AU2016102089A4 - A blister pack for bottled carbonated liquids - Google Patents

Abstract

A blister pack suitable for use with carbonated beverages including a base and a cover extending over the base to define a chamber for housing a substance; a disc with an aperture located between the base and substance; the cover including an implement with a piercing end, wherein the piercing end is aligned with the aperture of the disc; and when the cover is pressed, the implement is pushed through the aperture and pierces the base to define an opening through which the substance can escape. OKl 7-,

Description

1 A blister pack for bottled carbonated liquids 2016102089 07 Dec 2016

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a blister pack for bottled carbonated liquids. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

[0002] Sealing methods for food and beverage containers are well known and varied, the most common being a cap or lid. Drinks which include another component or second component, such as a tablet or powder which is added to the liquid are growing in popularity. Usually this includes a blister pack contained in the lid which is adapted to store material separately from the liquid in the container.

[0003] It is preferable for the second component to be added immediately prior to consumption, especially when ingredients to be added are UV sensitive or do not have a long shelf life when mixed. Adding ingredients at the point of consumption also simplifies the production and filling of the beverages.

[0004] It is therefore known for a container to include a cap and powder or tablet holder, or blister pack, so that when pressure is exerted on the blister pack it allows the powder or liquid to be mixed with the liquid in the container. Blister packs or closures which include an internal piercing needle to assist in the perforation of the base are also known.

[0005] In these products the storage component of the cap has direct contact with the liquid or gas in the bottle and the material used to make the cap is often selected on the basis of barrier properties against moisture and gas for ease of puncture by the user. The parameters that can affect the physical strength of the base material includes surface area and base thickness and the consequence of increasing the thickness of the base material increases the difficulty of puncturing it. When the liquid in the bottle contains gas, for example in the case of carbonated beverages, a significant amount of pressure can develop within the sealed container which can physically damage the base material in the blister pack, potentially causing rupture during storage.

[0006] Therefore the known closures for bottles including blister packs are suitable for liquids that do not contain gas, and little or no carbonation pressure is exerted by the liquid when sealed within a container as such liquids have insignificant amounts of dissolved gas and exert little if any carbonation pressure within the sealed container. However they are not suitable for 2 2016102089 07 Dec 2016 beverages with carbonation pressure and accordingly it is an object of this invention to provide a design feature in the form of base material that alleviates the above problems, or at least provides the public with a useful alternative to known products.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] In a first aspect the invention comprises A blister pack comprising a base and a cover extending over the base to define a chamber for housing a substance; a disc with an aperture located between the base and substance; the cover including an implement with a piercing end, wherein the piercing end is aligned with the aperture of the disc; and when the cover is pressed, the implement is pushed through the aperture and pierces the base to define an opening through which the substance can escape.

[0008] It should be noted that any one of the aspects mentioned above may include any of the features of any of the other aspects mentioned above and may include any of the features of any of the embodiments described below as appropriate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Preferred features, embodiments and variations of the invention may be discerned from the following Detailed Description which provides sufficient information for those skilled in the art to perform the invention. The Detailed Description is not to be regarded as limiting the scope of the preceding Summary of the Invention in any way. The Detailed Description will make reference to a number of drawings as follows.

[0010] Figure 1 a perspective view of a blister pack in a first embodiment of the invention; [0011] Figure 2 a perspective view of a disc; [0012] Figure 3 an expanded view of a blister pack in a first embodiment of the invention; [0013] Figure 4 a cutout view of a blister pack in a first embodiment of the invention; [0014] Figure 5 a perspective view of a blister pack in a second embodiment of the invention; 3 [0015] Figure 6 [0016] Figure 7 2016102089 07 Dec 2016 an expanded view of a blister pack in a second embodiment of the invention; and a cutout view of a blister pack in a second embodiment of the invention.

LIST OF COMPONENTS 20 Blister pack 22 dome 24 flange 26 base 28 disc 30 aperture 32 needle 34 side walls 36 central point 38 step

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and the following description to refer to the same and like parts. Dimensions of certain parts shown in the drawings may have been modified and/or exaggerated for the purposes of clarity or illustration.

