FLAMELESS HEATING BEVERAGE CONTAINER

Abstract

A flameless beverage heating container includes a beverage box having front and back walls connected by first and second side walls. A flameless heater including a flameless heater pad sealed within a plastic bag and a beverage pouch are disposed within the box. A bottom portion of the pouch is disposed within the heater such that when the pouch is filled with water or a beverage the pouch is flush against and in heat transferring contact through the bag with front, bottom, and back sections of the heater pad. A neck of the bag extends upwardly through a filler slot in the back wall with the bag attached to the front wall. This allows the box to be collapsed with the front and back walls being substantially flat or slightly obtuse with respect to the side walls. A fitment on the pouch extends through one of the side walls.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to flameless heating and, more specifically, to flameless heating of liquids in boxes.

2. Description of Related Art

The US Military currently utilizes a Unitized Group Ration Express (UGR-E) as one of its fielded food rations. The UGR-E utilizes flameless ration heater technology described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,329 to heat a meal to feed soldiers. Lacking in the UGR-E is a method for heating water for preparing hot beverages such as coffee, tea and hot chocolate. The UGR-E shipping container has defined shape and size. The shipping container cannot be enlarged to compensate for an additional water heating system. Though several beverage or water flameless heating systems have been developed, there is a need for one that can be small enough to fit in such a shipping container.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A flameless beverage heating container includes a beverage box having spaced apart front and back walls connected by spaced apart first and second side walls and a flameless heater and a beverage pouch stored therein. The flameless heater includes a heater pad sealed within a plastic bag and disposed within the beverage box and a bottom portion of the beverage pouch is disposed within the heater such that when the beverage pouch is filled with water or a beverage the beverage pouch is flush against and in heat transferring contact with front, bottom, and back sections of the heater pad through the plastic bag.

One embodiment of the beverage box is in a collapsed state with a neck of the plastic bag extending longitudinally upward through a filler slot in the back wall of the box with the plastic bag attached to the front wall of the box. The front and back walls are substantially flat or slightly obtuse with respect to the first and second side walls.

Exemplary embodiments of the flameless beverage heating container include a fitment on the beverage pouch, the fitment extending through and attached to one of the first and second side walls, and the fitment having a screw-on cap and a spigot in the screw-on cap. The bottom portion of the beverage pouch may include side gussets.

An exemplary embodiment of the flameless beverage heating container further including front and back top flaps bendably attached to the front and back walls respectively, first and second top flaps bendably attached to the first and second side walls respectively, front and back bottom flaps bendably attached to the front and back walls, first and second bottom flaps bendably attached to the first and second side walls respectively, bottom and top locking tabs bendably attached to the back bottom and top flaps respectively, and bottom and top ears on the bottom and top locking tabs.

An exemplary embodiment of the heater pad includes the front, bottom, and back sections of the heater pad having compartments containing an exothermic dry mixture operable to be activated with an activating liquid to generate heat through electrochemical reactions. The exothermic dry mixture may include Sodium Chloride (NaCl) and be operable to be activated with just water or the exothermic dry mixture may not include NaCl and be operable to be activated with a solution of water and NaCl.

The flameless beverage heating container with the beverage box being rectangular and erect may include a neck of the plastic bag extending longitudinally upward through a filler slot in the back wall of the box and the plastic bag attached to the front wall of the box.

The flameless beverage heating container may be used to hold a caddy with various beverage making elements therein. A center wall of the caddy including a handle opening extends through aligned and overlapping front and back handle slots in front and back top flaps attached to the front and back walls respectively. A top locking tab is attached to the back top flap and bent substantially 90 degrees thereto and is the top locking tab disposed through a back top slot in the front top flap adjacent the front wall. Top ears on the top locking tab locks the top locking tab in the back top slot.

