ES1305802U - DISPENSER FOR LIQUIDS STORED IN BAG-IN-BOX PACKAGING - Google Patents

Abstract

Dispenser for liquids stored in bag-in-box type containers comprising a structure (1) provided with a housing (32) intended to house a bag-in-box type container (24) provided with a bag or box (25) intended to house a liquid and a tap (26) integral with the bag or box (25) that has tabs (27) and a mouth (31), and a front body (2) that delimits said housing (32), a drive assembly (9) that facilitates the exit of the liquid, characterized in that the drive assembly (9) comprises: a support (30) attachable to the front body (2), a lever (16) tiltable with respect to the support (30) that comprises an actuation sector (17) that protrudes through the front body (2), and pushing arms (18) opposite the actuation sector (17) between which an opening (29) intended to receive the tap ( 26), where the pushing arms (18) are intended to push the tabs (27) of the tap (26) to facilitate the opening of the tap once the drive sector (17) is pressed.

Description

DESCRIPTION

DISPENSER OF LIQUIDS STORED IN BAG TYPE CONTAINERS IN

BOX

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a liquid dispensing device capable of dispensing liquid stored in bag-in-box type containers.

The device object of the invention allows the bag tap to be operated without touching it with the hands, preventing contamination of the liquid stored in the boxed bag. Furthermore, the device dispenses the liquid directly after it comes out of the tap without passing through ducts or other additional bodies connected to the tap, thus avoiding any remains of the dispensed liquid retained and in contact with the outside, which are therefore susceptible to damage. and contaminate the liquid of the next dispensation, as well as constrict or occlude the exit ducts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There is a product on the market called a bag in a box, used to store and dispense a liquid, both for food use, such as water and juices, and for non-food use, such as detergents. It comprises an airtight bag (or alternatively a box) made of plastic whose function is to contain the liquid and a sufficiently rigid and light external box that houses and protects the bag. The interior of the bag communicates with the exterior through a tap or valve fixed to the bag, which allows the circulation to be regulated and the liquid to be dispensed, avoiding contact of the stored liquid with the exterior, thus guaranteeing its properties and conditions. proper hygiene.

Various accessories are also available for use with the bag in a box. One of them is a connector inside which the tap is housed. The connector comprises a control for opening and closing the tap and a nipple for connecting a conduit, which may be a flexible tube. The liquid, after coming out of the tap, circulates through the connector until it exits through the nozzle.

Depending on the dispensing needs, a dispensing pump is connected to the outlet end of the conduit, which controls the flow of the liquid. Additionally, other pieces such as collectors, diffusers and aerators can be connected.

The airtight bag and tap ensure that the liquid remains in perfect condition for use. However, the faucet, alone or combined with the accessories mentioned above, can cause contamination, malfunction or failure problems, in addition to requiring complex maintenance.

If the faucet is used without any accessories, since it is accessible for manual operation, the user may touch any part of the faucet, especially the mouth of the faucet, which may contaminate the liquid.

If the faucet is mounted on a connector, when you close the faucet, liquid may remain stagnant between the faucet outlet and the connector nozzle. The same problem arises if pipes and other bodies are added downstream of the tap through which the liquid circulates. This stagnant liquid can pose a risk to health and safety because when it is in contact with the air and the environment it can oxidize, become contaminated with microbes and cause undesirable phenomena, such as a decrease in the diameter of the ducts or their occlusion.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is a dispenser for liquids stored in bag-in-box type containers. The liquid dispensing device comprises a rigid structure provided with a housing intended to house a liquid container (especially a bag-in-box type container) and a tap drive assembly of the container intended to receive the tap.

The structure may have a parallelepiped shape or any other convenient shape to house the container. To provide more rigidity to the structure, the person skilled in the art will understand that its bodies can be fixed to a frame that forms the edges of the structure, and will be able to add the necessary elements to provide more rigidity or more stability to the liquid dispensing device. , such as a lower base that rests on the surface where the liquid dispensing device is placed or a base where the container to be filled rests.

The structure comprises a lower support body on which the container rests and at least two lateral bodies fixed to the support body and which prevent lateral movement of the container. The support body and the side bodies may be, but are not limited to, a grid, a sheet or a profile.

In one configuration, a front body is provided, that is, located on the face where the tap is located once the bag-in-box is placed on the support body. This body either pivots with respect to the rest of the structure on an axis located in a horizontal or vertical position and on any edge of said face, or it is removably attached to the rest of the structure on said face and remains immobile. The front body is composed of a single plate or two plates. If it is a single plate, the drive assembly is fixed to the inside of the front body. If there are two plates, one interior and one exterior parallel to each other, the drive assembly is fixed to the interior space formed between the two plates.

Continuing with the previous configuration, the drive assembly is fixed to the front body at the same height as the tap.

In another configuration without a front body, the drive assembly is positioned on the front face at the same height as the faucet and is attached to a drive assembly support. This support is a crossbar or any other structure that supports the drive assembly. In this case, the drive assembly support is fixed to the frame or other bodies of the structure or pivots by means of axles located in the frame or structure.

