Beverage Container With Clamped Preforms and Segmented Keg-Bag Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beverage containers, particularly metal kegs, face issues such as constant bulk and weight, high transportation costs, difficulty in handling, and complex delivery systems, as well as the need for washing and sanitizing, which are costly and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A container design using preforms where an external keg and internal bag are securely clamped together to form a single body, providing a lightweight, deformable structure that simplifies handling and disposal, integrates a simplified delivery system compatible with existing devices, and allows for efficient production and recycling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If metal containers are used for beverage storage and distribution, then durability and reusability are improved, but weight and transportation cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The container system is divided into two separate components: a rigid external keg that provides structural support and durability, and an internal flexible bag that contains the beverage. This segmentation allows the heavy rigid structure to be reused while the lightweight flexible bag can be easily replaced and disposed of, resolving the contradiction between container reusability and weight.
2Strength
If metal containers are used for beverage storage, then container strength is improved, but handling difficulty and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the structural function (external keg) from the containment function (internal bag), the system allows the strong but heavy metal keg to remain stationary and provide strength, while the lightweight flexible bag enables easy handling and movement during beverage dispensing operations.
3Productivity
If carbon dioxide is introduced under pressure for beverage extraction, then beverage delivery is achieved, but beverage saturation and foam formation occur
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible internal bag acts as an intermediary between the beverage and the delivery system. By pressurizing the air space around the bag rather than directly injecting CO2 into the beverage, the system achieves beverage delivery through displacement while avoiding direct CO2-beverage interaction that causes saturation and excessive foam formation.
4Duration of action of stationary object
If metal containers are used for beverage storage, then container durability is improved, but manufacturing and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the expensive, durable external keg that requires minimal maintenance from the inexpensive internal bag that can be easily manufactured and replaced. This allows the high-cost component to have long lifespan while the low-cost component can be frequently replaced without significant expense, resolving the contradiction between durability and manufacturing cost.
5Reliability
If washing and sanitizing operations are performed on metal containers, then container hygiene is improved, but operational complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The internal flexible bag is designed as a disposable component that is replaced rather than cleaned and sanitized. This eliminates the need for complex washing and sanitizing systems while ensuring hygiene, as each new bag is supplied in a sterile state. The external keg requires minimal sanitation since it never contacts the beverage directly.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables a lightweight, easy-to-handle container that reduces transportation costs, simplifies delivery and disposal, and eliminates the need for costly washing and sanitizing operations while maintaining the integrity of the beverage.
Implementation Method 1
delivery thereof is performed by introducing pressurized air between the external container and the internal container, so as to cause compression and collapse of the internal container, and therefore the delivery of the pressurized beverage
Implementation Method 2
The internal preform and the external preform have respective coupling members suitable to clamp them in a desired reciprocal position, connecting them to each other so as to define a set substantially in a single body
Data Source
AI summary
A set of preforms to make a container for beverages, comprising an external preform and an internal preform, each intended to form respectively an external keg and an internal bag of the container. The internal preform is associated internally with the external preform in order to define with the external preform a hollow space. The external preform and the internal preform have respective coupling members suitable to clamp the external preform and the internal preform with respect to each other in a desired reciprocal position.