[0018] A known closure is described in International PCT Application No. PCT/AU2015/000437, consisting of a blister pack contained within a cap which forms the closure for the bottle, and wherein the blister pack contains a dispensing material such as a powder or liquid and a piercing needle or a moulded spike formed in the blister. The user opens the cap and exerts pressure on the dome of the blister pack causing the needle or moulded spike to rupture the base and allow the material to be dispensed into the bottle and mixed with the liquid.

[0019] Gases exert a pressure on any surface with which they are in contact. The amount of pressure exerted by the molecules of a gas depends on the force and frequency of the molecules towards the walls of its container. The pressure of gases is therefore dependent upon two major factors: temperature and volume. According to Boyle's Law, the volume of a fixed quantity of a gas at a constant temperature is inversely proportional to the pressure. Thus with temperature 4 2016102089 07 Dec 2016 constant, as volume increases, the pressure decreases, and vice-versa. The Third Gas Law states that when the volume of a fixed mass of gas is maintained constant, pressure is directly proportional to absolute temperature. As the absolute temperature increases, the average kinetic energy of the molecules increases. This causes the molecules to collide with the container walls with greater force and frequency, and thus pressure increases.

[0020] Pressure can be defined as the magnitude of force (F) acting perpendicular to a surface divided by the area (A) over which the force acts (P = F/A). It can be measured in various units; the most common pascal, atmosphere, and pounds per square inch (1 atm = 101.3 kPa = 14.7 psi).

[0021] The amount of gas that can be dissolved in an aqueous solution is up to 8grams/l C02. The maximum amount of dissolved gas depends on the gas type and the liquid used. A typical soda drink for example, having 3.7 volumes C02 gas dissolved, can exert a pressure of 55 psi at 23.8C. This pressure can increase further if the temperature of the liquid increases.

[0022] Liquids without dissolved gas do not exert significant pressure and no measures are needed to prevent bursting of the base of the blister pack. The material thickness in these cases are usually governed by the ease in which the base can be pierced or broken through force on the blister pack and the porosity to moisture or gas.

[0023] However in the case of carbonated liquids, the large surface area of the base material is likely to burst as a result of the existing pressure or pressure increase as a result of the temperature changes. Such changes in temperature can vary from 40 degrees Celsius to 2 degrees Celsius during distribution and consumption, and represents an enormous pressure fluctuation. Therefore known blister packs are not suitable for use with carbonated liquids as the blister pack base could burst and the material released into the liquid earlier than intended.

[0024] Accordingly the present invention includes the feature of a brace disc which sits inside of the blister above the base which prevents the base from deforming and bursting, or piercing itself prematurely on the needle. This relies on the fact that larger diameter bases will burst at a lower pressure than a smaller disc of the same material. In preference, the base is a reputable material such as aluminium foil.

[0025] Turning now to the drawings there is illustrated in Figure 1 a blister pack 20 that includes a dome 22, flange 24 and barrier of aluminium film which forms a base 26. The dome 22 is of an arcuate shape and forms a cover for the bottle lid (not shown). 5 2016102089 07 Dec 2016 [0026] Figure 2 illustrates a brace disc 28 containing a central aperture which is located inside the blister pack 20 on top of the base 26. Figure 3 is an expanded view of the blister pack 20 illustrating the relative position of the dome 22, disc 28, and base 26 [0027] The blister pack 20 also contains an integrated or added needle 32 comprising side walls 34 and a central point 36 that generally rests close to the base 26. The user simply presses on the dome 22 causing the needle 32 to move down and pierce the base 26 and allow the dispensing material to escape into the container. Although defined as a needle it may also take the shape of a plunger - that is - having a pointy end that is adapted to engage and pierce through the base. The cap of the container (not shown) can then be resealed to stop loss of gas to the atmosphere after activation.

[0028] The aperture 30 of the disc 28 is designed to allow the needle 32 to pass freely and pierce the base 26. The disc 28 supports the base 26 and alters the diameter and area size of the base material exposed to the pressure within the container. This allows tailoring of the base material to keep it from bursting when the carbonation pressure is in the sealed container is high, and preventing the base 26 from deforming and being pierced by the needle. Therefore, use of the disc 28 maximises burst pressure potential of the base for use with carbonated or gassed beverages.

