Patent Application
20070246379
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of flexible pouches for packaging a product and, more specifically, to a flexible pouch with one or more user-selectable compartments which retain additives to be dissolved within a liquid retained with the pouch.
2. Description of the Related Art
As described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,490, various types of disposable, portable containers are known in the art for storing a fluid or dry product, such as a liquid, granular material, powder or the like. One example of such a container is a flexible pouch. Consumers prefer the convenience of flexible pouches, due to their shape and size and improved shelf life. Manufacturers recognize the packaging benefits of a flexible pouch, since the pouch can be formed and filled on the same manufacturing line. An example of a method and apparatus for filling a flexible pouch with a product is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,601 and patents that reference that patent.
The flexible pouch beverage package is typically made from a flexible material, preferably a laminate composed of sheets of plastic or aluminum or similar types of materials. These types of materials are available in sheet form, on a roll. An outer layer of the material may include preprinted information, such as a logo or the like, to provide the consumer with information regarding the contents of the pouch. The pouch may be formed using conventionally known manufacturing techniques, such as a horizontal form-fill seal machine, a flat bed pre-made pouch machine, a vertical form fill machine, or the like. The pouch is generally formed by folding sheets of material over each other to achieve a predetermined shape.
Edges, such as a side edge, are joined together using a sealing technique such as bonding or welding. Alternatively, the pouch is formed by laying one layer of material over a second layer of material and forming a gusset along two parallel edges to form a pouch capable of standing unsupported. An upper edge of the front panel and back panel is generally not sealed until after the pouch is filled. The empty pouch may be placed in a holder prior to the filling process. To fill the pouch, the upper edges of the pouch are spread apart. For example, a concentrated flow of gas is directed towards the upper edge of the pouch to separate the panels. Grippers may also be utilized at the same time to pull the panels apart. The pouch is filled, sealed and finished.
Manufacturers recognize that tastes of consumers vary considerably even in respect of the same basic beverage. For example, some consumers prefer unsweetened tea, while others prefer some sweetener, either sugar or artificial sweetener, while still others prefer a lot of sweetener. Others prefer other additives in their tea, such as lemon flavoring, mint, or other types of additives. Yet, manufacturers manufacture and distribute many, many different packages in order to accommodate even a small variation in the recipe of such drinks.
Thus, there remains a need for a package which can dispense a user-selectable additive to a basic beverage so that a single manufacturing process for a flexible pouch package can accommodate a variety of tastes of consumers. The present invention is directed to filling this need in the art.
The present invention addresses these and other drawbacks in the art by providing one or more extra compartments adjacent the portion of the pouch which holds the beverage. The extra compartments are arranged to hold additives, such as sweetener, flavorings, or the like, until selected by a consumer. If a consumer wants extra sweetener or some other additive which is being retained in one of the available compartments, he simply squeezes the compartment where indicated and the additive is made available to be dissolved in the beverage. Structure is provided to make either dry or liquid additives.
The additive may include an effervescent additive to add carbonation to the drink. Alternatively or in addition, an analgesic additive may be stored in one or more compartments to available to the consumer if desired.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those of skill in the art from a review of the following detailed description along with the accompanying drawing figures.
The upper end of the pouch 20 defines one, two, or even more compartments, such as compartments 21 and 22, each containing an additive such as sweetener, flavoring, such as lemon, vanilla, etc. and/or caffeine, just to name a few examples. Medication, such as aspirin or other types of medicines that are easier taken in liquid-dissolved form, may also be held in the compartments 21 and 22. Additives like these can be in liquid or dry, powder form and retained within a compartment for selective release from the compartment.
An opening 23 is provided at the bottom of the compartment 21 and a similar opening 24 is provided for compartment 22. The openings 23 and 24 are closed by tapes 26 and 28 to keep additives 30 and 32 from coming into contact with a liquid 34 until selected by a user. Thus, the tape defines a user-breakable barrier between each of the compartments and the liquid 34 retained in the pouch.
Information about the contents of compartments 21 and 22 may be printed on the outside of the front panel 11, as shown in
Dry additives in powder form cannot be easily squeezed out through a small opening 23 or 24. So, the compartment, such as for example compartment 21, that contains a powder should be partially filled with air, which can be compressed by squeezing the compartment, until the sealing tape 26 bursts away. The pouch can then be held upside down to allow the liquid 34 to flood the additive compartment holding the powdered additive, thereby dissolving the additive. To facilitate this action, liquid can be pumped back and forth by alternately squeezing the pouch and the additive compartment. Instructions how to do this may also be printed on the back panel 12, for example.
The present invention has been described in an illustrative manner. It is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, within the scope of the appended claims, the present invention may be practiced other than as specifically described.
