US20180362238A1

US20180362238A1 - Bag-in-box with collapsed head-space

Info

Publication number: US20180362238A1
Application number: US16/072,422
Authority: US
Inventors: Peter M. CHEN; Jay D. Hodson; Donald C. Schnabel
Original assignee: Bemis Co Inc
Current assignee: Amcor Flexibles North America Inc
Priority date: 2016-02-02
Filing date: 2016-02-02
Publication date: 2018-12-20
Also published as: WO2017135927A1

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a bag-in-box package having a flowable product contained in a thermoplastic bag which is inserted in or encased within an outer relatively rigid box or carton is provided. The box or carton may be constructed from a rigid or semi-rigid plastic or paperboard and has (i) a flat bottom panel, an opposing top panel, and a self-supporting, upstanding wall connecting the bottom and top panels, and (ii) an access port through the box for inserting a rigid implement, such as a drinking straw or other spout/tap therethrough to puncture the bag and withdraw the flowable product from inside the bag. The flowable product occupies less than 100% of the available volume of the bag and the remaining available head-space volume above the product is evacuated or collapsed in order to prevent spillage or leakage of product from the straw or spout when the bag is punctured.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present application relates generally to retail packaging suitable for packaging medium to individual sized portions of liquid or flowable products such as juice, milk, syrup, wine, sauces, oils, soup, broth, sugar, salt, confectionary pieces, birdseed, food or non-food particles, pellets, or liquids, skin care products, jewelry beads, BB shot, etc.
Retail packaging for flowable solid and/or liquid products is commercially available in many styles and sizes e.g. 6-8 ounce single serve juice boxes, stand up pouches (SUPs) containing alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages, retort and aseptic boxes for a range of food items such as broths, soups, milk, fruit or vegetable juices or purees, etc. Both food and nonfood retail packages are available in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. For example, metal cans made from aluminum, steel and other materials are well known. Plastic and glass jars, bottles and tubs as well as plastic and paper bags including pouches, envelopes, stick packages, etc., are all ubiquitous in modern commerce. Suitable packaging, e.g. for flowable articles which comprise (i) liquids or (ii) a multitude of small solid products ranging from items such as cinnamon candies to BB shot, should contain the product within the package while protecting the product from contamination and deleterious effects from the external environment. Thus, containers may protect their contents from contact or exposure to unwanted materials such as dirt, dust, microbes, insects, air, moisture, sunlight, etc. Also, the materials used in constructing packaging and especially for a product such as a food (including drink or drug, the product contact interior surface layer of the package should resist migration of chemicals between the product and the package materials. Examples of prior art packaging include U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,157,462; and 3,314,210.
As previously noted, disposable, single serve, drink boxes and beverage pouches are well-known in the art, see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 3,380,646 (Doyen). Typically, a drink box comprises a cardboard box, laminated with plastic, and lined with a metal foil or plastic liner that contains a beverage, typically a fruit flavored drink or non-carbonated juice such as apple, grape, or orange juice, see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,590,126 for an example of a laminate material that may be employed. The beverage product contained in a single serve drink box is typically consumed through a straw. Often a rigid plastic straw is provided with each box for insertion through a hole in the cardboard box, which provides an access point for piercing the liner with an end of the straw, see e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,660,737 and 4,778,053.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A retail bag-in-box package having a flowable product contained in a thermoplastic bag which is inserted in or encased within an outer relatively rigid box or carton is provided. The box or carton may be constructed from a rigid or semi-rigid plastic or paperboard and has (i) a flat bottom panel, an opposing top panel, and a self-supporting, upstanding wall connecting the bottom and top panels, and (ii) an access port through the box for inserting a rigid implement, such as a drinking straw or other spout/tap therethrough to puncture the bag and withdraw the flowable product from inside the bag. The bag is a retail sized, flexible thermoplastic bag (capacity≤1 liter) attached to an interior surface of the box proximate the access port. In some preferred embodiments, the bag-in-box package of the present invention is hand-held, e.g., designed to be used while being held in one hand by the consumer.
