Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D75/00—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes, or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers
  • B65D75/52—Details
  • B65D75/58—Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture
  • B65D75/5816—Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture for tearing a corner or other small portion next to the edge, e.g. a U-shaped portion
  • B65D75/5822—Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture for tearing a corner or other small portion next to the edge, e.g. a U-shaped portion and defining, after tearing, a small dispensing spout, a small orifice or the like
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D75/00—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes, or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers
  • B65D75/008—Standing pouches, i.e. "Standbeutel"

Definitions

• Plastic film of, for example, polyethylene or polypropylene is virtually impossible to tear directly along a straight or other regular line. This is due to the fact that two forces, when applied in opposite directions in shear or tension over an area of such a film or thin sheet, can cause the plastic film material to deform and stretch plastically until its elastic limit is passed, whereupon a tear or separation starts. Such a tear can begin anywhere in the deformed, stretched area — which is usually at the weakest point produced by the above-described thickness reduction — and will not, in general, run normal to the tearing forces being applied.
• the sealed pouch is made of a molecularly-orientable polymeric film that is sealed along peripheral edge margins.
• the pouch defines a sealed cavity for containment of a fluid.
• the pouch also defines a sealed fluid-discharge spout that is in fluid communication with the fluid cavity.
• the pouch further defines a seam disposed between the fluid cavity and the spout.
• the improvement comprises at least three essential features.
• One such feature is that a portion of the polymeric film which defines a fluid-discharge end of the spout is molecularly-oriented in a preselected direction.
• Another such feature is that a portion of the seam defines a slit disposed transverse to the preselected direction.
• Still another feature is that a portion of the sealed pouch peripheral edge margin in the vicinity of the fluid-discharge end of the spout defines a tear-initiating notch oriented along the preselected direction.
• Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of our present invention.
• Figure 2 is a sectional view, taken along the plane 2-2 in Figure 1, and slightly enlarged relative to Figure 1.
• Figure 3 is a fragmented sectional view, taken along the lines 3-3 in Figure 2 and on an enlarged scale.
• Figure 4 is a fragmented sectional view of another embodiment of our present invention, illustrating the tear- open spout.
• Figure 5 is a fragmented sectional view, similar to Figure 4, but illustrating the now torn-open spout.
• Figure 6 is a perspective view of still another embodiment of our present invention.
• Figure 7 is a sectional view, taken along the plane 7-7 in Figure 6, and slightly enlarged relative to Figure 6.
• Figure 8 is a fragmented sectional view, generally taken along the line 8-8 in Figure 7 and on an enlarged scale.
• edge margins of flexible plastic pouches can be joined continuously utilizing such sealing methods as heat-and-pressure, radio-frequency welding, induction heating, solvent joining, or an adhesive. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,429 to Fabisiewicz et al.
• the sealed pouch 20A is made of a molecularly- orientable, flexible polymeric film that is sealed along peripheral edge margins.
• thermoplastic sheet or film materials typically used in making flexible pouches or containers, whether blown, rolled, cast, or die-extruded, are molecularly directionally orientable to some degree.
• certain thermoplastic sheet or film materials can be intentionally oriented by stretching in a predetermined direction. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,429 to Fabisiewicz et al.
• molecularly-orientable materials include polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene. See, e.g. , U.S. Pat. No. 3,608,815 to Bunch.
• the pouch 20A defines a sealed cavity 22A for containment of a fluid "F".
• the pouch 20A also defines a sealed fluid-discharge spout 24A that is in fluid communication with the fluid cavity 22A.
• the sealed spout 24A can be serpentine as shown in Figures 1 through 3; or, in the alternative, either a relatively straight, sealed spout 24B disposed at an acute angle relative to cavity 22B ( Figure 4) or an elongated, sealed spout 24C having inwardly-disposed spout indents 25 ( Figures 6-8) would be suitable for purposes of our present invention.
• the pouch 20A further defines a sealed seam 26A disposed between the fluid cavity 22A and the spout 24A.
• the improvement comprises at least three essential features.
• a portion 28A of the polymeric film which defines a fluid-discharge end of the spout 24A is molecularly-oriented in a preselected direction. Dashed lines are shown in Figures 1-3 (at portion 28A) , in Figure 4 (at portion 28B) , and in Figures 6-8 (at portion 28C) , for purposes of illustrating our preferred, preselected direction of molecular orientation in the polymeric film of the pouch of our present invention.
• the polymeric film material that we prefer to use, for purposes of achieving this feature or aspect of our invention is either molecularly-orientable polyethylene or polypropylene. Further, film thickness is a matter of design choice, in view of factors such as economic considerations and fluids that are to be contained, as is well known to those skilled in the art.
• a portion of the seam 26A defines a slit 30A, which completely penetrates the film material and which is disposed transverse to the preselected direction of molecular orientation of the polymeric film, such direction of molecular orientation being illustrated by portion 28A at the discharge end of sealed spout 24A.
• the slit 30A can be straight, as shown in Figures 1 through 3; or the slit 30B can be arcuate, as shown in Figure 4.
• An elongated slit 30C shown in Figures 6 through 8 and further discussed hereinbelow, is still another embodiment.
• Still another feature of the improved pouch of our present invention is that a portion of the sealed pouch peripheral edge margin in the vicinity of the fluid-discharge end of sealed spout 24A defines a tear-initiating notch 32A.
