US2804257A - Impervious container for liquid or gaseous fluids - Google Patents

Description

1957 c. HASLER ETAL 2,804,257

IMPERVIOUS CONTAINER FOR LIQUID 0R GASEOUS FLUIDS Filed Aug. 25, 1954 4 Sheets-Sh eet 1 INVENTORS CHARLES HASLER 8| ANDRE- DREYER abdw w Aug. 27, 1957 c. HASLER ETAL IMPERVIOUS CONTAINER FOR LIQUID OR GASEQUS FLUIDS Filed Aug. 23, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY ANDRE DRE YER Aug. 27, 1957 c. HASLER EI'AL IMPERVIOUS CONTAINER FOR LIQUID OR GASEOUS FLUIDS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 23, 1954 INVENTORS CHARLES HASLER a.

- BY ANDRE DRE YER Aug. 27, 1957 c. HASLER EIF'AL 2,804,257

IMPERVIOUS CONTAINER FOR LIQUID OR GASEOUS FLUIDS Fi-led Aug. 23, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 43 INVENTORS CHARLES HASLER a.

ANDRE DREYER JAM fi may m rrnnvrous CONTAINER non? LIQUID R GAEOUS FLUms Charles Ha's'l'er and Andre rayer, Geneva, Switzerland, assignors to Andre Dreyer and Maurice de Toledo, Geneva, wimerland The object of the present-invention is an impervious container, in particular for liquid or gaseous fluids, of the type which comprises a container, e. g. a bag made of pliant plastic or thermoplastic material having an opening fitted with an automatic sealing valve, formed by a fiattened duct, this valve being capable of being opened by introduction of a tube into the said duct, e. g. of a rigid tube of cylindrical or conical'shape, the duct being generally formed either by a flattened tube or by two leaves bonded together by their lateral edges and which are applied the one against the other.

In practice, one has found that such valves do not prevent with reliability the seeping of a fluid such as a liquid as a consequence ofthe capillary effect which arises due to the fact that-liquid can introduce itself and remain between the lips of'the valve, when the bag is being filled.

The object of the present invention is to avoid the disadvantage which has just been mentioned.

The container according to the invention is characterized by the fact that the flattened duct is formed by two walls comprising each two opposite parts which are kept definitively applied each against the corresponding part of the other wall, and in that it further comprises a device keeping'the walls of the duct apart from one another over a part of the length of said duct, in such a manner as to induce the formation in at least'one of the Walls of the duct of a crease tending to maintain the valve closed at its inner end, independently of the'pressure existing in the container. The said device facilitates locating the opening when it is desired to introduce an intermediary tube into the duct, for filling or emptying the container, particularly when such introduction has to take place in the dark.

This device may have various shapes and dimensions, as described'hereinafter, without therefore departing from the principle of the invention.

The accompanying drawing illustrates, by way of examples several embodiments and modifications of the container which is the object of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a side view of a first embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a similar View of the same embodiment after removal of a sealing cap and introduction of an emptying tube.

Fig. 3 is a front view of this embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a third embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a partial front view of a fourth embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a similar front view of a fifth embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a similar front View of a sixth embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a partial side view of a machine for filling packages also showing a seventh embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view along 16-10 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view along 11-11 of Fig. 9.

Figs. 12 to 14 are partial front views of modifications of the seventh embodiment shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 15 is a view from above of the modification shown in Fig. 14; and

States Patent Figs. 16 and 17 are partial front views of two further modifications of the embodiment shown in Fig. 9.

The Figs. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment which comprises a container formed by a bag 1 made of pliable material, for instance plastic material or rubber and a filling or emptying duct 6. The container is formed from a tube of pliable material. The duct 6 is secured within an upper orifice of the container 1 by welds 5 which close the container at its upper end and which also partially close the duct 6. This duct is formed from two sheets of thermoplastic material which are secured to one another along their longitudinal edges by welds 9. Such welds extend parallel to one another and to the edges of the duct 6, so that said duct has a constriction formed by the weld 5. The duct 6 is provided with a mouth-piece 15 which is forcibly thrust into the passage left open by the welds 5. This mouth-piece is in the shape of a small funnel. As may be seen on the Fig. 2, it facilitates the introduction of a filling and emptying tube 4 through the duct 6 and into the container 1.

