Beverage Container Neck Geometry for Foam-Free Valve Dispensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Beverage containers with gas-containing beverages, especially carbonated drinks, face issues with excessive foaming and the need for riser pipes, which can lead to blockages and inefficiencies in dispensing systems, particularly when the container is broached for the first time, resulting in uncontrolled foaming and trapped foam within the container.
Innovation Solution
A beverage container design with a smooth, sloping inner surface at the neck area prevents foam from being trapped, allowing for controlled dispensing without a riser pipe, featuring a snap-fit valve assembly that simplifies mounting and closure, reducing manufacturing complexity and recyclability, and using a truncated cone-shaped surface to guide foam out with the initial beverage flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a riser pipe is provided to feed beverage from near the bottom of the container to the valve, then beverage can be dispensed through the valve at the upper end, but the riser pipe may become blocked by the container wall or pierce the container when compressed, resulting in leaking and mixing of beverage with pressurizing fluidum
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the riser pipe from the system entirely. Instead of feeding beverage from the bottom through a riser pipe to the valve, the beverage is compressed directly in the container and forced out through the valve at the upper end. This extraction of the problematic riser pipe component eliminates the blockage and leakage risks associated with it.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the container into an inner container holding the beverage and an outer container providing structural support and compression. This segmentation allows the inner container to be compressed by the outer container, directly pressurizing the beverage without requiring a riser pipe for beverage delivery to the valve.
2Ease of operation
If a riser pipe is used to connect the beverage valve, then beverage can reach the valve, but it increases the risk that volume of beverage will be trapped within the container when access of beverage to the riser pipe becomes blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The riser pipe is completely removed from the system. The beverage is compressed directly in the container and forced out through the valve without needing to travel up a riser pipe. This eliminates the trapping issue where beverage could be left behind in the container or riser pipe after dispensing.
3Ease of operation
If a valve assembly is provided at the upper end of the container for dispensing beverage, then beverage can be dispensed, but the mounting process becomes complex and difficult, especially in wet environment on filling line
Solution Approach 1:
The valve is integrated directly into the closure element that seals the container opening. This merging of the valve and closure functions into a single component simplifies the mounting process - the valve assembly is mounted together with the closure element in one operation, reducing complexity and making it easier to perform in wet environments on filling lines.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure element serves multiple functions: it seals the container opening and houses the beverage valve. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components and assembly steps, simplifying both manufacturing and operation while maintaining the ability to dispense beverage through the valve at the upper end.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If the inner surface of the container at the neck area is smooth and sloping towards the valve, then foam is prevented from being trapped, but this requires precise manufacturing of the container geometry
Solution Approach 1:
The inner surface of the container at the neck area is designed with a smooth, continuous curvature that slopes downward toward the valve opening. This curved geometry prevents foam from accumulating in sharp corners or horizontal surfaces, guiding it naturally toward the valve where it can escape with the beverage flow. The curvature design achieves the anti-foam effect while being manufacturable with standard molding techniques.
Data Source
AI summary
Beverage container, comprising a body and a neck, wherein at the neck a valve is provided for dispensing a beverage comprising gas from the container, wherein an inner surface part of the container adjacent the valve, especially an inner surface part of the container within the neck between the body and an inlet side of the valve is smooth and sloping towards the inlet side of the valve, such that foam is prevented from being trapped at the inner surface of the neck.