Patent Application
20110103714
The present invention relates generally to flexible packaging and, more particularly, to packages, and methods for forming and using packages, having expansion chambers actuated by pressure within the primary package chamber.
Flexible packages are used for containing a wide variety of items, both solid and liquid, such as beverages, lawn products and food products. Some products, such as carbonated drinks, produce gasses (gas off) during and after they are filled into a package. Conventional flexible packages have a fixed maximum volume, and therefore, cannot expand. As a result, the gas produced in the sealed package raises the pressure inside of the package. Some packages may fail because they are not strong enough to handle the additional pressure generated by the gassing off of the product once sealed. This is especially true with flexible packages. The use of flexible packages has been limited because of the limited pressures they can handle before failure.
Using vents in the flexible package is not always feasible. For example, some carbonated products, such as beer, require the carbonation or gas to stay within the container when it gases off. A vent would cause the gas to escape. Loss of the gasses may negatively affect the freshness, flavor and texture of the product. Vents are also an additional expense and are difficult to implement for products that require the package to be filled completely to the top, leaving no room for oxygen in the package. Oxygen may permeate the package through the vent, thereby negatively affecting the freshness of the product.
Package failure with increased internal pressure may also occur at or adjacent to a fitment or pour spout, such as the edges or seals where panels or joined. These seals, especially near where the ends of the fitment meet the two adjacent panels of film, tend to be the weakest section of the pouch, or where failures often occur.
As a result, there is a need for a flexible package that substantially solves the above-referenced problems with conventional package designs, configurations, and manufacturing methods.
The present invention addresses certain problems facing flexible packages and the packaging industry. Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a flexible package having an interior compartment capable of storing a product, including solids or liquids. The package includes a collapsed expansion chamber configured to communicate with the interior compartment when a predetermined amount of internal pressure is reached. A pressure sensitive closure mechanism, such as a flexible film web or a frangible seal, is disposed between the interior compartment and the expansion chamber and functions to separate the main compartment and the expansion chamber until the predetermined internal pressure is reached.
Multiple expansion chambers may be used. The expansion chambers may be located in various positions and orientations with respect to the package. The expansion chamber may also be configured in various shapes, including handles, and display panels.
Embodiments of the present invention are also directed to a flexible package generally including a fitment or spout sealed in a panel. An aperture is defined in the package material and the spout is placed through the aperture from the inside or sealant side of the panel film, and then a flange of the fitment remaining inside the interior compartment can be sealed around the hole's edges.
The detailed technology and preferred embodiments implemented for the subject invention are described in the following paragraphs accompanying the appended drawings for people skilled in this field to well appreciate the features of the claimed invention. It is understood that the features mentioned hereinbefore and those to be commented on hereinafter may be used not only in the specified combinations, but also in other combinations or in isolation, without departing from the scope of the present invention.
While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular example embodiments described. On the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. For illustrative purposes, cross-hatching, dashing or shading in the figures is provided to demonstrate sealed portions and/or integrated regions or devices for the package.
In the following descriptions, the invention will be explained with reference to various example embodiments; nevertheless, these embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention to any specific example, environment, embodiment, applications, or particular implementations described herein. Therefore, descriptions of these example embodiments are only provided for purpose of illustration but not to limit the present invention. It should be appreciated that elements unrelated directly to the present invention are omitted from the embodiments and the attached drawings.
References to “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back” and the like are for illustrative purposes only and are not meant to limit the scope of the disclosed invention. For instance, placing an expansion chamber on the “front” panel could be just as easily employed in the back or side portions of the package.
Referring to
A spout or fitment 112, such as a square top or inverted funnel shape, is provided to a portion of the top interface edge of the front 102 and back 104 panels. However, it is understood that the fitment could be located in various other positions and still be within the scope of the invention.
The package 100 further includes an expansion chamber 114 located or defined in the front panel 102 of the package. It is understood to be within the scope of the invention, however, that the expansion chamber may be located in any position on the package 100 such that it can communicate with the interior compartment 106. It is further within the scope of the invention to use multiple, or a plurality, of expansion chambers, each located such that they are capable of communicating with the interior compartment.
The expansion chamber 114 is shown extending the full width of the package, from side to side. However, the expansion chamber 114 may extend only partially across a dimension of the package 100. The expansion chamber may also be oriented horizontally, vertically or in any other direction.
A frangible seal, valve or other pressure sensitive closure 116 is disposed between the interior compartment 106 and the expansion chamber 114. The pressure sensitive closure 116 maintains separation between the interior compartment 106 and the expansion chamber 114. However, when the pressure in the interior compartment 106 rises above a predetermined threshold, the closure 116 will open or rupture to allow communication between the interior compartment 106 and the expansion chamber 114. The opening of closure 116 allows the product and/or gases located in the interior compartment 106 to have room to expand. Because of this added space within the package 100, the product and/or gas has a place to go and will therefore reduce pressure before leaking, rupturing, or other failure occurs.