After the container has been filled, its filling and emptying duct is closed in a dust-proof manner at its mouthpiece 15, on hygienic grounds. As shown on Fig. 1, this closure is realized by means of a membrane 17, glued or welded to the outer edges of the mouth-piece 15.

7 When it is desired to extract liquid from the container 1, the membrane 17 is first removed or pierced, for instance simply by inserting the tube 4 into the mouthpiece15.

It is to be noted that a membrane such as the membrane 17, instead of being applied onto the mouth-piece 15 after the container has been filled, could form an integral part of the said mouth-piece and be placed, either externally on the mouth-piece, as shown on Fig. 1, or at its throat 18, or at its lower end. In this case, the operation of filling the container would take place before the mouthpiece 15 has been secured in the opening of the duct 6 and this mouth-piece would be glued or welded in the said opening after the container has been filled. The duct 6 and the mouth-piece 15 could also be manufactured as one single piece.

A second embodiment, shown in Fig. 4, differs from the first in that the device which keeps apart the walls of the duct 6, at the end thereof where it is connected to the opening of the container 1, comprises two strips 20 and 21 having each a curved middle portion 22. These two strips are applied one against the other and form the upper edge of the container 1, their curved portions 22 being placed opposite to one another and constituting the two opposite edges of the opening of the duct 6.

The strips 20 and 21 can be formed by a reinforcement of the edges of the container, or else by two strips, made for instance of plastic material or of another material having a certain rigidity and which are glued or welded to the upper part of the container. The tube 4 can'be introduced into the opening of the container through the duct 6 by inserting it between the curved parts 22 of the strips 520 and 21.

Fig. 5 shows a third embodiment in which the device keeping apart the walls of the duct 6 where it is connected to the container 1'is constituted by a ring 23 which is fixed between the edges of the lower end of the said duct. This run can be made of plastic material or of another material glued or welded inside the opening of the duct.

A fourth embodiment shown in Fig. 6 also comprises a funnel-shaped mouth-piece 15. This mouth-piece has, at its lower edge a circular outer ridge 24 which prevents it from coming out of the duct 6 again. As is the case in the third embodiment, the mouth-piece 15 is glued or Welded to the edges of the opening of the duct 6 but, due to the ridge 24,- it cannot be drawn out of the said-opening, even in case its glued or welded connection to the said edges would cease to hold it secured to the opening.

The inner end of the mouth-piece of the fourth embodiment has an extension which contracts towards its inner end and constitutes elastic lips which at rest may either be in contact with one another or-remain slightly apart. When a tube 4 is inserted through the mouth-piece 15 and the duct 6, these lips 25 setthemselves against the tube 4 so as to form a tightjoint between the said mouth-piece and the said tube, this joint preventing any liquid from rising between this tube and this mouth-piece.

of the reflectors is adjustably suspended to a support 37 by means of a screw 38,passing through a slot 39 cut in this support and through a lug spot-welded to Y the reflector 35, to cooperate with a nut 41 welded to the lug 40, between the latter and the reflector 35. It will be understood that the tube 33 with its plate 34 is sus- An extension constituting elastic lips similar to the lips 25 shown in Fig. 6 could also be provided in every one of the preceding described embodiments, in order to constitute a joint preventing any liquid from rising between the tube 4 and the mouth-piece of the duct 6. In the fifth and sixth embodiments shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the walls of the duct 6 are kept applied one against the other over two parts opposite to'one another and situated on either side of the longitudinal axis of the duct, by means of welded seams 9. It thus happens that, also in the case where the duct 6 is constituted by a flattened tube and not from two superimposed sheets, welded scams 9 serve to maintain the walls of the duct one against the other, the edges of the duct not being longitudinally welded. In cooperation with the device maintaining the walls of the duct 6 apart from one another at the inlet end of said duct, the welds 9 contribute to the formation of a crease 16 in each of the walls of the duct. In the fifth embodiment shown in Fig. 4, the welds 9 extend perpendicularly to the edges of the duct 6, whereas in the sixth embodiment shown in Fig. 8 the welds 9 have each the shape of a V and have their respective points opposite to one another. In this sixth embodiment, the mouth-piece 15 is provided with two opposite slots 26 dividing longitudinally its inner part in two halves 27 and 28. These halves are normally situated apart from one another as may be seen in Fig. 8. Such a mouthpiece 15 may be inserted'into theropening of the outer end of the duct 6 by resiliently. pressing the halves 27 and 28 towards one another, inserting them into and through the opening and then letting them take up their splayed position again, so that they prevent the mouthpiece from coming out of the duct again. I

