Description State of the art

The present invention refers to the field of storage elements for preserving liquid foods. More in detail the present invention refers to a new system of components adapted to allow the perfect preservation of liquid foods, such as vegetable oils and milk, and at the same time adapted to optimize the storage of said foods, with regard to the volume of space occupied by their containers, and to facilitate the transport of the latter. The present invention also refers to the relative process for obtaining said system for containing and transporting liquid foods.

State of the art

Systems for containing and storing liquid foods, such as vegetable oils and the like, have been known for many years. Nevertheless, of relatively recent use is a type of container that uses, as constituent material of the container, metal plates usually represented by stainless steel.

The selection of this material, for obtaining the portion set to contain and preserve the liquid food, is not random but rather substantially depends on the need to ensure a perfect preservation of the contained liquid substance. Materials such as tin, steel and metals in general, in addition to having uncontested resistance to mechanical stresses, and hence in addition to being difficult to break, are characterized by their light impenetrability. This property is considerably important for preserving foods such as vegetable oils. Light, interacting with liquid substances such as vegetable oils, is capable of initiating photochemical splitting mechanisms which alter the properties of the substance, sometimes conferring it with characteristics that are damaging for the human organism, usually due to the formation of highly reactive species such as the free radicals. The experimental results of such considerations have ensured that materials such as tin, steel and in particular stainless steel still today represent the preferred materials for obtaining containers set for preserving liquid foods such as vegetable oils.

Given some of their principle mechanical properties, such as high hardness, said materials require, for the processing thereof, the use of a relatively sophisticated technology. Generally, this is a drawing process, through which a plate is plastically deformed, assuming a pre-established shape. The impressed deformations are carried out due to the use of a punch that pushes the plate, possibly fixed with a push-plate, inside a matrix or mold with the pre-selected form.

The state of the art, of the field of the present invention, shows that most of the containers set for containing substances like vegetable oils are characterized in that they originate from processes that provide for a high number of welds. The "conventional" container is indeed constituted by: an upper "cap" portion, which also comprises the threaded neck for screwing the cap; by an intermediate calendered, cylindrical part, which forms the lateral wall of the container; and finally by a circular bottom obtained with very shallow drawing. These three components of the conventional container require: a weld along the circular line, for joining the cap with the cylindrical wall; a vertical weld for forming the cylindrical lateral wall of the container starting from the calendered plate strip; a third weld for joining the circular bottom of the container to the cylindrical circular wall. All of the above leads to problems consisting of excessive required production time and labor, and the need to preliminarily conduct the calendering in order to obtain the cylindrical wall of the container. As already mentioned, the material pre-selected for obtaining the container is usually stainless steel. Nevertheless, the use of the steel, or a similar material, for obtaining said containers, moreover with relatively large capacity, is in any case inevitably the cause of the problem relative to the excessive overall weight of the full container, as well as cause of its difficult transport, of the relatively large volume of space occupied by a set of containers in storage conditions.

For such purpose, the present invention, described in detail hereinbelow, proposes a new type of containers made of steel and/or similar materials for the preservation and storage of liquid foods. The container has integrated and/or integratable components that solve the problem relative to the difficult transport of said containers from one station to another, and which contribute to decisively limiting the space occupied thereby in storage conditions. The present invention also refers to the production process of said containers. Said process allows limiting the number of welds present in the finished product.

