Patent Description:
Some liquid foods, and particularly wine, once the relative container has first been opened, after contact with air tend to quite rapidly oxidise and change, which significantly deteriorates them and their original organoleptic properties.

For example, wine in a bottle, once opened for the first time degrades by oxidising in around <NUM> to <NUM> days.

Wine in a bottle which is subsequently stoppered again including use of a vacuum, has a perishability period of around one week.

If the bottle is stoppered again following the introduction of an inert gas (e.g.: argon), the wine contained in it retains its properties for <NUM> to <NUM> weeks; however, that period is reduced faster the higher the number of times the bottle is re-opened and further amounts of wine are taken out.

That state of affairs causes quite considerable problems, in both domestic and professional settings.

In fact, in a domestic setting, consumers often open a bottle of wine - which may be of very high quality - and having only consumed one or two glasses of it, must throw away the remaining contents of the bottle after just a few days, because oxidation from contact with the air has changed it.

There are many negative consequences from that behaviour, particularly the obvious waste of material and economic resources, as well as environmental harm.

Similar problems arise at a professional level, for example, in catering establishments which serve wine by the glass and in which, in order to avoid throwing away wine which can no longer be served due to degrading, the business must equip itself with complex and expensive machinery able to systematically replace the air that has entered the bottle, after each opening, until all of the contents have been consumed.

A prior art technology, called "bag in box" sees the wine contained and preserved in a bag which can be repeatedly stoppered, which is provided with thin but strong composite walls, formed by several layers of suitable film material which are laminated and if necessary metallised. A box-shaped body contains the bag, supporting it in a vertical position to allow the contents to be emptied from it under the action of gravity and through a special tap which is located in the lower part of the box-shaped body. A further prior art technology is described in document <CIT>. According to that document the air, having come into a bag containing the wine, is expelled by mechanical compression of the bag performed by means of a complex articulated rod mechanism operating under the action of a spring and which is fitted to a related dispenser.

A further prior art solution in the sector is a dispenser which evacuates the air in contact with the wine by means of a device integrated in the dispenser itself and equipped with a vacuum pump which, operating in a suitable hydraulic circuit, extracts the air using the known Venturi tube operating principle.

A fluid dispenser according to the preamble of claim <NUM> is known from <CIT>.

The aim of this invention is to eliminate the disadvantages of the prior art by devising a dispenser which combines one of the highest levels of efficiency in terms of preservation of the integrity of the organoleptic properties of the fluid contained with a simpler, less expensive and more reliable construction. Accordingly, the invention achieves those aims with a dispenser as defined in the appended claims.

The features and further advantages of the invention will become apparent below with reference to an example embodiment of the invention described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:.

With reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings, <FIG> shows a prior art containing casing for containing liquid foods, which comprises a containing bag intended to operate in combination with a box-shaped body, being placed and contained in the latter, as shown in <FIG>.

The bag - which is equipped with a lateral surface, defined by several layers of thin, membrane-structure material having high strength and micrometric thickness which are superposed and monolithically welded to each other - substantially defines a containing casing suitable for supplying, by falling, that is to say under the effect of gravity, a fluid to be dispensed through a suitable tap which can be switched between two states, respectively open and closed, which is located in the lower part of the box-shaped body.

<FIG> respectively show two examples - by way of example only and without limiting the scope of the invention - of a fluid dispenser <NUM> according to the invention and basically comprising a containing casing labelled <NUM> as a whole, which has an inner containment cavity <NUM> for a first fluid <NUM> to be dispensed, said first fluid <NUM> being in particular, preferably, a liquid food, selected for example from the families of wines, beers, oils and the like.

The containment cavity <NUM> is delimited by a first enclosing wall <NUM> which: is substantially bag-shaped; is placed in direct contact with the fluid <NUM> to be dispensed; and is provided with its own membrane-like structure, made in a multilayer form and with micrometric thickness.

