CONTAMINANT-RESISTANT PACKAGING

BACKGROUND

Polymers are commonly used in packaging a wide-range of materials. Such packaging is typically inexpensive and ubiquitous, making it a commercially viable solution for packaging various commodities. Further, many types of polymers are relatively inert with respect to various types of packaged materials and have a long history of safe use, making polymers particularly useful for packaging food or other consumable material.

Polymers that are used for packaging commodities, however, exhibit a degree of permeability to gases. This limits contamination-resistance. In robust supply chains in which the packaged material reaches the point of end-use quickly, such limited contamination-resistance provided by polymers may be adequate for preserving the packaged material over a typical time in the supply chain. This is not the case, however, for supply chains associated with long transportation and/or storage times—such as may be characteristic of remote locations. That is, the contamination-resistance of polymers may limit the feasibility of distributing some types of packaged materials (e.g., food or other consumables) to certain markets or, in some cases, may require the use of preservatives to achieve suitable shelf-life.

Accordingly, there remains a need for improving the contamination-resistance of polymeric packaging used for shipping and/or storing perishable or otherwise degradable material.

SUMMARY

Contaminant-resistant packaging, conduits, and methods of the present disclosure are generally directed to reducing the likelihood of contaminant infiltration into packaging used to store and ultimately dispense material. More specifically, a conduit that is used to dispense the material from the packaging may include a contaminant barrier that, together with respective contaminant barriers along other portions of the packaging, significantly reduces the likelihood of contaminant (e.g., oxygen and/or moisture) permeation into the material in the contaminant-resistant packaging.

According to one aspect, a conduit for contaminant-resistant packaging may include a body having a first end portion and a second end portion, the body defining a lumen, and the second end portion defining an orifice, and a head integral with the first end portion of the body and radially spanning the lumen, the head defining two or more apertures in fluid communication with the orifice via the lumen, the body and the head each including a skin material and a core material, the skin material having a first oxygen permeability, the core material having a second oxygen permeability less than the first oxygen permeability, and the skin material enveloping the core material.

In some implementations, the skin material may be in contact with the core material along the head and the body.

In certain implementations, the lumen may define a center axis, and the center axis of the lumen intersects the skin material and the core material of the head. The head may include a gate location, the two or more apertures are disposed about the gate location, and the center axis of the lumen intersects the gate location of the head. The head may be disposed along first end portion of the body with the gate location of the head recessed longitudinally, along the center axis, relative to the first end portion of the body. In some instances, the body and the head may each be symmetric about any plane containing the center axis of the lumen. In certain instances, the center axis of the lumen may intersect a center of the orifice defined by the second end portion of the body. Further, or instead, the head may have a first minimum thickness parallel to the center axis, the body has a second minimum thickness perpendicular to the center axis, and the first minimum thickness of the head is less than the second minimum thickness of the body.

In some implementations, the skin material may include a first polymer, and the core material includes a second polymer different from the first polymer. For example, at least one of the first polymer or the second polymer is a thermoplastic material.

In certain implementations, the second oxygen permeability of the core material may be greater than 0 and less than about 1 cc·mm/m²·day·atm at a relative humidity of 20 percent and a temperature of 23° C. Further, or instead, the core material may be hygroscopic. Additionally, or alternatively, the core material may be more moisture absorbent than the skin material. As an example, the core material may include ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH) copolymer, nylon, or a combination thereof. Further, or instead, the core material may include an oxygen scavenger (e.g., a non-ferrous oxygen scavenger, such as ascorbic acid).

In some implementations, the skin material may includes polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene, high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, or a combination thereof.

In certain implementations, the body may include an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defines the lumen and is opposite the outer surface, and the inner surface and the outer surface of the body are formed of the skin material. As an example, along the body, the core material may circumscribe the skin material of the inner surface of the body and the skin material of the outer surface of the body circumscribes the core material. Additionally, or alternatively, the skin material may be seamless along the inner surface and the outer surface of the body. Further, or instead, the core material may be seamless between the inner surface and the outer surface of the body. In some instances, a thickness of the body between the inner surface and the outer surface may vary in a longitudinal direction from the first end portion to the second end portion of the body. In certain instances, the lumen of the body has a constant radial dimension in a longitudinal direction from the first end portion to the second end portion of the body.

In some implementations, along each of the two or more apertures, the head may have radiused edges.

In certain implementations, the head may be planar in a direction radially spanning the lumen of the body.

According to another aspect, a contaminant-resistant packaging may include a container defining a volume, a conduit according to any one or more of the preceding examples, the conduit coupled to the container, and the lumen of the conduit in fluid communication with the volume of the container via the orifice of the second end portion of the body of the conduit, and a lid coupled to the conduit, and the lid releasably covering the two or more apertures of the head of the conduit.