Description of the invention

The present industrial invention patent application describes a new type of metal containers, set for containing liquid foods such as vegetable oils and the like, characterized in that it has integrated and/or integratable components and a particular profile at specific points of the container, adapted to considerably facilitate the simultaneous transport of one or more containers from one position to another. The characteristics of said containers are also such to considerably limit the volume of space occupied in storage conditions. The described invention also refers to the process for obtaining said containers. Said process allows limiting the number of welds present in the finished product. More in detail the present invention refers to a system of components for storing and transporting liquid foods, comprising at least one metal container, preferably made of stainless steel, having a partially curved bottom, a cylindrical central body, a frustoconical top provided with a vacuum/pressure valve, which is a common valve that can be found on the market, and with neck equipped with cover and handle adapted to open the latter. The container(s) of the present system also comprises at least two diametrically-opposite handles, positioned on the cylindrical body in proximity to the line from which the frustoconical top departs and at two notches, also diametrically opposite, obtained in the cylindrical body of the container. Said notches have partially spherical, partially elliptical or partially prismatic form. Their function is to assist the user of the container during the lifting and transport of the container itself. The notches in question indeed allow ensuring the space necessary for effectively grasping the handles, even when the latter are relatively small. Said handles are characterized due to the fact that they do not exceed the height of the line from which the frustoconical top departs. All of the above contributes to reducing the waste of employed material. As already mentioned, the container(s) of the present system has a partially curved bottom. More in detail, starting from the lateral edges of said bottom and considering its external surface, said bottom has the curves which overall generate a profile precisely complementary to that of the surface of the frustoconical top of an analogous container. This particular characteristic offers the user of the container the possibility to stack a plurality of containers on top of each other, overall generating a "cluster" structure. There are two advantages offered by this particular profile of the bottom of the container. As stated above, it allows superimposing two or more containers on top of each other, limiting the volume of space occupied thereby in storage conditions, and at the same time, due to the conformation of the curves defining said curved profile, ensuring an effective cleaning of the interior of the container at the height of the bottom. Said curves indeed have a curvature radius sufficiently wide to generate, inside the container, notches (and not interstices) sufficiently wide to be accessible to specific cleaning instruments. As will be clearer in the course of the present description, also due to the observation of the enclosed drawings, the superimposition of the containers on top of each other has been stabilized due to the presence of complementary threads present on the surfaces of the containers, which ensure the absence of oscillations of the structure resulting from the set of stacked containers. A further aspect that characterizes the present system is given by the presence of at least one movement handle, obtainable from two assemblable portions, to be optionally connected to the handles present at the abovementioned notches. More in detail said notches provide the space necessary for fastening the assembly of said movement handle, adapted to facilitate the grip and the transport of one or more containers. The handle in question for such purpose comprises both fitting elements, which allow its stable assembly to the handles of the container, and ball joints, which allow the semicircular movement of the handle, once this has been assembled to the container. In order to understand the manner in which said movement handle is capable of facilitating the transport of a set of stacked containers, it is important to know that the system, object of the present invention, comprises a further movement component which is for the same purpose provided with wheels. More in detail, the present system comprises at least one circular base, having a flat bottom and a lateral border projecting in height from said flat bottom. The circular base is provided with at least two wheels. Its function is to represent a movable surface for the set of stacked containers. Hence, in generating the "cluster" structure to be transported, the user will have to sequentially arranged, from the bottom to the top: said circular base, shaped and sized for receiving a first container, said first container, a further container to be superimposed on the first and so on. Finally, the user will have to assemble the movement handle on any one of the stacked containers. The handle, due to its ball joints, allows the user to easily grasp the grip zone of said movement handle and draw the entire "cluster", if required transporting it from one station to another without performing excessive physical exertion and considerably limiting the time that the transfer of one container at a time would conventionally require. As stated above, the assemblable movement handle comprises two portions, assemblable by means of simple fitting, which when joined give rise to said handle. The assembly occurs, in a particular embodiment, by fixing a first portion to a handle of the container, then fixing the other portion to the remaining handle of the container and finally joining the two handle portions, thus obtaining the movement handle stably assembled to the container. The mode of assembly, provided for the movement handle, allows the user to conveniently select, both for facilitating the transport and for limiting the physical exertion, the container to which said handle will be assembled, once the stack of containers has been generated. In all embodiments thereof, the containers of the described invention are made with a process which provides for obtaining containers, comprising only two molded plate parts, obtainable without any filling material. Said process provides for, more in detail, the execution of a drawing deeper than the bottom and the cap, in a manner so as to be able to weld these components directly with a single circular weld, without any filling material and thus avoiding calendering for the obtainment of the lateral wall. The lateral wall, thus obtained, is substantially formed in part by the upper cap and in part by the bottom of the container. This result is obtainable due to a mold comprising an air introduction and expulsion system, which allows putting into practice a process comprising the steps of: descent of the mold in order to carry out the drawing of di mm (70 mm - 110 mm) of the neck of the container, without any exercise of the springs of the mold, with only the expulsion of air; further descent of the mold and drawing of the piece for additional d ₂ mm (270 mm - 330 mm), with a 50% pressure exercise of the springs and an introduction of air by means of suction; further descent of the mold in order to obtain the drawing of the piece for additional d ₃ mm (25 mm - 35 mm), and completion of the exercise of pressure of the springs, which act together with the air that is situated in the mold, keeping the piece still and allowing the compressed air inside the mold to definitively model the piece; the exit of the air, the ascent of the mold and the expulsion of the piece. During the first step, i.e. during the formation of the neck of the container, a central shearing punch attains the opening of the neck of the container with conventional mechanisms. For the molding of the bottom of the container, all the aforesaid steps are executed, except for the first step of the method. Finally, the two obtained pieces are welded, obtaining the finished product. All of the above is attained by using a molding system in which the springs present allow channeling the air sucked into the mold and being able to use said air in order to definitively model the piece. This has allowed obtaining a deeper drawing without tearing the plate. This technology allows obtaining containers made of steel, for containing foods such as vegetable oils, which are decidedly functional and involve a relatively low cost.

