Patent Grant
8602242
The present disclosure is directed to a flexible, stackable container for transporting and storing food items, liquids, powders, chemicals, detergent, dry goods pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and other packaged products, for example, and to methods and systems for manufacturing the same and, in particular to a flexible, stackable container having a sealed bag or package formed from a flexible film and recloseable fitment or lid attached thereto, or having a recloseable flap or other easy-opening feature without an additional fitment and/or lid.
Vertical form, fill, and seal (VFFS) packaging machines are commonly used in the snack food industry for forming, filling and sealing bags of nuts, chips, crackers and other products. Such packaging machines take a packaging film from a sheet roll and form the film into a vertical tube around a product delivery cylinder. One disadvantage of these packages is that the resulting filled package is not rigid enough to allow the stacking of one package on top of another in a display.
Another disadvantage to these packages is that they do not retain their shape after the package is opened, and a portion of the contents removed.
There are rigid packages and canisters that are stackable and do retain their shape after opening. However, these rigid packages that may overcome these disadvantages have their own disadvantages. One disadvantage is that the packages are often composed of composite material that is costly to produce. Another disadvantage is that rigid composite packages are often not recyclable. The ability to recycle a product container is increasingly becoming a demand from companies that produce and/or sell consumable products as well as a demand from consumers that are environmentally conscious. A demand also exists for containers that, if not recyclable, minimize the waste transported to a landfill. Once in the landfill, a demand also exists for materials that are degradable or biodegradable to further reduce the amount of material contained in the landfill.
Yet another disadvantage of many non-flexible and/or rigid containers is the shape of the container. Many product containers have cross sections that are round. In the market place where shelf space is at a premium, round containers require more shelf space than a square or rectangular container holding the same amount of product. Similarly, shipping round or other irregularly shaped containers requires more space than shipping square or rectangular containers that are more efficiently packed together in the transport containers. Moreover, round containers do not display graphics as well as containers having flatter sides. The graphics wrap around the curved surfaces of the containers, and the containers must be in order to fully view and read the graphical information. Inefficiency in shipping and displaying packaged products adds to the overall cost of the product. Additionally, inefficiency in packing round or irregularly shaped containers increases the number of shipping containers and vehicles, ships and planes required to transport the shipping containers. This adds to the cost of the product, but more importantly, results in the increased emission of environmentally damaging pollutants.
Another disadvantage to shipping many non-flexible containers is the weight of the container as compared to the weight of a flexible container manufactured to hold a like amount of product. Increased weight adds to shipping costs as well as adds to the amount of material that, if not recyclable, ends up in a landfill. Additionally, the material cost for the non-flexible containers is usually greater than the material cost for flexible containers.
It would, therefore, be desirable to provide a container that overcomes these and other disadvantages.
a and 19b are isometric illustrations of an alternative embodiment of a flexible, stackable container and lid fitment directed to a spice can;
a and 20b are isometric illustrations of a further alternative embodiment of a flexible, stackable container and lid fitment directed to a cereal container;
a and 21b are isometric illustrations of another alternative embodiment of a flexible, stackable container and lid fitment directed to liquid container;
a and 22b are isometric illustrations of a still further alternative embodiment of a flexible, stackable container and lid fitment directed to a condiment dispenser;
a and 23b are multiple plan views of an easy-opening feature that may be implemented in the flexible, stackable container of
a-24c are multiple plan views of an alternative embodiment of an easy-opening feature that may be implemented in the flexible, stackable container of
a-25c are multiple plan views of a further alternative embodiment of an easy-opening feature that may be implemented in the flexible, stackable container of
a-26c are multiple plan views of another alternative embodiment of an easy-opening feature that may be implemented in the flexible, stackable container of
a-27c are multiple plan views of a still further alternative embodiment of an easy-opening feature that may be implemented in the flexible, stackable container of
a-28c are cross-sectional views of embodiments of the lid fitment of
While the method and device described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrative embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure and the claims.
Although the following text sets forth a detailed description of numerous different embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that the legal scope of the invention is defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this patent. The detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment of the invention since describing every possible embodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. Numerous alternative embodiments could be implemented, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims defining the invention.
It should also be understood that, unless a term is expressly defined in this patent using the sentence “As used herein, the term ‘—————_’ is hereby defined to mean . . . ” or a similar sentence, there is no intent to limit the meaning of that term, either expressly or by implication, beyond its plain or ordinary meaning, and such term should not be interpreted to be limited in scope based on any statement made in any section of this patent (other than the language of the claims). To the extent that any term recited in the claims at the end of this patent is referred to in this patent in a manner consistent with a single meaning, that is done for sake of clarity only so as to not confuse the reader, and it is not intended that such claim term be limited, by implication or otherwise, to that single meaning. Finally, unless a claim element is defined by reciting the word “means” and a function without the recital of any structure, it is not intended that the scope of any claim element be interpreted based on the application of 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph.
The package 12 may be formed from a sheet of film having a composition and structure that are appropriate for the product to be stored therein, and that may be designed to exhibit desired characteristics after disposal of the container 10. The sheet of film for the package 12 may be formed from materials such as polypropylene (PP), ethyl vinyl alcohol, polyethylene, EVA co-polymers, foil (such as aluminum foil), paper, polyester (PE), nylon (poly amide), and/or composites thereof. In other embodiments, the sheet of film may be formed from metalized oriented polypropylene (OPP) or metalized polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Still further, the sheet of film may include or be infused with a degradable or biodegradable component that may allow the container to degrade in a relatively short amount of time after the useful life of the container 10, such as after the container 10 is disposed in a landfill or other disposal facility. If necessary or desired based on the implementation, the film may include an outer ply of heat sealable oriented polypropylene or other material suitable for heat sealing so that the seals joining portions of the film as the container 10 is fabricated may be sealed and/or attached to the outer surface of the package 12 to form and shape the container 10.
The lid fitment 14 may be made from any appropriate material having the necessary properties to be sealed to the film of the package 12. For example, the lid fitment 14 may be made from a plastic material, such as PE, polyethylene terephthalate (PETE), polylactic acid (PLA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), PP, and the like, by means of an appropriate forming process, such as thermoforming, injection molding, casting or blow molding. As with the sheet of film, the fitment material may also include a degradable or biodegradable component to facilitate the breakdown of the container 10 after disposal. In alternative embodiments, the containers 10 may be constructed with lid fitments 14 having varying configurations, or without lid fitments. For example, the container 10 may include a fitment having the base 16 of the lid fitment 14, but omitting the lid 18 to leave the surface of the top side exposed. The perforations 20 may extend around a portion of the flap 22 so that the flap 22 may be opened but not completely detached from the package 12, and the pull tab 24 may cover and extend beyond the flap 22 and include a tacky substance that allows the pull tab 24 to reseal to the top surface of the package. Still further, the fitment may be eliminated completely in favor of the recloseable flap 22. Additional configurations are contemplated by the inventors as having use in containers 10 in accordance with the present disclosure.
