HK1179932B - Storage container for storing a food liquid, such as milk - Google Patents

Abstract

A storage container 7 for storing a liquid foodstuff, for instance milk, in connection with supplying the same to a preparation machine, for example a coffee machine, executed closed with a top serving opening 11 for removing from the container 7 liquid needed for preparation. The container 7 is made available by a pivotable handle 8 connected to it for carrying container 7. The handle 8 bears a closure body 15 provided for closing the serving opening 11, in which handle 8, relative to its pivotability on the container 7, and the closure body 15 on the handle 8 are disposed such that in the folded-down position, relative to its carrying function, of the handle 8 when it is not in use, the serving opening 11 is closed by the closure body 15.

Description

The invention relates to a storage container for storing a liquid foodstuff, e.g. milk, in connection with the supply of the same to a preparation machine, e.g. a coffee machine, where the container is closed with an outlet opening at the top to remove the liquid needed for preparation from the container and the container has a swivel attached to the handle to support the container, which handle carries a tip to the closing body designed to close the outlet.

Coffee machines, especially when they are run as so-called fully automatic machines, may have a milk tank as a beverage machine. Such a milk tank, which is typically an accessory for such a coffee machine, is used to store milk from which milk is extracted for the preparation of coffee-milk mixed drinks, such as cappuccino or the like. Typically, such a milk tank is a secondary tank to the actual coffee machine, from which a milk tank is extracted and connected to a suction pump of the coffee machine. The milk tank is equipped with an electrical reservoir that is used to produce a mixture of ice and carbon dioxide that is actively released in accordance with the temperature of the refrigerator. For example, in such a refrigerator, a heat pump is required to operate in such a room or a refrigerator. The heat pump is located in such a room and is designed to provide an active cooling system.

The use of automatic coffee machines in the home is increasingly becoming a

The purchase of an additional active milk refrigerator, as prescribed, is often considered unnecessary, sometimes for space and power consumption reasons. On the other hand, however, consumers want coffee-milk mixed drinks. In such a case, either a milk tank is used to fill the milk or the milk pack is placed next to the coffee machine. However, in such an application, the user often experiences that the milk positioned next to the coffee machine has become unrecognizably acidic and, accordingly, the coffee-milk-milk mixed drink reservoir provided with this reservoir does not meet the recommended limit.

However, a milk container such as that referred to in DE-U-202008016202 cannot be used if a sales carton cannot be used in the refrigerated space of the thermally insulated milk storage container, for example, for cartons which, because of their geometry, do not fit in the refrigerated space or whose cartons are simply too large.

A storage container for storing liquid foodstuffs as defined in claim 1 is known from US-A-2011/0253733. The lid of such storage container described in this document has a swivel-oriented handle designed to support the container in a bracket-like manner. The handle includes a closing element that closes the outlet of the container when the handle is in its position protruding from the lid. The output opening is open in the folded out position of the handle.

The present invention is therefore based on the present state of the art and is intended to propose a container suitable for use in a thermally insulated, passively cooled milk storage container.

This task is solved according to the invention by a type of storage container mentioned at the beginning, in which the handle is arranged on the container in relation to its flexibility and the locking body on the handle in such a way that the output opening is closed in a folded, non-useable position of the handle in relation to its load-bearing function by the locking body.

This storage tank is essentially a closed container, the closed design of which may be inherent or provided by a lid which closes the container on the top but which can be opened or removed. On the top the container has an outlet opening which is used for the purpose of taking or removing liquid from the container needed for preparation. The container, for example, is used for storing milk used in connection with a coffee beverage machine.The handle is intended to carry the container safely, for example to transport it from the refrigerator to a thermally insulated milk storage container next to a coffee machine or vice versa. However, in addition to this function, the handle of the container also serves the function of a holder of a closing device to close the outlet when the container is not in use. When milk is stored in the container, the outlet is typically closed with the closing device if, for example, the container with its contents is in the refrigerator.The handle is therefore oriented to the container and can be moved in such a direction that it can be moved with its locking body in the direction of the outlet opening and from this direction. The locking body itself is located at such a position at the handle that when the locking body is moved in the direction of the outlet opening, the locking body is brought closer to the outlet opening and locks it in the locked position of the handle. The locking body is therefore indelibly attached to the container.

This concept takes advantage of the fact that in the position of use of the storage tank, if a liquid food, for example milk, is stored in it for preparation and the storage tank is inserted, for example, in a thermally insulated milk storage tank, the closing opening must be open. Then the handle with its closing stop is in its other position, which does not close the opening. The duration of the storage tank is ultimately reliably small. It is therefore considered unproblematic if the storage tank is not closed for the duration of the storage tank.

In this case, the closing body or part of the handle covers the outlet when closed, so that the position of the handle may be an indication to a person using the container that the container is securely closed when it is placed in a refrigerator, for example.

