Patent Application
20130308882
The technology described herein generally relates to a package having a pouch area. More particularly the technology described herein relates to a package where layers are peeled apart to access a pouch area.
Many different types of packages are made with two or more layers of material that are sealed together to form a pouch for containing a product, and then can be peeled apart to access the product. In some areas of technology, it is desirable to have access to products that are sterile for their eventual use. This is a common issue in the medical field, for example, where it is desirable that products used in medical procedures remain sterile over transport to and from manufacturing facilities, medical facilities, and the like, in addition to while stored in those facilities. In some package designs, it is difficult to separate the layers of package in order to grasp the layers and peel them apart. Static electricity may play a role in making the layers difficult to separate. A cutting process for cutting the outer package perimeter may fuse the layers together at their outer perimeters to some degree, which can make the layers difficult to separate.
Some packages are made with a notch that enables the user to tear all layers of the package starting at the notch, in order to gain access to at least part of the pouch area containing the product. However, tearing all layers across the pouch area can cause damage to fragile contents. Also, tearing all layers across one side of a pouch area can still make it difficult to remove the contents in some situations.
Time and frustration become issues in situations where a package requires the manual separation of thin layers to open especially when the user is wearing gloves or addressing an urgent medical need.
In one embodiment, a package for containing and dispensing a product includes a first layer, a second layer, and at least a first seal zone where the first layer is joined to the second layer by a peelable seal, the first seal zone having an inner perimeter that defines an unsealed pouch area for containing the product and an outer perimeter. The package further includes an unsealed header zone adjacent to the outer perimeter of the first seal zone, wherein the first layer is not joined to the second layer in the unsealed header zone. The package also includes a first tab cut in the first layer within the unsealed header zone, wherein the first tab cut divides the package into a package zone and a first tab zone.
In one embodiment, a method of forming a package for containing and dispensing a product includes providing a first layer web and a second layer web and placing a product on at least one pouch area of one of the first and second layer webs. The method also includes forming a combined web by sealing the first layer web to the second layer web at least at a first seal zone so that the first layer is joined to the second layer by a peelable seal surrounding the at least one pouch area, and leaving an unsealed header zone adjacent to an outer perimeter of the first seal zone where the first layer web is not sealed to the second layer web. The method further includes cutting at least one individual package around an outer package perimeter to separate the individual package from the combined web, wherein cutting further comprises cutting only the first layer of the package at a first tab cut location within the unsealed header zone to define a first tab zone in the package.
In one embodiment, a device for forming a package for containing and dispensing a sheet product includes a heat seal plate for joining a first layer web and a second layer web with a heat seal at first seal zones to form a combined web, wherein the seal plate defines at least one first seal zone having an inner perimeter and an outer perimeter. The device also includes a cutting die for cutting the combined web to form at least one individual package and for cutting through only the first layer at a tab cut location, where the first tab cut location is not within any of the first seal zones on the combined web.
The invention may be more completely understood and appreciated in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings.
The package described herein is generally configured to contain and dispense a product. The product can be medical in nature and can be related to surgical needs, pharmaceutical needs, medical emergency responder needs, and the like. In some embodiments the product is a wound dressing, a medical care product, a medical device, and the like. In some embodiments the product is a sheet product such as a soluble film that can be relevant to edible applications, oral applications, skin care applications, cosmetic applications, and the like. A sheet product generally is very thin and has width and length dimensions that are significantly larger than its thickness dimension, such as where the width and length are at least ten times the thickness dimension, or where the width and length are at least one-hundred times the thickness dimension. Sheet products sometimes have parallel sides. In some cases, a wound dressing is a sheet product.
In the current embodiment, the package 100 has an outer perimeter 157 that is rectangular and the tab zone 154 is defined in the corner of the package 100. In some embodiments it can be desirable to have a package in a different shape with a tab zone in a different location, however. Some alternatives will be discussed herein. In one embodiment, the package shape is circular, oval or tombstone shaped with a rectangular base portion and a curved top portion.
