Packaging Systems LLC

Rapak, LLC

Ds Smith Plastics Limited

David S. Smith Packaging Limited

The Coca-cola Company

Christopher C Rutter

Lamar Spalding

Robert A Bilbrey

Bruce R Koball

William Charron

Mark A Smith

Michael L Wilford

William J Olson

Terry Quashnick

Lee H Laiterman

James H Rebholz

Stanley E Hurd

James S Zielinksi

A flexible container and a method of manufacturing the same where a spout or fitment is attached to the outside of the flexible container. The flexible container includes a patch having at least a portion of the patch overlapping an opening of the flexible container. The fitment is attached to the outside of the sidewall of the container and the portion of the patch which overlaps the opening of the flexible container. The fitment includes a flange with a bottom surface having sealing beads. The sealing beads can be bonded to the outside of the sidewall of the container and/or the portion of the patch which overlaps the opening of the flexible container.

Form fill and seal container

A spout for a flexible bag adapted to hold a liquid, the spout adapted for coupling with a connector having a rotatable spout adapter with an internal thread. The spout has a substantially cylindrical body with an outer surface, a spout opening, and a spout axis. The spout further has at least one flexible tab attached to and protruding radially distal from the outer surface of the cylindrical body of the spout. The tab has a top side that is substantially perpendicular to the spout axis, a bottom side opposing the top side, and a leading edge for engaging the thread. Additionally, the spout, has an undeformed tab length that typically deforms upon engaging the internal thread of the spout adapter.

Spout for screw on connector

An improved screw-on assembly for coupling line connectors with spouts has been invented. The invention can be used with bag-in-box packaging or with a variety of other applications requiring fluid coupling. In one embodiment, threading is accomplished by mating internal threads on a line connector with flexible tabs located on the spout. Deformation of the tabs during threading provides a restorative force that stabilizes the assembly during threading. Cooperation of the deformable tabs with structures near the end of the thread provides for self-locking of the assembly. In addition, the tabs are situated on a flange, providing compatibility of the present invention with prior art line connectors.

Screw on connector

A machine and method for filling bags with liquid through spouts attached to the bags, wherein a piston within a filling head that operates to control flow of the liquid from the filling head is also extended out of the filling head and into the spout, after the bag is filled, in order to push remaining material from the spout and through is bottom opening into the bag. The spout bottom opening is then closed, after which any remaining material adhering to the walls inside the spout and surfaces of the filling head are cleaned by forming a chamber between them through which a cleaning fluid is passed. This machine and method are particularly useful when filling bags with highly viscous and/or sticky liquids, such as thick food products. They avoid a result of having either to distribute messy bags of product with material remaining adhered to the outside of the spout and/or bag, or to first remove this material by an additional cleaning step.

Filling head mechanism that removes material from a spout of a filled

A collapsible bag having opposed sidewalls for containing and dispensing liquid including a spout attached to a sidewall and having a spout axis, a sidewall axis extending through a central portion of the spout dividing the container into separate portions, and a fluid passage member secured to a sidewall and extending in a direction perpendicular to the spout axis and having a portion spaced a distance from the sidewall axis.

Flexible container with evacuation form insert

A filling head apparatus for filling a container in sterile conditions. The filling head comprises a regulating valve displaceable in three positions: open position, closed position, and displacement position. The inner wall of the spout of the container is cleaned by a pushing cylinder of the regulating valve traveling from the closed position to the displacement position. In addition, the filling head can freely move in respect to a sterile filling chamber encompassing the filling tip of the filling head. Furthermore, the filling head of the present invention comprises a diversion path to minimize the 'water hammer' effect.

High speed aseptic filling machine

A quick-disconnect fluid coupling is provided that includes a spout assembly comprising a spout fitment having a first fluid opening and a spout valve member having a second fluid opening and capable of rotating from a first position to a second position to form a spout fluid path between the first and second fluid openings. The fluid coupling also includes a service-line connector comprising a line fitment member including a third fluid opening, and a connector valve member having a fourth fluid opening and capable of rotating from a third position to a fourth position to form a connector fluid path between the third and fourth fluid openings, whereby a spout-connector fluid path is formed between the second and fourth fluid openings upon attachment of the service-line connector to the spout assembly. The connector valve member further includes an engagement mechanism for engaging with the spout valve member in a manner that rotation of the connector valve member for coupling in series the spout and connector fluid paths by way of the spout-connector fluid path to form a substantially straight fluid path.

