BEVERAGE CONTAINER WITH COOLING MEANS
A beverage container, comprising a casing and an outer holder included therein, wherein against the outside of the outer holder a cooling line is included, which is at least partly wound in contact with the outer holder and is included within the casing, wherein dispensing and filling means are provided on the outer holder, wherein at least a cover is provided which can seal off an opening of the casing and can cover the dispensing and filling means such that the dispensing and filling means are cooled during use.
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The invention relates to a beverage container. In particular, the invention relates to a container for carbonated beverage, such as beer.
Beverage, in particular carbonated beverage, is typically stored in containers such as a keg or tank, which is designed for withstanding the pressure and, optionally, for being cooled. In particular tanks such as cellar beer tanks are cooled in order to bring to and maintain the beverage at a desired temperature.
From practice, a tank is known for beverage storage which is provided with a double-walled outer casing. At least one of these walls is manufactured from diamond plate, with the diamonds attached to the other one of the two plates, so that space between the two casings is obtained. Cooling means such as water is led between the two casings through said space, which effects cooling. Such a tank is relatively expensive and difficult to manufacture.
Further, from practice, a tank is known comprising a cooling line provided around an outer holder, while a casing, for instance an insulating casing, is provided therearound. The cooling line is manufactured from copper line, wound around the outer holder, with a relatively large pitch and rather open winding. Owing to the copper, which offers good heat conductivity, such a tank is also relatively expensive in manufacture.
These known tanks have an opening in the casing in which opening dispensing and filling means are provided for introducing the beverage into the tank, drawing the beverage therefrom and, for instance, cleaning the beverage. During use, a line links up with the dispensing and filling means.
These tanks have as a drawback that the opening and the dispensing and filling means are not protected and covered, so that their temperature will differ from the rest of the tank. In particular it has appeared that precisely here, microbiological problems can occur.
The object of the invention is to provide a container for beverage, with which at least one of the problems of the known container is solved, or an alternative thereto is offered.
In a first aspect, a container comprises a casing and an outer holder included therein, wherein against the outside of the outer holder a cooling line is included which is at least partly wound in contact with the outside holder and is included within the casing, wherein dispensing and filling means are provided on the outer holder. At least one cover is provided which can seal off an opening of the outer holder and can cover the dispensing and the filling means, such that during use, the dispensing and filling means are cooled.
Herein, sealing off is at least understood to include that the at least one cover can cover the opening and the dispensing and filling means.
In a second aspect, a container can have a cooling line which is manufactured from plastic or rubber hose.
Surprisingly, it has appeared that a relatively simple plastic or rubber hose, which is preferably wound tightly around the outside holder, in contact therewith, can provide sufficient cooling capacity for cooling the beverage in the container and keeping it cooled.
In a third aspect, a container can have a series of sensors on or in the outer holder, in a row, which row preferably extends substantially along an inner or outer surface of the outer container, preferably along an inner container included within the outer container, along which row, during use, the inner container will extend at least partly, which sensors are thermal sensors and are designed for determining the degree of filling of the inner container on the basis of temperature measurement. The inner container can also be indicated as bag or liner.
With the aid of the sensors, the degree of filling of the container, in particular of a flexible inner container, can be determined in a simple manner.
The invention will be described in further detail on the basis of the drawing. In the drawing:
In this description, identical or corresponding parts have identical or corresponding reference numerals. In this description, containers will be described for storage of beverage. It should however be understood that they can also contain other beverages, in particular carbonated beverage.
In
The tank 1 as shown is designed as a bag-in-container type tank, comprising an outer container 2, an at least partly flexible inner container 3 included therein and a casing 4 enclosing the outer container. The casing may be provided with a thermal insulating layer 12, as shown in
Over the opening 5 a cover 8 is provided, hingedly connected to the casing 4 by a pivot 9 above the opening. As shown in
As shown in
The thermal insulation 12 may be a foam layer which covers the hose 33 and the front side 13 around the opening and the rear side 14. In the example shown, the cooling line 10 runs along the rear side 14 and the front side 13 of the tank, at least of the outer container 2, so that these surfaces too are cooled. However, this can be omitted and the insulation 12 can be held at some distance from the front and rear side, at least partly, so that cool air can flow therealong from the line 10. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the space 15 enclosed by the cover 8, when this is closed, is cooled as a result of the cooling of the outer container 2 and an insulating action of the cover 8. To that end, the cover 8 can be provided with an insulating layer. With it, the filling and dispensing device 6 and the hatch 7 are cooled. Owing to this cooling to, for instance, a few degrees above zero, for instance between 0 and 10 degrees Centigrade, more particularly between 2 and 6 degrees Centigrade, a favourable microclimate is created and maintained, so that bacterial growth is largely prevented. As a result, the installation needs to be cleaned less frequently, which is advantageous to management of the apparatus. Furthermore, the risk of contamination of the beverage is considerably reduced. Further, it is of energetic advantage.