If the exothermic dry mixture does not include the NaCl then an activating liquid bag containing a solution of water and NaCl may be stored in the box preferably beneath the caddy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and other features of the invention are explained in the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustration of an assembled flameless heating collapsible beverage box and beverage making kit.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustration of the kit and the box illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an upside down perspective view illustration of the box illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustration of the box illustrated in FIG. 1 taken through 3-3 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a partially cut away perspective view illustration of the box illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustration of the box illustrated in FIG. 1 in a collapsed state.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustration of a blank of the box illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a partially cut away perspective view illustration of a flameless heater pad in the box illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustration of a kit container used to hold various hot beverage making elements in a caddy of the kit illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustration of a top locking in the blank of the box illustrated in FIG. 7. without top ears.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 is an exemplary embodiment of a flameless beverage heating container 8 including an assembled flameless heating collapsible beverage box 10 (typically made of fluted fiberboard) containing a beverage making kit 12 within. The beverage making kit 12 includes various hot beverage making elements 30 including packets 14 of hot beverage making mixes such as coffee mix 16 or other beverage mixes and coffee creamers 18, sugar, and utensils such as coffee stirrers 22, cups 20 or spoons. Other beverage mixes may include tea or hot chocolate. The kit 12 includes a caddy 26 having a tray 31 for holding the various beverage making elements 30. The caddy 26 includes a center wall 34 with a handle opening 38 used to provide a handle 40 for the box 10. Alternatively, a kit box or kit container 28 stored in the caddy 26, as illustrated in FIG. 9, may be used to hold various ones of the hot beverage making elements 30. The coffee creamer and sugar packets and the utensils such as the coffee stirrers may be stored in the kit container 28.

The exemplary embodiment of the box 10 is rectangular and includes spaced apart front and back walls 42, 44 connected by spaced apart first and second side walls 46, 48. One of the front and back walls 42, 44 is connected to one of the first and second side walls 46, 48 by a side tab 50 illustrated in FIG. 7 which depicts a blank 140 from which the box 10 is made. The side tab 50 is illustrated herein as being attached to the back wall 44 and adhesively attached or glued to the second side wall 48. The box 10 further includes spaced apart top and bottom walls 52, 54 disposed between the front and back walls 42, 44 and the first and second side walls 46, 48. The center wall 34 of the caddy 26 is designed to extend through an opening 56 in the top wall 52 such that the handle opening 38 provides the handle 40 for the box 10.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 4, 5, and 8, within the box 10 is a heater 60 including a compartmentalized flameless heater pad 62 similar to one disclosed and described under U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,329 which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. Many other types of flameless ration heaters may be used. The compartmentalized flameless heater pad 62 is sealed within a plastic bag 64 preferably fabricated from high density polyethylene film and is preferably thin and flat as illustrated herein. The heater pad 62 includes compartments 63 containing an exothermic dry mixture 70 operable to be activated with an activating liquid 80, illustrated as stored in an activating liquid bag 81 in FIG. 2, to generate heat through electrochemical reactions.

The flameless heater pad 62 is wetable and allows the activating liquid 80 to pass through and contact the dry mixture 70 and cause the dry mixture to be activated and generate heat through electrochemical reactions. One such dry mixture 70 includes magnesium-iron supercorroding alloy, inert filler, NaCl, and one or more antifoaming agents. Water is used as the activating liquid 80. In the exemplary embodiment of the heater 60 and heating pad 62 disclosed herein, a salt solution containing NaCl in water is used and the NaCl is left out of the dry mixture 70. The activator liquid may be an electrolyte such as salt water. If sodium chloride is used in the heater mixture formulation and water is used as the activator liquid, the heater produces a large quantity of hydrogen during use. To eliminate a Department of Transportation (DOT) requirement for labeling during shipping, the sodium chloride can be removed from the heater mixture formulation. One dry mixture 70 formulation containing 123 grams magnesium-iron supercorroding alloy and 7 grams silica has been found to meet performance requirements necessary to heat one gallon (128 fluid ounces) of beverage.