An important aspect of the present invention is that the flowable product occupies less than 100% of the available volume of the bag and the remaining available head-space volume above the product is evacuated or collapsed in order to prevent spillage or leakage of product from the straw or spout when the bag is punctured. When a bag is pierced with a straw or other rigid implement, the consumer must manually hold the box to insert the straw. Typically, the box and bag are squeezed together by ones fingers creating a positive pressure within the bag. If the bag is completely filled with product or when there is a gas-filled head-space above the product in a less than a completely filled bag, the pressure inside the bag causes liquid product to rapidly exit through the straw and spill out onto the consumer. With the present invention, it is important to not only limit the amount of product within a particular volume of bag, but also provide a collapsed head-space above the product. It has been discovered that when the product occupies at most about 83% of the available volume of the bag and the remaining volume (“head-space”) above the product is collapsed and un-filled, spillage during piercing can be minimized or eliminated. In preferred embodiments, the flowable product occupies at most about 87%, 83%, 75%, 67% or 58% of the available volume of the bag and the remaining head-space, volume above the product is void of any injected gas and product. In these embodiments, the flowable product occupies at least about 33%, 42%, or 50% of the available volume of the bag.
The inventive package is suitable for packaging small lowable articles or products (including either solids and/or liquids) of a size typical for consumer or individual use. Examples of products which may be packaged in accordance with the present invention include without limitation: milk, fruit or vegetable juices or purees such as: apple, apricot, black currant, cherry, grape, peach, pear, pineapple, or pomegranate juice; citrus juices like orange, grapefruit, and lemon juice, carrot juice; tomato juice or puree; non-alcoholic or alcoholic drinks such, as water, flavored water, juice, tea, or wine; honey; syrups for sweetening foods e.g. pancake syrup; syrups for flavoring beverages e.g. soft drinks including homemade lemonade, juice flavored drinks or foods or food ingredients or condiments such as broth, soup, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, prepared mustard, mayonnaise, sauces, seeds, nuts, mints, or gum pieces; oils such as olive oil, coconut oil, walnut oil, peanut oil, etc.; salad dressings; personal care products such as soap, lotion, humectants, conditioners, nail polish, nail polish removers; and other small flowable items, such as household or garden chemicals, liquids such as alcohol, mineral oil, motor oil, or lubricants.
According to the invention, a hermetically sealed bag containing a flowable product is loaded into a rigid or semi-rigid box with attachment means such as adhesive disposed proximate to an access port to seal the bag thereto. After closing the box so that it contains the bag, the consumer or retail sized bag-in-box may be shipped to retail outlets and stored or displayed for sale on store shelves. A consumer will access the flowable or liquid product held therein by inserting a dispensing fitment, e.g., straw through the access port thereby piercing the bag film which is held in place against the box adjacent to the access port e.g. by adhesive. This helps to ensure a non-leaking connection. The straw or fitment may then be used to remove the contents of the bag-in-box. Although in many embodiments the access port will be located on the uppermost or top surface of the box or rigid container, it is contemplated that this port may be located on other surfaces including front, back, or side wall surfaces at any desired location whether proximate the top or not. In some embodiments in may be advantageous to have a bottom access port to permit use of a gravity feed dispenser e.g., for hand lotion, soap and the like.
For the package to function properly the bag and box need to interact. Thus, for a puncturing device to poke through the bag or pouch effectively, in one preferred embodiment, the bag ideally is attached to a top lid of the box or carton. This ensures the bag stays at the top of the carton and is not pushed down away from the top with the applied force. If the bag is not securely attached to the top lid of the box, the pressure created, e.g. from a straw, tends to force liquid contents out which creates a mess. For pre-applied attachment a registered printed wax coating or wax coated plastic film may provide good adhesion of the bag to the box and advantageously melt attaches at a very low temperature. For liquids packaged by a hot fill process (or by use of external heat in the downstream process) this heat may seal the bag to the box once the lid of the box is closed. Wax or a very thin film coating could cover the die cut access port hole in the carton as long as it does not increase puncture resistance significantly. However, it is advantageous for the access port to be free of adhesive or to have easily removable covers to facilitate puncture opening of the bag to access the bag contents.