In some implementations, the container may include a first oxygen barrier disposed at least about the volume of the container. Further, or instead, the lid may include a second oxygen barrier and, with the lid releasably covering the two or more apertures, the second oxygen barrier of the lid is disposed over the two or more apertures. At least one of the first oxygen barrier or the second oxygen barrier may have the same composition as the core material.

In certain implementations, the container may be a pouch. For example, the pouch may be stably supportable on a flat surface with the conduit and the lid supported, by the pouch, away from the flat surface.

In some implementations, the contaminant-resistant packaging may further include a living hinge, wherein the lid is coupled to the conduit via the living hinge.

According to yet another aspect, a method of fabricating a conduit for contaminant-resistant packaging may include forming cavity, co-injecting, through a runner, a molten form of each of a skin material and a core material into the cavity, in the cavity, cooling the skin material and the core material into a part having a head integral with a body, the body defining a lumen and an orifice, the head radially spanning the lumen and defining at least two apertures in fluid communication with the orifice via the lumen, and the skin material enveloping the core material of the part, and separating the part from the runner along the head of the part.

In some implementations, the lumen of the part defines a center axis extending through a gate location of the head corresponding to a position of co-injection of the molten form of each of the skin material and the core material into the cavity. The runner may be a cold runner, and separating the part from the runner along the head of the part may include shearing the part from the cold runner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the devices, systems, and methods described herein will be apparent from the following description of particular embodiments thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the devices, systems, and methods described herein.

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a contaminant-resistant packaging.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a conduit of the contaminant-resistant packaging of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2B is a bottom perspective view of the conduit of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2C is a side view of the conduit of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2D is a top view of the conduit of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2E is a top view of a cross-section of the conduit of FIG. 2A, the cross-section taken along 2E-2E in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2F is a side view of a cross-section of the conduit of FIG. 2A, the cross-section taken along 2F-2F in FIG. 2D.

FIG. 2G is an enlarged view of the area of detail 2G in FIG. 2F.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of an exemplary method of fabricating a conduit for contaminant-resistant packaging.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of molten forms of a skin material and a core material flowing into a cavity shaped to form the conduit of FIG. 2A according to the exemplary method of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4B is a side, cross-sectional view of the flow of the molten forms of the skin material and the core material flowing into the cavity of FIG. 4A, with the cross-section taken along 4B-4B in FIG. 4A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures, in which exemplary embodiments are shown. The foregoing may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein.

All documents mentioned herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. References to items in the singular should be understood to include items in the plural, and vice versa, unless explicitly stated otherwise or clear from the text. Grammatical conjunctions are intended to express any and all disjunctive and conjunctive combinations of conjoined clauses, sentences, words, and the like, unless otherwise stated or clear from the context. Thus, the term “or” should generally be understood to mean “and/or,” and the term “and” should generally be understood to mean “and/or.”

Recitation of ranges of values herein are not intended to be limiting, referring instead individually to any and all values falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value within such a range is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. The words “about,” “approximately,” or the like, when accompanying a numerical value, are to be construed as including any deviation as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art to operate satisfactorily for an intended purpose. Ranges of values and/or numeric values are provided herein as examples only, and do not constitute a limitation on the scope of the described embodiments. The use of any and all examples or exemplary language (“e.g.,” “such as,” or the like) is intended merely to better illuminate the embodiments and does not pose a limitation on the scope of those embodiments. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any unclaimed element as essential to the practice of the disclosed embodiments.

In the disclosure that follows, conduits are described in the context of a use case as a fitment for packaging of material (e.g., flowable material) susceptible to various types of degradation over extended periods of time and/or under uncontrolled conditions, such as may be characteristic of supply chains and/or storage of food or other consumables in areas that are hard to reach and/or lack infrastructure (e.g., remote areas). In instances in which packaging includes a container with a contaminant barrier for protecting degradable material, the fitment coupled to the container can be a weak point in overall contamination resistance of the packaging. Thus, it shall be appreciated that the use case of conduits of the present disclosure as fitments for packaging described herein represents important implementations—namely, implementations that may significantly improve the contamination resistance of otherwise identical packaging. In turn, the improved contamination resistance of packaging may facilitate supplying perishable or otherwise degradable material to areas that are otherwise inaccessible because of supply chain limitations. It shall be appreciated that such an exemplary use of the conduits as fitments for packaging described herein is for the sake of clear and efficient explanation of various features of the conduits and, unless otherwise specified or made clear from the context, shall not be understood to be limiting. Stated differently, unless a contrary intent is specifically expressed, the conduits described herein may be used in any one or more of various different applications benefiting from reducing the likelihood of contamination of a material that is continuously and/or intermittently dispensable through such a conduit. Consistent with the focus on the use case associated with forming fitments for packaging used for food (which shall be understood to include powder, solid, gels, liquids, or any combination thereof) or other consumables (which shall be understood to include vitamins, dietary supplements, medicine, or any combination thereof), it shall be further appreciated that contaminant barriers are described herein in the context of oxygen barriers, given that oxygen permeability of polymer-based packaging is a significant factor in degradation of packaged food or other consumables. The focus on such oxygen barriers is for the sake of clear and efficient description. Unless a contrary intent is indicated, it shall be understood that any type of contamination barrier may additionally or alternatively be used in contaminant-resistant packaging, conduits, and/or methods described herein and is within the scope of the present disclosure.

