This application is directed to containers and more particularly to containers constructed of flexible film and processes for their manufacture.
Candy and other small or bite-size products like nuts and mints are typically sold in multi-piece packages. In many cases, the package is designed for bulk sale of the product to the consumer rather than as a single serving size, although in some cases the individual product may still be separately wrapped prior to being placed in the package.
Historically, the packaging of multi-piece units, particularly for candy, was primarily accomplished through the use of paper bags or metal tins. More recently, plastic bags, and more particularly the plastic bag often referred to as a pillow pack or a lay-down bag has become the industry standard. While pillow packs are advantageous because they are relatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture, they have numerous drawbacks for both the retailer and the consumer.
Among the drawbacks faced by the retailer with pillow packs is that they are difficult to stack in a way that does not easily fall over in a retail setting where consumers are reaching in and out of shelves. As a result, it can be difficult for the retailer to present the product in a way that does not look disheveled and/or which does not require frequent attention by the retailer's staff.
Furthermore, the portion of the pillow pack most easily seen by the consumer is its narrow sides; the major surfaces of the package that provide the greatest area for graphics face toward the top of the shelf. The reduced space for advertisements and branding can mean a lost opportunity to achieve a sale through brand recognition or a promotion advertised on the package. Likewise, the consumer must look more carefully to find his or her brand of choice on the store shelf, and may give up if the product cannot be found quickly.
Among drawbacks faced by consumers with current pillow packs is that the consumer faces many of the same problems regarding stackability and storage of the product on the pantry shelf that the retailer encounters with the store shelf Other disadvantages faced by the consumer with the pillow packs currently used for candy packaging include difficulty in opening the package and additional storage problems after the package is opened.
These and other drawbacks are found in current product packaging.
Exemplary embodiments are directed to flexible film containers and processes for manufacturing such containers. The flexible film containers are self-supporting despite being formed of flexible film. That is, they do not require a rigid support placed within the container or in forming the side walls of the container to maintain its shape.
In one embodiment, a flexible film container comprises a container top, a container base, and a container body that connects the container top to the container base. The container body has at least three discrete sidewalls and is formed of a continuous web of a flexible film. In some embodiments, the container body includes one or more pleats formed in the side walls of the container to provide stanchions that help support the container. In one exemplary embodiment, the container is a three piece construction having a top film lid. In another exemplary embodiment, the container is a two-piece construction with a formed-sealed bottom and top film lid.
According to another embodiment, a process for manufacturing a flexible film container comprises providing a web of flexible film, sealing a first end of the flexible film to an opposing end of the flexible film to create a continuous container body, forming at least three discrete side walls in the continuous container body, attaching a container top to the container body, attaching a container base to container body, and filling the container body with container contents.
An advantage is that the flexible film container has a semi-rigid structure that is self-supporting and does not rely on or require the use of a tray, carton, or other support positioned within the container, nor does it need to be used in combination with cardboard or other rigid supporting structure to form the sides of the container.
Another advantage is that the compact size and shape provides for improved shelf efficiency, both in retail and in pantry storage.
Yet another advantage is that the upright configuration of the container improves shelf appeal and the ability of consumers to easily find the product by increasing the space for graphics.
Still another advantage of certain embodiments which use a resealable lid is that the container may better prevent spilling, maintain product freshness, and provide for an easily portable package that can also serve as a casual serving dish.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description of exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
a is a schematic cross-sectional view of the flexible film container of
b is an exploded view of the flexible film container of
a is a schematic cross-sectional view of the flexible film container of
b is an exploded view of the flexible film container of
a is a schematic illustration of a process for manufacturing a flexible film container in accordance with an exemplary embodiment using a vertical arrangement.
b is a schematic illustration of a process for manufacturing a flexible film container in accordance with another exemplary embodiment using a vertical arrangement.
Provided is a flexible film container and method of making such a container. The container has the ability to be self-supporting and does not suffer from the drawbacks frequently experienced with known packaging designs.
Still referring to
The flexible film used for the container body 120 is any suitable thin film for use in packaging. In accordance with exemplary embodiments, very thin films may be used to form the container body 120 and/or other elements of the container 100, while still providing a container that is semi-rigid and self-supporting. The film may have a thickness in the range of between about 25 microns and about 250 microns, more typically between about 75 microns and about 150 microns.
The film may be a single layer of film material. In some embodiments, the film may instead be a composite or laminate film of multiple layers. One or more such layers may be provided as a barrier layer to preserve freshness of the container contents. Suitable materials for use in the film, either as a single layer or as a component of a multi-layer film include, for example, ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer, polyamide, polyacrylonitrile, polyethylene terephthalate, polyalkene (polyolefin), polylactic acid (PLA), cellophane, and bioplastic-based film. It will be appreciated that in some cases, selection of particular film materials and/or the order in which those materials are arranged in a laminate film may depend on the particular contents to be stored in the container 100. For example, it may be desirable to achieve a permeability for a container used to store chocolate that is different than if the contents are to be nuts or dried fruit.