Another option for adhesion of bag to box is be to use hot glue or a PSA type material to adhere the pouch to the carton. The best location for the hot glue is around the perimeter of the access port hole (creating a ring) without going into the area to be punctured. Glue in the area to be punctured may undesirably increase the force needed to puncture the pouch. Alternative attachment means include glue patterns of e.g. two or more dots or stripes of glue on either side of the hole. Patterns that do not work well include attaching the pouch to the carton far away from the punctured area (as in side flaps) or on only one side of the hole. This causes the bag to pull away from the box or deflects the path of the straw in straw plus drink box embodiments.
In the case of a fitment, the fitment may be applied to either the box top or to the face of the inner bag with a die cut or perforated area of the box for the fitment to slot into or be pulled through respectively. In order to dispense a liquid without the top lid popping off, a top lid on the box must either be attached to the bag or the interior wall of the box.
Puncturing devices such as straws, pumps, or sprayers, may use a sharp end to puncture the bag. In the case of a pump or sprayer device, the device would need to adhere to the outside of the box. This may be accomplished by various means including e.g. the use of a liner on the top of the box that would expose a PSA when removed.
Fitments may also be placed on the face of the bag and not in the sealed area. The bag film may be die cut to form a hole and a fitment sealed over the hole or alternatively a suitable fitment that cuts into the film may be employed. Fitments may be placed in the seal area and protrude from the top of the box. A fitment attached washer may be used to connect to both bag and box with opposing sides of the washer being sealed by fusion or adhesive to bag and box, respectively.
After use, the bag may conveniently be separated from the box and each component may enter a recycling stream or the materials chosen for the bag and box may be selected for single stream recycling. Advantageously, the box may collapse flat to take up less space.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in combination with the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a portion of one embodiment of a flexible thermoplastic web for use in the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing formation of a flexible bag from a flexible thermoplastic web in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a bag made from a flexible thermoplastic web in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view illustrating a rigid or semi rigid box blank in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the box of FIG. 4 assembled into a parallelepiped box in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the box of FIG. 5 in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of the box of FIG. 5 in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a fully assembled bag-in-box package illustrating the bag of FIG. 3 attached to a box in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the assembled bag-in-box of FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As used herein with respect to packaging films, sheets, or planar container materials including plastic materials, the term “rigid” means a material having a Gurley stiffness of at least 1000 milligrams (mg) force in each of its machine direction and transverse direction. A standard test method for determining the rigidity, stiffness values described herein is a Gurley Stiffness test, a description of which is set forth in TAPPI Standard Test T 543 and ASTM D 6125-97. A suitable testing apparatus is a Gurley Digital Stiffness Tester: Model 4171DS1N manufactured by Teledyne Gurley (514 Fulton Street, Troy, N.Y. 12181-0088). This instrument allows the testing of a wide variety of materials through the use of various lengths and widths in combination with the use of a 5, 25, 50, or 200 gram weight placed in one of three positions on the pointer of the apparatus.
Referring to the drawings, in all of the figures it will be appreciated that dimensions and relative sizes are not to scale but are chosen to illustrate the invention and its various aspects and features.
Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a portion of a flexible thermoplastic film web 10 having a plurality of layers 11, 12, 13 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23. Film web 10 has a first exterior surface 24 and an opposing second exterior surface 25. The film web 10 is depicted with a plurality of layers which correspond to the layers indicated in Table 1.