Service-line valve connector and spout valve

A fitment for a flexible container and method of using the same, especially suitable for use with a dispensing system having a peristaltic pump. The fitment having a generally cylindrical base assembly and an outlet port for providing access to the contents of the container, and a spout body dimensioned to attach to the base assembly to form a fluid flow path between the base assembly and spout body. A cap and barrier material may also be provided to seal the outlet port of the container and protect against contamination.

Fitment for a flexible container

A method and apparatus for coupling with a spout to permit coupling of a valve sub-assembly housed in the apparatus with a slider valve housed in the spout. The apparatus includes a sleeve having at least two resilient finger members diverging from each other wherein each finger member has a flange engaging surface engageable with the flange portion of the spout. At least a portion of the sleeve is axially disposable about at least the flange portion of the spout, and the valve sub-assembly is slidable in the sleeve to couple with the slider valve in the spout when the sleeve is coupled to the spout. A collar is slidable over an outer surface of the sleeve for constricting the resilient finger members about the spout as the collar slides from an upper end of the sleeve and over the resilient finger members toward a lower end of the sleeve, and for releasing the constricted resilient finger members of the sleeve as the collar slides from the resilient finger members and toward the upper end of the sleeve. The flange engaging surface of the resilient finger members is engageable with the flange portion of the spout to couple the sleeve with the spout when the resilient finger members are constricted about the spout by the collar.

Method and apparatus for coupling with a spout

A spout fitment attached to a liquid filled bag, or other fluid container, of a type having a slidable dispensing valve member to receive a line connector for establishing a fluid path from an interior of the container, through a valve element in the line connector and into a service line attached to the line connector. Although the dispensing valve member is slid into the container when the line connector is inserted therein, the sliding motion does not form the container valve action. The container seal is established by a valve element within the slidable dispensing valve member that is resiliently biased to close an opening therein. The dispensing valve member thus need not be slid in the fitment when the line connector is removed from the dispensing valve member, thereby making it easier to remove and reinsert the line connector. Insertion of the line connector within the dispensing valve member causes their respective valve elements to engage each other to open and form the fluid flow path.

Liquid container valve structures for use with service-line connectors

According to a preferred embodiment, a machine for filling containers, such flexible plastic bags, with fluid product, such a liquid food product, uses two container fill nozzles that each has a product supply system. While one of the nozzles is being used to fill containers that are being moved through the machine, the other nozzle and its product supply system is being cleaned. For the cleaning, at least one receptacle is provided to receive a nozzle being cleaned. Any product remaining in the delivery system and nozzle is flushed out through the receptacle in which the nozzle is inserted, and those portions cleaned. Fresh product is then loaded back into the delivery system and dispensed through the nozzle into the containers. This system and these operating techniques allow the product to be changed frequently without having to suffer a significant down time of the filling machine for cleaning.

Dual channel bag filling machine with a clean in place system that

A machine for filling containers, such as flexible plastic bags, with fluid product, such as liquid food product, using two container fill nozzles that each having a product supply system. While one of the nozzles is being used to fill containers that are being moved through the machine, the other nozzle and its product supply system is being cleaned. For the cleaning, at least one receptacle is provided to receive a nozzle being cleaned. Any product remaining in the delivery system and nozzle is flushed out through the receptacle in which the nozzle is inserted, and those portions cleaned. Fresh product is then loaded back into the delivery system and dispensed through the nozzle into the containers. This system and these operating techniques allow the product to be changed frequently without having to suffer a significant down time of the filling machine for cleaning.

Dual channel bag filling machine with a clean-in-place system that

A collapsible bag for use in containing and dispensing a liquid, such as in a bag-in-box arrangement, and a method for making the bag. Prior to sealing together two bag walls to form the bag, a one-piece spout and evacuation strip unit is attached to the outside surface of one bag wall and one or more openings are provided through the bag wall in liquid communication with a plurality of liquid channels in the strip. The two bag walls are then sealed together to form the bag and the evacuation strip provides liquid passageways for the liquid in the bag to flow to the spout to achieve complete withdrawal of the liquid from the bag as the bag collapses.

Growing community of inventors

Oakland, CA, United States of America

Christopher C Rutter