In the description that follows, contaminant-resistant packaging and its various components are described in the context of oxygen-permeability, as this is a significant use case for improving packaging of many materials (e.g., food or other consumables) and is useful for clear and efficient description of various aspects of the various devices, systems, and methods described herein. However, unless otherwise specified or made clear from the context, it shall be appreciated that the any one or more of the various different devices, systems, and methods described herein may additionally, or alternatively, be used to provide barriers for ingress into or egress out of any one or more other types of gases (e.g., nitrogen, carbon dioxide, etc.).

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2A-2G, a contaminant-resistant packaging 100 may include a container 102, a conduit 104, and a lid 106. The container 102 may define a volume 108. The lid 106 may be releasably coupled to the conduit 104. In general, the conduit 104 may be coupled to the container 102 and in fluid communication with the volume 108 of the container 102. For example, the conduit 104 may include a body 220 having a first end portion 222 and a second end portion 224. The body 220 may define a lumen 226, and the second end portion 224 of the body 220 may define an orifice 228. The conduit 104 may include a head 230 integral with the first end portion 222 of the body 220, with the head 230 radially spanning the lumen 226 of the body 220. As an example, the head 230 may define two or more apertures 232 in fluid communication with the orifice 228 defined by the second end portion 224 of the body 220 via the lumen 226. Further, or instead, the two or more apertures 232 of the head 230 may be in fluid communication with the volume 108 of the container 102 via the lumen 226 and the orifice 228 of the conduit 104. The body 220 and the head 230 of the conduit 104 may each include a skin material 233 and a core material 234, with the skin material 233 having a first oxygen permeability, the core material 234 having a second oxygen permeability less than the first oxygen permeability, and the skin material 233 enveloping the core material 234. Thus, the head 230 with the core material 234 enveloped by the skin material 233 is a structural feature of the conduit 104 that provides at least some contamination barrier where there would otherwise not be any contamination barrier in an open tube while still allowing a material 109 in the volume 108 of the container 102 to be dispensed, thus offering improved contamination impermeability as compared to an open tube with an oxygen barrier along only the sides of the tube.

As described in greater detail below, the head 230 is a structural feature of the conduit 104 that may further, or instead, facilitate protecting the core material 234 from an environment outside of the conduit 104 such that barrier properties (e.g., oxygen impermeability) of the core material 234 may be better preserved, thus improving preservation characteristics of the contaminant-resistant packaging 100. The conduit 104 may be formed by co-injecting the skin material 233 and the core material 234 along the position of a gate location 236 of the head 230 to form the conduit 104 using an umbrella flow of the skin material 233 and the core material 234 flowing radially from the gate location 236 to form the head 230 then in a direction from the first end portion 222 to the second end portion 224 of the body 220 to form the body 220. Through a combination of co-injection and umbrella flow facilitated by injection molding at a gate corresponding to the gate location 236 of the head 230, the core material 234 may be substantially evenly distributed (e.g., allowing for small variations associated with the co-injection process) along the body 220 and the skin material 233 may envelop the core material 234 along the body 220 and the head 230 with reduced likelihood of seams or other disruptions that permit oxygen penetration to the core material 234 and/or into the volume 108 of the container 102. Thus, as compared to the use of a side gate to introduce an oxygen barrier into a tubular structure, the head 230 is a structural feature of the conduit 104 that facilitates forming the conduit 104 with fewer defects that tend to compromise contaminant impermeability and/or the structural integrity of tubular structures, such as fitments. That is, as compared to a conduit formed using a side gate that results in a confluence of material moving circumferentially about the conduit, the head 230 spanning the lumen 226 of the body 220 facilitates injection molding the skin material 233 and the core material 234 together such that the skin material 233 provides improved encapsulation and distribution of the core material 234. In turn, such improved encapsulations of the core material 234 improves the contaminant impermeability of the conduit 104 over longer periods of time, as compared to a conduit with a contaminant barrier that is not as well sealed from an outside environment.