In Figs. 4 and 5, it can be seen that the container 1 is provided on two opposite sides with bellows 19 giving it a shape enabling it to stand on its bottom once filled.

According to a modification, in order to facilitate locating the opening of the outer end of the duct 6, a part of i the device formed by the mouth-piece 15 in the embodiment shown in Figs. 1, 3, 6, 7 and 8, by the strips 20 and 21 in the embodiment shown in Fig. 4, or by'the ring 23 in the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, could be luminescent.

Fig. 9 shows a semi-automatic machine for fillingirripervious containers, such for instance as' one ofthose shown in Figs. 1, 3, 6 and 8. This machine comprises a slide 31 comprising two parallel metallic strips situated at a distance from one another and by means of which containers, generally designated by the reference number 1, are suspended by-their mouth-piece 15. The machine comprises means to sterilize the containers before they are filled. To effect this, the containers moving down by gravity towards a filling station fitted with a filling nozzle 32, pass between luminescent tubes 33 emitting other sheet.

pended to the reflector 35 by means of any well-known type of fitting.

After passing opposite the luminescent tubes 33, the containers accumulate at the bottom of the inclined plane provided on the slide 31, the latter being then provided with a rounded hump designated by the reference number 42 in Fig. 9. The containers which have accumulated between the said inclined plane and the said rounded hump are brought by hand opposite the filling nozzle 32. In the course of this displacement they are made to turn through an angle of about the axis of their mouthpiece in order to bring them to the position occupied by the container 1 in Fig. 9. In thisposition the containers are borne by an adjustable support comprising a pal-r43 in the shape of a corner plate and two extensions 44 and 45 the respective positions of which are adjustable, transversally in relation to the one, respectively in relation to the other of the wings of the .part 43, by means of knobs 46. Opposite'the filling nozzle 32, the machine comprises means, shown in Fig. 11,

and serving tokeep the container brought onto the support 43 immovable opposite the said nozzle, in order that the nozzle may be. lowered and inserted into the mouth-piece 15 of the said container. These means comprise a clamp47 fitted with jaws 48 and 49 capable of gripping the said mouth-piece, the clamp being articulated in 50 to a fixed part of the machine and its arms being articulated one to the other in 51.

In Fig. 9 may be seen aseventh embodiment of the container. This embodiment comprises a flat rectangular shaped container having an opening fitted with an automatic closing valve 6. This valve is constituted by two sheets of thermoplastic material, for instance of poly-ethylene, which form a flattened duct and each of which comprises two opposite parts applied in a permanent fashion each against the corresponding part of the These parts are connected to one another by welded seams 9. The duct formed between them becomes gradually narrower towards the interior of the container. The valve 6 is welded in an opening provided in the upper edge of the container. The welded seams 5 of this upper edge also partially close the valve by forming a constriction of the valve at the point where it is connected to the walls of the container. The mouthpiece 15 is inserted by force into the opening subsisting between the said welded scams 5. This mouth-piece comprises an exterior part 29, of a larger diameter, provided with a circular groove 30. The exterior part of the mouth-piece 15 has a shape of revolution, and the sameapplies to the orifice of this mouth-piece, so that the containers suspended to the slide 31 by their mouthpieces 15 may be turned at will inflany direction. In this seventh embodiment, moreover, the whole of the mouthpiece 15 has a shape of revolution and it will be remarked that it keeps the walls of the duct valve 6 separated over a certain length of this duct and induces the formation, in at least one of the said walls, of a crease 16 which tends to maintain the valve 6 closed at its inner end, independently of the pressure of the fluid contained in the container. It is clear that the mouth-piece 15 facilitates the'introduction into the duct of the valve 6 of a tube which is inserted into. the container through this.

container, owing to the fact'that it is provided with a conical seat for the end of theffilling nozzle 32 and thus forms a fluid-tight joint with it.