[0029] The disc 28 can be engineered with any suitable material or thickness and the size or area of the aperture 30 is relative to the size of the needle 32. However, as the diameter of the aperture 30 increases the amount of pressure required to burst the base 26 decreases, so it is preferable that the aperture 30 remain as small as possible. The needle 32 can also be of alternate shapes as long as it still performs a piercing function.

[0030] The disc itself can be manufactured using any suitable material or thickness, and as the thickness of the disc 28 increases, the burst pressure also increases making a thicker disc more effective in terms of preventing rupture. However, a thicker disc 28 also increases the difficulty in the user manually rupturing the base 26 when desired. Alternatively, the base 26 itself could be made from a material having high burst strength to overcome the calculated carbonation pressure.

[0031] The blister pack 20 also contains a step 38 moulded above the flange 24 which keeps the disc 28 in place and prevents movement during transport and storage. However alternate embodiments include a blister pack without a step and wherein the disc extends across the entire opening of the bottle mouth. In this embodiment the disc is held in place between the dispensing 6 2016102089 07 Dec 2016 material and the base. It is to be understood that there are various other embodiments including the disc being glued, welded or in some other way attached to the blister.

[0032] Once the user ruptures the base 26 through use of the needle 32, the dispensing material inside of the blister pack 20 is then dispensed into the container through the hole created by the aperture 30 and needle 32. The disc 28 can also include a slope or channels to allow the dispending material to flow more efficiently into the container. The blister pack 20 can then be removed from the container allowing the user to consume the contents, and afterwards the cap can be used to reseal the container.

[0033] It is to be understood that the dispensing material in the cap can be tailored by increasing the compartment storage size, and the cap size can also be changed to fit different sized containers.

[0034] Figures 5-7 illustrate an alternate embodiment of the blister pack 20 wherein the dome includes a flat top rather than a rounded top. It is to be understood that the blister and dome can be of any shape, and further ridges or shapes can be moulded into the blister to increase strength and prevent deformation. These shapes of mouldings could be in any direction to deflect the forces in order for the blister to be tailored with the potential forces, and the blister can be of any selected thickness and contain engineering bracing.

[0035] The reader will now appreciate the present invention which provides a blister pack which can handle pressures generated by gasses or carbonated liquids stored in a sealed container. This reduces the complexity of manufacturing gassed or carbonated liquids with dispensing caps containing materials such as liquids or powders which can be added to the bottle as the user desires.

[0036] Further advantages and improvements may very well be made to the present invention without deviating from its scope. Although the invention has been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope and spirit of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus. Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in this field.

[0037] In the present specification and claims (if any), the word "comprising" and its 2016102089 07 Dec 2016 7 derivatives including "comprises" and "comprise" include each of the stated integers but does not exclude the inclusion of one or more further integers.

Claims (4)

1. A blister pack comprising a base and a cover extending over the base to define a chamber for housing a substance; a disc with an aperture located between the base and substance; the cover including an implement with a piercing end, wherein the piercing end is aligned with the aperture of the disc; and when the cover is pressed, the implement is pushed through the aperture and pierces the base to define an opening through which the substance can escape.

2. A blister pack according to claim 1 wherein the cover includes a step to house and retain the disc.

3. A blister pack according to any of the above claims wherein the blister pack is used in conjunction with a carbonated beverage and container, and wherein the disc prevents the base from deforming into the chamber and being pierced by the implement.

4. A cap for use with a container, said cap including a cylindrical body having an opening and a lid adapted to seal over said opening, the body further having an inner lip disposed circumferentially around the inside of the body and a blister pack having a base and a cover extending over the base to define a chamber for housing a substance; a disc with an aperture located between the base and substance; the cover including an implement with a piercing end, wherein the piercing end is aligned with the aperture of the disc; and when the cover is pressed, the implement is pushed through the aperture and pierces the base to define an opening through which the substance can escape into the container.