TABLE 1

	Layer	%
FIG. 1	Composition	Layer
Number	Identifier	Thickness	Composition

11	A	12.85	82.4% C₂C₈LLDPE
			10.0% C₂C₈VLDPE
			7.6% Additives
12	B	7.55	80% C₂C₈LLDPE
			20% anhydride modified
			LLDPE
13	C	3.9	80.00% nylon 6
			20.00% nylon 6/66
14	D	10.55	100% (wt.) EVOH (38 mol %)
15	E	3.9	80.00% nylon 6
			20.00% nylon 6/66
16	F	5.6	80% C₂C₈LLDPE
			20% anhydride modified
			LLDPE
17	G	11.2	100% (wt.) EVA (12% VA)
18	F	5.6	80% C₂C₈LLDPE
			20% anhydride modified
			LLDPE
19	E	3.9	80.00% nylon 6
			20.00% nylon 6/66
20	D	10.55	100% (wt.) EVOH (38 mol %)
21	C	3.9	80.00% nylon 6
			20.00% nylon 6/66
22	B	7.55	80% C₂C₈LLDPE
			20% anhydride modified
			LLDPE
23	A	12.85	82.4% C₂C₈LLDPE
			10.0% C₂C₈VLDPE
			7.6% Additives

An example of a commercially available linear low-density polyethylene C₂C₈LLDPE suitable for use in the present invention includes, but is not limited to, Dowlex® 2045G having a reported density of 0.920 g/cm³, a melt index of 1.0 dg/min., and a m.p. of about 122° C., which is supplied by The Dow Chemical Company of Midland, Mich., U.S.A.
Exemplary of commercially available VLDPEs suitable for use in the present invention include, but are not limited to, the C₂C₈Attane® family of resins, e.g., Attane® NG 4701G having a reported density of 0.912 gram/cm³, a melt flow index of 0.8 decigram/min., which is supplied by The Dow Chemical Company of Midland, Mich., U.S.A.
Exemplary of commercially available anhydride-modified linear low-density polyethylenes (mod-LLDPE) suitable for use in the present invention include, but are not limited to, the BYNEL® family of resins, e.g., BYNEL® 41E710 grade having a reported melt index of 2.7 dg/min. (at 190° C.) a density of 0.91 g/cm³, and a melting point of 115° C., which is supplied by E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, Del., U.S.A.
Exemplary of commercially available ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymers suitable for use in the present invention include, but are not limited to, the SOARNOL® family of resins, e.g., SOARNOL® ET3803 grade having a reported bulk density of 0.64-0.74 gram/cm³, a relative density of 1.13-1.22 gram/cm³, a melting point of 164-188° C., which may be obtained from The Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry Company, Ltd. (Nippon Gohsei), Osaka, Japan.
Exemplary of commercially available polyamides suitable for use in the present invention include, but are not limited to, the ULTRAMID® family of resins, e.g., ULTRAMID® B36 nylon 6 having a glass transition temperature (T_g) of 127° C., a density of 1.13 g/cm³, and tensile strength (at yield) of 131,000 psi, and C40 nylon 6/66 having a m.p. 193° C., and a density of 1.12 g/cm³, both of which may be obtained from BASF, Mount Olive, N.J., U.S.A.
An example of commercially available ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) includes, but is not limited to, Elvax® 3135XZ EVA having a reported vinyl acetate (VA) content of 12%, a density of 30 gram/cm³, a melt index of 0.35 gram/10 min., a melting point of 95° C., which is supplied by E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, Del., U.S.A.
In this embodiment of the invention, a seven layer film tubular blown film is made and the bubble is collapsed with application of heat and pressure to form a thirteen layer film web 10 useful for making a bag in accordance with the present invention. It will be appreciated that a variety of film compositions and structures may be employed in the present invention and the depicted film web 10 is exemplary only. Web 10 has a first exterior surface 24 which is the product contact surface and may be designed with desirable properties for contact with the product to be packaged, e.g. inertness, heat-sealability, etc., and since in this collapsed bubble embodiment this surface is provided by layer 24 which is the same composition as distal opposing layer 11 having the same composition for second exterior surface 25, this layer 11 and surface 25 may also have suitable properties of abrasion resistance, heat-sealability, etc. Other functional layers are presented as intermediate layers 12-22 and these properties may beneficially include gas barrier e.g. oxygen barrier properties such as may be provided by EVOH containing layers 14 and 20, and to a lesser extent nylon containing layers 13, 15, 19, and 21. Polyethylene containing layers including surface layers 11, and 23 as well as intermediate layers 12, 16, 17, 18, and 22 all provide water barrier properties. Each layer is also designed for good adherence to adjacent layers and layers 12, 16, 18, and 22 contain special adhesive polymers blended therein to enhance delamination resistance. The central core layer 17 has an EVA polymer with self-wetting properties which promote bonding to itself in the bubble collapsing process. The entire film web structure cooperates to form a supple conformable film web 10 which will easily flex and bend to fit an interior shape of a rigid or semi-rigid box as shown e.g. in FIGS. 5-8. The film structure is designed to have good ability to be pierced by a rigid implement such as a hard plastic straw or other fitment when it is attached to a box proximate an access port. The puncture resistance may be adjusted by changes to the film composition without undue experimentation e.g. the nylon layer thicknesses may be decreased to increase the ease of piercing. This particular structure is believed to seal well around the piercing site and fitment e.g. straw wall, to reduce the possibility of leakage.