The formation of the container 10 will now be described with reference to
The lid fitment 14 is oriented with a bottom surface 50 facing the top side 42 to be formed in the film sheet 26. The lid fitment 14 has a front side 78 that may be oriented at the front of the container 10 and a rear side 80 opposite thereof. The living hinge 19 may rotatably connect the lid 18 to the base 16 at the rear side 80 of the lid fitment 14, and the front of the lid 18 may include a grip 82 to assist in opening the lid 18. Additional leverage tabs (not shown) may extend from the base 16 proximate the grip 82 to further facilitate opening of the lid 18 by allowing a user to press upwardly on the grip 82 and downwardly on the tab(s) to separate the lid 18 from the base 16. Lateral sides 84, 86 of the lid fitment 14 further assist in defining the shape of the container 10 as discussed more fully below. It should be noted at this point that relational terms such as top, bottom, front, rear and the like used in reference to the components and orientations of the container 10, package 12 and lid fitment 14 are used for consistency with the orientation of the container 10 as illustrated in
The first step in forming the package 12 is illustrated in
Turning to
If desired or dictated by the requirements of the particular container 10, the film sheet 26 and the packaging machine 200 may be configured to form a package 12 having the edge seal disposed at a location other than at one of the corner seals. As shown in an alternative configuration of the package 12 in
As shown in
Once the lid fitment 14 is attached, the open ends of the package 12 may be sealed to close the package 12, and folded and tacked down to conform the shape of the package 12 to the lid fitment 14. Referring to
Having formed the leading and trailing seals 70, 72, the seals 70, 72 and the corresponding loose portions of the film proximate thereto may be folded over and attached to the outer surface of the package 12 to complete the formation of the container 10 as shown in
The steps performed in the process described in
The configuration of the container 10 may also be varied as desired while still forming a sealed package 12 from a sheet of film 26 and sealing a lid fitment 14 thereto in a manner that allows the container 10 to be reclosed after the package 12 is opened. For example, the package 12 may be formed with only the corner seals 58, 60 that surround the top side 42 of the package, and without the corner seals 62, 64 at the bottom side 44, thereby allowing the container 10 to rest on the outer surface of the bottom side 44 when stored on a shelf or when stacked on top of another container 10. In such embodiments, the corner seals 62, 64 of
The alternative configurations of the container 10 may be formed using alternative sequences of folding, sealing and tacking/attachment steps to form a sealed package from a sheet of film and sealing a lid fitment thereto. One example of an alternative sequence is described with reference to
Referring to
The lid fitment 14 may be disposed with the bottom surface 50 facing the outer surface of the top side 12, and with the front and rear sides 78, 80 of the lid fitment 14 being disposed adjacent to the corner seals 136, 138. Before or after the lid fitment 14 is attached, the oppositely disposed lateral side portions of the leading and trailing edges 104, 106 at the rear and front sides 124, 126 are brought toward each other and sealed together to form leading and trailing seals 140, 142. If necessary, tucks 144, 146 in film sheet 100 between the corner seals 136, 138 on the top side 122 are made at the time the leading and trailing seals 140, 142 are formed in a manner as described above. Having formed the leading and trailing seals 140, 142, the seals 140, 142 and the corresponding loose portions of the film sheet 100 proximate thereto may be folded over and attached to the outer surface of the package 102 to complete the formation of the lateral sides of the package 102. Once the seals 140, 142 are folded and tacked, the corner seals 136, 138 may be sealed to the lid fitment 14 in a similar manner as discussed above.
Once the lid fitment 14 is attached and sealed to the top side 120, the package 102 may be filled with the product, and the bottom side 122 may be sealed and folded flat to facilitate stacking of the containers in cartons and on display shelves. The film sheet 100 may be folded and attached to form the flat bottom side 122 using conventional folding techniques. In one example shown in
The type of seals formed at the seals 58-64, 70, 72, 136-142, 148, 150 and between the sides 78, 80, 84, 86 of the lid fitment 14 and the top sides 42, 122 and/or corner seals 58, 60, 136, 138 may be dictated by the product to be stored within the container. The seals formed for the container may be only those necessary to retain the product within the container both when the package is sealed and when the top surface of the package is punctured and the lid 18 is closed down onto the base 16 of the lid fitment 14 to reclose the container. For example, it may not be necessary to incur the expense of forming air and water tight seals where the container will store non-perishable or non-spoilable products, such as BBs and the like. These types of products may also allow for greater fault tolerance for gaps, channels, wrinkles and other imperfections or “channel leakers” that are unintentionally formed in the seals but do not allow the stored produce to leak from the container. Of course, non-perishable items having smaller granules, such as powdered detergents, may require more impervious types of seals, as well as greater reliability and fewer imperfections in the sealing processes. Liquids may similarly require liquid-impervious seals that are reliably formed in the container.
For food items such as potato chips and cereal, or other types of products where freshness and crispness of the product should be maintained prior to and after the package is opened, hermetic seals may be formed to protect from or prevent the passage of air and/or moisture through the seals. Other food items may require packaging that can breathe for proper storage. For example, lettuce and other produce may continue to respire while in the container to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, and consequently require a certain level of venting of the air within the package to maintain a desired atmosphere in the container. Alternatively, a specific film structure having the desired venting properties or some other form of appropriate package venting may be used instead of relying on the seals to provide the necessary ventilation. As another example, coffee beans may continue to release gases after roasting, thereby increasing the pressure within the package, and consequently necessitating air flow through the seals and/or the film so that excessive pressure does not build up within the package after the package is sealed. Still other products may require certain levels of water vapor transmission rates to adequately store the product in the container for the expected storage duration. Those skilled in the art will understand that the particular seals formed in the container as well as the properties of the sheet of film from which the package is manufactured in a particular implementation may be configured as necessary to meet the varying needs of the stored products, if any, for air and water transmission between the interior of container and the external environment. Consequently, seals as used herein in the descriptions of the various embodiments of the containers is not intended to be limiting on the type of seal being formed except where noted.
Before being formed into the shape of the flexible package 12 for the container 10, the film may be directed through a pre-processing station 206 for additional treatment of the film that may not have been practical or desired at the time the film was prepared and wound onto the film roll 202. The treatments performed at the pre-processing station 206 may include mechanical or laser perforating, scoring or punching or other appropriate processing for defining the flap 22 that may be disposed under the lid fitment 14, application of a peel or pull tab 24 to the flap 22, code dating, applying RFID chips, or any other appropriate pre-processing of the film that should occur at the time the containers 10 are formed. In some embodiments of the packaging machine 200, it may even be desirable to attach the lid fitments 14 at the pre-processing station 206 prior to forming the film into the flexible packages 12. In other embodiments, the pre-processing station 206 may be omitted such that no pre-processing occurs as the sheet of film is unrolled from the film roll 202.
After passing through the pre-processing station(s) 206, the web of film is directed to a forming station 208 having a forming shoulder 210, or other device such as a forming box or sequential folding system, configured to wrap the film around a forming tube 212 in a manner known in the art. In the present example, the forming tube 212 is a product fill tube 214 having a funnel 216 for receiving the product to be disposed in the container 10 and filling the container 10 with the product as the film proceeds along the forming tube 212 as discussed more fully below. The forming tube 212 is configured to form the film into the desired shape based on the characteristics of the final package design, such as square, rectangular, oval, trapezoidal, round, irregular and the like. Depending on the characteristics of the film being processed and/or the container 10 being manufacture and other factors, the film may merely be wrapped completely or partially around the forming tube 12 to shape the film, or folding devices may be used to form creases at the corners 52-56 of the film if more permanent shaping is desired during the initial stages of the package forming process. Of course, where other types of non-VFFS packaging machines are used, a forming tube may not necessarily be used, and instead the film may be wrapped directly around the product to be stored in the container 10.
After the film is formed around the forming tube 212, the web of film moves along the transport path to a combination edge seal/corner seal station 218 to form corner seals 58-62 at the corners 52-56 between the sides 42-48 of the package 12, and to create a combination edge seal and corner seal 64 at the lateral edges 32, 34 of the web of film. In one implementation of the packaging machine 200, the corner seals 56-64 may be formed at the station 218 by providing flat forming plates projecting outwardly from the square or rectangular forming tube 212. The forming plates each extend from a corner of the forming tube 212 in parallel planes that are perpendicular to the surface of the side 42 to which the lid fitment 14 is to be secured and to the opposite side 44 of the package 12 such that two plates extend from the corners defining the lateral edges of the top side 42 and two plates extend from the corners defining the bottom side 44 of the package 12. So that the film properly wraps around the forming plates, the station 218 may further include a shaping bar disposed between each pair of forming plates to shape the film in preparation for sealing the corner seals 58-64. After the web of film passes the forming plates and shaping bars, the web of film is directed past welding devices of the station 218 that weld the overlapping portions of the film at the corners 52-56 and lateral edges 32, 34 to complete the corner seals 58-64. Depending on the configuration of the container 10, the forming plates could project outwardly in planes that are not perpendicular to the surface of the top side 42 such that the corner seals 58-64 are not perpendicular to the top side 42. In such implementations, the base 16 of the lid fitment 14 may be formed with a shape that is complementary to the orientation of the corner seals 58-64.
