"MEANS FOR THE COLLECTION AND DELIVERY, BY DISPENSERS, OF DRINKING WATER AND DRINKS"

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TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention concerns means for the collection and delivery, by dispensers, of drinking water and drinks.

More specifically, this invention refers to an appliance for domestic use designed to dispense water by means of a dispensing system that allows the use of aseptic bags, generally made from polyethylene, instead of rigid containers or large bottles .

These bags are hermetically sealed on all sides, they have no valves or caps and with the new support they can be used on all coolers on the market. '

With respect to known solutions, the dispenser according to the invention offers numerous important advantages in terms of hygiene, practicality and economics.

The invention can mainly be applied in the industry for the production of water cooling appliances both for the home and for small or medium-sized public areas.

BACKGROUND ART

It is known that to cool water in domestic or small/medium-sized public environments, special dispensers are used in which mains water is placed, or which dispense water contained in rigid containers or large bottles.

Figure 1 shows a traditional dispenser of water contained in these bottles.

This known dispenser, which makes it possible to dispense water or other liquids in offices, domestic or

community environments, generally comprises a cooling unit 1 with a cooled accumulation tank 2 in which the rigid containers 3, or bottles, containing the liquid to be cooled are inserted (these containers are generally returnable bottles made from polycarbonate or disposable PET bottles ) .

These bottles are filled and capped by the bottling suppliers and can be used in coolers either without a cap, or in a more hygienic and secure way with the use of a special cap 4 which when inserted in a special valve 5 allows the liquid in the cooling tank 2 to flow out without spilling.

In practice, by exploiting the principle of communicating vessels, when the dispenser is empty the liquid flows out of the bottle 3 into the cooling tank 2 until it reaches the level 6 of the cap. The compensation air in the upper part 7 of the bottle comes from the external environment.

If the bottle is rigid and has no holes or cracks, an equilibrium is established that stops the liquid flowing out of the bottle.

When the taps 8 are operated, the level 6 drops, causing the liquid to flow out of the bottle until the compensation between the level 6 and the cap 4 is restored as at the start.

This system is very simple but presents many practical drawback which have a negative effect on the practicality and the level of hygiene of the appliance.

First of all, it is necessary to use rigid containers which can either be disposable or returnable, with two distinct sets of problems.

If they are disposable PET containers they are very expensive as they must be strong enough to allow their transport (currently a minimum of 450 gr. of material),

while if they are returnable containers made from polycarbonate or other materials they must be:

• returned to the suppliers (pointless transport of empty bottles); • checked one by one for safety (to prevent the use of bottles filled by customers with other liquids, for example combustibles, etc.)?

• washed in very expensive and bulky machines using special highly pollutant detergents; • rinsed thoroughly and sanitised;

• refilled in an aseptic environment and capped with special caps.

Returnable containers last around 4/5 years depending on wear and tear and the processing cycles: they are not generally filled more than 20/30 times, thus involving high depreciation costs.

In order to compensate for the level, which in figure 1 is indicated with the number 6, air from the external environment must enter the bottle: this air is obviously not sterile and bacterial flora thus forms in the bottle, especially if the bottle is exposed to sunlight or if it is not used up quickly.

The introduction of bacterial flora or viruses in the bottle can occur if, for example, a person near the dispenser sneezes while liquid is being dispensed.

This system is, moreover, not suitable for dirty or dusty environments such as factories and workshops or in production or storage areas of chemical products such as paint, solvents, detergents, etc. The problem described above with regard to the bottle also applies to the liquid contained in the cooling tank 2.

The water cooler 1 must therefore be subjected to frequent and thorough sanitisation cycles.

A further but no less problematic drawback concerns the fact that costly bottling plants and large spaces for the movement of the full and empty bottles are necessary. Local distributors must also have adequate storage facilities for the two stocks since the full-bottle pallets cannot be stacked and generally only hold around 36 bottles per pallet.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention proposes to provide a compact water dispenser, in which the water is contained in disposable type bags, thus completely eliminating all the problems described above.

The invention also proposes to provide means for the collection and delivery, by dispensers, of drinking water and drinks in sealed disposable bags through the use of a specially designed dispenser that is very simple to construct in order to be inexpensive from the production point of view, thus allowing large-scale production and use.

This is achieved by means for the collection and delivery, by dispensers, of drinking water and drinks whose features are described in the main claim.

The dependent claims of this solution describe advantageous embodiments of the invention.

The main advantages of this solution, in addition to those deriving from its construction simplicity, concern first of all the fact that the dispenser according to the invention offers the fundamental advantage that the water and/or drink is contained in "throwaway" or disposable bags.

The means for the collection and delivery, by dispensers, of drinking water and drinks therefore substantially consist of a container positioned in the

upper part of the dispenser.

This new system has numerous advantages, in terms of hygiene, practicality and economics, in that as no air enters the bag all possible contamination with the external surroundings is prevented and the contamination of the cooler decreases.

Since there are no valves or caps to handle, contamination during replacement of the bag is avoided, and as the container is the disposable type there are no returns, washing and various handling operations by the end user or fillings with various liquids or other uses.

In addition, since the bags can be supplied in a wide range of sizes, many more applications are possible (the bottles normally used contain 5 USG = 18.9 litres): the bags can therefore be filled with products that are more perishable and consumed less frequently than water, such as wine, tea, soft drinks, etc.

Additional advantages concern the fact that sealed bags can be moved more easily by the supplier and the end user, that there is no need for space for empty bags and that the bags can be packed in boxes, for example 4 5- litre bags per box, taking up less space.