Advantageously, in some preferred embodiments, the bags formed with web 10 as described herein have a WVTR of less than 0.5 g/100 in²/24 hours at 100° F. (38° C.), 90% Relative humidity (R.H.), and 1 atmosphere and less than 0.1 g/100 in²/24 hours at 100° F. (38° C.), 90% Relative humidity (R.H.), and 1 atmosphere.
In some preferred embodiments, bags ay also have O₂TR value of less than or equal to 10 cm³/100 in²/24 hours at 1 atmosphere, 23° C. and 0% RH. In some preferred embodiments, the bags formed with web 10 have an Elmendorf tear strength value of at least 100 grams in at least one of the machine and transverse directions.
Advantageously, in some preferred embodiments, the bags formed with web 10 as described herein have has a Gurley stiffness of less than 50 grams.
In some preferred embodiments, the bag is a retail sized, flexible thermoplastic bag, i.e., having an available internal volume capacity of equal to or less than 1 liter.
Advantageously, in some preferred embodiments, the bags of the present invention will have a puncture resistance value of less than or equal to 22.2 N (5 pound-force), less than 17.8 N (4 pound-force), less than 13.3 N (3 pound-force) or less than 8.9 N (2 pound-force).
Referring now to FIG. 2, a schematic view shows formation of a plurality of bags including a flexible bag 34 from film web 10, the bag film web 10 is placed on a conventional vertical form-fill-seal machine which is equipped for aseptic packaging. Web 10 is folded with first exterior surface 24 becoming the interior surface of the bag 26. Formation of a vertical lap seal 27 is depicted, although other seals such as a fin seal may be made as is known in the art. Web 10 has a first side edge 28 and opposing second side edge 29 which are made to overlap with edge 28 overlapping edge 29 a sufficient distance to permit a vertical seal 27 to be formed e.g. by application of heat and pressure, or by ultrasonic sealing means thereby forming a tube 30 which is transversely sealed by conventional means to form a first transverse seal 31. The transversely sealed tube 30 may be filled with a flowable product and a bag 26 formed by a second opposing transverse seal 32. It will be appreciated that the transverse sealing operation may provide the second closing seal 32 simultaneously with the first transverse seal 31 for a trailing second bag 33 in a continuous process and that seals 31 and 32 may be formed as a single wide seal which is longitudinally severed as part of that process to form individual bags filled with product, one of which is shown in FIG. 3.
Referring now to FIG. 3, a perspective view of a bag 26 made from a flexible film web 10 is shown. Bag 26 is formed from film web 10 by provision of a longitudinal fin seal 5 and first and second opposing spaced apart transverse seals 36, 37. Bag 26 is only partially filled with a product 38 such as a liquid juice beverage to create an un-filled collapsed head-space 39 above the product. As previously mentioned, the product occupies at most about 83%, 75%, 67% or 58% of the available volume of the bag. The remaining volume of the bag, i.e., head-space 39 should be void of product and any additional injected gas to allow this portion of the bag to collapse upon itself.
Referring now to FIG. 4, a top plan view illustrating one preferred embodiment of a rigid or semi-rigid box blank 40, preferably of either paperboard or any plastic material such as, but limited to amorphous polyethylene terephthalate (APET) in accordance with the present invention. It should be appreciated that any rigid or semi-rigid plastic web or laminate may also be utilized in constructing boxes of the present invention. In some preferred embodiments, the plastic web or laminate is entirely transparent.
Box blank 40 has a die cut perimeter edge 41 with a plurality of vertical fold lines 41, 42, 43, and 44 extending from box top 45 to box bottom 46, and a plurality of horizontal fold lines 47, 48, and 49 extending from a first box side edge 50 to an opposing spaced apart distal second box edge 51. Box black 40 also includes a back wall panel 52 is defined by vertical fold lines 41, 42 and horizontal fold lines 48 and 49. These fold lines may also be score lines, i.e., fold/score lines formed in a plastic material in order to fold a rigid plastic box blank into a container. The phrase “fold/score lines” should be understood to refer to folds and/or score lines formed in rigid or semi-rigid paperboard or plastic box blanks.