• the notch 32A is located in the vicinity of that portion 28A of the polymeric film which defines the fluid-discharge end of sealed spout 24A and is oriented in the direction of molecular orientation of the polymeric film.
• One ' end 34A of the slit 30A preferably extends so far inwardly into the seam 26A as to effectively .terminate any tear initiating at notch 32A.
• a like arrangement is shown in Figure 4 relative to notch 32B, slit 3OB, slit terminal end 34B, and seam 26B.
• the remainder of slit 30A can totally sever an edge margin of pouch 20A, or as shown in Figure 4 can terminate in the edge margin just short of severing the same.
• the amount of edge margin thus left unsevered is minimal, enabling the corner 38B (Figure 4) of the pouch 20B to be readily removed from the remainder of the pouch edge margin without causing undesired fluid leakage from the cavity 22B of the pouch 2OB.
• propagation of the tear from the notch 32B to the slit 30B, and tearing away the removable corner 38B ( Figure 4) from the edge margin of the pouch 2OB results in a pouch 2OB having a spout which, in turn, has an open discharge, end 36B ( Figure 5) .
• Such an illustrated embodiment of our pouch 20A includes cavity indents 40 and 41 defined by the pouch edge margins and disposed inwardly into the cavity 22A.
• the cavity indents 40 and 41 are so located relative to the closed serpentine spout 24A, defined by upper edge margin 42 of pouch 20A, as to enable a user to force fluid from cavity 22A into serpentine spout 24A by exerting pressure on the fluid contained in pouch 20A, via the pouch sidewalls, with minimal deformation occurring in upper margin 42.
• deformation of upper margin 42 would tend to restrict flow of fluid through serpentine spout 24A.
• the indents 40 and 41 are not an essential feature of our present invention, although inclusion of such are presently preferred by us. Accordingly, as those skilled in the art can well appreciate, certain pouches incorporating the three above-discussed essential features of our invention, but not including the indents 40 and/or 41, can be manufactured if desired.
• the spout 24C and seam 26C can each be elongated; and the slit 30C can be elongated and so inwardly disposed relative to the seam 26C as to locate the seam inner end 34C at a point that is effective for forming an upper edge margin flap 44 which defines the elongated spout 24C.
• the flexible nature of the polymeric material of the pouch 20C enables a user to flex the flap 44 out of a plane defined by the remainder of the sealed upper edge margin of the pouch 20C, to thus direct the flow of fluid through elongated spout 24C if desired.
• the spout indents 25, mentioned above, if present, further control the flow of fluid through elongated spout
• the spout indents 25 like the elongated spout 24C, are defined by the sealed, upper edge margin of pouch 20C. As is illustrated in Figures 6 through 8, the spout indents 25 are located on opposite inner sidewalls of elongated spout 24C.
• One purpose of the spout indents 25 is to provide a means for controlling fluid discharge rate, within predetermined limits, when a user is intentionally forcing fluid through the elongated spout 24C.
• Another purpose of the spout indents 25 is to minimize fluid discharge rate when a user is unintentionally forcing fluid through the elongated spout 24C, as happens when an open pouch is passed from one user to another.
• Still another purpose of the spout indents 25 is to restrict flow of fluid through the elongated spout 24C when the pouch is not in use, as happens, for example, when the pouch is unintentionally left on its side. Achieving these various purposes will depend for example on the viscosity and surface tension of the contained fluid, the axial and transverse dimensions of the elongated spout 24C, the relative number of spout indents 25 disposed along the axial direction of elongated spout 24C, and the spacing of oppositely disposed spout indents 25 with respect to the spout transverse direction.
• the pouch of the present invention can contain a variety of fluids such as shampoo and conditioner, shower and shaving gels, shower and bath oil, hand and body lotion, moisturizing cream, dish-washing detergent, liquid hand soap, liquid laundry detergent and stain remover, liquid automotive products such as windshield-washer fluid, catsup and mustard, salad dressing and jelly, liquid dairy products such as milk and yogurt, and various beverages such as fruit juice, soft drinks, mineral water and the like.
• fluids such as shampoo and conditioner, shower and shaving gels, shower and bath oil, hand and body lotion, moisturizing cream, dish-washing detergent, liquid hand soap, liquid laundry detergent and stain remover, liquid automotive products such as windshield-washer fluid, catsup and mustard, salad dressing and jelly, liquid dairy products such as milk and yogurt, and various beverages such as fruit juice, soft drinks, mineral water and the like.
• fluids such as shampoo and conditioner, shower and shaving gels, shower and bath oil, hand and body lotion, moisturizing cream, dish-washing detergent, liquid hand soap, liquid laundry detergent and stain remover,

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Bag Frames (AREA)
• Making Paper Articles (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (13)

Cited By (5)

Families Citing this family (4)

Citations (15)

• 1990
  • 1990-11-13 JP JP3500574A patent/JPH05503906A/ja active Pending
  • 1990-11-13 EP EP90917441A patent/EP0593445B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1990-11-13 AU AU68850/91A patent/AU6885091A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1990-11-13 AT AT90917441T patent/ATE117959T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1990-11-13 DK DK90917441.9T patent/DK0593445T3/da active
  • 1990-11-13 WO PCT/US1990/006673 patent/WO1991011366A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 1990-11-13 ES ES90917441T patent/ES2067772T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1990-11-13 CA CA002074480A patent/CA2074480A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1990-11-13 DE DE69016679T patent/DE69016679T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1990-11-27 AR AR90318479A patent/AR247524A1/es active
  • 1990-12-03 CN CN90109625A patent/CN1019374B/zh not_active Expired
  • 1990-12-04 ZA ZA909746A patent/ZA909746B/xx unknown
• 1995
  • 1995-02-02 GR GR940403512T patent/GR3014945T3/el unknown

Patent Citations (15)

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