In use, the material 109 may be stored in the volume 105 of the container 102 with the lid 106 on the container 102 such that the lid 106 covers the two or more apertures 232 of the head 230. Further, or instead, the lid 106 may be releasably secured to the conduit 104 such that the material 109 may be selectively removed from the volume 108 of the container 102, via the two or more apertures 232 of the head 230, at or near the point of end-use of the material 109. As also described in greater detail below, the container 102, the conduit 104, and the lid 106 may each have a respective contaminant barrier (e.g., a barrier to permeability of oxygen and/or moisture) such that the container 102, the conduit 104, and the lid 106 may collectively protect the material 109 in the volume 105 from one or more environmental contaminant (e.g., oxygen and/or moisture) that would otherwise degrade the material 109. Advantageously, as compared to packaging without such barriers, the contaminant-resistant packaging 100 may facilitate reducing the rate of degradation of the material 109 over time, thus increasing the shelf-life of the material 109. For certain supply chains—particularly those characterized by long delivery and storage times—the reduction in degradation facilitated by the contaminant-resistant packaging 100 may, for example, expand the ability to distribute the material 109 into markets that were previously unreachable and/or economically impractical and/or expand distribution of materials that are more sensitive to contaminants.

In general, the head 230 may radially span the lumen 226 along the first end portion 222 of the body 220 of the conduit 104 such that the head 230 is outside of the volume 108 of the container 102. While the head 230 and the body 220 may be radially flush with one another along the first end portion 222 of the body 220 in some instances, it shall be appreciated that the head 230 may be recessed longitudinally relative to the first end portion of the body. Recessing the head 230 relative to the first end portion 222 of the body 220 may, for example, reduce the potential for perforation, cracking, or other wear along the head 230 that may inadvertently expose the core material 234 along the head 230. Such resistance to wear may be particularly useful in implementations in which the lid 106 is intended to be repeatedly secured along the first end portion 222 of the body (e.g., for intermittently dispensing the material 109 from the volume 108 via the conduit 104).

In certain implementations, the lumen 226 may define a center axis C intersecting the skin material 233 and the core material 234 along the head 230, as may be useful for facilitating fabrication of the conduit 104 by co-injecting the skin material 233 and the core material 234 according to any one or more of the various different fabrication techniques described herein. For example, the head 230 may radially span the lumen 226 with the gate location 236 of the head 230 intersecting a center axis C defined by the lumen 226 from the first end portion 222 to the second end portion 224 of the body 220 of the conduit 104. That is, continuing with this example, the two or more apertures 232 may be disposed about the center axis C such that the gate location 236 is along the center axis C. As an example, the head 230 may include two or more trusses 238 disposed between the two or more apertures 232 and extending radially from the gate location 236 toward the body 220 of the conduit 104 to form a web-like pattern originating from the gate location 236 and that supporting the gate location 236 along the center axis C. It shall be appreciated that the web-like pattern formed by the two or more trusses 238 extending radially from the gate location 236 may facilitate symmetric flow of the skin material 233 and the core material 234, in molten form, away from the gate location 236 to form the conduit 104 according to any one or more of the various different techniques described herein.

The head 230, in some instances, may be planar in a direction radially spanning the lumen 226 of the body 220. As used in this context, the term “planar” shall be understood to include a shape that has substantially flat two-dimensional surfaces (allowing for small deviations associated with manufacturing tolerance of co-injection fabrication) that are much larger (e.g., greater than 10 times) the thickness of the head 230 in an axial direction along the center axis C. As compared to a nonplanar shape, the planarity of the head 230 may reduce the potential for the material 109 or contaminants to collect inadvertently on the head 230. Further, or instead, as again compared to a nonplanar shape, the planarity of the head 230 may promote symmetric flow of the skin material 233 and the core material 234 in molten form to form the body 220 and the head 230 according to any one or more of the various, different fabrication techniques described herein.

Further, or instead, along each of the two or more apertures 232, the head 230 may have radiused edges. That is, the two or more apertures 232 may be features formed according to any one or more of the co-injection molding processes described herein. As compared to the use of secondary finishing processes, forming the two or more apertures 232 in the co-injection process used to form the conduit 104—and, thus, forming the head 230 with radiused edges along each of the two or more apertures 232—may offer significant cost-savings. Further, or instead, by eliminating secondary finishing processes like punching and/or cutting that would otherwise be used to form apertures, forming the two or more apertures 232 in the co-injection processes such that the head 230 has radiused edges along each of the two or more apertures 232 may reduce the likelihood of inadvertently introducing punched or cut particles into the container 102. In turn, this may reduce the likelihood that such particles would be inadvertently dispensed with the material 109 stored in the container 102.