A second wall 5a externally covers, by at least partly surrounding, the first wall <NUM> which contains the fluid <NUM> and, in combination with the latter, delimits a closed hollow space <NUM> interposed between the two walls <NUM>, 5a. A second fluid <NUM> is introduced into the hollow space in such a way that it is forced to interact with the first wall <NUM>, on the outer side of the containment cavity <NUM>, compressing it against the fluid <NUM> behind it.

With the open state of a supplying outlet <NUM> of a tap located at the top of the casing <NUM> and communicating with the containment cavity <NUM>, under the thrust applied by the second fluid <NUM> against the wall <NUM>, the fluid <NUM> to be dispensed is subjected to a movement towards the outlet <NUM> which causes a primary expulsion action towards the outside of the casing <NUM> of the gases which are present in the containment cavity <NUM>.

When that thrust is further continued - beyond what is necessary for completely expelling the gases - the second fluid <NUM> causes the subsequent supplying of the fluid <NUM> forcedly and, as already indicated, from the top zone of the casing <NUM> as shown in <FIG>.

<FIG> and <FIG> show, in particular, that preferably the hollow space <NUM> is made between two walls <NUM>, 5a which both have micrometric thicknesses and a membrane-like structure. In this context, the walls <NUM>, 5a may either have stiffnesses which are similar to each other, or different stiffnesses. In the latter case it is preferable that the greater stiffness is offered by the outermost wall 5a, in such a way as to give the containing casing <NUM> an anisotropic behaviour (and if necessary having self-supporting properties) so as to accentuate the effectiveness of the thrust applied by the wall <NUM> against the fluid <NUM> to be dispensed, behind and contained in the containment cavity <NUM>.

<FIG> and <FIG> also show how - in one possible variant of the invention - the hollow space <NUM> could even be a physical space simply geometrically interposed between the first wall <NUM> and a second wall 5b, which is stiffer and thicker, identifiable as a perimeter wall of a hollow containing body <NUM> with relative lid <NUM>, which is part of the containing casing <NUM> and which houses inside it, surrounding it and if necessary in a sealed way, a bag defined by the first wall <NUM> and by the relative inner cavity <NUM> intended to receive the first fluid <NUM> to be dispensed.

<FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG> show that the dispenser <NUM> also comprises a flange <NUM> which is interconnected with a pair of walls <NUM> and 5a which both have a membrane-like structure and which are superposed on each other (<FIG>, on the right.

The flange <NUM>, as is clearly shown in <FIG>, has a flat plate <NUM> shaped like an annulus, which supports cantilever-style a tubular collar <NUM>, which at its end distal from the plate <NUM> terminates with the supplying outlet <NUM>.

At a locally thickened zone of its lateral wall, the collar <NUM> is provided with a basically prismatic projection <NUM>, having smoothed edges, which projects radially from the collar <NUM> and which projects away from it, partly covering a corresponding underlying local surface of the plate <NUM>. The projection <NUM> has, facing the plate <NUM>, a groove with substantially prismatic shape.

Therefore, extending between the projection <NUM> and the plate <NUM>, at the groove and along the thickened part of the lateral wall of the collar <NUM>, there is a stretch 11a of duct which at one end communicates, inside the collar <NUM>, with a hole <NUM> facing the outside of the casing <NUM> and which at the opposite end abuts a further duct <NUM>, finally arriving in communication with the hollow space <NUM>.

<FIG> and <FIG> show that the operative interconnection between the projection <NUM> (which communicates with the environment outside the containing casing <NUM>) and the hollow space <NUM> (however it is made, and placed adjacent to the first wall <NUM>) is obtained by means of a local and special connection between the membrane-like walls <NUM> and 5a and the projection <NUM>.

In fact, unlike what is visible on the right-hand side in <FIG> - where the projection <NUM> is not present and the first membrane-like wall <NUM> and the second membrane- like wall 5a are perfectly superposed on each other, welded together and in turn monolithically welded to the underlying annular plate <NUM> - on the left-hand side of said <FIG>, that is to say, at the location relating to the presence of the projection <NUM>, only the first wall <NUM> is welded to the plate <NUM>, whilst the second wall 5a, locally detached from the first wall <NUM>, is welded directly to the projection <NUM> there.