A design provides that the body of the latch is to be fitted with a stop in the exit opening. Such a latch is preferably sealed, with the exception that the body of the latch may be covered on the outside with a suitable coating, such as a silicone coating, or that an insert made of an elastic material is to be fitted in the exit opening. It is also possible that the latch attached to the handle has a ring in the transition area of the latch and handle, which is then placed on the top edge of the opening to provide a seal. When the latch is fitted with a stop in the exit opening, the latch is designed to be shortened in the direction of the exit opening.

A preferred design shall include at least one connecting link to at least one of the outer walls of the container. As the container is typically a plastic part, such a design will have at least one connecting link fitted to the container. Such a connecting link is used to connect a passive cooling element, i.e. a cooling element containing a refrigerant that is cooled in the freezer compartment of a refrigerator or freezer. Connecting such a cooling element to the storage container not only ensures that the cooling element is in close proximity to one of the container walls but also that it can be handled together with that container.If the container and the refrigerant attached to it are inside a thermally insulated passive milk storage tank and are removed with the handle of the container, for example to place the container in the refrigerator when the beverage machine is not in use, the refrigerant is removed at the same time. At the refrigerator, the refrigerant can be removed from the container and placed in the freezer or in a freezer. This means that when the container and the refrigerant are not in use, both parts can be adjusted or re-inserted into the respective refrigeration provided.The first is to install a coffee machine next to the machine.

A further training shall be provided for two connecting links to be provided on such an outside of the container used for connecting a cooling element, both of which shall be placed at a vertical distance from each other.

The purpose of the lower connecting element is to allow the cooling element to be placed with its bottom on it. In such a design, especially if the cooling element is kept wedged between the two connecting elements, it is connected to the container without any friction. This has the advantage not only of not causing the cooling element to wobble during transport of the container, but also of keeping it in its intended position in relation to the adjacent container.

Further advantages and features of the invention are shown by the following description of an example of an embodiment, using the accompanying figures: Fig. 1:a perspective view of a thermally insulated milk storage container, intended to be placed next to a beverage machine, especially a coffee machine,Fig. 2:a perspective view of the milk storage container of Figure 1 with the lid open,Fig. 3:a perspective view of a storage container placed in the milk storage container after removal of the milk storage container with its handle in a first position,Fig. 4:a perspective view of a storage container placed in the milk storage container after removal of the same storage container with the lid open in a further position,Fig. 5:a perspective view of a storage container after removal of the milk storage container with the lid open in a second position,Fig. 5:a perspective view of a storage container with its handle in a first position,Fig. 8:a perspective view of a storage container placed in the milk storage container after removal of the same storage container with the corresponding handle in a second position,Fig. 7:a perspective view of a passive container in Figure 5:a perspective view of a passive container in Figure 7:a view of a passive container in Figure 5:a perspective of the container with its opening and a view of the position of the refrigerator in Figure 7:a perspective of the container in Figure 7:a view of the second row of Figure 5:a view of the container in Figure 7:a perspective of the container in Figure 7:a perspective of the container in Figure 7:a view of the container in Figure 7:a view of the container in Figure 7:a view of the container in Figure 7:a perspective of the container in the container in the container in which the container in which the container in which the milk storage container is placed in the container in the container in the first position,Figure 7:a perspective of the container in the container in the container in the container in the container in the container in the container in the container in which the container in the first position, and the container in which the container in which the container in which the container in which the container are placed in the container are placed in the container in the container in the container in the container in the container in

A milk storage tank 1 is attached in a non-detailed way to a coffee machine designed as a fully automatic one. The milk storage tank 1 has a plastic housing 2. The housing 2 is attached to an upper lid 3 which is adjustable to the rest of the housing 2. The rotation to open the lid is indicated 3 by an arrow in Figures 1 and 2. In the upper end of a side 4 of the housing 2 a U-shaped line break is inserted. The line break is bounded on the upper side by the edge of the lid 3 . The line break is a 5 millimetre line which can be connected to the other end of the coffee machine by a milk pump or a 1 millimetre line which can be used to pump milk from the other end.

This view of the interior of the milk storage tank 1 shows that the housing 2 has a circulating thermal insulation 6 on the inside. The floor and the lid liner are also thermal insulated accordingly. Inside the milk storage tank 1 there is a storage tank 7 in which the milk needed for the preparation of a beverage is stored. To the storage tank 7 is connected a swivel handle 8 which is placed in its vertical position for the removal of the storage tank 7 as shown in Figure 2. The storage tank 7 can be inserted in a vertical direction by means of the thermal insulation 6 and inserted outwards in this direction.

The container 7 is shown in Figure 3 as a stand-alone container. The container 7 of the example shown has a container 9 which is closed with a lid 10. The lid 10 is sealed into the top opening of the container 9 and connected to it by a means of a plug. The lid 10 can be removed to fill and/or clean the inside of the container 9. The container 7 formed by the container 9 and the lid 10 is thus closed. Inside the lid 10 there is an outlet 11 which is secured by a version 12 of an elastic material, such as silicone. The opening 11 serves to insert a bag to remove the 7 milligrams from the container.