In some implementations, the conduit 104 may be thinnest along the head 230 of the conduit 104. Forming the head 230 thinner than the body 220 may be useful for providing flexibility to the conduit 104 such that the conduit 104 may resist fracture in response to lateral forces on the conduit 104 during handling. Additionally, or alternatively, forming the head 230 thinner than the body 220 may be useful for promoting a cooling pattern of the conduit 104 that facilitates separating an injection nozzle from the gate location 236 along the head 230 with a faster cycle time than would otherwise be required for forming the conduit 104 with uniform thickness of the head 230 and the body 22. As a specific example, the head 230 may have a first minimum thickness parallel to the center axis C, the body 220 may have a second minimum thickness perpendicular to the center axis C, and the first minimum thickness of the head 230 is less than the second minimum thickness of the body 220.

In general, the body 220 may be coupled to the container 102 with the second end portion 224 of the body 220 extending into the volume 108 of the container 102. That is, the body 220 may be coupled to the container 102 such that the orifice 228 defined by the second end portion 224 of the body 220 is disposed in the volume 108 of the container 102. As an example, in instances in which the container 102 is at least partially formed of a polymer, the second end portion 224 of the body 220 may be welded to the container 102 using any one or more of various different polymer welding techniques known in the art and suitable for high-volume throughput.

The body 220 may generally have any shape that is amenable to co-injection according to the various different techniques described herein and, in particular, promotes uniformity of flow of molten forms of the skin material 233 and the core material 234. As compared to asymmetric geometry that is injection molded using less uniform flow and/or as compared to geometry requiring the use of a side gate for injection molding, uniformity of flow promoted by the geometry of the body 220 (alone or in combination with the head 230) may increase the strength of the body 220 at knit lines (lines formed when two separate molten flows of a given material meet) formed in skin material 233 and/or the strength of the body 220 at knit lines formed in the core material 234—thus, improving impermeability of the conduit 104 to contaminants when the lid 106 (which includes its own barrier material, as described in greater detail below) is secured in place over the head 230 of the conduit 104. Additionally, or alternatively, the geometry of the body 220 and the head 230 may promote flow of molten forms of the skin material 233 and the core material 234 such that the skin material 233 may be seamless along the inner surface 240 of the body 220 in the finished product of the conduit 104 (e.g., after the molten forms of the skin material 233 and the core material 234 have cooled) and/or the core material 234 is seamless between the inner surface 240 and the outer surface 242 of the body 220 in the finished product of the conduit 104.

For example, the body 220 may include an inner surface 240 and an outer surface 242 that are opposite one another and each a solid of revolution about an axis (e.g., the center axis C) defined by the lumen 226 and each formed of the skin material 233 enveloping the core material 234 along the body 220, as may be useful for achieving symmetric distribution of the skin material 233 and the core material 234 along the body 220 using any one or more of the various different co-injection techniques described herein. Additionally, or alternatively, the center axis C of the lumen 226 may intersect a center of the orifice 228, as may also be useful for forming the body 220 with symmetric distribution of molten forms of the skin material 233 and the core material 234 to facilitate increasing the strength of each material at knit lines in the respective material such that the body 220 is more resistant to oxygen penetration.

In some implementations, the body 220 and the head 230 may each be symmetric about any plane containing the center axis C of the lumen 226. Such symmetry of the body 220 and the head 230 shall be understood to be structural features of the conduit 104 that facilitate improving uniformity of flow of molten forms of the skin material 233 and the core material 234. As compared to injection molding of an asymmetric structure and/or using a side gate to form a tubular structure, the uniform molten flows associated with the symmetry of the body 220 and the head 230 may increase the strength of knit lines formed in the skin material 233 and/or increasing the strength knit lines formed in the core material 234. In turn, the increased strength of knit lines in the skin material 233 and/or the knit lines in the core material 234 may be observed as increased oxygen impermeability. That is, the stronger knit lines in the skin material 233 may reduce the likelihood of exposing the core material 234 to the environment, thus reducing the rate of degradation of the core material 234 as an oxygen barrier. Further, or instead, the stronger knit lines in the core material 234 may reduce the likelihood of oxygen moving into the volume 108 of the container 102 through a discontinuity in the core material 234.

