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.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION

This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

FIG. 3 depicts a side plan view of an exemplary dispenser carton in its assembled form in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 depicts a front plan view of an exemplary dispenser carton in its assembled form in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 5 depicts a rear plan view of an exemplary dispenser carton in its assembled form in accordance with the present invention.

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.

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.

FIG. 8 depicts a simplified diagram of an exemplary foil pouch for use with the outer shell.

FIG. 9 depicts a simplified diagram of an exemplary foam insulator for use with the outer shell.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

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”.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Claims

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.