Other types of dry mixtures and other types of flameless heaters are well known in the art. One particular embodiment of the dry mixture includes about 56% Magnesium-iron supercorroding alloy by weight, about 2% low density Polyethylene (LPE) by weight, and about 42% ultra high density Polyethylene (HDPE) by weight. One alternate dry mixture has about 54% Magnesium-iron supercorroding alloy by weight, about 7% Sodium Chloride by weight, about 2% low density polyethylene (LPE) by weight, and about 37% ultra high density Polyethylene (HDPE) by weight.

The heater pad 62 has front, bottom, and back sections 82, 84, 86 corresponding to the front, back, and bottom walls 42, 44, 54 of the box 10 respectively. Each of the front, bottom, and back sections 82, 84, 86 has compartments 63 (each section illustrated herein has three of the compartments 63) and each of the compartments 63 contains the exothermic dry mixture 70 (a total of nine exothermic dry mixture filled compartments 63 are illustrated herein) as illustrated in FIG. 6. The heater pad 62 is retained within a rectangular section 71 of the plastic bag 64 by a neck 73 of the plastic bag 64 as further illustrated in FIG. 5.

Referring to FIG. 8, the heater pad 62 includes non-woven substantially rectangular gas and water permeable first and second plastic sheets 112, 114. The first and second plastic sheets 112, 114 are preferably thermally bonded along first and second longitudinally extending bonded edges 116, 118 and along first and second latitudinally extending bonded edges 120, 122. The first and second plastic sheets 112, 114 are also preferably thermally bonded along substantially parallel first and second latitudinally extending bond lines 124, 126 that are parallel to the first and second latitudinally extending bonded edges 120, 122. The first and second plastic sheets 112, 114 are also preferably thermally bonded along substantially parallel first and second longitudinally extending bond lines 128, 130 that are parallel to the first and second longitudinally extending bonded edges 116, 118. The bonded edges and lines define the nine compartments 63. The first and second latitudinally extending bond lines 124, 126 are wider than the first and second longitudinally extending bond lines 128, 130. The first and second latitudinally extending bond lines 124, 126 divide the heater 60 and heater pad 62 into the front, bottom, and back sections 82, 84, 86. The first latitudinally extending bond line 124 separates the front and bottom sections 82, 84 and the second latitudinally extending bond line 126 separates the bottom and back sections 84, 86.

Outer surfaces of the first and second plastic sheets 112, 114 are preferably coated with a surfactant which helps water permeate the sheets. The exothermic dry mixture 70 filled compartments 63 render the heater pad 62 relatively rigid because of the properties of the polymer sheets, although the heater is flexible about the first and second latitudinally extending bond lines 124, 126 due to the method of bonding used particularly thermal bonding method.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5, a fitmented side gusseted beverage pouch 66 is disposed within the box 10 resting against the heater 60. The beverage pouch 66 includes a fitment 74 extending through and attached to one of the first and second side walls 46, 48 illustrated herein as extending through the first side wall 46. The fitment 74 has a screw-on cap 72 to allow potable water and the hot beverage mix to be poured into the beverage pouch 66 and then used to close the pouch. A spigot 76 in the screw-on cap 72 allows the hot beverage to be easily poured. The heater pad 62 inside the plastic bag 64 is positioned around a bottom 61 of the box 10 and secured in place in the plastic bag 64.

The plastic bag 64 is glued or otherwise attached to the front wall 42 of the box 10 preferably at or near the front section 82 of the heater 60. A bottom portion 100 of the gusseted beverage pouch 66 is disposed within the heater 60 such that when the beverage pouch 66 is filled with water or beverage the beverage pouch 66 is flush against and in heat transferring contact with the front, bottom, and back sections 82, 84, 86 of the heater pad 62 through the surrounding portion of the plastic bag 64. The beverage pouch 66 includes side gussets 67 and at least one pressure relief hole 68 disposed through one of the side gussets 67 to relieve pressure and vapor produced in the beverage pouch 66 during heating.