The vertical and horizontal fold/score lines in rigid and semi-rigid plastic webs may be formed by mechanical and/or optical ablation techniques well known in the art.
Integrally connected to the back wall panel 52 at fold/score line 48 is top panel 53 which is defined by fold/score line 48, top edge 54, first top panel side edge 55 and second top panel side edge 56. A portion of the top panel between the top edge 54 and fold/score line 47 forms a top fold tab 57 which is adapted to be folded about fold/score line 47 to close the box after assembly and loading with a product filled bag as further described below. Top panel 53 is provided with an access port shown as hole 58. Also, integrally connected to the back wall panel 52 at fold/score line 49 is first bottom panel 59 which is defined by fold/score line 49, back panel bottom edge 60, first back bottom panel side edge 61 and second back bottom panel side edge 62.
Integrally connected to the back wall panel 52 at vertical fold/score line 41 is a first side wall panel 63 which is defined by fold/score lines 41, 48, and 49 and first box side edge 50. Integrally connected to the first side wall panel 63 at fold/score line 48 is first side wall panel top flap 64 having an inverted “U” shaped first side wall panel top flap edge 65. Integrally connected to the first side wall panel 63 at fold/score line 49 is first side wall panel bottom flap 66 having a “V” shaped first side wall panel bottom flap edge 67.
Integrally connected to the back wall panel 52 at vertical fold/score line 42 is a second side wall panel 68 which is defined by spaced apart vertical fold/score lines 42, 43 and spaced apart horizontal fold/score lines 48, 49. Integrally connected to the second side wall panel 68 at fold/score line 48 is second side wall panel top flap 69 having an inverted “U” shaped second side wall panel top flap edge 70. Integrally connected to the second side wall panel 68 at fold/score line 49 is second side wall panel bottom flap 71 having a “V” shaped second side wall panel bottom flap edge 72.
Integrally connected to the second side wall panel 68 at vertical fold/score line 43 is a front panel 73 which is defined by spaced apart vertical fold/score lines 43, 44, horizontal fold/score line 49 and spaced apart front panel top edge 74. Integrally connected to the front panel at fold/score line 49 is second bottom panel 75 which is defined by fold/score line 49, second bottom panel bottom edge 76, first front bottom panel side edge 77, and second front bottom panel side edge 78. In addition, integrally connected to front wall panel 73 at fold/score line 44 is a side connecting flap 79 defined by fold/score line 44, spaced second carton side edge 51, top side flap edge 80 and spaced apart bottom side flap slant edge 81.
To assemble the box blank 40 into a box as shown in FIG. 5, the vertical fold/score lines permit folding of the first side wall panel 63, the back wall panel 62, the second side wall panel 68, the front wall panel 73 and side flap 79 to construct a tube of rectangular cross-section with the side flap 70 disposed interiorly and sealed proximate to first box side edge 50 from an area proximate to horizontal fold/score line 48 to an area proximate horizontal fold/score line 49 e.g. by application of an adhesive (preferably one that sets with a high degree of transparency). The first bottom panel 69 and second bottom panel 75 are designed to cooperate to form an interlocking bottom which is adapted to support contents within the assembled box (See FIG. 5). First bottom panel 69 is equipped with a connecting tab 82 which is sealed, e.g. by adhesive, to first side wall panel bottom flap and second bottom panel 76 is similarly equipped with a connecting tab 83 which is similarly sealed, e.g. by adhesive, but to second side wall panel bottom flap 71 and by provision of these seals and the sealing of the side connecting flap as previously disclosed, the carton box may be stored in a flat condition ready for assembling into a free standing self-supporting rigid box as seen in FIG. 5. When the flattened box bottom is along fold/score line 49 is forced (either manually or by packaging machinery) into a rectangular configuration, the first and second bottom panels snap together to form a rigid base which maintains the box configuration.
