Device for discharging liquid or substantially liquid products from a compressible container of flexible material

The present invention relates to a device for discharge of liquid or substantially liquid products (2), preferably foodstuffs, e.g. mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup or dressing, from a compressible container (3) made of flexible material, preferably of plastic bag type. The container (3) is placed in an outer container (7) and is compressible by a compression device (4) in order to feed product (2) out therefrom through a nozzle (6). The invention is characterised in that a compression means (9) which forms part of the compression device (4) is disposed on a piston (17) adapted to being subjected to movements in a portioning direction (P3) so that the movable compression means (9) squeezes the container (3) in the outer container (7), and that the piston with its compression means (9) can perform a return movement in a return direction (P4) which is opposite to the portioning direction (P3).

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a U.S. National Phase patent application of PCT/SE2010/051292, filed Nov. 23, 2010, which claims priority to the Swedish Patent Application No. 0901486-1, filed Nov. 25, 2009, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in the present disclosure in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a device for discharge of liquid or substantially liquid products, preferably foodstuffs, e.g. mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup or dressing, from a compressible container made of flexible material.

STATE OF THE ART

Specification WO 2008/079089 A 1 describes a discharge device whereby products are fed out from a plastic bag through a nozzle. The nozzle is provided with a valve device to prevent such elements of the product as are, after a discharge, still present in the nozzle from dripping out of the nozzle. Providing a nozzle with a fully effective valve device for this purpose does however mean that the cost of the nozzle would be high and the nozzle would therefore have to be reused, entailing having to clean the nozzle, a time-consuming and troublesome procedure. Nor would it ever be possible to be certain that the cleaning was done properly so as to meet the high hygiene requirements which apply to discharge devices for foodstuffs.

Specification DE 102004038698 B3 describes a discharge device for feeding products out from a container of plastic pot type. That discharge device has a compression device for squeezing the plastic pot and there is a device which allows the compression device to perform return movements. However, that discharge device cannot be used for feeding products out from plastic bags, nor does it prevent after-dripping therefrom.

PROBLEM SOLUTION

The invention solves the problems of the state of the art by having the features indicated in the claims set out below. Said features make it possible for the discharge device to feed products out from plastic bags and prevent the occurrence of after-dripping therefrom.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF A DEVICE ACCORDING TO THE INVENTION

FIG. 1depicts a device1for discharge of liquid or semi-liquid products2from a compressible container3made of flexible wall material. The liquid product is preferably a foodstuff, e.g. mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup or dressing, and said foodstuff may comprise quite large components, e.g. pieces of gherkin. The container3may be of plastic bag type with walls made of such flexible material that it can be squeezed without bursting.

The discharge device1has a compression device4and a manually operable operating device5which can be subjected to operating movements in order to operate the compression device4with the object of squeezing the plastic bag3in order to feed the product2out through a nozzle6. The compression device4is disposed with respect to an outer container7and comprises a fixed compression means8and a movable compression means9. The fixed compression means8is firmly attached to the outer container7and the lower compression means8is disposed in the latter in such a way as to be movable in the height direction. The plastic bag3is placeable between said compression means8and9. A housing10is placed on top of the outer container7.

The operating device5has a device11resembling a pair of tongs, with two limbs12,13, the limb12being firmly disposed on the housing10and the limb13being pivotably connected to the limb12via a hinge pin14which supports a spring15which abuts against the insides of the limbs12,13so that it pushes them apart and keeps them apart after being operated. The forward portion13aof the limb13has a stud16intended to transmit the operating movements of the operating device5to the compression device4.

The compression device4has also a piston17or equivalent, which is disposed vertically and extends through the housing10and down into the outer container7. This piston17is more precisely supported for vertical movement in upper portions18and lower portions19of the housing10, extends movably vertically through the upper compression means8of the outer container7and has at the bottom the lower compression means9fastened to it by nuts20,21or similar fastening means.

The portion of the piston17which is within the housing10extends through a movement transmission means22and a coil compression spring23which abuts at the bottom against the movement transmission means22and at the top against a portion25of the housing10, possibly via a washer24.

Discharge of a portion of product2from the plastic bag3is effected by taking hold of the limbs12,13and pressing the limb13downwards towards the limb12in a portioning direction P1(seeFIG. 2). This causes the forward portions13aof the limb13to pivot in an upward direction P2with the result that the stud16moves the movement transmission means22from a releasing position F (seeFIG. 1) to a locking position L (seeFIG. 2). In the releasing position F the means22allows the piston17to move relative to it in vertical directions, whereas in the locking position it is firmly locked to the piston17by clamping, enabling it to move the piston17in an portioning direction P3. Moving the piston17in the portioning direction P3causes the lower compression means9firmly attached to the piston to move in the same direction P3and to squeeze the plastic bag3so that a portion2aof the product2is discharged therefrom through the nozzle6.

When the movement transmission means22causes the piston17to move in the portioning direction P3the coil compression spring23is tightened, and when the limb13is released after the discharge of the portion2athe coil compression spring23will push the movement transmission means22back to its releasing position F.