Brief description of the drawings

FIGURE 1 shows a front view of the system 1 for storing and transporting liquid foods, object of the present invention. Said system 1 comprises at least one container 2 adapted to contain the liquid food, at least one movable base 3 adapted to receive and facilitate the movement of the container(s) 2, at least one movement handle 4 adapted to be assembled to said container 2 in order to facilitate the transport thereof by the user. As is observed by the figure in question, three portions are observed on the container 2, and in particular the frustoconical top 2' comprising the valve 20 of vacuum/pressure type and the neck 5 provided with cover and optionally with a handle for the opening (not shown in the figure); the central cylindrical portion 2" having at least two diametrically-opposed notches 6 with partially circular, partially elliptical or partially prismatic form, and each having at least one handle 7 whose overall height does not exceed the line from which said top 2' departs; the curved bottom 2" ' having, inside the container 2, curved notches 8 defining a curvature radius sufficiently wide for allowing the cleaning of such notches, on the bottom of the container, by using specific instruments.

FIGURE 2 shows a front and detailed view of a container 2 to be inserted inside the movable base 3. The figure intends to emphasize one of the aspects characterizing the present invention, which is given by the possibility to stably and easily transport a plurality of stacked containers 2. For such purpose, each container 2 has a curved profile on the external surface of the bottom 2"', a curved profile that is perfectly adapted to the profile of the external surface of the top 2' of said container 2. This characteristic allows stacking the containers 2. In order to stabilize the structure that is obtained with this assembly mode, the container 2 is provided with a thread 9, present on the neck 5, to be screwed with a corresponding thread 9', present on the cavity 10 defined by the curved profile of the bottom 2"'. As is observed from the figure in question, the container 2 is provided, on the external surface of the cylindrical portion 2" and in proximity to the bottom 2"', with a thread 12 adapted to screw, and thus to stably and reversibly fix the container 2, with a corresponding thread 13 placed on the internal surface of the lateral projection 3' of the movable base 3. The figure also shows the presence of the weld 2"" placed at half the height of the container 2 which therefore comprises an upper plate portion and a lower plate portion. FIGURE 3 shows a front view of the movement handle 4 to be assembled to the container(s) 2 of the system 1, object of the invention. More in detail, from the observation of the figure 4(a), it is noted that said movement handle 4 comprises two portions, i.e. the portion 14 and the portion 15 which, when joined, generate said handle 4. The latter has the lateral segments 4', the central segment 4" and the segments 4"'. More in detail, each portion 14 and 15, of handle 4, comprises a segment portion 4", a lateral segment 4' and a segment 4"' joined to the lateral segment 4' and parallel to the segment portion 4". The joining of the two portions, 14 and 15, occurs by inserting the segment portion 4" of the portion 14 inside the segment portion 4" of the portion 15. Said portion 14 has, limited to its segment portion 4", a lower diameter than that of the segment portion 4" of the portion 15. The two segment portions 4" are also provided with a discrete flexibility such to allow the insertion of one segment portion inside the other. The assembly of the handle 4, to any one of the containers 2 of the present system, occurs due to the presence of the ends 16 of each segment 4"'. More in detail, as is observed from the figure in question, each portion 14 and 15 of handle 4 has a segment 4"' having the end 16, on which one can observe the cavity 17 to be fit with one of the handles 7 of the container 2. Still more in detail, the assembly will occur by fitting a handle 7, of the container 2, with said cavity 17 of the end 16, and by fitting the remaining handle 7 of the container 2 with the cavity 17 present on the other end 16 of the handle 4. The movement handle 4 also has at least two ball joints 19, each joining the segment 4' with the segment 4"' for each portion 14 and 15. Said joints 19 are adapted to facilitate the movement of the handle 4 once it has been assembled to the container 2 or the set of containers 2. Figure 3(b) shows a perspective view of the end 16 present on each segment 4"' of the movement handle 4. The figure in question emphasizes the presence of the cavity 17. Figure 3(c) instead refers to a particular embodiment, of the present invention, in which the handle 4 is provided, within the segment 4", with a common spring mechanism that allows elongating and retracting said segment 4". In this embodiment, the two portions 14 and 15 of handle 4 are already joined together, so that the assembly of the handle 4 to the container 2 will occur, exploiting known principles, by elongating said segment 4" and assembling the ends 16 of the handle 4 to the handles 6 of the container 2, as described above.