Referring now to FIG. 5, a perspective view illustrating, the box blank 40 of FIG. 4 configured into a parallelepiped box 84 in accordance with the present invention is shown. Box 84 has a flat base 85 with a continuous upstanding rigid wall with front wall panel 73 and first side wall panel 63 shown with side connecting flap 79 adhesively sealing together panels 63 and 73. A bag such as that shown in FIG. 3 which is partially filled with a flowable, preferably liquid, product is leaded into box 84 and top panel 53 having an access port such as hole 58, is closed to hold the bag within the box 84. Prior to closing the top panel, adhesive is applied around the hole 58 on the top panel as well as on top fold tab 57 so that the tab 57 may be sealed to an inside surface of the front wall panel 73 and tab 57 proximate hole 58 may be sealed to the bag contained within the box 84.
Referring now to FIG. 6, a top plan view of the container box 84 of FIG. 5 in accordance with the present invention is shown. Box 84 has a top panel 53 with hole 58 for providing an access port to interiorly disposed bag 34 which is adhesively attached to an interior surface of the top panel 53. Top panel 53 has a box top perimeter 86 defined by fold/score lines 47, 48 a, 48 b, and 48 c. Also, locations are indicated for the front wall panel 73, and rear wall panel 52, connected by spaced apart first and second side wall panels 63 and 68.
Referring now to FIG. 7, a bottom plan view of the container box 84 of FIG. 5. Locations are indicated for the front wall panel 73, and rear wall panel 52, connected by spaced apart first and second side wall panels 63, and 68. A flat bottom base 85 has a boundary that is defined by base perimeter 87 formed by score/fold lines 49 a, 49 b, 49 c, and 49 d. The first bottom panel 59 having connecting tab 82 interlocks with the second bottom panel 75 having connecting tab 83 to form the flat bottom base 85 in the assembled box 84.
It will be appreciated that a variety of folding patterns, box dimensions and access port locations may be employed in the present invention and the folding pattern, box dimensions and access port location described herein are exemplary only.
Referring now to FIG. 8, there illustrated an assembled bag-in-box package 100 showing an open box 84 holding a partially filled bag 26. The bag 26 is sealed to an interior surface of top wall 53 adjacent to an access port 58 which may be a hole or other opening. Once closed and sealed shut, the box may be positioned top side down to permit gravity to hold the bag 26 against the interior of top 53 adjacent access port 58 thereby ensuring a good adhesive contact between bag film and box until the adhesive sets.
Advantageously, in some preferred embodiments, bag 26 may be formed from a flexible plastic web which is partially or completely transparent. In other preferred embodiments, box 84 may include one or more “windows” where the paperboard is removed. In these preferred embodiments, when bag 26 is partially or completely transparent and box 84 is transparent or includes a window, advantageously the consumer may view the flowable product within the package.
Turning now to FIG. 9, there is illustrated a side view of the bag-in-box package of FIG. 8. Bag 26 is only partially filled with a product 38 such as a liquid juice beverage to create an un-filled collapsed head-space 39 above the product. As previously mentioned, the product occupies at most about 87%, 83%, 75%, 67% or 58% of the available volume of the bag. The remaining volume of the bag, i.e., head-space 39 should be void of product and any additional injected gas to allow this portion of the bag to collapse upon itself. Bag 26 is sealed to an interior surface of top wall 53 adjacent to an access port 58 which may be a hole or other opening.
As previously mentioned, when bag is completely filled with product or when there is a gas-filled head-space above the product in a less than a completely filled bag, the pressure inside the bag causes liquid product to rapidly exit through the straw and spill out onto the consumer. Therefore with the present invention, it is important to not only limit the amount of product within a particular volume of bag, but also provide a collapsed head-space above the product. To this end, a test was performed on bags to find the ideal amount of volume of product within a bag to minimize or eliminate product from spilling out of a straw when the straw is inserted into the bag. Bags similar to that described in FIG. 3 and having a length of 18.4 cm (7.25 in) and a width of 10.2 cm (4 in) were formed from a transparent thermoplastic web similar to web 10 (TABLE 1) described above. Each bag had an available total volume of approximately 354.9 mL (12 fluid ounce). Bags were then filled with various amounts of water and inserted a parallelepiped box similar to that described in FIG. 8, and adhesively secured at a hole configuration in the top panel of the box. If the amount of water added to the bag was less than the total available volume of the bag, the head-space above the water was collapsed and unfilled. A straw having a sharp pointed end was used to puncture through the box and bag. This test determined if water exited from the straw when the bag was punctured as it is being hand-held. The percent of failures are shown in TABLE 2 below.