While the body 220 may have a thickness between the inner surface 240 and the outer surface 242 that is constant in the longitudinal direction of the body 220, thickness of the body 220 between the inner surface 240 and the outer surface 242 may vary in the longitudinal direction from the first end portion 222 to the second end portion 224 of the body 220. Such variation in thickness of the body 220 may be useful, for example, for forming one or more features (e.g., ledges) that facilitate securing the body 220 to the container 102 (e.g., using welding, adhesive, or a combination thereof) and/or securing the lid 106 to the body 220 to cover the head 230 (e.g., through a snap-fit engagement, threaded engagement, etc.). Further, or instead, variations in thickness of the body 220 may facilitate automated handling of the body 220 to assemble the contaminant-resistant packaging 100.

Whether the body 220 has a constant or varying thickness, the lumen 226 of the body 220 may have a constant radial dimension (allowing for small variations associated with manufacturing) in the longitudinal dimension from the first end portion 222 to the second end portion 224 of the body 220. The constant radial dimension of the lumen 226 along the inner surface 240 may be useful, for example, for reducing the likelihood of the material 109 inadvertently accumulating in the lumen 226 as the material 109 is being dispensed.

In general, skin material 233 and the core material 234 may be disposed relative to one another along the head 230 and the body 220 in any one or more of various different arrangements useful for reducing the likelihood of ingress of contaminants into the volume 108 of the container 102. As an example, along the body 220, the core material 234 may circumscribe the skin material 233 of the inner surface 240 of the body, and the skin material 233 of the outer surface 242 of the body 220 circumscribes the core material 234. That is, the skin material 233 and the core material 234 may be disposed relative to one another such that any contaminant (e.g., oxygen and/or moisture) moving radially through the body 220 must pass through the core material 234, thus increasing the likelihood of the core material 234 acting as a barrier to the contaminant when the lid 106 is secured over the head 230 of the conduit 104. Further, or instead, the skin material 233 may be in contact (e.g., direct contact with one another or indirect contact with one another via one or more intermediate layers of material) with the core material 234 along the head 230 and the body 220, to reduce the likelihood of inadvertently forming spacing between the skin material 233 and the core material 234 that can act as pathways for preferential ingress of contaminants through the conduit 104 when the lid 106 is secured over the head 230 of the conduit 104.

The skin material 233 and the core material 234 may each include any one or more of various different types of materials that safely interact with food or other consumables and may be heated to a molten form that is injection moldable and cooled to hold a shape under a range of conditions associated with shipping and storing food or other consumables. Further, compositions of the skin material 233 and the core material 234 may differ with respect to at least one component such that the skin material 233 and the core material 234 have different properties. As an example, the skin material 233 may include a first polymer. In certain instances, the core material 234 may include a second polymer different from the first polymer. Further, or instead, the first polymer of the skin material 233 and/or the second polymer of the core material 234 may be a thermoplastic material, as is useful for co-injection molding to form the conduit 104 according to any one or more of the various different techniques described herein. Examples of the first polymer of the skin material 233 include, but are not limited to, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene, high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, or a combination thereof, with these exemplary polymers having a long history of safe use in storing food or other consumables and being injection moldable.

As an example, the skin material 233 and the core material 234 may differ with respect to oxygen permeability. As an example, the second oxygen permeability of the core material 234 may be greater than 0 and less than about 1 cc·mm/m²·day·atm at a relative humidity of 20 percent and a temperature of 23° C. With relatively better barrier properties, the core material 234 may be generally more expensive than the skin material 233 such that the combination of the core material 234 and the skin material 233 may provide an economically viable contaminant barrier in large-scale production. Further, or instead, with the skin material 233 enveloping the core material 234 with strength at knit lines in the skin material 233, it shall be appreciated that the skin material 233 may limit exposure of the core material 234 to degradation (e.g., through significant exposure of the core material 234 to contaminants in the environment) such that the core material 234 may remain useful as an active barrier for at least the duration of a target shelf-life of the material 109 in the volume 108 of the container 102.

While the core material 234 may form an oxygen barrier of the conduit 104, it shall be appreciated that the core material 234 may include any one or more other materials useful for reducing the ingress of moisture—another common contaminant—into the volume of the container 102 via the conduit 104. That is, the core material 234 may be hygroscopic and, in some instances, may be more moisture absorbent than the skin material 233. As an example, the core material 234 may include ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH) copolymer, nylon, or a combination thereof, which are ubiquitous materials that may be co-injection molded according to any one or more of the various different techniques described herein and provide a barrier against oxygen and moisture.

In certain implementations, the core material 234 may include an oxygen scavenger. In particular, the oxygen scavenger may be non-ferrous, as may be useful in implementations in which the material 109 in the volume 108 of the container 102 is food or other consumables. As an example, the non-ferrous oxygen scavenger may include ascorbic acid.