FIGURE 4 shows a front view of a stack of containers 2 rendered easily transportable due to the components and characteristics of the present system 1. More in detail, figure 4(a) shows a front view of three stacked containers 2, in which the container 2 at the base of the cluster is inserted within the movable base 3 provided with wheels 1 1 , and in which the movement handle 4 is reversibly assembled to the handles 7 of the container 2 placed at the top of the stack. Figure 4(b) is similar to figure 4(a) but the movement handle 4 is assembled to the handles 7 of the central container 2. The figure intends to emphasize that the movement handle 4 can be assembled to any one of the stacked containers, by meeting the specific needs of the user during the transport of the containers.

Description of the preferred embodiments

In its preferred embodiment, the system 1 for storing and transporting liquid foods such as vegetable oils and milk, comprises: at least one container 2 with capacity comprised between 1L and 100L adapted to contain said substances, at least one movable base 3 adapted to receive the container 2 and to facilitate the transport thereof, being provided with wheels 1 1 , at least one movement handle 4 also adapted to facilitate the user during the transport of said container 2 from one position to another. More in detail, three main portions can be identified on the container 2. That is, the frustoconical top 2', having the valve 20 and the neck 5 provided with a common cover and optionally with a handle adapted to open the latter; the central cylindrical portion 2", having at least two diametrically-opposed notches 6 and with partially circular, partially elliptical or partially prismatic form and each having at least one handle 7 whose overall height does not exceed the line from which said top 2' departs; the curved bottom 2"' having, inside the container 2, curved notches 8 defining a curvature radius sufficiently wide for allowing the cleaning of such notches, on the bottom of the container, by using specific instruments. In particular the width of the cavities 8 is comprised between 30 and 50 mm and is preferably 48 mm. The container 2 also has a single weld 2"" joining an upper plate part and a lower plate part, in which the upper plate part comprises the top 2' and part of the central portion 2", and the lower plate part comprises the bottom 2"' and part of the central portion 2". The curved bottom 2'" of the container 2 is one of the elements characterizing the present system, since its particular profile contributes to facilitating both the storage and the transport of one or more containers 2 from one position to another. More in detail the bottom 2"' of the container 2 has a curved profile such to be complementary to the profile of the surface of the frustoconical top 2' of an analogous container 2. This characteristic, as mentioned several times during the present description, allows superimposing a container 2 on another container 2, generating a "cluster" structure overall that allows intuitively reducing the volume of space occupied by said containers _. 2 in storage conditions. The stability of the structure, obtained by stacking a plurality of containers, is ensured by the presence of complementary threads 9 and 9' respectively placed on the lateral surface of the neck 5 of the top 2' of the container 2 and on the lateral surface of the cavity 10 which is defined by the external profile of the bottom 2" ' of said container 2 and which has a depth comprised between 30 and 50 mm and which is preferably 40 mm, analogous to the height of the cap 5. The transport of the entire cluster occurs due to the presence of the circular movable base 3. More in detail, said movable base 3, provided with wheels 11 , is shaped and sized in a manner such to stably receive a container 2 at the height of the bottom 2"'. Still more in detail, in order to generate the cluster of containers and render it easily transportable, the user will have to: house a first container 2 inside the movable base 3 which has the lateral projection 3' adapted to enclose the bottom 2"' of the container; superimpose a second container 2 on the first with the above-described mode and so forth. In order to stably fix the set of superimposed containers 2, to the movable base 3, the cylindrical body 2" of the container 2 has, on the external surface thereof, and in proximity to the bottom 2"', a thread 12 adapted to be fit with a corresponding thread 13, which is placed on the internal surface of the lateral projection 3' of the movable base 3. Of course, it will only be the first container, i.e. that housed in the base 3, to be screwed to the latter.