The neck 73 of the plastic bag 64 extends within the box longitudinally upward through a filler slot 89 in the back wall 44 of the box 10 and is laterally folded over on the back wall 44. The neck 73 is further folded diagonally and secured to the box 10 by tape 91 with a non-adhesive leader 93 to secure the neck while transporting the box 10 as illustrated in FIG. 1.

The non-adhesive leader 93 facilitates removal of the tape in the field.

FIG. 6 illustrates the box 10 in a collapsed state with the gusseted beverage pouch 66 disposed within the heater 60 which is in the plastic bag 64. The plastic bag 64 containing the heater pad 62 is held in place by the front section 82 of the heater 60 or plastic bag 64 being glued or otherwise attached to the front wall 42 of the box 10. The gusseted beverage pouch 66 is held in place by the fitment 74 extending through and attached to one of the first and second side walls 46, 48. This allows the box 10 with the gusseted beverage pouch 66 disposed within the heater 60 to be shipped in a collapsed state or as a collapsed assembly 11. This allows pluralities of the collapsed assembly 11 to be shipped in a box or otherwise with a minimal amount of space. This also allows the rest of the various hot beverage making elements 30 in the beverage making kit 12 to be shipped in a smaller amount of space as compared to being shipped with the beverage making kit 12 inside of the assembled box 10.

Illustrated in FIG. 7 is a blank 140 from which box 10 is made. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the front and back walls 42, 44 are substantially flat or slightly obtuse with respect to the first and second side walls 46, 48 respectively when the box 10 is in a collapsed state as illustrated in FIG. 6. The top and bottom walls 52, 54 are constructed from top flaps 132 and bottom flaps 134 bendably attached to top ends 135 and bottom ends 137 respectively of the front and back walls 42, 44 and the first and second side walls 46, 48. The top flaps 132 include a front top flap 136 bendably attached to the front wall 42, a back top flap 138 bendably attached to the back wall 44, and first and second top flaps 146, 148 bendably attached to the first and second side walls 46, 48 respectively. The bottom flaps 134 include a front bottom flap 152 bendably attached to the front wall 42, a back bottom flap 154 bendably attached to the back wall 44, and first and second bottom flaps 156, 158 bendably attached to the first and second side walls 46, 48 respectively.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 7, in the erected box 10, the first and second top flaps 146, 148 are bent inwardly of the top flaps 132 and the first and second bottom flaps 156, 158 are bent inwardly of the bottom flaps 134 in the assembled box 10. The back bottom flap 154 is bent over the front bottom flap 152. A bottom locking tab 160 bendably attached to the back bottom flap 154 is bent 90 degrees and disposed through a back bottom slot 162 in the front bottom flap 152 adjacent the front wall 42 and locked in place by bottom ears 164 on the bottom locking tab 160 as illustrated in FIG. 3. A top locking tab 170 bendably attached to the back top flap 138 is bent substantially 90 degrees and disposed through a back top slot 172 in the front top flap 136 adjacent the front wall 42 and locked in place by top ears 174 on the top locking tab 170 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Aligned and overlapping front and back handle slots 180, 182 in the front and back top flaps 136, 138 respectively provide the handle opening 38 in the box 10 through which the center wall 34 of the caddy 26 is disposed providing the handle 40 for the box 10. A fitment hole 186 in the first side wall 46 has a slitted edge 188 to receive and retain therein the fitment 74 extending through the first side wall 46 of the box 10 as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 7. Alternatively, the top locking tab 170 may not have the top ears 174 as illustrated in FIG. 10.

The beverage box 10 and the beverage making kit 12 was designed to be assembled in the field. When the collapsed box 10 is erected, the front and back walls 42, 44 are made substantially parallel to each other and the first and second side walls 46, 48 are made substantially parallel to each other. The front and back walls 42, 44 are also are made substantially perpendicular to the first and second side walls 46, 48.