The package includes an unsealed header area 122 where the first layer 160 is unattached to the second layer 170. In the embodiment of
The tab cut 150 and tab zone 154 are configured to facilitate the separation of the first layer 160 from the second layer 170. The tab cut 150 through the first layer 160 in the unsealed header area 122 physically decouples the portion of the first layer 160 within the tab zone 154 from the portion of the first layer 160 outside of the tab zone 154 (in the package zone 156). As a result, when the user bends the package in the tab zone 154, the first layer 160 separates from the second layer 170 at the tab cut 150, so that the user can easily grasp the tab zone 154 of the package, easily grasp the first layer 160 in the unsealed header and then can pull the second layer 170 away from the first layer 160.
In some embodiments, such as the embodiment of
In some embodiments, such as the embodiment shown in
The first layer 160 and the second layer 170 can include a variety of materials and combinations of materials that are generally known in the art, such as a polyester film, spunbonded olefin, DuPont TYVEK® brand spunbonded olefin, linear low density polyethylene with polybutylene, biaxially oriented polyester film, polypropylene film, high density polyethylene film, BAREX® acrylonitrile co-polymer film available from BP Chemicals, Inc., cast polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) film, metal foil, aluminum foil, poly-vinylidene dichloride (PVDC) film, co-extruded films containing ethylene vinyl alcohol polymer (EVOH), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film, polyamide film, vinyl film, or composite laminations or coatings that contain the same. In a variety of embodiments, the first layer 160 and the second layer 170 are heat sealable. In some embodiments, only one of the first layer 160 and second layer 170 is heat sealable, and the other is a compatible material to create a peel seal. In one embodiment, each of the first and second layers includes a polyester layer, such as a DuPont TYVEK® brand spunbonded olefin, a tie layer and a sealant layer. In one embodiment, the polyester film, tie layer and sealant layer are coextruded or laminated to form a single film. One example of an appropriate sealant layer is linear low density polyethylene with polybutylene, which is activated by heat to bond to the other layer. In some embodiments, the layers are joined by methods other than heat sealing. For example, the layers may be joined by ultrasonic welding in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the layers may be joined by more than one method, such as both heat sealing and ultrasonic welding.
In a variety of embodiments, the first layer 160 and the second layer 170 are substantially non-permeable. In a variety of embodiments, the first layer 160 and the second layer 170 are substantially permeable. For example, a layer that includes a metal foil layer will be substantially non-permeable, while a layer that includes a DuPont TYVEK® brand spunbonded olefin will be permeable. In a variety of embodiments, the first layer 160 and the second layer 170 are substantially flexible, although in some embodiments one of the first layer 160 or the second layer 170 or both are substantially rigid. In some embodiments, one or both of the layers is transparent so that the product 10 is visible through the transparent layer. Alternative terms that can be used to describe the first layer 160 and the second layer 170 include film, sheet, web, and the like.
The first layer 160 is generally coextensive with the second layer 170 so that the two layers share a common outer perimeter. As mentioned above, the first layer 160 and second layer 170 are joined with a peelable seal 180. Generally, the peelable seal 180 is a hermetic bond between the contacting surfaces of the first layer 160 and second layer 170. The peelable seal 180 can be formed by any appropriate method known in the art. In a variety of embodiments, peelable seal 180 is a heat seal or melt bonded relationship caused by the application of heat and pressure. In an alternate embodiment, peelable seal 180 is formed with a suitable adhesive applied to at least one of the contacting surfaces of the first layer 160 and second layer 170. In at least one embodiment, the peelable seal 180 is re-sealable, thereby allowing a user to reclose the package 100.