The system 1 for storing and transporting liquid foods, object of the present industrial invention patent application, as already stated also comprises the movement handle 4. When assembled to a single container 2 or to a plurality of stacked containers 2, the handle has the function of facilitating the transport of said container(s) both in the presence and in the absence of the movable base 3. Nevertheless, the handle's function is performed in a decidedly effective manner when it is assembled with a set of stacked containers 2, such handle inserted inside the movable base 3. This configuration, which sees the handle 4 assembled to any one of the containers 2, allows the user to easily draw the entire structure and transport it from one position to another in relatively brief time periods, in any case less than those required for transporting one container at a time, and carry out a considerably limited physical exertion. In order to understand the manner in which the assembly occurs of the handle 4 to any one of the stacked containers 2, it is important to know that said handle 4 is composed of two portions that can be assembled together or are already assembled together. More in detail, three segments can be identified on the handle 4, i.e. the lateral segments 4' and the central segment 4" which comprises the grip portion of said handle 4. The central segment 4" is obtained by the joining of two portions 14 and 15 which, when joined, generate said handle 4. More in detail, the portion 14 comprises in addition to the lateral segment 4', the segment 4" portion to be inserted inside the segment portion 4" comprised in the portion 15. Hence, the segment 4" portion of the portion 14 of handle 4 has a smaller diameter than that of the segment portion 4" of the portion 15. In addition, the portions 14 and 15 of handle 4 each have a segment 4'" having one end 16 each having a groove 17 adapted to fit with the handle 7 present on the container 2. More clearly, the assembly of the handle 4 to the container 2 occurs by joining, via fitting, the portions 14 and 15 to the handles 7 of the container. Hence, the user will have to do the following in sequence: fit the portion 14 with a handle 7; subsequently fit the portion 15 to the remaining handle 7, and finally join the two portions 14 and 15, inserting segment portion 4' of smaller diameter inside the portion with larger diameter. Alternatively, the two portions 14 and 15 can be previously joined due to the presence of a common spring mechanism 18, inside the segment 4", that allows sufficiently widening the two portions 14 and 15 of handle 4, and then fitting the ends 16 of said portions to the respective handles 7. The connection of the movement handle 4 to the container 2 is facilitated due to the presence of the abovementioned notches 6, said notches 6 sufficiently deep to provide the user with all the space necessary for handling both the handles 7 separately, and for carrying out all the operations relative to the assembly of the movement handle 4, also in the case in which the user wears very thick gloves. The movement handle 4 is also provided with ball joints 19 which allow moving, in semi-circular sense, said handle 4 with respect to the container 2. Said ball joints 19 join the segments 4' with the respective segments 4"' and allow the mutual movement thereof. This particular characteristic not only contributes to making the assembly of the handle 4 even easier, but also allows the user to conveniently orient said handle during the transport of the set of containers. The transport will occur by grasping the movement handle 4, exploiting the mobility of the base 3 provided with wheels 1 1, and drawing the entire plurality of containers 2.

In all embodiments thereof, the process relative to the embodiment of the present system consists of processing a steel plate, preferably made of stainless steel, and comprises the use of a mold in which the guides of the springs of said mold are entirely hollow, in a manner so as to channel the air recovered from the outside and to exploit said air in order to contribute to modeling the piece being processed. This allows obtaining containers having a single weld, i.e. the weld 2"". More in detail, the process relative to obtaining the containers of the present system comprises in sequence the steps of:

- descent of the mold in order to carry out the drawing of di mm (comprised between 70 and 1 10 mm) of the neck 5 of the container 2 with only the expulsion of air;

- further descent of the mold and drawing of the plate for additional d ₂ mm (comprised between 270 and 330 mm) with a use of 50% of the springs and an introduction of air by means of suction;

- further descent of the mold in order to obtain the drawing of the piece for additional d ₃ mm (comprised between 25 and 35 mm).

and completion of the use of pressure of the springs;

- exit of the air;

- ascent of the mold;

- exit of the piece.

As already mentioned, the air sucked from the outside and introduced inside of the mold is made to pass through the guides of the springs, which are internally hollow.