The modification shown in Fig. 12 differs from the seventh embodiment in that the mouth-piece is provided, just below the welds 5, with an annular ridge 24 which maintains this mouth-piece even more firmly in the orifice of the valve 6 of the duct. The welding seams 9 of this valve are shown to be parallel to one another, this being rendered possible by the formation of the crease 16 which considerably improves the fluidtightness of such a valve.

The modification shown in Fig. 13 differs from the one shown in Fig. 12 in that the mouth-piece 15, instead of being provided with a groove 30, is only fitted with an upper rim 29.

The modification shown in Figs. 14 and 15 comprises a shaped mouth-piece the cross section of which has two diametrally opposed points. This mouth-piece is welded to the container, between the upper edges of the valve 6, at the same time as the welds 5 are carried out. Two transversal slots from two lateral points 29 which serve to support the container on a slide such as the slide 31. In case, however, the container should be turned in relation to the slide about the axis of the mouth-piece 15, the points 29' would be disengaged from the slide and the container would then be able to fall freely. This arrangement may be of advantage in certain cases. It is not appropriate for filling the container by means of the machine shown in Figs. 9 to 11.

The Figs. 16 and 17 show two further modifications of containers. The modification shown in Fig. 16 is similar to that shown in Fig. 13 from which it differs by the fact that the mouth-piece 15 has no ridge 24. The modification of Fig. 17 is similar to that shown in Fig. 12 from which it differs by the fact that two diametrally opposed projections 30', moulded in one piece with the said mouth-piece, are provided in place of the groove 30. It is easy to conceive that the outside surface of a funnelshaped mouth-piece 15 as that of the embodiments of Figs. 1 to 3, 6 and 8 can also cooperate with a slide such as the slide of the machine shown in Figs. 9 to 11 and serveto suspend the container to this slide.

What we claim is:

1. A container, in particular for'fluids, made of pliant material and having an opening therein, an automatic sealing valve fitted in said opening comprising two walls, the opposite surfaces of which are kept against each other as long 'as no filler or emptying tube is introduced therebetween, said walls forming a normally flat tubular duct, and means in said opening and extending between the walls of said duct for keeping the walls of said duct permanently spaced from one another over a part of the length of said duct, said means being more rigid than the walls of the duct and having an opening which permits the introduction of a filler or emptying tube, said means being spaced from the inner end of the duct for insuring the formation of a crease in at least one wall of the duct and between the inner end of the duct and said means.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1, in which the walls of the said duct are kept against each other by two welds connecting the two walls of the flattened duct, said welds extending transversally of the length of the said duct and having their ends opposed to each other.

3. An automatic sealing valve for a container for fluids made of pliant material and having an opening, said valve having one end fitted in said opening, said valve comprising two Walls, the opposite surfaces of which are kept against each other as long as no filler or emptying tube is introduced between said walls, said walls forming a flattened duct, and means in the end of the duct towards the exterior of the container for permanently maintain ing the duct open at the said end and to facilitate the introduction of a filler or emptying tube into the duct, said means being more rigid than the walls of the duct for insuring the formation of a crease in at least one wall of the duct between the inner end of the duct and said means.

4. A container as claimed in claim 3, in which the said means comprises two strips having each a curved middle portion, the ends of said two strips being against the corresponding ends of one another and forming the upper edge of the container, their curved portions being opposed to one another and forming the two opposite edges of the opening of the container.

5. A container as claimed in claim 3 in which said means is a mouth-piece having resilient lips for hearing against a tube which may be introduced into the container, whereby a fluid-tight joint between the opening of the duct and the tube is formed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 623,199 Bates Apr. 19, 1899 1,809,259 Williams June 9, 1931 2,373,340 Rohdin Apr. 10, 1945 2,572,686 Andre Oct. 23, 1951 2,682,902 Metzger July 6, 1954 2,696,342 Toborg Dec. 7, 1954 2,697,531 Hood Dec. 21, 1954

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