At one corner of the forming tube 212, portions of the film proximate the lateral edges 32, 34 of the film are joined to form the combination edge seal and corner seal 64. To ensure the integrity of the combined edge seal and corner seal 64 during the use of the container 10, an additional fold may be formed at the corner, with the folded portion being welded to the mating portion of the seal 64 to reinforce the corner seal 64. Downstream of the corner seal welding devices, an additional forming shoulder may be provided to fold a portion of the combination seal 64 formed at the lateral edges 32, 34 inwardly upon itself to overlap the unfolded portion. An additional welding device may be provided to form a second weld at the corner seal 64 after the film passes the forming shoulder to preserve the additional fold. Alternatively, the portion of the corner seal 64 may be folded outwardly and welded in a similar manner. While the present example illustrates the lateral edges 32, 34 meeting at a corner of the package 12 and being welded to form the combination edge seal and corner seal 64, those skilled in the art will understand that the packaging machine 200 may be configured such that the lateral edges 32, 34 meet at any of the corners 52, 56 of the package 12, or at any point along any of the flat surfaces such that a fin seal, a lap seal or other appropriate edge seal is formed separately from the corner seals. In the illustrated example, an edge seal may be formed at one of the corner seals 64 to maximize the amount of printable space available on the exterior of the container 10. As discussed above, the edge seal may be disposed along a side of the package 12 instead of at one of the corners. In such configurations, the station 218 may be configured to form the corner seal 64 in a similar manner as the other corner seals 58-62, and to form a fin, lap or other seal at the intersection of the lateral edges 32, 34. Of course, the corner seals 56-62 and the edge seal may be formed by different work stations depending on the particular configuration of the packaging machine.
In order to further control the movement of the web of film along the forming tube 212 and the transport path, pull belts 220 may be provided after the stations 218 to engage the film and pull the film through the previous stations 206, 208, 218. Once the corner seals 58-64 are formed in the corners of the package 12, the lid fitment 14 may be installed on the package 12 at a desired location and preferably overlying the removable/recloseable flap 22 at a lid application station 222. The lid fitments 14 may be delivered to the lid application station 222 from a supply of lid fitments 14 at a lid bulk hopper 224. Lid fitments 14 from the hopper 224 may be transferred via a lid elevator 226 to a lid sorter/orientator 228. The sorter/orientator 228 is configured to position the lid fitments 14 in the proper orientation for delivery to the lid application station 222. At the outlet of the sorter/orientator 228, the properly oriented lid fitments 14 may be delivered to the lid application station 222 by a lid feed conveyor 230.
At the lid application station 222, the lid fitments 14 are positioned against and secured to the proper location on the packages 12 as the packages 12 pass the lid application station 222 on the forming tube 212. In the present example, the bottom surface 50 of the lid fitment 14 is placed against the top side 42 of the package 12 at the location of the removable flap 22 with front and rear sides 78, 80 of the lid fitment 14 being disposed at corresponding portions of the corner seals 58, 60 defining the edges of the top side 42. When the package 12 is disposed at the proper location adjacent the lid application station 222, a plunger, mandrel or other positioning device of the lid application station 222 may actuate to push the next lid fitment 14 from the lid feed conveyor 230 toward the forming tube 212 with the bottom surface 50 of the lid fitment 14 engaging the surface of the top side 42 of the package 12. The head of the mandrel or plunger may be shaped to conform to the inner recess of the top surface of the lid fitment 14 for properly aligning the lid fitment 14 with the surface of the package 12 and for applying an appropriate amount of pressure to the surface of the film. Once in place, sealing devices of the station 222 may form seals between the front and rear sides 78, 80 of the lid fitment 14 and the corresponding portions of the corner seals 58, 60 of the top side 42. For example, the sealing devices may be heat sealers forming heat seals between the sides 78, 80 of the lid fitment 14 and the corner seals 58, 60 of the package 12. Of course, other types of seals may be formed such that the sides 78, 80 of the lid fitment 14 are sealed to the corner seals 58, 60 such as by heat, time or pressure sealing techniques, adhesive attachment, welding and the like. Moreover, the lid fitment 14 may alternatively be connected to the top side 42 of the package 12 by forming a seal between the bottom surface 50 of the lid fitment 14 and the surface of the top side 42 of the package 12. The particular sealing mechanism and location may be determined based on the particular configurations of the lid fitments 14 and the packages 12 to which they are being attached or based on the processes used to attach the lid fitment 14 to the package 12, and alternative attachment configurations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
Once the lid fitment 14 is attached, the leading and trailing edges 28, 30 of the package 12 may be sealed to close the package 12, and folded and tacked down to conform the shape of the package 12 to the lid fitment 14. The package 12 with the lid fitment 14 attached passes from the lid application station 222 to a closing station 232. In order to ensure the edges 28, 30 of the package 12 wrap around the lid fitment 14 neatly to form a relatively smooth and uniform outer surface for the container 10, it may be necessary to tuck the film between the corner seals 58-64 on the top and/or bottom sides 42, 44 of the package 12 at the time the leading and trailing seals 70, 72 are formed. To accomplish this, the closing station 232 may include film tuck bars 234 disposed above seal bars 236 of the closing station 232. When the leading edge 28 of the package 12 is aligned at the seal bars 236, the film tuck bars 234 may move inwardly toward the corresponding sides 42, 44 of the package 12 and engage the surfaces of the sides 42, 44 to tuck the sides 42, 44 inwardly as the seal bars 236 move together to engage and seal the leading edge 28 of the package 12. It should be noted that since the packages 12 are being formed from a continuous web of film, the seal bars 236 simultaneously close upon the film and may seal the trailing edge 30 of the preceding package 12. Consequently, additional film tuck bars 234 may be provided below the seal bars 236 to tuck the sides 42, 44 at the trailing edge 30 of the preceding package 12. While not shown in the present process of
As discussed above, the forming tube 212 of the illustrated embodiment of the packaging machine 200 is a product fill tube 214. Once the leading edge 28 of the package 12 is closed during the sealing process at the closing station 232, the product may be added to the package 12. At that point, a specified amount of the product may be poured through the funnel 216 into the fill tube 214 and drop into the package 12 where the product is retained due to the seal 70 at the leading edge 28 of the package 12. After or as the package 12 receives the product, the package 12 advances to align the trailing edge 30 of the package 12 at the closing station 232 and the trailing edge 30 is tucked and sealed in the manner described above, thereby sealing the package 12 with the product disposed therein. In some implementations, the additional weight of the product in the package 12 may pull on the film and increase the tightness of the film at the closing station 232. In order to control the tightness in the film while forming the seals 70, 72 at the closing station 232, it may be necessary to provide a lifting mechanism to engage and lift the downstream package 12 sufficiently to relieve some or all of the tension in the film such that the seals 70, 72 are properly formed in the packages 12.
At the same time the seals 70, 72 of the adjacent packages 12 are formed, a gas flushing operation may be performed if necessary to place a desired atmosphere in the package 12. Of course, gas flushing may occur continuously or at other times as the package 12 is formed and filled. Additionally, deflators or inflators, or heated gas or cooled gas may be provided and used during one or more of the previous steps to achieve a desired looseness or tightness to the package 12. Once the package 12 is sealed, it may be detached from the web of film in preparation for any final processing steps and containerization. Consequently, the closing station 232 may further include a knife or other separation device (not shown) proximate the seal bars 236 to cut the common seal 70/72 and separate the adjacent packages 12. Alternatively, the separation may occur at a downstream station. After separation, the package 12 may drop or otherwise be transported to a conveyor 238 for delivery to the remaining processing stations.