The base 130 provides a bottom to the container 100 (see, for example,
The base 130 may include a rim 132 that extends about the periphery of the base 130 and provides a surface coextensive with the lower edge of the body 120. The base rim 132 can thus aid in the manufacture of the container 100 by providing an overlapping surface by which the base 130 can be joined to the body 120 to form a seam. The increased thickness of the subsequently formed seam where the base rim 132 meets the body 120 aids in rendering the container 100 self-supporting.
The base 130 may be attached to the body 120 by a heat seal, weld lap joint, or some other method of heat sealing the base rim 132 to the body 120. As best seen in
As also seen in
The container 100 also includes a top 110. Like the base 130, the top is formed as a discrete element from the container body 120 and is typically also formed of flexible film. Also like the base 130, in some embodiments the top 110 may be partially constructed of a rigid material, such as cardboard or injection molded plastic, instead of a flexible film.
The top 110 includes an aperture for consumers to access the contents of the container 100. The aperture may be formed in the top 110 during manufacture. Alternatively, the aperture to access the container contents may be accomplished by the consumer by virtue of removing a perforated portion 112 formed in the top 110. The use of a perforated portion 112 can be used to provide evidence of tampering or other access to the container contents prior to that of the consumer that purchased the product.
In some embodiments, the top 110 may include a lid 115, also typically formed of a flexible film. The lid 115 may include a tab 117 and can be attached to the top 110 by an adhesive so that it can be peeled or otherwise removed from the top 110 to expose the aperture formed in the top 110 (or to expose the perforated portion 112 to be removed to form the aperture) of the container 100 for access to the container contents. The lid 115 may be attached and configured to be permanently removed from the container 100. Alternatively, the lid 115 may be resealable. The use of a resealable lid can maintain better freshness of the container contents and prevent spills. In embodiments using a resealable lid 115, one or more edges or corners of the lid 115 are permanently attached to the top 110, while one or more other edges or corners of the lid 115 are removably attached to the top 110 by an adhesive or other element that permits repeated opening and re-sealing of the lid 115 to the top 110. It will further be appreciated that in some embodiments, the lid 115 may be formed integral with the top 110 to accomplish the permanent attachment of the lid 115 to the top 110 (See
As further shown in
The adjacent surfaces of the container elements 110, 120, 130 that form the upper and lower container seams 117, 137 are shown in the schematic of
Turning to
The embodiment illustrated in
Alternatively, in some embodiments the container has no taper in either direction, having sidewalls 121 that are fully vertically oriented, such that the body 120 is perpendicular to each of the top 110 and base 130. Although the embodiment shown in
In addition to the illustrated rectangular solid geometries, the container 100 can have any multi-sided geometry and in one embodiment is a prism. That is, the top 110 and base 130 can be polygons that form two congruent parallel or substantially parallel bases that are joined by the container body 120. The multiple sides of the body 120 can be formed, for example, by creasing the film when making the container body 120 and/or when forming the seams that attach the body 120 to the top 110 and base 130, which further serve to hold the body 120 in the particular geometric configuration desired.
Exemplary embodiments thus result in a flexible film container 100 that, despite being formed of a flexible film, is retained in an orientation by the interconnection of the top and bottom members 110, 130 with the body 120 that renders it semi-rigid and self-supporting. The container 100 so constructed is stackable and retains its shape, even when empty. As a result, containers 100 in accordance with exemplary embodiments do not require the use of trays, cartons or other rigid support, either within the container or in the formation of the container body 120. Such containers 100 are stackable and provide a better shelf presence, including more space for graphics and other branding elements. The shape and construction of the container 100 also allows it to conveniently be used as a casual serving dish from which its contents may be consumed directly.
As shown in
Containers in accordance with exemplary embodiments can be made in any suitable manner to carry out the cutting, folding and seam forming steps described herein. Turning to
The top 110 or base 130 is thereafter attached to the container body 120, which may occur by heat sealing the top 110 or base 130 to the container body 120 at step s307/s607 to form the seam as previously described. This creates a container 100 having one unopened side for filling with the container contents at step s309/s609. The contents may be filled by jumble packing from a hopper; alternatively, the contents may be filled by placement of the contents in a predetermined, specific arrangement. In some embodiments, it may be desirable to fill the container to about 95% of its volume for better stacking of full containers.
In the process illustrated in
Prior to attaching the base 130 and sealing the contents within the container 100 (until subsequently opened by the consumer), it may be desirable to introduce a gas into the container 100. In some cases, the gas may be used to pressurize the container 100 to give it further rigidity and protect the contents during shipping and handling. It may be desirable to introduce a gas to the container 100, such as nitrogen, that does not contain oxygen. This reduces or eliminates the amount of oxygen within the container 100 and maintains the freshness of its contents.
a and 7b illustrate alternative continuous processes for manufacturing flexible film containers 100 using a vertical fill in accordance with additional exemplary embodiments. Referring to
b illustrates a process similar to that shown and described in
While the foregoing specification illustrates and describes exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/US11/64197 | 12/9/2011 | WO | 00 | 8/27/2013 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61428246 | Dec 2010 | US |