       FIG. 7  shows an alternative and less complex closure element in the form of a pierceable plastic cap  140 . Before being attached to the mouth portion  108  of the container  100  the cap  140  is provided with an elongate tube  136 ′ similar to the elongate tube  136  of the first embodiment. The tube is indicated by phantom lines extending from the cap  140 . Prior to being provided with the pierceable cap  140  and the tube  136 ′, the container  100  is filled in the following manner: Air is first flushed from the container  100  which stands upright, by use of carbon dioxide or nitrogen in order to make the filling procedure more efficient. A filling pressure is optionally provided. An elongate filling nozzle (not shown) is inserted into the container  100  which is kept upright, and the beverage is filled into the container  100 . The filling rate is slower at the beginning until approximately a decimeter of beverage is filled into the container  100 , and the nozzle orifice is submerged. Then, the filling rate increases until the container  100  is filled, after which the pierceable cap  140  and the associated elongate tube  136 ′ are attached to the container  100 . 
     In use a dispense head  142 , schematically shown in  FIG. 8 , is connected to the pierceable cap  140  and syringe-like needles  144 ,  146  having cap piercing capability penetrate the cap  140 . A first needle  144  is fluidly connected to the tube  136 ′ for dispensing beverage, and a second needle  146  is fluidly connected in order to provide a propellant gas, generally nitrogen or carbon dioxide, to the inside of the container  100 . After use the pierceable cap  140  is discarded. 
     The dispensing of the filled container  100  and the disposal of the same are basically the same as described earlier. The empty container  100  is discarded, as is the spear/valve structure. 
     Finally it should be emphasised that the inventive concept is not limited to the embodiments described here, and the skilled person anticipates that modifications are feasible within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For instance, the freestanding feature of the container can be achieved by a champagne-type base. Furthermore, alternative means for closure of the container mouth portion may be used.