In general, the container 102 may be any one or more of various different types of containers useful for storing food or other consumables. As an example, the container 102 may be sized to be manually held by a person as the material 109 is dispensed from the volume 108 for consumption by the person. Further, or instead, the container 102 may be at least partially collapsible, as may be useful for efficiently transporting many instances of the contaminant-resistant packaging 100 along supply chains that are long and/or resource constrained. As an example, the container 102 may include a pouch, such as a pouch that may be squeezable by a person to facilitate dispensing the material 109 from the container 102. Additionally, or alternatively, the pouch may have some degree of structural rigidity in the absence of external force on the pouch. As a specific example, the pouch may be stably supportable on a flat surface with the conduit 104 and the lid 106 supported, by the pouch, away from the flat surface. Such support may be useful for keeping the conduit 104 and the lid 106 away from contaminated surfaces, thus promoting hygiene. In certain implementations, the container 102 may include a first oxygen barrier 110 disposed at least about the volume 108 of the container 102. The first oxygen barrier 110 may, for example, have the same composition of the core material 234 of the conduit 104.

In general, the lid 106 may include any one or more of various different types of caps, peelable foils, and/or other coverings that may be releasably positioned over the head 230 of the conduit 104 to cover the two or more apertures 232 of the head 230 while the material 109 is being stored in the volume 108 of the container 102. The lid 106 may include a second oxygen barrier 112 to act as a barrier to oxygen ingress through the two or more apertures 232 when the lid 106 is releasably secured to the conduit 104 and covering the two or more apertures 232. The second oxygen barrier 112 may, for example, have the same composition of the core material 234 of the conduit 104. More generally, returning to the example in which the container 102 includes the first oxygen barrier 110, it shall be appreciated that the first oxygen barrier 110 of the container 102, the second oxygen barrier 112 of the lid 106, and the core material 234 of the conduit 104 may collectively protect the material 109 in the volume 108 of the container 102 from degradation (e.g., spoiling) associated with oxygen penetration into the volume 108, thus promoting longer shelf-life of the material 109 in the volume 108.

While the lid 106 may be completely removable from the conduit 104 in some instances, it shall be appreciated that the contaminant-resistant packaging 100 may include a living hinge 114 coupling the lid 106 to the conduit 104 and/or to the container 102. That is, the living hinge 114 may reduce the likelihood of losing the lid 106 in implementations in which it is necessary or desirable to dispense the material 109 from the container 102 intermittently (e.g., as in cases in which the material 109 is a drink).

Having described various aspects of structural features of the conduit 104 that facilitate forming the conduit 104 using injection molding techniques, attention is now directed to describing certain methods of fabricating the conduit 104 through co-injection molding molten forms of the skin material 233 and the core material 234.

Referring now to FIG. 3 and FIGS. 4A and 4B, FIG. 3 is a flow chart of an exemplary method 300 of fabricating a conduit for contaminant-resistant packaging, and FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic representations of aspects of the exemplary method 300. For example, the exemplary method 300 may form the conduit 104 (FIGS. 1 and 2A-2G).

As shown in step 302, the exemplary method 300 may include forming a cavity. For example, two mold halves may be brought together to form a cavity 450 having the shape of the conduit to be formed (e.g., the same shape as the conduit 104 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A-2G). For clarity of depiction, the only portions of the two mold halves that are shown are those portions that form the shape of the cavity 450.

As shown in step 304, the exemplary method 300 may include co-injecting, through a runner, a molten form of each of a skin material and a core material into the cavity. For example, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, a molten form of the skin material 233′ and a molten form of the core material 234′ may be co-injected into the cavity 450 via a runner 452 positioned along the cavity 450 at a location corresponding to the gate location 236 of the finished form of the conduit 104 (FIGS. 1 and 2A-2G). In particular, the molten form of the skin material 233′ and the molten form of the core material 234′ may flow together, from the runner 252, into the cavity 450. As the molten form of the skin material 233′ and the molten form of the core material 234′ flow together in the cavity 450, the molten form of the skin material 233′ and the molten form of the core material 234′ may remain separate from one another and flow in an umbrella flow pattern that progresses radially away from the runner 252 to form the head of the conduit (e.g., the head 230 shown in FIGS. 2A-2G) and flows longitudinally to form the body of the conduit (e.g., the body 220 shown in FIGS. 2A-2G). The co-injection of the molten form of the skin material 233′ and the molten form of the core material 234′ may be halted once the cavity 450 is filled. The molten form of the skin material 233′ flowing against the relatively cool walls of the cavity 450 may solidify before the molten form of the core material 234′ solidifies to facilitate enveloping the molten form of the core material 234′. As compared to the use of side-gating, it shall be appreciated that the umbrella flow pattern of the molten form of the skin material 233′ and the molten form of the core material 234′ in the cavity 450 shaped to form the conduit 104 (FIG. 1 and FIGS. 2A-2G) may reduce the prominence of knit lines formed as separate flows of the molten form of the skin material 233′ meet one another in the cavity 450 and separate flows of the molten form of the core material 234′ meet one another in the cavity 450, thus resulting in improved oxygen impermeability of the conduit being formed.