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In the embodiment shown in
The casing 3 is preferably built up from dish parts, which can be relatively easily removed and replaced. As a result, maintenance to the tanks is possible in a simple manner and the appearance of the tanks can simply be adapted to, for instance, the beverage in the tank, the brewer, the accommodation, a particular event and the like.
The invention is not limited in any manner to the embodiments represented in the drawing and the description. Many variations thereon are possible within the framework of the invention as outlined by the claims. A container according to the invention can, for instance, have a different position, for instance a longitudinal axis extending approximately vertically instead of horizontally, wherein the filling and dispensing device, the opening and/or the cover may be provided in a circumferential wall. Furthermore, the container can be designed without inner container, for instance as a keg.
Claims
1. A beverage container, comprising a casing and an outer holder included therein, wherein against the outside of the outer holder a cooling line is included, which is at least partly wound in contact with the outer holder and is included within the casing, wherein dispensing and filling means are provided on the outer holder, wherein at least a cover is provided which can seal off an opening of the casing and can cover the dispensing and filling means, such that during use, the dispensing and filling means are cooled.
2. A beverage container according to claim 1, wherein the cooling line extends to near and preferably around the dispensing and filling means.
3. A beverage container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein between at least a part of the casing and the outer holder a space is confined which is in communication with a space that can be enclosed by the cover around the dispensing and filling means, for cooling with the cover closed.
4. A beverage container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein in the outer holder an at least partly flexible inner container is provided in which beverage is includable, which inner container reaches with a filling opening through an opening in the outer holder, to which filling opening the dispensing and filling means are connectable, such that they project outside the outer holder.
5. A beverage container according to claim 4, wherein a hatch is provided in the outer holder, through which the inner container can be brought into and out of the outer holder, which hatch, when the cover is closed, is included under the cover in said cooled space.
6. A beverage container according to any one of claims 4 or 5, wherein the dispensing and filling means comprise a connecting piece which comprises a substantially straight channel, which connecting piece, during use, reaches into the filling opening of the inner container and holds this against an edge of the opening in the outer holder, wherein the dispensing and filling means link up with said channel and are fixable on the outer holder and/or the casing.
7. A beverage container according to claim 6, wherein the connecting piece is provided with a flange extending outwards to be included between the inner container and the dispensing and filling means.
8. A beverage container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cooling line is manufactured from plastic or rubber hose.
9. A beverage container according to claim 8, wherein the cooling line is wound against the outside of the outer holder, such that in at least a number of windings the cooling line has a somewhat flattened form, in particular somewhat oval, flat oval, semi-circular or flat.
10. A beverage container according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the cooling line extends to around the dispensing and filling means and/or into the cover.
11. A beverage container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the casing is at least substantially built up from dish parts.
12. A beverage container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the outer holder has a substantially cylindrical shape with an end wall and front wall, wherein, during use, the front wall faces a front side and the dispensing and filling means and the cover are provided on the front side, wherein the casing is provided at an underside with standing means and on an opposite, top end with support means, such that a comparable holder with standing means can be set on the support means, for stacking holders.
13. A beverage container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the dispensing and filling means comprise a shutoff and a three-way valve device, which are mutually detachably connected and wherein during use the shutoff is included between the holder, in particular an inner container, and the three-way valve.
14. A beverage container according to claim 13, wherein the three-way valve is provided with drive means for remote control of the three-way valve, in particular pneumatic drive means.
15. A beverage container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein on or in the outer holder a series of sensors is provided in a row, which row extends substantially along an inner container included within the outer holder, along which, during use, the inner container will extend at least partly, which sensors are thermal sensors and are designed for determining the degree of filling of the inner container on the basis of temperature measurement.
16. A beverage container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cooling line is connectable to an inline cooler.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 2, 2008
Publication Date: Aug 19, 2010
Applicant: HEINEKEN SUPPLY CHAIN B.V. (1017 ZD AMSTERDAM)
Inventor: Roelof Anton Segers (Bussum)
Application Number: 12/602,371
International Classification: B65D 83/72 (20060101);