The conveyor 238 may include a timing belt or timing chain 240 for maintaining proper spacing between the packages 12 and alignment with the remaining processing stations. Other types of conveyors may be used, such as intermittent motion type conveyor belts, shuttle type transfer devices and the like. If necessary, the conveyor 238 may include guide rails or other package control devices to ensure that the packages are properly aligned and spaced as they move along the conveyor 238. The first station along the conveyor 238 may be a top bag seal folder/sealer station 242. The folder/sealer station 242 may fold the trailing seal 72 and the corresponding loose portion of the film around the lid fitment 14 and outer surface of the relatively stationary portion of the package 12 to conform the loose portion to the outer surfaces of the lid fitment 14 and the package 12, and attach the seal to the outer surface of the package 12. The seal 72 may be attached to the surface of the package 12 using heat, time or pressure sealing techniques, or by applying a hot tack adhesive between the seal and the outer surface, or other welding processes. The loose portion of the film should lay relatively flat and conform to the stationary portion of the package 12 when folded and sealed due to the tucks made in the sides 42, 44 at the time the edge seals 70, 72 were formed. After the trailing seal 72 is sealed to the package 12, the timing belt or chain 240 may reposition the package 12 at a first package turner 244 that may reorient the package 12 for folding and sealing of the leading seal 70. The reorientation may be a 180° rotation of the container to place the leading seal 70 at the top of the package 12. Once the package 12 is rotated, the timing belt or chain 240 may transfer the package 12 to a bottom bag seal folder/sealer station 246 for attaching the leading seal 70 to the outer surface of the package 12 in a similar manner as described for the folder/sealer station 242. Alternatively, the leading seal 70 may be folded and attached without reorienting the package 12 or at the same time as the trailing seal is folded and attached.
Once the seals 70, 72 are attached to the outer surface of the package 12, the lateral sides 84, 86 of the lid fitment 14 may be sealed to the corresponding portions of the corner seal 58, 60 of the package 12 so that the container 10 may properly store and maintain the freshness of the product stored therein after the flap 22 is removed and the package 12 is no longer sealed. In preparation, the timing belt or chain 240 may first position the package 12 at a second package turner 248 that may rotate the package 12 so that the lid fitment 14 is disposed at the top. The timing belt or chain 240 may then move the package 12 to a lid final sealer 250 that may be configured to seal the lateral sides 84, 86 of the lid fitment 14 to the corresponding portions of the corner seals 58, 60 and/or seal the bottom surface 50 of the base 16 to the top surface of the top side 42. The final sealer 250 may perform a similar sealing process as that performed at the lid application station 222, such as heat sealing, adhesive sealing or the like, or other welding processes. If necessary, a post-processing station(s) (not shown) may be included along the conveyor 238 for any additional operations to be performed prior to shipment, such as code dating, weight checking, quality control, labeling or marking, RFID installation, and the like. At the conclusion of the sealing and post-processing activities, the finished containers 10 may be removed from the conveyor 238 by a case packer 252 and placed into a carton 254 for storage and/or shipment to retail customers.
The components of the packaging machine 200 and the steps for forming the containers 10 therein may be rearranged as necessary to properly form the containers 10, and to do so in an efficient and cost-effective manner. For example, if necessary to correctly form and shape the package 12, the lid application station 222 may be positioned upstream of the seal station 218 to apply the lid fitment 14 to the sheet of film 26 prior to forming the corner seals 58-64. Alternatively, to increase efficiency or to compensate for space limitations, for example, it may be necessary or desired to position the lid application station 222 along the conveyor 238 to apply and seal the lid fitment 14 to the package 12 after the package 12 is formed. For example, the lid application station 222 could be positioned upstream of the folder/sealer station 242 to apply the lid fitment 14 to the package 12 prior to attaching the trailing seal 72 to the surface of the package 12. Other configurations of the components of the packaging machine 200 will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
The separated packages 12 having the unsealed trailing edges 30 are transferred to the conveyor via an appropriate active or passive transfer mechanism and disposed along the timing belt or chain with the trailing edges 30 facing upwardly. As the packages 12 are moved into alignment with the lower end of the product fill tube, a specified amount of the product may be poured through the funnel into the fill tube 214 and drop into the package 12. The product-filled packages 12 move along the conveyor to a trailing seal closing station having a pair of seal bars that engage the trailing edges 30 of the packages 12 to form the trailing seal 202 and seal the packages 12. Once sealed, the packages 12 may be conveyed through folder/sealer stations and a lid final sealer station similar to those illustrated and described for the packaging machine of
a and 19b illustrate an alternate embodiment of a container 300 and lid fitment 302. The lid fitment 302 includes a base 304 that may be similar to the base 16 described above for the lid fitment 14 that may be heat sealed or otherwise attached to the corner seals 58, 60 and/or the surface of the top side 42 of the package 12 and having a central opening for access to a portion of the top surface of the top side 42. In this embodiment, however, the lid fitment 302 may include a plurality of recloseable lids similar to the recloseable lids of a pepper or spice can. For example, the lid fitment 302 may include a first lid 306 that opens to expose a fast pour or free-flowing opening, a second lid 308 that opens to expose a medium pour or large sifting area, and a third lid 310 that opens to expose a slow pour or small sifting area. Each of the lids may have a complementary shape to a portion of the base of the lid fitment to form a seal therebetween when the lid is closed down onto the base 304.
a and 20b illustrate a further alternate embodiment of a container 312 and lid fitment 312 that may be particularly applicable to a container in accordance with the present disclosure configured for use as a cereal container. As shown in
a and 21b illustrate a further alternate embodiment of a container 330 and lid fitment 332 that may be particularly applicable to a container in accordance with the present disclosure configured for use as a water bottle or container for other liquids. In contrast to the lid fitments previously illustrated and described herein, the lid fitment 332 for the liquid container 330 may include a base 334 having an externally threaded neck 336, and a detachable lid or cap 338 having internal threads mating with the external threads of the neck 336 so that an appropriate seal maybe formed between the base/neck 334/336 and the cap 338 when the cap 338 is screwed onto the base 334. If necessary, an additional gasket, washer or other appropriate sealing device or tamper-evident feature may be included. The base 334 may extend outwardly toward the corner seals of the package 340 so that the bottom surface may be sealed to the top surface of the top side of the package 340 with sufficient area of contact to form the necessary seal therebetween. Alternatively, the sides of the base 334 may be sealed to the corner seals. The top side of the liquid container 330 may include an easy-opening feature similar to those previously discussed that may be configured to be accessible through neck 336 when the cap 338 is removed to open that package 340 and allow the liquid contained therein to be poured out. Alternatively, the packaging machine may be reconfigured to include a punch or other device for punching a hole in the top side of the package before the lid fitment 332 is sealed thereto so that the liquid may be poured out when the cap 338 is unscrewed from the neck.