TABLE 2

Amount of Water (mL)	% of Available Volume
Added to Bag	Filled With Water	Percent of Failures

354.9	100	100%
325.3	92	67%
310.5	87	25%
295.7	83	0%
266.2	75	0%
236.6	67	0%
207	58	0%
177.4	50	0%
147.9	42	0%
118.3	33	0%

As is evident from the above data, the best performing bags are those filled to 87% or less of its available volume which creates a head-space above the water which is collapsed and void of water.
The above description and examples illustrate certain embodiments of the present invention and are not to be interpreted as limiting. Selection of particular embodiments, combinations thereof, modifications, and adaptations of the various embodiments, conditions and parameters normally encountered in the art will be apparent to those skilled in the art and are deemed to be within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A retail bag-in-box package comprising:

a flowable product, a bag, and a box; said product contained in said bag which is contained in said box; wherein

(a) said box has (i) a bottom panel, an opposing top panel, and a self-supporting upstanding wall connecting said bottom and top panels, (ii) an access port through said box;

(b) said bag is made from a flexible thermoplastic film, hermetically sealed to itself, and attached to an interior surface of said box proximate said access port;

(c) said product occupies at most 87% of the available volume of said bag to create a head-space above said product comprising the remaining available volume of said bag; and

(d) said head-space is collapsed and void of said product.

2. A retail bag-in-box package, as defined in claim 1, wherein said product occupies between 50% and 83% of the available volume of said bag.

3. A retail bag-in-box package according to claim 1, wherein said bag has a WVTR of less than 0.5 g/100 in²/24 hours at 100° F. (38° C.), 90% Relative humidity (R.H.), and 1 atmosphere.

4. A retail bag-in-box package according to claim 1, wherein said bag has a WVTR of less than 0.1 g/100 inches²per 24 hours at 100° F. (38° C.), 90% Relative humidity (R.H.), and 1 atmosphere.

5. A retail bag-in-box package according to claim 1, wherein said bag has a puncture resistance of between 4.4 N (1 lb-force) and 22.2 N (5 lb-force).

6. A retail bag-in-box package according to claim 1, wherein said bag has a total internal capacity of less than or equal to 1000 mL (33.8 oz).

7. A retail bag-in-box package according to claim 1, wherein said bag has a total internal capacity of between 118 mL (4 oz) and 946 mL (32 oz).

8. A retail bag-in-box package according to claim 1, wherein said bag has a total internal capacity of about 354.9 mL (12 oz).

9. A retail bag-in-box package according to claim 1, wherein said bag comprises at least five layers including a heat sealable layer, and a layer of EVOH.

10. A retail bag-in-box package according to claim 1, wherein said bag has an O₂TR value of less than or equal to 10 cm³/100 in²/24 hours at 1 atmosphere, 23° C. and 0% RH.

11. A retail bag-in-box package according to claim 1, wherein said bag has an Elmendorf tear strength value of at least 100 grams in at least one of the machine and transverse directions.

12. A retail bag-in-box package according to claim 1, wherein said bag film has a Gurley stiffness of less than 50 grams.

13. A retail bag-in-box package according to claim 1, wherein said product comprises a liquid.

14. A retail bag-in-box package according to claim 1, wherein said box comprises paperboard.

15. A retail bag-in-box package according to claim 1, wherein said box comprises amorphous polyethylene terephthalate (APET).

16. A retail bag-in-box package according to claim 1, wherein said box wall has a Gurley stiffness of at least 1000 grams.

17. A retail bag-in-box package according to claim 1, wherein said package further comprises a rigid straw, a pump, a tap, a valve, a sprayer, a twist screw cap, or a dispensing cap.

18. A retail bag-in-box package according to claim 1, wherein said bag is transparent.

19. A retail bag-in-box package according to claim 1, wherein both said bag and said box are each transparent.

20. A retail bag-in-box package according to claim 1, wherein said bag is transparent and said box is formed from paper board and has at least one window.