As shown in step 306, the exemplary method may include in the cavity, cooling the skin material and the core material into a part having a head integral with a body. The body may define a lumen and an orifice. The head may radially span the lumen and define at least two apertures in fluid communication with the orifice via the lumen, and the skin material may envelop the core material of the part. The lumen of the part may define a center axis extending through a gate location of the head corresponding to a position of co-injection of the molten form of each of the skin material and the core material into the cavity.

As shown in step 308, the exemplary method 300 may include separating the part from the runner along the head of the part. The runner may be a cold runner, and separating the part from the runner along the head of the part may include shearing the part from the cold runner.

The above systems, devices, methods, processes, and the like may be realized in hardware, software, or any combination of these suitable for a particular application. The hardware may include a general-purpose computer and/or dedicated computing device. This includes realization in one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, embedded microcontrollers, programmable digital signal processors or other programmable devices or processing circuitry, along with internal and/or external memory. This may also, or instead, include one or more application specific integrated circuits, programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic components, or any other device or devices that may be configured to process electronic signals. It will further be appreciated that a realization of the processes or devices described above may include computer-executable code created using a structured programming language such as C, an object oriented programming language such as C++, or any other high-level or low-level programming language (including assembly languages, hardware description languages, and database programming languages and technologies) that may be stored, compiled or interpreted to run on one of the above devices, as well as heterogeneous combinations of processors, processor architectures, or combinations of different hardware and software. In another aspect, the methods may be embodied in systems that perform the steps thereof, and may be distributed across devices in a number of ways. At the same time, processing may be distributed across devices such as the various systems described above, or all of the functionality may be integrated into a dedicated, standalone device or other hardware. In another aspect, means for performing the steps associated with the processes described above may include any of the hardware and/or software described above. All such permutations and combinations are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Embodiments disclosed herein may include computer program products comprising computer-executable code or computer-usable code that, when executing on one or more computing devices, performs any and/or all of the steps thereof. The code may be stored in a non-transitory fashion in a computer memory, which may be a memory from which the program executes (such as random access memory associated with a processor), or a storage device such as a disk drive, flash memory or any other optical, electromagnetic, magnetic, infrared or other device or combination of devices. In another aspect, any of the systems and methods described above may be embodied in any suitable transmission or propagation medium carrying computer-executable code and/or any inputs or outputs from same.

It will be appreciated that the devices, systems, and methods described above are set forth by way of example and not of limitation. Absent an explicit indication to the contrary, the disclosed steps may be modified, supplemented, omitted, and/or re-ordered without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Numerous variations, additions, omissions, and other modifications will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. In addition, the order or presentation of method steps in the description and drawings above is not intended to require this order of performing the recited steps unless a particular order is expressly required or otherwise clear from the context.

The method steps of the implementations described herein are intended to include any suitable method of causing such method steps to be performed, consistent with the patentability of the following claims, unless a different meaning is expressly provided or otherwise clear from the context. So, for example performing the step of X includes any suitable method for causing another party such as a remote user, a remote processing resource (e.g., a server or cloud computer) or a machine to perform the step of X. Similarly, performing steps X, Y and Z may include any method of directing or controlling any combination of such other individuals or resources to perform steps X, Y and Z to obtain the benefit of such steps. Thus, method steps of the implementations described herein are intended to include any suitable method of causing one or more other parties or entities to perform the steps, consistent with the patentability of the following claims, unless a different meaning is expressly provided or otherwise clear from the context. Such parties or entities need not be under the direction or control of any other party or entity, and need not be located within a particular jurisdiction.

It will be appreciated that the methods and systems described above are set forth by way of example and not of limitation. Numerous variations, additions, omissions, and other modifications will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. In addition, the order or presentation of method steps in the description and drawings above is not intended to require this order of performing the recited steps unless a particular order is expressly required or otherwise clear from the context. Thus, while particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure and are intended to form a part of the invention as defined by the following claims.

CONTAMINANT-RESISTANT PACKAGING

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