a and 22b illustrate an alternate embodiment similar to the liquid container 350 of
a and 23b provide a graphical illustration of an embodiment of an easy-opening feature for the top side 42 of the flexible, stackable containers, such as the container 10 of
a-24c illustrate an alternative embodiment of an easy-opening feature for the top side 42 of the flexible, stackable container 10 of
a-25c graphically illustrate a further alternative embodiment of an easy-opening feature for the top side 42 of the flexible, stackable container 10 of
a-26c graphically illustrate another alternative embodiment of an easy-opening feature for the top side 42 of the flexible, stackable container 10 of
a-27c graphically illustrate a still further alternative embodiment of an easy-opening feature for the top side 42 of the flexible, stackable container 10 of
As discussed previously, containers in accordance with the present disclosure such as those described herein may be stacked efficiently side-by-side in shipping cartons and on display shelves, and may be stacked vertically on top of each other. To facilitate vertical stacking, the bottom sides of the packages and the top surfaces of the lid fitments may be configured with complimentary shapes fostering stability in stacking the containers. Referring to
b illustrates an alternative embodiment of the lid fitment 14 that may further promote stable stacking of the containers 10 having corner seals 62, 64. Depending on the density of the product stored in the package 12, the bottom side 44 of the package 12 may tend to sag under the weight of the product because the bottom side 44 is normally disposed above the bottom edges of the corner seals 62, 64. To provide additional support for the bottom sides 44 when the containers 10 are stacked, the lid 18 may have an upwardly extending central raised portion 94 with a top surface 96 that is higher than the upper edge 90 of the outer wall 88. The vertical distance between the top surface 96 and the upper edge 90 may typically be less than or equal to the height of the corner seals 62, 64. Consequently, in some implementations the top surface 96 may be in the range of 1/16″ to ¼″ above the upper edge 90. When one container 10 is stacked on another, the bottom side 44 of the upper container 10 may sag, but the central portion 94 of the lid 18 of the lower container 10 will prevent the bottom side 44 from sagging below the bottom edges of the corner seals 62, 64.
The bottom sides 122 of the containers of
Alternative configurations of flexible containers are contemplated that may provide similar benefits of efficient packaging and display, reduced weight, and biodegradability.
The package 502 may be formed using generally similar process steps as the package 12 of the container 10. A sheet of film may be wrapped inwardly, such as around a forming tube, and creased to form corners between the top side 508 and the front and rear sides 528, 530. However, in this embodiment, the sheet of film may not include portions of film for forming a bottom side of the package 502. Instead, the lateral edges of the sheet of film form the respective bottom edges 532 of the sides 528, 530 and the package 502. The corner seals 514 may then be formed at the front and rear corners of the top side 508, and the leading and trailing edge seals 516, 518 may be formed, folded over and attached in any appropriate manner, such as those discussed previously. At an appropriate point in the process, the lid fitment 504 may be attached at the top side 508.
With package 502 being formed with an open bottom side 510, the package 502 may be reoriented as shown in
The bottom fitment 512 may be formed with a complimentary shape to the bottom side 510 of the package 502 so that the bottom fitment 512 may be inserted at the bottom edges 532 and secured thereto. The configuration of the bottom fitment 512 is shown more fully in cross-section at
Turning to
In contrast to the containers 10, 500 discussed previously, the package 552 of the container 550 may not include either a top side or a bottom side. Instead, the package 552 has a top edge 572 and a bottom edge 574 that remain open to receive the lid fitment 504 and the bottom fitment 512, respectively, therein. The bottom lid fitment 512 may be inserted into the bottom edge 574 of the package 552 and attached to the portion of the sheet of film proximate the bottom edge 574 in a similar manner as described above for the container 500. At the opposite end of the package 552, the lid fitment 504 may be inserted into the top edge 572 and attached in a similar manner. The lid fitment 504 is similar to the lid fitment 14 described in greater detail above. The lid fitment 504 includes a base 576 to which the lid 506 may be attached by a living hinge 578 so that the lid 506 may be opened and reclosed to alternately permit access to the interior of the container 550 and close the container 550 to retain the product therein. The embodiment of the lid fitment 504 also illustrates the configuration of the lid fitment 504 with a grip 580 at the front side of the lid 506 and leverage tabs 582 of the base disposed on either side of the grip 580. The leverage tabs 582 may facilitate opening of the lid 506 by allowing a user to press upwardly on the grip 580 and downwardly on one of the leverage tabs 582 to separate the lid 506 from the base 576. As with the previously discussed embodiment, the lid fitment 504 and bottom fitment 512 may have complimentary configurations to facilitate stable stacking of the containers 550 for shipping and display.
Referring to
With the absence of a top side of the sheet of film in the present embodiment, it may be necessary to provide an additional sealing mechanism to the container 550 to provide additional sealing of the container 550, and retention of the product therein and, if necessary, tamper evidence prior to purchase of the product by the consumer. To provide the additional level of sealing, the container 550 may include an additional cover at the opening of the lid fitment 504 that is present when the lid 506 is open.
The cover 590 may be a generally flat sheet of material that is sized and shaped in a complimentary manner to the inner surface 592 of the base 576 and the shoulder 598. The cover 590 may be fabricated from the same material as the sheet of film from which the package 552 is formed, or may be formed from any other appropriate material that may be secured to the lid fitment 504 to seal the container 550. In the illustrated embodiment, the cover 590 is a flexible sheet of material that overlays the opening of the base 576 and will be secured to the inner surface 592 of the base 576. As shown in