The bottom wall 54 is then formed by first bending over the first and second bottom flaps 156, 158 and then bending the front bottom flap 152 over the first and second bottom flaps 156, 158. Next, the back bottom flap 154 is bent over the front bottom flap 152 and the bottom locking tab 160 on the back bottom flap 154 is bent 90 degrees and is pushed through the back bottom slot 162 in the front bottom flap 152 adjacent the front wall 42 and locked in place by bottom ears 164 on the bottom locking tab 160. Because the front section 82 of the heater 60 is glued or otherwise attached to the front wall 42 of the box 10 and the fitment 74 is secured in the fitment hole 186 in the first side wall 46 the beverage pouch 66 is positioned for pouring water into the beverage pouch 66, the beverage pouch is positioned within the sections of the heater 60 for heating, and the neck 73 of the plastic bag 64 is in position outside of the box 10 ready to be cut open and filled with the activating liquid 80 as illustrated in FIG. 4.

After the collapsed beverage box 10 is assembled, the activating liquid bag 81 is placed into the assembled box 10 and then the beverage making kit 12 is assembled in the caddy 26. After the caddy 26 holding the various beverage making elements 30 is placed in the box 10, the overlapping front and back handle slots 180, 182 in the front and back top flaps 136, 138 are aligned as the back top flap 138 is closed over the front top flap 136 with the center wall 34 of the caddy 26 extending through the opening 56 in the top wall 52 such that the handle opening 38 is thus providing the handle 40 for the box 10. The beverage box 10 containing the caddy 26 holding the various beverage making elements 30 is then ready to be used to make a hot beverage.

The hot beverage is made by removing the top locking tab 170 on the back top flap 138 from the back top slot 172, opening the back and front top flaps 138, 136, and removing the caddy 26 and the activating liquid bag 81 if one is used. The back and front top flaps 138, 136, are then folded back to their unopened position and secured by restoring the top locking tab 170 in the back top slot 172. The screw-on cap 72 is unscrewed and removed and potable water and the hot beverage mix us poured into the beverage pouch 66 through the fitment 74 and then the screw-on cap 72 is tightly screwed back onto the fitment 74. This is preferably performed with the box 10 positioned upright and the fitment 74 pointing upwardly. At least one fill window 92 and an accompanying fill line 94, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7, in the front and/or back walls 42, 44 may be used for observing and indicating the amount of potable water poured into the beverage pouch 66. The fill line is set to indicate the proper amount of potable water to heat the beverage to a predetermined or desired temperature for the amount of exothermic dry mixture 70 in the heater 60. Next, the neck 73 of the plastic bag 64 is freed and unfolded and then opened and the activating liquid 80 poured into the neck 73 thus activating the heater 60. A notch 98 in each side of the neck 73 of the plastic bag 64, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6, may be provided to facilitate the opening of the neck by tearing it open. The exemplary flameless heating collapsible beverage box 10 and beverage making kit 12 illustrated herein is capable of making one gallon of the hot beverage by heating the cold water and mix from between 35 and 45 degrees F. to approximately 160 degrees F. within about 30 minutes.

While there have been described herein what are considered to be preferred and exemplary embodiments of the present invention, other modifications of the invention shall be apparent to those skilled in the art from the teachings herein and, it is therefore, desired to be secured in the appended Claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, what is desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is the invention as defined and differentiated in the following Claims.

Claims

1. A flameless beverage heating container comprising:

a beverage box including spaced apart front and back walls connected by spaced apart first and second side walls,

the beverage box containing a flameless heater and a beverage pouch,

the flameless heater includes a flameless heater pad sealed within a plastic bag and disposed within the beverage box, and

a bottom portion of the beverage pouch disposed within the heater such that when the beverage pouch is filled with water or a beverage the beverage pouch is flush against and in heat transferring contact through the plastic bag with front, bottom, and back sections of the heater pad in the plastic bag.

2. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

the beverage box being collapsed,

a neck of the plastic bag extending longitudinally upward through a filler slot in the back wall of the box, and

the plastic bag attached to the front wall of the box.

3. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a fitment on the beverage pouch and the fitment extending through and attached to one of the first and second side walls.

4. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 3, further comprising the front and back walls being substantially flat or slightly obtuse with respect to the first and second side walls.

5. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 4, further comprising the fitment having a screw-on cap and a spigot in the screw-on cap.

6. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 5, further comprising the bottom portion of the beverage pouch including side gussets.

7. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

front and back top flaps bendably attached to the front and back walls respectively,

first and second top flaps bendably attached to the first and second side walls respectively,

front and back bottom flaps bendably attached to the front and back walls,

first and second bottom flaps bendably attached to the first and second side walls respectively,

bottom and top locking tabs bendably attached to the back bottom and top flaps respectively, and

bottom and top ears on the bottom and top locking tabs.

8. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 6, further comprising the front, bottom, and back sections of the heater pad having compartments containing an exothermic dry mixture operable to be activated with an activating liquid to generate heat through electrochemical reactions.

9. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

the exothermic dry mixture including NaCl and operable to be activated with just water, or

the exothermic dry mixture not including NaCl and operable to be activated with a solution of water and NaCl.

10. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

the beverage box being rectangular and erect and including spaced apart front and back walls connected by spaced apart first and second side walls,

a neck of the plastic bag extending longitudinally upward through a filler slot in the back wall of the box, and

the plastic bag attached to the front wall of the box.

11. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a fitment on the beverage pouch and the fitment extending through and attached to one of the first and second side walls.

12. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 11, further comprising the fitment having a screw-on cap and a spigot in the screw-on cap.

13. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 12, further comprising the bottom portion of the beverage pouch including side gussets.

14. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 10, further comprising the front, bottom, and back sections of the heater pad having compartments containing an exothermic dry mixture operable to be activated with an activating liquid to generate heat through electrochemical reactions.

15. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

the exothermic dry mixture including NaCl and operable to be activated with just water, or

the exothermic dry mixture not including NaCl and operable to be activated with a solution of water and NaCl.

16. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 10, further comprising the front, bottom, and back sections of the heater pad containing an exothermic dry mixture operable to be activated with an activating liquid to generate heat through electrochemical reactions.

17. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

the exothermic dry mixture including NaCl and operable to be activated with just water, or

the exothermic dry mixture not including NaCl and operable to be activated with a solution of water and NaCl.

18. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

front and back top flaps attached to the front and back walls respectively,

a caddy holding various beverage making elements is disposed within the box,

a center wall of the caddy includes a handle opening, and

the center wall extending through aligned and overlapping front and back handle slots in the front and back top flaps respectively.

19. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 18, further comprising:

a top locking tab attached to the back top flap and bent substantially 90 degrees thereto,

the top locking tab disposed through a back top slot in the front top flap adjacent the front wall, and

top ears on the top locking tab locking the top locking tab in the back top slot.

20. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 18, further comprising:

a fitment on the beverage pouch,

the fitment extending through and attached to one of the first and second side walls,

the fitment having a screw-on cap, and

a spigot in the screw-on cap.

21. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 20, further comprising the bottom portion of the beverage pouch including side gussets.

22. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 19, further comprising the front, bottom, and back sections of the heater pad having compartments containing an exothermic dry mixture operable to be activated with an activating liquid to generate heat through electrochemical reactions.

23. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 22, further comprising the exothermic dry mixture including NaCl and operable to be activated with just water.

24. A flameless beverage heating container as claimed in claim 22, further comprising the exothermic dry mixture not including NaCl and operable to be activated with a solution of water and NaCl contained in an activating liquid bag stored in the box.