In general the peelable seal 180 is configured to have strength conducive to allowing a user to peel the first layer 160 and the second layer 170 apart without the use of tools, to access the product 10 there between. In one embodiment, the peelable seal strength is in the range of 1.25 to 2 pounds per linear inch of seal when pulled apart at 180 degrees at 12 inches per minute travel rate according to testing procedure TAPPI T-494 as published by the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry. In some embodiments the peelable seal strength is in the range of 1.0 to 2.5 pounds per linear inch of seal. In a variety of embodiments the peelable seal has strength in the range of 0.25 to 3.5 pounds per linear inch of seal.
Similar to the first seal zone 130, the second seal zone 132 can be formed by any appropriate method known in the art. The second seal zone 132 can be formed in an identical way as the first seal zone 130, a similar way as the first seal zone 130 or in a different way. In one embodiment, the second seal zone 132 and the first seal zone 130 are formed through heat sealing the first layer 160 to the second layer 170.
Those having skill in the art will appreciate the variety of configurations consistent with the technology disclosed herein.
Those having skill in the art will appreciate that a tab cut can have a variety of configurations and locations. In some embodiments the tab cut is a straight line. In other embodiments the tab cut is curved. In at least one embodiment the tab cut can include intersecting sides. In some embodiments depicted herein, the tab cut is near a corner while in some embodiments the tab cut is near a center of one side of the package. In other embodiments, the tab cut is located at different positions along a side of the package.
The first seal zone and the second seal zone can have a variety of configurations. In the embodiments disclosed herein, the outer perimeter of the first seal zone has a generally rectangular shape and extends to the edges of the package on three sides. The inner perimeter is also generally rectangular in shape, where the rectangle has curved corners. Many other shapes will be conducive to the technology disclosed herein. For example, the package perimeter and the first seal area could be oval or circular. The second seal zone (and third seal zones, where applicable) can also have a variety of shapes and placements. In the embodiments disclosed herein, the second seal zone extends to at least one edge of the package, although there are a variety of instances where the second seal zone does not extend to an edge of the package. In a variety of embodiments the second seal zone is triangular in shape. In some embodiments the second seal zone is rectangular in shape. In yet other embodiments the second seal zone is circular in shape. Where the second seal zone is formed through heat sealing, a shape can be defined in a die that creates the second seal zone.
In another embodiment, the tab cut is a chevron shape located at the center of the outer perimeter edge of the unsealed header area. This embodiment can have a second seal area within the chevron or may lack a second seal area.
The step of providing webs 20 generally encompasses providing a first layer web and a second layer web, although additional webs can be provided also. The first layer web and second layer web can be a variety of different materials, as described above with regard to
Now referring to
In at least one example implementation of the method of
The combined web is then cut 50 to produce at least one individual package. The package is cut along center machine-direction cut lines 910, cross-machine direction cut lines 920 and outer machine direction cut lines 925 to separate the individual package 900 from a matrix 936. The use of a matrix allows for some tolerance in the sealing and cutting steps.
In a variety of embodiments, the step of cutting 50 also includes cutting only the first layer of the package at a tab cut location 940 to define a tab zone in the package 900. As described above, the tab cut location is generally outside of the first seal zone 930 and is within the unsealed header area 922. In a variety of embodiments, each individual package is die cut around its respective outer perimeter and at a tab cut location. In at least one example implementation, the die cutting 50 is accomplished in a rotary die cutting station. In such an example, the rotary die can cut against an anvil roll, for example. In other embodiments, the packages are knife cut or guillotine cut at their outer perimeters.
The heat seal station 1016 performs the step of sealing the webs to join them together at the seal zones. In one embodiment, the heat seal station includes multiple heat seal plates that are used to form different seal zones. In one embodiment, a first seal plate is used to form a first seal zone, while a second seal plate is used to form a second seal zone.
A rotary die station 1018 is provided where each package is cut along its exterior perimeter, as discussed in relation to
All publications and patent applications in this specification are indicative of the level of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. All publications and patent applications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated by reference.
This application is intended to cover adaptations or variations of the present subject matter. It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61648245 | May 2012 | US |