The drive assembly consists of a support attachable to the front body and a lever coupled to the support so that it can move with respect to an axis defined in the support. The axis can pass through a hole made in a perpendicular portion of the lever formed for this purpose, or be introduced into a hole made in the body of the lever without the need to form a specific portion for the axis.

The support is provided with one or more surfaces intended to serve as support for the tap, preventing its displacement and excessive mechanical stress at the joint between the tap and the boxed bag.

The faucet with which the object of the invention is used is provided with lugs so that, by sliding them relative to the body of the faucet, it opens. The body of the lever comprises an actuation sector, configured to receive a force that moves the lever, and one or more thrust portions, such as fins, which may be flat, curved or form various surfaces that are a combination of flat and curved, with different orientations from each other, configured so that, when placing the drive assembly in its position of use, these fins are positioned in contact with the lugs and when moving the lever, the fins press on the lugs, displacing you are and opening the tap.

Alternatively, the movement of the lever can be linear on rails or grooves.

In order to operate the lever, the front body has an opening configured so that the actuation sector of the lever protrudes through the opening and pivots at a sufficient angle so that the tap opens.

According to an additional feature of the invention, the actuation assembly is provided with a stop against which the lever makes contact in its position of complete opening of the tap, that is, in its position of maximum rotation, to avoid excessive mechanical stress in the lugs of the tap, as well as a stop in its maximum displacement position in the opposite direction to that mentioned.

According to another additional feature of the invention, the body of the lever is provided with gripping elements that prevent movement between the tap and the actuation assembly when the lever is in dispensing and arming positions.

The dispensed liquid exits the drive assembly through an opening made in a surface of the support or front body.

The construction described above allows the tap to be operated without the risk of touching it directly and eliminates the use of additional parts in which liquid can become trapped, guaranteeing the integrity of the liquid to be dispensed and being able to work with the health record of the producer of the product. liquid.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description that is being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, in accordance with a preferred example of its practical implementation, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part of said description. where, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, the following has been represented:

Figure 1.- Shows a perspective view of the liquid dispensing device with a cutout showing the bag in a box.

Figure 2.- Shows a perspective view of the front body and the faucet drive assembly, in which the outer plate of the front body has been exploded to allow a view of the faucet drive assembly.

Figure 3.- Shows a perspective view, from behind, of the front body.

Figure 4.- Shows a perspective view, from behind, of a part of the faucet drive assembly.

Figure 5.- Shows a perspective view of the lever.

Figure 6.- Shows a view of a bag-in-box type container and a cut of the front body.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, according to Figures 1, 4, 5 and 6, the dispensing device for liquids stored in bag-in-box type containers comprises:

a structure (1) provided with a housing (32) intended to house a bag-in-box type container (24) provided with a bag or box (25) intended to house a liquid and a tap (26) integral with the bag or box (25) which has flanges (27) and an embouchure (31), and

a front body (2) that delimits said housing,

a drive assembly (9) that facilitates the exit of the liquid,

characterized in that the drive assembly (9) comprises:

a support (30) attachable to the front body (2),

a lever (16) tilting with respect to the support (30) that comprises

a drive sector (17) that protrudes through the front body (2), and

push arms (18) opposite the drive sector (17) between which an opening (29) intended to receive the tap (26) is defined, where the pushing arms (18) are intended to push the tabs (27 ) of the tap (26) to facilitate the opening of the tap once the drive sector (17) is pressed.

Reference 28 of Figure 6 shows the relationship between the tabs (27) and the pushing arms (18). The container (24) is shown separated from the front body to better appreciate the tap (26) and the lever (16).

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the front body (2) comprises:

an outer plate (4), provided with a lower wall (6) that has a liquid outlet opening (7) intended to be in correspondence with the mouth (31) of the tap (26),

an interior plate (5) attachable to the exterior plate (4) that is provided with an interior partition (10) that incorporates an opening (8) that facilitates the passage of the tap (26).

Figure 3 shows a rear view of the front body in which the interior partition (10) has been hidden to allow the lever (16) to be seen.

As illustrated in Figure 2, the faucet drive assembly (9) is positioned between the outer (4) and inner (5) plates. The faucet drive assembly (9) is positioned so that the opening (8) of the interior partition (10) is at the same height as the faucet.

As illustrated in Figures 2 and 4, the support (30) comprises:

two lateral exterior profiles (11) attachable to the lower wall (6) and an upper exterior profile (12), which joins the lateral exterior profiles,

two interior lateral profiles (13) fixed to the interior partition (10) and an upper interior profile (14) that joins the interior lateral profiles (13), each interior lateral profile (13) being provided with two axes (33) around those that the lever (16) tilts,

a support profile (15), fixed to the side profiles (13) horizontally below the upper inner profile (14), the support profile (15) being intended to limit the vertical movement of the tap.