An alternative design provides that the output opening 12 is itself shaped by a tube or tube which reaches the area of the bottom of the tank 9 and which does not necessarily need to be connected to the inside of the tank to draw milk.

The handle 8 is connected to two opposite side-wall connectors of the tank 9 in a swivel manner. To this end, a bearing pin of the lever 9 is inserted into a bearing opening of such a bearing opening of the tank 9. The handle 8 is in the form of a lever and comprises a handle 13 which connects two legs 14, 14.1 to which the bearing pins are in turn attached. Attached to the handle 13 of the lever 8 is a locking body designed as a 15 stop. The locking pin 15 is retracted to its free end and is positioned at such a position of the handle 13 or the lever 8 that the position of the 8 stop in Figure 3 is reversed when the lever is opened.

Figures 3 and 4 show that tank 9 of tank 7 has a circular collar 16 on the top, the collar 16 being shown to be adjacent to the thermal insulation 6 of milk storage tank 1 when tank 7 is used.

The cross section of Figure 5 shows the formation of the lid 10 in relation to its contact with the container 9. Furthermore, the exit opening 11 with its version 12 is visible, which is located in the cutting plane.

Figure 7 shows the storage tank 7 in a rear view. The wall 18 of tank 9 as shown in Figure 7 has a first connector 19 on the top. This is made in the shape of a hook. The first connector 19 is located in the area of the top lid of the tank 9. A second connector 20 is attached to the bottom lid of tank 9 and the connectors 19, 20 are used to attach and hold a passive cooling element, as shown by the reference sign 21 in Figure 8. The cooling element 21 has an upper opening 22. This opens the cooling element 20 to the upper connection 19.The bottom connector 20 is used to hold the coolant 21 on its underside, which is raised to this end with its underside on the floor 23 of the second connector 20. The floor 23 of the second connector 20 has two positioning shafts 24 which intervene between a lower-sided exception 25 of the coolant 21. In addition, the floor 23 of the second connector 20 has a front rib 26 behind which the front of the coolant 21 is located.

List of reference marks

1milk storage container2housing3cover4side wall5line breach6thermal insulation7storage container8henger9container10cover11outlet opening12configuration13handle14, 14.1 thigh15closing stop16collar17thicklip18wall19first connecting link20second connecting link21cooling element22opening23floor24positioner 25exception26ripple

Claims (9)

1. Storage container for storing a liquid foodstuff such as milk, in connection with the supply of same to a preparation machine, for example a coffee machine, wherein the container (7) is made closed with an output opening (11) on the top side for removing the liquid required for a preparation from the container (7) and wherein the container (7) has a handle (8) attached to it which can be swivelled for carrying the container (7), and said handle (8) bears a closing body (15) provided to close the output opening (11), characterised in that, with regard to its swivel ability, the handle (8) is arranged on the container (7) and the closing body (15) on the handle (8) in such a way that with the handle (8) folded back, thus in a non-use position in terms of its carrying function, the output opening (11) is closed by the closing body (15).
2. Container according to claim 1 characterised in that, in its position which closes the output opening (11), the closing body (15) seals this opening.
3. Container according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the closing body (15) is made as a stopper which engages in the output opening (11) in order to close it.
4. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 characterised in that, at the top, the container (7) is closed by a lid (10) having the output opening (11) and connected detachably to the container (7).
5. Thermally isolated milk storage container for a drink preparation machine with a supply container (7) according to any one of claims 1 to 4 characterised in that the milk container has a hole pierced in the pipe for inserting a milk removal pipe extending into the container (7) to remove milk.
6. Container according to claim 5, characterised in that, separated from a cooling chamber of the storage container housing the container, at least one compartment is arranged to hold at least one passive cooling element, wherein a cooling element can be inserted in and removed from said cooling element compartment, and the cooling chamber is made to hold the container containing milk such that, to achieve an even cooling of the milk held in the container, it can be set down inside the cooling chamber at a distance to the at least one cooling element compartment and at a distance to at least one of the side walls delimiting the cooling chamber.
7. Container according to claim 5, characterised in that the container (7) carries on at least one of its external walls (18) at least one link (19, 20) for the arrangement of a passive cooling element (21).
8. Container according to claim 7, characterised in that the container (7) has on at least one of its external walls (8) two links for the arrangement of a passive cooling element (21), one of which is an upper link (19), on which a cooling element (21) can be suspended by a hook, and the other of which is a lower link (20) on which the cooling element (21) stands on its underside when suspended by its hook on the upper link (19).
9. Container according to claim 8, characterised in that the cooling element (21) is held clamped between the two links (19, 20) of the container (7).