Other configurations of the cover 590 are contemplated by the inventors and will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the easy-opening features shown in
In a further alternative embodiment of a flexible, stackable container 610 shown in the exploded view of
While the present invention has been described with reference to specific examples, which are intended to be illustrative only and not to be limiting of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that changes, additions or deletions may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/111,874, filed Nov. 6, 2008, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/111,896, filed Nov. 6, 2008, the disclosures of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. This application is related to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/987,031, filed on Nov. 9, 2007, entitled “Flexible, Stackable Container and Method and System for Manufacturing Same,” U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/989,635, filed on Nov. 21, 2007, entitled “Flexible, Stackable Container and Method and System for Manufacturing Same,” U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/016,802, filed on Dec. 26, 2007, entitled “Flexible, Stackable Container and Method and System for Manufacturing Same,” and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/188,328, filed on Aug. 8, 2008, entitled “Flexible, Stackable Container and Method and System for Manufacturing Same,” all of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 724316 | Staples | Mar 1903 | A |
| 1102750 | Hawkins | Jul 1914 | A |
| 1389197 | Kusterer | Aug 1921 | A |
| 1395229 | Inman et al. | Oct 1921 | A |
| 1747618 | Burns | Feb 1930 | A |
| 1930285 | Robinson | Oct 1933 | A |
| 2017176 | Andrews | Oct 1935 | A |
| 2041227 | Chalmers | May 1936 | A |
| 2048122 | Howard | Jul 1936 | A |
| 2092858 | Richard | Sep 1937 | A |
| 2106907 | Brunt et al. | Feb 1938 | A |
| 2113431 | Milliken | Apr 1938 | A |
| 2153310 | Newman | Apr 1939 | A |
| 2180841 | Vogt | Nov 1939 | A |
| 2239398 | Palmer | Apr 1941 | A |
| 2251283 | Johnson | Aug 1941 | A |
| 2259866 | Stokes | Oct 1941 | A |
| 2291063 | Staude et al. | Jul 1942 | A |
| 2311857 | Noah | Feb 1943 | A |
| 2328579 | Pelosi | Sep 1943 | A |
| 2330015 | Stokes | Sep 1943 | A |
| 2352766 | Bogue | Jul 1944 | A |
| 2365159 | Walton | Dec 1944 | A |
| 2385898 | Waters | Oct 1945 | A |
| 2416332 | Lehman | Feb 1947 | A |
| 2495807 | Buttery | Jan 1950 | A |
| 2508962 | Moore | May 1950 | A |
| 2524766 | Carroll | Oct 1950 | A |
| 2619226 | Adams | Nov 1952 | A |
| 2684807 | Gerrish | Jul 1954 | A |
| 2695847 | Fisher | Nov 1954 | A |
| 2719663 | Meyer-Jagenberg | Oct 1955 | A |
| 2737338 | Moore | Mar 1956 | A |
| 2749245 | Peters | Jun 1956 | A |
| 2750093 | Moore | Jun 1956 | A |
| 2758775 | Moore | Aug 1956 | A |
| 2787410 | Moore | Apr 1957 | A |
| 2864710 | Pottle et al. | Dec 1958 | A |
| 2936940 | Berghgracht | May 1960 | A |
| 2970735 | Jacke | Feb 1961 | A |
| 3006257 | Orsini | Oct 1961 | A |
| 3054550 | Comstock | Sep 1962 | A |
| 3111223 | Jacobi | Nov 1963 | A |
| 3116153 | Seiferth et al. | Dec 1963 | A |
| 3125275 | Ehe | Mar 1964 | A |
| 3127082 | Meyer-Jagenberg | Mar 1964 | A |
| 3143276 | Nichols | Aug 1964 | A |
| 3155304 | Beerend | Nov 1964 | A |
| 3172769 | Horan | Mar 1965 | A |
| 3185379 | Kohlhaas | May 1965 | A |
| 3206094 | Humphrey | Sep 1965 | A |
| 3228584 | Ashton | Jan 1966 | A |
| 3235168 | Nichols | Feb 1966 | A |
| 3249286 | Palmer | May 1966 | A |
| 3259303 | Repko | Jul 1966 | A |
| 3272423 | Bjarno | Sep 1966 | A |
| 3275214 | Carangelo | Sep 1966 | A |
| 3299611 | Hendrick et al. | Jan 1967 | A |
| 3314591 | Cheeley | Apr 1967 | A |
| 3318204 | Crane | May 1967 | A |
| 3325077 | Boegershausen | Jun 1967 | A |
| 3326097 | Lokey | Jun 1967 | A |
| 3339721 | Goldstein | Sep 1967 | A |
| 3349959 | Watkins | Oct 1967 | A |
| 3380646 | Doyen et al. | Apr 1968 | A |
| 3423007 | Christensson | Jan 1969 | A |
| 3426499 | Paige | Feb 1969 | A |
| 3434652 | Shore | Mar 1969 | A |
| 3437258 | Kugler | Apr 1969 | A |
| 3462067 | Shore | Aug 1969 | A |
| 3505779 | Kopp | Apr 1970 | A |
| 3515270 | Yang et al. | Jun 1970 | A |
| 3521807 | Weisberg | Jul 1970 | A |
| 3562392 | Mylius | Feb 1971 | A |
| 3599387 | James | Aug 1971 | A |
| 3604491 | Spiess | Sep 1971 | A |
| 3621637 | Sternau | Nov 1971 | A |
| 3738567 | Ruda | Jun 1973 | A |
| 3739977 | Shapiro et al. | Jun 1973 | A |
| 3785112 | Leasure et al. | Jan 1974 | A |
| 3838787 | McCloskey | Oct 1974 | A |
| 3935993 | Doyen et al. | Feb 1976 | A |
| 3940054 | Goebel et al. | Feb 1976 | A |
| 3968921 | Jewell | Jul 1976 | A |
| 3980225 | Kan | Sep 1976 | A |
| 4041851 | Jentsch | Aug 1977 | A |
| 4069348 | Bush | Jan 1978 | A |
| 4082214 | Baker | Apr 1978 | A |
| 4101051 | Reil | Jul 1978 | A |
| 4129976 | Grundler et al. | Dec 1978 | A |
| 4192420 | Worrell, Sr. et al. | Mar 1980 | A |
| 4197949 | Carlsson | Apr 1980 | A |
| 4260061 | Jacobs | Apr 1981 | A |
| 4291826 | Swanson | Sep 1981 | A |
| 4308679 | Ray et al. | Jan 1982 | A |
| 4338766 | Hamilton | Jul 1982 | A |
| 4345133 | Cherney et al. | Aug 1982 | A |
| 4345393 | Price et al. | Aug 1982 | A |
| D266049 | Conti | Sep 1982 | S |
| 4353497 | Bustin | Oct 1982 | A |
| 4361266 | Killy | Nov 1982 | A |
| 4367842 | Rausing | Jan 1983 | A |
| 4420080 | Nakamura | Dec 1983 | A |
| 4441648 | Portsmouth | Apr 1984 | A |
| 4554190 | McHenry et al. | Nov 1985 | A |
| 4589145 | Van Erden et al. | May 1986 | A |
| 4621000 | Frick | Nov 1986 | A |
| 4651874 | Nakamura | Mar 1987 | A |
| 4663915 | Van Erden et al. | May 1987 | A |
| 4674129 | Janhonen | Jun 1987 | A |
| 4679693 | Forman | Jul 1987 | A |
| 4679701 | Ackermann et al. | Jul 1987 | A |
| 4696404 | Corella | Sep 1987 | A |
| 4786192 | Graves et al. | Nov 1988 | A |
| 4790436 | Nakamura | Dec 1988 | A |
| 4798295 | Rausing | Jan 1989 | A |
| 4804137 | Harby | Feb 1989 | A |
| 4808421 | Mendenhall et al. | Feb 1989 | A |
| 4837849 | Erickson et al. | Jun 1989 | A |
| 4840270 | Caputo et al. | Jun 1989 | A |
| 4848575 | Nakamura et al. | Jul 1989 | A |
| 4851246 | Maxwell et al. | Jul 1989 | A |
| 4881360 | Konzal et al. | Nov 1989 | A |
| 4886373 | Corella | Dec 1989 | A |
| 4909017 | McMahon et al. | Mar 1990 | A |
| 4954124 | Erickson et al. | Sep 1990 | A |