Furthermore, the faucet drive assembly (9) is provided with a U-shaped lever (16), as detailed in Figure 5. The U defines an opening (29) that is configured to receive the faucet (26). .

The lever (16) comprises:

-An actuation sector (17), configured to protrude through an opening provided in the outer plate (4) and to receive an upward and downward force that rotates the lever (16).

-Push arms (18), at the ends of which several sections (19) with different orientations and an intermediate section (20) have been formed, configured to contact the tabs (27) of the tap and exert a vertical force on them.

-Two lateral lugs (21), formed perpendicularly to the drive sector (17) provided with two holes crossed by the axes (33) of each lateral interior profile (13), configured to rotate around said axes (33).

Additionally, the side lugs (21) are provided with projections (22) that abut the support profile (15) and are configured to limit the angular movement of the lever (16).

Additionally, in a portion of the sections (19) gripping elements (23) for gripping the tap are provided. These gripping elements (23) are intended to engage the faucet body (26) when the drive sector (17) is both in an approximately horizontal position and displaced downwards, so that the opening of the front body is blocked ( 2) and the displacement of the drive assembly (9) with respect to the tap (26) is prevented, and it is prevented from disengaging from the tap body (26) to allow the opening of the front body (2) when the drive sector (17) is inclined. upwards.

Figure 6 shows the container (24) that includes the bag or box (25), in this embodiment of parallelepiped shape, and the tap (26). The tap (26) comprises tabs (27) configured so that, by sliding them upwards, the tap (26) opens.

To close the housing (32) with the front body (2), the lever (16) is in a first position called access, which in this embodiment is higher (that is, with the actuation sector (17) moved towards above). The body of the tap (26) fits into the opening (29) of the lever (16) formed by the pushing arms (18).

Next, the lever (16) is rotated to a second position, called arming, which in this embodiment is approximately horizontal (that is, with the actuation sector (17) approximately horizontal). In this way, the body of the tap (26) fits into the opening (29) of the lever (16) that is defined between the pushing arms (18), and the gripping elements (23) trap and immobilize the body of the tap. tap (26). In this position, the front body cannot be opened, as explained above. With the lever (16) in this second position, the liquid dispensing device is ready to dispense.

To dispense, the drive sector (17) is pressed down to a third position called dispensing, so that the pushing arms (18) press the tabs (27) of the tap (26), opening it and dispensing the liquid.

Claims (6)

1. - Dispenser for liquids stored in bag-in-box type containers that comprises a structure (1) provided with a housing (32) intended to house a bag-in-box type container (24) provided with a bag or box (25) intended to house a liquid and a tap (26) integral with the bag or box (25) that has tabs (27) and a mouthpiece (31), and a front body (2) that delimits said housing (32), a drive assembly (9) that facilitates the exit of the liquid, characterized in that the drive assembly (9) comprises: a support (30) attachable to the front body (2), a lever (16) tilting with respect to the support (30) that comprises a drive sector (17) that protrudes through the front body (2), and push arms (18) opposite the drive sector (17) between which an opening (29) intended to receive the tap (26) is defined, where the pushing arms (18) are intended to push the tabs (27 ) of the tap (26) to facilitate the opening of the tap once the drive sector (17) is pressed. 2. - The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the front body (2) comprises: an outer plate (4), provided with a lower wall (6) that has a liquid outlet opening (7) intended to be in correspondence with the mouth (31) of the tap (26), an interior plate (5) attachable to the exterior plate (4) that is provided with an interior partition (10) that incorporates an opening (8) that facilitates the passage of the tap (26). 3. - The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the support (30) comprises: two lateral exterior profiles (11) attachable to the lower wall (6), and an upper exterior profile (12), which joins the lateral exterior profiles two interior lateral profiles (13) fixed to the interior partition (10) and an upper interior profile (14) that joins the interior lateral profiles (13), each interior lateral profile (13) being provided with two axes (33) around those that the lever (16) tilts, a support profile (15), fixed to the side profiles (13) horizontally below the upper inner profile (14), the support profile (15) being intended to limit the vertical movement of the tap. 4. The dispenser of claim 3, wherein the pushing arms (18) have at their end several sections (19) with different orientations and an intermediate section (20) intended to contact the tabs (27) of the faucet and exert a force on them. 5. The dispenser of claim 4, wherein the pushing arms (18) are provided with one or more gripping elements (23) that are intended to hook to the body of the faucet (26) when the drive sector (17) is in an approximately horizontal position and moved upwards, blocking the opening of the front body (2), and to be disengaged from the faucet body (26) to allow the front body (2) to open when the drive sector (17) is tilted upwards 6. The dispenser of claim 5, wherein the lever (16) comprises lateral lugs (21), formed perpendicular to the actuation sector (17) provided with two holes crossed by the axes (33) of each lateral interior profile. (13) and configured to rotate around said axes (33), the lateral lugs (21) being provided with projections (22) configured to abut the support profile (15) and limit the movement of the lever (16). ).