From the economic point of view, bags have a much better cost/litre ratio, no depreciation costs and a better weight/volume ratio, with lower transport costs.

As there are no returns, the product can also be supplied on single pallets instead of entire trucks or trailers.

There is no deposit fee for the product according to the invention and much simpler and cheaper machines are needed to fill the bags, above all eliminating the need, for any washing, sanitising and capping system.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the invention will become clear on reading the following description of one embodiment of the invention, given as a non-binding example, with the help of the accompanying drawings in which: figure 1 shows a schematic view of the traditional dispensing system with water "in bottles"; figure 2 shows a schematic view of the overall dispensing system of drinking water and other drinks according to the invention, in the open position; figure 3 shows a schematic view of a detail of the water bag perforation and product delivery unit, in the raised position; figure 4 shows a schematic view of a detail of the water bag perforation and product delivery unit, in the lowered operating position; figure 5 shows a schematic view of the overall dispensing system of drinking water and other drinks according to the invention, in the closed operating position; figure 6 shows a schematic view of a detail of the water bag perforation and product delivery unit, in the operating position.

DESCRIPTION OF ONE EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the accompanying figures, the reference number 10 indicates in general an appliance for domestic use, or also for small and medium-sized public areas, designed to dispense water according to this invention. As can be seen in figures 2 and 5 showing the basic components of the dispenser according to the invention, the appliance 10 allows the use of aseptic bags 11 generally made from polyethylene instead of rigid containers to hold the drinking water or drinks: these

bags are hermetically sealed on all sides, they have no valves or caps and with the new support can be used on all the water coolers on the market.

The bags 11 containing the drinking water, according to the invention, are inserted in an appropriately designed type of dispenser 10.

As can be seen in figures 2 and 5, the dispenser 10 consists of a lower cooling part 12 and an upper support 13, which adapts to any existing system, for a concave- shaped base 14.

The concave-shaped base 14 can be fitted with a cover 15 which prevents UV rays from reaching the bag 11 positioned inside.

The support 13 is centrally equipped with a vertical channel 16 which comprises a perforation and delivery device 17 at the upper end, and a stop valve 18 with a floating bell 19 at the lower end.

A lever 20 protrudes from the side of the support 13 and is used to operate the perforating device 17, moving it vertically to allow the perforation of the bag of water.

As can be seen in figures 3 and 4, the perforating device 17 presents a substantially conically shaped upper part 21 protruding from a collar 22 positioned on the upper part of a tube 23 which slides vertically inside the vertical channel 16 when the lever 20 is operated.

The conical part 21 of the perforating device 17 is equipped with holes 24 which communicate with the inner part of the tube. The collar 22 of the perforating device 17 rests on special gaskets 25 positioned in the central inner part of the support base 14.

The stop valve 18 and its respective floating bell 19 are located inside the accumulation and cooling tank

26 which contains a predetermined quantity of water 27, which can be dispensed through one of the taps 28 or 29.

To use the new support, it is first of all necessary to prepare the appliance by removing the valve 5 from the existing cooler (see figure 1) and installing the new support 13 with its base 14 together with the cover 15 if required.

Once the appliance has been prepared as described, it is sufficient to insert the bag 11 in the base 14 in such a way that the lower surface of the bag rests on the central part of the base.

At this point it is sufficient to lower the lever 20 so that the perforating device 17 perforates the bag 11.

When the lever 20 is released, the perforating device 17 returns to its original position and, thanks to the elasticity of the bag and the particular arrow shape of the perforating device, it pulls down a small part of the bag, and the collar 22 holds the edge of the perforated bag against the gasket 25. This allows the liquid in the bag to pass through the holes 24 in the perforating device 17 into the cooling tank 26, causing the floating bell 19 to rise to a predetermined level, since the bell 19 activates the valve 18 which stops the flow of liquid. It can be noted that since the bag 11 is not a rigid container, it collapses in on itself without exchanging air with the outside.

The invention in question makes it possible to achieve all the advantages in terms of hygiene, practicality and economics described above, and in particular from a hygiene point of view:

1 ) as no air enters the bag, contamination from the external environment is prevented; 2) as the level 16 of the liquid is much lower than the

level 6, contamination of the cooler is reduced; 3 ) as there are no valves or caps to be handled, contamination during replacement of the bag is avoided; 4 ) as the bag is disposable, there are no returns, washing or various handling operations by the end user (filling with various liquids or used for different purposes). From a practical point of view: 5) as the bags can be supplied in a wide range of sizes, many more applications are possible (the bottles normally used contain 5 USG = 18.9 litres): the bags can therefore be filled with products that are more perishable and consumed less frequently than water, such as wine, tea, soft drinks, etc);

6) the bags are easier for the end user to move;

7) no space is required for empties;

8) the bags can be packed in boxes (for example 4 5- litre bags per box = less space). Finally, from the economics point of view:

9) the bags have a much better cost/litre ratio and no depreciation costs.

10 ) they have a better weight/volume ratio = lower transport costs ^! 11) as there are no returns, the product can also be supplied on single pallets instead of entire trucks or trailers.

12) there is no deposit fee.

13) much simpler and cheaper machines are needed to fill the bags, above all eliminating the need for any washing, sanitising and capping system.

The invention is described above with reference to a preferred embodiment. It is nevertheless clear that the invention is susceptible to numerous variations which are

within its scope, within the framework of technical equivalents.

It is for example foreseen that the perforating device can have any shape, proportions and mechanical functioning, just as any valve means can be used to determine the closure of the flow of water according to the level of liquid in the cooling tank.