| 4986054 | McMahon | Jan 1991 | A |
| 4997416 | Mitchell et al. | Mar 1991 | A |
| 5031826 | Seufert | Jul 1991 | A |
| 5036997 | May et al. | Aug 1991 | A |
| 5044777 | Watkins et al. | Sep 1991 | A |
| 5046300 | Custer et al. | Sep 1991 | A |
| 5059036 | Richison et al. | Oct 1991 | A |
| 5062527 | Westerman | Nov 1991 | A |
| 5065887 | Schuh et al. | Nov 1991 | A |
| 5078509 | Center et al. | Jan 1992 | A |
| 5080643 | Mitchell et al. | Jan 1992 | A |
| 5092831 | James et al. | Mar 1992 | A |
| 5127208 | Custer et al. | Jul 1992 | A |
| 5158371 | Moravek | Oct 1992 | A |
| 5158499 | Guckenberger | Oct 1992 | A |
| 5195829 | Watkins et al. | Mar 1993 | A |
| 5205651 | Decottignies et al. | Apr 1993 | A |
| 5215380 | Custer et al. | Jun 1993 | A |
| 5251809 | Drummond et al. | Oct 1993 | A |
| 5254073 | Richison et al. | Oct 1993 | A |
| 5255497 | Zoromski et al. | Oct 1993 | A |
| 5350240 | Billman et al. | Sep 1994 | A |
| D351090 | Narsutis | Oct 1994 | S |
| 5352466 | Delonis | Oct 1994 | A |
| 5353946 | Behrend | Oct 1994 | A |
| 5356069 | Bochet et al. | Oct 1994 | A |
| D354436 | Krupa | Jan 1995 | S |
| 5417035 | English | May 1995 | A |
| D364563 | Miller et al. | Nov 1995 | S |
| 5498080 | Dalea et al. | Mar 1996 | A |
| 5505305 | Scholz et al. | Apr 1996 | A |
| 5542902 | Richison et al. | Aug 1996 | A |
| 5545420 | Lipinski et al. | Aug 1996 | A |
| D374774 | Cassel | Oct 1996 | S |
| 5561966 | English | Oct 1996 | A |
| 5611452 | Bonora et al. | Mar 1997 | A |
| 5613608 | Tronchetti et al. | Mar 1997 | A |
| 5655706 | Vandiver | Aug 1997 | A |
| D386001 | Saffran | Nov 1997 | S |
| 5687848 | Scholz et al. | Nov 1997 | A |
| 5704480 | Scholz et al. | Jan 1998 | A |
| 5704541 | Mogard | Jan 1998 | A |
| D394606 | Zorn et al. | May 1998 | S |
| 5749512 | Gingras-Taylor | May 1998 | A |
| 5770839 | Ruebush et al. | Jun 1998 | A |
| 5772332 | Geller | Jun 1998 | A |
| D395952 | Buczwinski et al. | Jul 1998 | S |
| 5785179 | Buczwinski et al. | Jul 1998 | A |
| 5788121 | Sasaki et al. | Aug 1998 | A |
| 5788378 | Thomas | Aug 1998 | A |
| 5789049 | Randles | Aug 1998 | A |
| 5791465 | Niki et al. | Aug 1998 | A |
| 5799863 | Capy et al. | Sep 1998 | A |
| 5818016 | Lorence et al. | Oct 1998 | A |
| 5820017 | Eliovson et al. | Oct 1998 | A |
| 5826401 | Bois | Oct 1998 | A |
| 5842790 | Imer | Dec 1998 | A |
| 5857613 | Drummond et al. | Jan 1999 | A |
| 5858543 | Futter et al. | Jan 1999 | A |
| 5862652 | Schoeler | Jan 1999 | A |
| 5882749 | Jones et al. | Mar 1999 | A |
| 5882789 | Jones et al. | Mar 1999 | A |
| 5897050 | Barnes | Apr 1999 | A |
| D409484 | Tasker | May 1999 | S |
| 5908246 | Arimura et al. | Jun 1999 | A |
| D412439 | Cormack | Aug 1999 | S |
| 5937615 | Forman | Aug 1999 | A |
| 5944425 | Forman | Aug 1999 | A |
| 5972396 | Jurgovan et al. | Oct 1999 | A |
| 5983594 | Forman | Nov 1999 | A |
| 5993593 | Swartz et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
| 6005234 | Moseley et al. | Dec 1999 | A |
| 6021624 | Richison et al. | Feb 2000 | A |
| 6023914 | Richison et al. | Feb 2000 | A |
| 6026953 | Nakamura et al. | Feb 2000 | A |
| D421901 | Hill | Mar 2000 | S |
| D421902 | Hill | Mar 2000 | S |
| 6036365 | Imer | Mar 2000 | A |
| 6038839 | Linkiewicz | Mar 2000 | A |
| 6056141 | Navarini et al. | May 2000 | A |
| 6060096 | Hanson et al. | May 2000 | A |
| D427056 | Irace et al. | Jun 2000 | S |
| 6113271 | Scott et al. | Sep 2000 | A |
| 6120183 | Buchanan et al. | Sep 2000 | A |
| 6132351 | Lotto et al. | Oct 2000 | A |
| 6137098 | Moseley et al. | Oct 2000 | A |
| 6139662 | Forman | Oct 2000 | A |
| 6149304 | Hamilton et al. | Nov 2000 | A |
| D437686 | Balzar et al. | Feb 2001 | S |
| 6182887 | Ljunstrom et al. | Feb 2001 | B1 |
| 6231237 | Geller | May 2001 | B1 |
| 6234676 | Galomb et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
| 6245367 | Galomb | Jun 2001 | B1 |
| 6250048 | Linkiewicz | Jun 2001 | B1 |
| 6253993 | Lloyd et al. | Jul 2001 | B1 |
| 6254907 | Galomb | Jul 2001 | B1 |
| 6261215 | Imer | Jul 2001 | B1 |
| D446014 | Adkins | Aug 2001 | S |
| 6273610 | Koyama et al. | Aug 2001 | B1 |
| 6274181 | Richison et al. | Aug 2001 | B1 |
| 6309105 | Palumbo | Oct 2001 | B1 |
| D450960 | Boyea et al. | Nov 2001 | S |
| 6319184 | DeMatteis et al. | Nov 2001 | B1 |
| D452374 | Kim | Dec 2001 | S |
| 6325239 | Randall et al. | Dec 2001 | B2 |
| 6350057 | Forman | Feb 2002 | B1 |
| 6354062 | Haughton et al. | Mar 2002 | B1 |
| 6361212 | Sprehe et al. | Mar 2002 | B1 |
| 6420006 | Scott | Jul 2002 | B1 |
| 6423356 | Richison et al. | Jul 2002 | B2 |
| D461403 | Chomik et al. | Aug 2002 | S |
| 6428867 | Scott et al. | Aug 2002 | B1 |
| 6430899 | Cicha | Aug 2002 | B1 |
| 6431434 | Haughton et al. | Aug 2002 | B1 |
| D463276 | Piscopo et al. | Sep 2002 | S |
| 6446796 | Schmidt | Sep 2002 | B1 |
| D464884 | Sumpmann et al. | Oct 2002 | S |
| 6481183 | Schmidt | Nov 2002 | B1 |
| D466807 | Buck et al. | Dec 2002 | S |
| 6502986 | Bensur et al. | Jan 2003 | B1 |
| 6510673 | Visona′ et al. | Jan 2003 | B1 |
| 6513308 | Meeuwesen et al. | Feb 2003 | B1 |
| D471804 | Staples | Mar 2003 | S |
| 6533456 | Buchman | Mar 2003 | B1 |
| D473461 | Joubert | Apr 2003 | S |
| 6568150 | Forman | May 2003 | B2 |
| 6589622 | Scott | Jul 2003 | B1 |
| 6615567 | Kuhn et al. | Sep 2003 | B2 |
| 6659645 | Schulz | Dec 2003 | B1 |
| D485461 | Sams et al. | Jan 2004 | S |
| 6679034 | Kohl et al. | Jan 2004 | B2 |
| 6695757 | Edwards et al. | Feb 2004 | B2 |
| D487192 | Farnham et al. | Mar 2004 | S |
| 6719140 | Rinsler | Apr 2004 | B1 |
| 6719678 | Stern | Apr 2004 | B1 |
| D489530 | Lindsay | May 2004 | S |
| 6729112 | Kuss et al. | May 2004 | B2 |
| 6736309 | Westerman et al. | May 2004 | B1 |
| 6746388 | Edwards et al. | Jun 2004 | B2 |
| 6755927 | Forman | Jun 2004 | B2 |
| 6761279 | Martin et al. | Jul 2004 | B1 |
| 6783277 | Edwards et al. | Aug 2004 | B2 |
| 6817160 | Schmidt | Nov 2004 | B2 |
| 6820391 | Barmore et al. | Nov 2004 | B2 |
| D501134 | Takahashi et al. | Jan 2005 | S |
| 6845602 | Drut | Jan 2005 | B2 |
| D503336 | Tucker et al. | Mar 2005 | S |
| D504622 | Takahashi et al. | May 2005 | S |
| 6886313 | Knoerzer et al. | May 2005 | B2 |
| 6913389 | Kannankeril et al. | Jul 2005 | B2 |
| 6918532 | Sierra-Gomez et al. | Jul 2005 | B2 |
| 6935086 | Brenkus et al. | Aug 2005 | B2 |
| 6953069 | Galomb | Oct 2005 | B2 |
| D513870 | Rosine et al. | Jan 2006 | S |
| 6986920 | Forman et al. | Jan 2006 | B2 |
| 7059466 | Lees et al. | Jun 2006 | B2 |
| 7077259 | Breidenbach | Jul 2006 | B2 |