In conclusion, if the second flow <NUM> is gaseous and is the external air, then by positioning on the duct <NUM> suitable pressing means <NUM> - schematically illustrated in the lower part of the dispensing body <NUM> in <FIG> - it is possible to pressurise the hollow space <NUM>, which is suitably closed, in such a way as to completely evacuate through the outlet <NUM> the air contained in the containment cavity <NUM> for the first fluid <NUM> to be dispensed, and it is also possible to supply the first fluid <NUM> to be dispensed.

It is clear that the positioning of the pressing means <NUM>, which in the example in <FIG> are integrated in the structure of the dispenser <NUM>, is particularly useful and advantageous in a portable construction solution of the dispenser <NUM>. However, that should not be considered limiting, since, for example the pressing means <NUM> could even be positioned outside the casing <NUM> and if necessary could even be independent of it, it being enough for them to be able to send pressurised air, for example through the inlet hole <NUM> of the duct <NUM>.

Sensor means <NUM> for detecting a threshold value, which is the limit of the pressure of the second fluid <NUM> contained in the hollow space <NUM>, relative to which the pressing means <NUM> must be activated/deactivated, may consist for example of a pressure regulator which, suitably integrated in the pressing means <NUM>, acts as an automatic start/stop switch for the pressing means <NUM>.

The invention achieves the proposed aims by allowing the simple, inexpensive and highly effective achievement of a high degree of expulsion of the air from the containment chamber <NUM>: which results in optimum protection against atmospheric oxidation for the fluids contained. That is particularly advantageous for many fluid foods in which oxidation may cause significant modification of the organoleptic properties of the substance, as is the case for example with wine, beer, oil, cocktails, fruit juices and the like.

The invention also brings further advantages, including not requiring any external action in order to completely empty the contents of its containment cavity <NUM>. In fact, unlike what happens in the prior art, for example that shown in <FIG>, the dispenser <NUM> solution according to this invention and which, as is clearly illustrated in <FIG>, has the supplying tap positioned at the top, allows total emptying of the containment chamber <NUM> without requiring any tilting of the containing casing <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A fluid dispenser comprising a containing casing having an inner containment cavity (<NUM>) for containing a first fluid (<NUM>) to be dispensed, which is delimited by at least one pair of walls (<NUM>, 5a) which have a membrane like structure, at least one first wall (<NUM>) of which is placed in contact with the fluid (<NUM>) to be dispensed, a second wall (5a) of said pair at least partly surrounding said first wall (<NUM>); said dispenser (<NUM>) being characterised in that it comprises a closable hollow space (<NUM>), positioned between said first wall (<NUM>) and second wall (5a); and a second fluid (<NUM>) which being introduced into the hollow space (<NUM>) and interacting with said first wall (<NUM>) imparts to the fluid (<NUM>) to be dispensed a movement towards an outlet (<NUM>) of said casing and a simultaneous action at least of expelling to the outside of said casing (<NUM>) the gases present in the containment cavity (<NUM>), wherein said first wall (<NUM>) and said second wall (5a) are affected by a duct (<NUM>) for conveying said second fluid (<NUM>) inside said casing, and wherein at least one part (11a) of said duct (<NUM>) is on a flange (<NUM>), which is joined to at least one of the walls (<NUM>; 5a) of said pair of walls (<NUM>; 5a), and connects said hollow space (<NUM>) with the environment outside the containing casing and wherein said flange has a flat plate shaped like an annulus which supports cantilever-style a tubular collar (<NUM>) terminating with a supplying outlet (<NUM>) at a distal end spaced from the flat plate, characterised in that said duct is formed in a projection of said flange wherein the projection projects radially away from the collar partly covering a corresponding underlying local surface of the flat plate (<NUM>).