A device29which allows return movement is adapted to allowing the compression means9, after having been subjected to a movement in the portioning direction P3, to perform a return movement in a return direction P4which is opposite to the portioning direction P3and is therefore in this case directed downwards. During this movement in the return direction P4, the movable compression means9will move in the same direction P4, i.e. in this case downwards, which means that the plastic bag3expands or may expand somewhat, thereby causing its interior to become somewhat larger, with the result that the pressure in the nozzle6ceases and such elements2bof the product2as are present therein are prevented from dripping out of it. Depending on the degree of expansion of the plastic bag3, the return movement may even result in elements2bof the product2which are still in the nozzle being sucked in towards the plastic bag3.

In the embodiment depicted, the device29which allows the return movement has two stop surfaces27,28disposed above one another and, between them, at least one ring29aor an equivalent means threaded on the piston17. The stop surface28may for example take the form of the inside of the upper portion18of the housing, and the stop surface27takes the form of the upper side of such a portion25of the housing10as is situated below the upper portion18. The ring29ahas resilient characteristics and can by friction between it and the piston17accompany the movement of the piston and thus be moved by the piston17between the stop surfaces27,28when the piston17moves upwards or downwards. When the piston17is caused to move upwards in the portioning direction P3, the ring29athus accompanies it and is moved from the stop surface27to the stop surface28which brings to a halt the upward movement of the ring29a. When the ring29ahas reached the stop surface28, the friction between it and the piston17allows the piston17to slide in the ring29aand continue moving upwards in the portioning direction P3. When the piston17is no longer being caused to move upwards in the portioning direction P3, it can move downwards in the return direction P4until the ring29a, by its friction against the piston17, brings the movement of the piston to a halt when it comes into contact with the stop surface27.

The return movement in the return direction P4may be effected by means of the plastic bag3. Thus the weight of the plastic bag3with product2therein may be utilised to press down the lower compression means9, the piston17and the ring29aso that all three are subjected to the return movement in the return direction P4. The more product2is discharged from it, the lighter the plastic bag3becomes, and if the weight of the plastic bag3is no longer sufficient its elastic characteristics causing it to endeavour to revert to its original shape may instead be utilised to exert such a force on the lower compression means9, the piston17and the ring29athat they move downwards in the return direction P4. The more the plastic bag3is squeezed, the greater will be the strength of its endeavour to revert to its original shape, which can thus be utilised to effect the movement in the return direction P4.

The magnitude S of the return movement is determined by the distance between the ring29aand, for example, the stop surface28, as in the embodiment depicted. Said magnitude S may however be some other magnitude and be varied as necessary, e.g. by providing a thicker or thinner ring29athan that depicted, by providing more than one ring29aor by altering the distance A between the stop surfaces27,28. It is also possible for the stop surfaces27,28to be situated on parts whose mutual spacing A is variable.

To make it possible for the plastic bag3to be placed in the outer container7between the compression means8,9, the outer container7has a lower aperture32and the length of the piston17is with advantage such that the lower compression means9can be drawn far enough out from the outer container7through its lower aperture32to enable the plastic bag to be put into the outer container7via the lower aperture32without the piston17having to be drawn out from the housing10. The plastic bag3is introduced into the outer container7until it abuts against the upper compression means8, after which the lower compression means9is put back into the outer container7until it abuts against the plastic bag3.

In the embodiment depicted, the plastic bag3has an inner connecting portion31disposed within it. The nozzle6has a connecting portion6aso configured that it is possible to use it for opening the plastic bag3and thereafter for connecting the nozzle6firmly to the inner connecting portion of the plastic bag3. The nozzle6thus has both an opening function and a connecting function.

The outer container7may have at the top a lateral aperture33through which the nozzle6or portions of the plastic bag3which comprise the nozzle6may be caused to protrude from the outer container7. The outer container7may have on the outside below the lateral aperture33a bracket34forming a hollow35both for the portions of the plastic bag3which comprise the inner connecting portion31and for the nozzle6so that said bracket34holds firmly the portions of the plastic bag3which comprise the inner connecting element31, and also the nozzle6.

The device29which allows return movement makes it possible to use nozzles without drip-preventing valves, thereby making it possible for the nozzles to have very simple shapes and be manufactured at such a low price that they are suitable for once-only use, i.e. when a plastic bag with nozzle is empty it is removed together with its nozzle and a full plastic bag with a new nozzle is inserted and is thereafter emptied by means of the device1.

The invention is not limited to the variants described above and depicted in the drawings but may be varied within the scope of the claims set out below. Examples of further variants which may be cited are the compression device possibly having two movable compression means instead of one, the configuration of the operating device possibly being other than resembling a pair of tongs, and the device effecting return movements possibly comprising for example two mutually cooperating means connected to one another with such play that a return movement can take place between them.

The outer container7need not be of upright type but may be adapted to being held in the hand during discharge. The outer container7as seen in plan view (seeFIG. 3) may have two parallel walls7a,7band the piston17may be disposed near to one wall7a.

The nozzle may also be of some other type than as depicted. Thus the nozzle may be formed by the container, viz. by two opposite wall portions of the latter which extend along a container side between them forming a discharge duct which allows discharge of product from the container. Said opposite wall portions may be folded out from the side of the container to form a nozzle pointing outwards from the container, and if said discharge duct is initially closed it can be opened when discharge of product from the container is to take place.

It may also be mentioned that a movable compression means in the compression device may have a collar (e.g. a collar9aas depicted inFIG. 1) which is directed towards a space for the container of product and which abuts against the inside of an outer container in which said container is placeable. This collar is intended to prevent the walls of the container from being pressed in between said inner wall and the compression means and thereby being firmly clamped.