| 7080726 | Breidenbach et al. | Jul 2006 | B2 |
| D528010 | Yashima et al. | Sep 2006 | S |
| 7108441 | Altonen et al. | Sep 2006 | B2 |
| 7128200 | Lees et al. | Oct 2006 | B2 |
| D531894 | Ramirez et al. | Nov 2006 | S |
| 7153026 | Galomb | Dec 2006 | B2 |
| 7156556 | Takahashi et al. | Jan 2007 | B2 |
| RE39505 | Thomas et al. | Mar 2007 | E |
| 7205016 | Garwood | Apr 2007 | B2 |
| 7207717 | Steele | Apr 2007 | B2 |
| 7213710 | Cotert | May 2007 | B2 |
| D544762 | Zimmerman | Jun 2007 | S |
| D545186 | Liebe et al. | Jun 2007 | S |
| D548080 | Brown et al. | Aug 2007 | S |
| D552468 | Seum et al. | Oct 2007 | S |
| 7299608 | Kohl et al. | Nov 2007 | B2 |
| 7350688 | Sierra-Gomez et al. | Apr 2008 | B2 |
| 7371008 | Bonenfant | May 2008 | B2 |
| D571146 | Sanfilippo et al. | Jun 2008 | S |
| D571197 | Sanfilippo et al. | Jun 2008 | S |
| D591555 | Sanfilippo et al. | May 2009 | S |
| D608193 | Sanfilippo et al. | Jan 2010 | S |
| 7665629 | Julius et al. | Feb 2010 | B2 |
| 7665895 | Takita et al. | Feb 2010 | B2 |
| 7744517 | Bonenfant | Jun 2010 | B2 |
| 7780006 | Clark et al. | Aug 2010 | B2 |
| 7993256 | Takita et al. | Aug 2011 | B2 |
| 8006833 | Clark et al. | Aug 2011 | B2 |
| 8038349 | Andersson et al. | Oct 2011 | B2 |
| 8066137 | Sanfilippo et al. | Nov 2011 | B2 |
| 8132395 | Gehring et al. | Mar 2012 | B2 |
| 8182891 | Scott et al. | May 2012 | B2 |
| 8231024 | Sanfilippo et al. | Jul 2012 | B2 |
| 8276353 | Reaves et al. | Oct 2012 | B2 |
| 8308363 | Vogt et al. | Nov 2012 | B2 |
| 20010005979 | Kuss et al. | Jul 2001 | A1 |
| 20010010253 | Forman | Aug 2001 | A1 |
| 20020009575 | DeMatteis | Jan 2002 | A1 |
| 20020090879 | Galomb | Jul 2002 | A1 |
| 20020094922 | Edwards et al. | Jul 2002 | A1 |
| 20020118896 | Forman | Aug 2002 | A1 |
| 20020144998 | Lees et al. | Oct 2002 | A1 |
| 20020147088 | Edwards | Oct 2002 | A1 |
| 20030001002 | Haughton et al. | Jan 2003 | A1 |
| 20030041564 | Schmidt | Mar 2003 | A1 |
| 20030054929 | Post et al. | Mar 2003 | A1 |
| 20030059130 | Yoneyama et al. | Mar 2003 | A1 |
| 20030063820 | Buchman | Apr 2003 | A1 |
| 20030100424 | Barmore et al. | May 2003 | A1 |
| 20030111523 | Haugan | Jun 2003 | A1 |
| 20030152679 | Garwood | Aug 2003 | A1 |
| 20030165602 | Garwood | Sep 2003 | A1 |
| 20030170357 | Garwood | Sep 2003 | A1 |
| 20030170359 | Garwood | Sep 2003 | A1 |
| 20030175392 | Garwood | Sep 2003 | A1 |
| 20030185937 | Garwood | Oct 2003 | A1 |
| 20030185948 | Garwood | Oct 2003 | A1 |
| 20040025476 | Oliverio et al. | Feb 2004 | A1 |
| 20040031244 | Steele | Feb 2004 | A1 |
| 20040040261 | Troyer et al. | Mar 2004 | A1 |
| 20040058103 | Anderson et al. | Mar 2004 | A1 |
| 20040081729 | Garwood | Apr 2004 | A1 |
| 20040089578 | Lin | May 2004 | A1 |
| 20040105600 | Floyd | Jun 2004 | A1 |
| 20040114838 | McGregor | Jun 2004 | A1 |
| 20040120611 | Kannankeril et al. | Jun 2004 | A1 |
| 20040146602 | Garwood et al. | Jul 2004 | A1 |
| 20040185154 | Garwood | Sep 2004 | A1 |
| 20040185155 | Garwood | Sep 2004 | A1 |
| 20040185156 | Garwood | Sep 2004 | A1 |
| 20040188457 | Galomb | Sep 2004 | A1 |
| 20040226625 | Galomb | Nov 2004 | A1 |
| 20040226849 | Brenkus et al. | Nov 2004 | A1 |
| 20040251163 | Conde et al. | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20040262322 | Middleton et al. | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20050011906 | Buck et al. | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050031233 | Varanese et al. | Feb 2005 | A1 |
| 20050053315 | Aasen | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050069227 | Steele | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050069230 | Takahashi et al. | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050139645 | Shean et al. | Jun 2005 | A1 |
| 20050150785 | Julius et al. | Jul 2005 | A1 |
| 20050189367 | Chasid et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050208188 | Garwood | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050238766 | Henderson et al. | Oct 2005 | A1 |
| 20050265636 | Michalsky | Dec 2005 | A1 |
| 20050276525 | Hebert et al. | Dec 2005 | A1 |
| 20060006049 | Breidenbach et al. | Jan 2006 | A1 |
| 20060016865 | Berglin et al. | Jan 2006 | A1 |
| 20060076352 | Peterson et al. | Apr 2006 | A1 |
| 20060080944 | Annehed et al. | Apr 2006 | A1 |
| 20060113212 | Steele | Jun 2006 | A1 |
| 20060169691 | Rothschild et al. | Aug 2006 | A1 |
| 20060210202 | Plourde | Sep 2006 | A1 |
| 20060283750 | Villars et al. | Dec 2006 | A1 |
| 20070080078 | Hansen et al. | Apr 2007 | A1 |
| 20070082096 | Dougherty et al. | Apr 2007 | A1 |
| 20070084142 | Matthews | Apr 2007 | A1 |
| 20070151887 | Clark et al. | Jul 2007 | A1 |
| 20090039078 | Sanfilippo et al. | Feb 2009 | A1 |
| 20090120828 | Sanfilippo et al. | May 2009 | A1 |
| 20090273179 | Scott et al. | Nov 2009 | A1 |
| 20100113240 | Takita et al. | May 2010 | A1 |
| 20110058755 | Guibert | Mar 2011 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 0879767 | Nov 1998 | EP |
| 1106508 | Jun 2001 | EP |
| 2766794 | Feb 1999 | FR |
| 1274100 | Jul 1997 | IT |
| 10-203560 | Aug 1998 | JP |
| 2005320032 | Nov 2005 | JP |
| WO 02085726 | Oct 2002 | WO |
| WO-2004024588 | Mar 2004 | WO |
| WO-2004110885 | Dec 2004 | WO |
| WO 2004110885 | Dec 2004 | WO |
| WO-2006091821 | Aug 2006 | WO |
| WO-2007058689 | May 2007 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
| International Search Report and Written Opinion for corresponding International Application No. PCT/US2009/063591, dated Jun. 18, 2010. |
| International Search Report and Written Opinion for corresponding International Application No. PCT/US2008/082689, dated Mar. 24, 2009. |
| International Search Report and Written Opinion for counterpart International Application No. PCT/US08/072554, dated Feb. 23, 2009. |
| Photographs of flexible container packaging, “Minibrick Pack”, from Sonoco (Hartsville, South Carolina, USA) (became aware of in Dec. 2007). |
| SBS Special Top Design Machine, product sheet from Rovema Packaging Machines L.P. (Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA) (1 pg.) (2005). |
| Extended European Search Report, European application No. EP 09825498.0, dated Nov. 22, 2012. |
| Brody et al., Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology, 2nd ed., New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons (1993). |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20100140129 A1 | Jun 2010 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61111896 | Nov 2008 | US | |
| 61111874 | Nov 2008 | US |