The threshold pressure at which the closure 116 opens will depend on a variety of factors, including the type of film used to make the package and expansion chamber, the geometry of the package, and the size and geometry of the expansion chamber. In a few examples, the threshold may be approximately 5, 20 or 30 pounds per square inch (PSI). However, higher and lower threshold pressures are within the scope of the invention. As such, the package and corresponding expansion chamber can be configured to handle a wide range of pressures.
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The fitment 112 is provided (e.g., shown with cap) to an aperture in the top panel 120. Different sizes and shapes for the fitment can be employed. A flange 122 on the bottom of the fitment is sealed inside of the interior compartment 106 to provide a surface fitment configuration. In this configuration, when the pressure inside the package expands, it will generally push evenly around the seal of the flange 122 and no particular weak point will exist for leaking, as opposed to fitments that are sealed within or to the edge seals of panels or webs.
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In use, the interior compartment of the flexible package can be filled to the top with the product. Doing this forces any unwanted oxygen out of the interior compartment. Then the package is sealed. Thereafter, if the product contained in the package gasses off, the gasses raise the pressure inside of the package until a predetermined pressure is reached. When the predetermined pressure is reached, the frangible seal, or other pressure-sensitive closure means, separating the expansion chamber form the interior compartment opens, thereby increasing the volume of the package. The result is a decrease in the pressure in the package proportional to the volume of the expansion chamber. One or more expansion chambers may be provided. The expansion chambers may be of any desired size or configuration. When more than one expansion chamber is provided, their individual opening pressures may all be the same, or the may be staged. In addition, the expansion chambers as disclosed and depicted herein, can be employed or provided with packages other than just flexible packages, including packages constructed at least partially of rigid, semi-rigid, or semi-flexible materials or panels.
It is also contemplated that expansion chambers may also have secondary expansion chambers in communication with the primary expansion chamber. A pressure sensitive closure is used to separate the primary and secondary expansion chambers. The closure is configured to open communication with the secondary expansion chamber at a pressure higher than the closure separating the interior compartment from the primary expansion chamber.
The construction of a flexible package is generally described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/400,304, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Briefly, the package panel portions are generally constructed of flexible sheet material such as polyethylene, polyester, metal foil, polypropylene, or polyethylenes or polypropylenes laminated with other materials such as nylon, polyester, and like films. To provide for increased barrier properties, embodiments can use composite or laminate layers of said materials and material of the like. Generally, in such composite or laminate embodiments, a material having preferred sealing characteristics can be joined, bonded or laminated to a material having a different preferred characteristic (e.g., beneficial oxygen barrier properties). Regardless, single sheets, composites/laminates, and a myriad of other materials and techniques known to one skilled in the art may be implemented based on particular usage and manufacturing needs without deviating from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The present invention in certain embodiments permits the flexible package to be made using cheaper materials than would otherwise be necessary because the expansion chamber addresses the danger of pressure induced failure.
In an additional embodiment, the pressure sensitive closure used is selected to maintain a predetermined maximum pressure in the package. Thus, if pressure increases over the threshold, then gas is released into the expansion chamber until the pressure in the package falls below the threshold pressure. When such condition is achieved, the pressure sensitive closure closes or re-seals. This configuration is particularly useful when the contents of the package are to be maintained under relatively constant pressure.
In a further embodiment as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14A-14C, the expansion chamber 114 may be provided with a film or web of elastic material to form an expandable web 128 that functions as the pressure sensitive closure. The expandable web has an elastic property such that it has a measurable resistance to the interior compartment 106 being filled with gas or package contents. In such an arrangement, an increase in pressure in the main compartment causes the closure to stretch into the expansion chamber, thereby increasing the volume of the package and correspondingly lowering the pressure in the package. If the pressure in the package recedes, then the resilient film returns to the its original state. This arrangement permits the expansion chamber to be constructed of the same material(s) as the rest of the package, thus reducing manufacturing cost.
In the arrangement described above, the expansion chamber 114 does not flood with gas or contents, and a corresponding immediate drop of pressure in the interior compartment 106 does not occur. Instead, the web 128 expands into the expansion chamber 114 in proportion to the rise in pressure within the interior compartment 106 and a relatively constant pressure can be maintained within a set range of expansion volume. This arrangement is particularly beneficial, for example, when the contents of the package is under pressure or has gas mixed with a liquid. In one example, a carbonated beverage could be maintained under pressure, and when some of the carbon dioxide in the liquid gasses off, the gas pressure expands the web, thereby increasing the relative pressure inside of the interior compartment, but the expansion allows regulation of that pressure so that the package does not rupture. The increased pressure coupled with the resilient nature of the web trying to return to its memorized or equilibrium state will promote the liquid reabsorbing the carbon dioxide that was previously gassed off. As a result, the freshness of the package contents is maintained.
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It is also contemplated that a pressure sensitive closure separating the expansion chamber(s) can be omitted with the use of resilient expansion chambers or elastic webs. In such configurations, the resilient property of the expansion chamber or web functions as the pressure regulation means.
Each package panel can be formed from an individual web or, alternatively, each of the panels can be portions of a larger single web, wherein the large web is folded, cut or shaped to define the individual and distinct panel portions and, ultimately, the shape and size of the package 100. Further, in one embodiment, the top and bottom panel portions can be formed by the selective joining of the respective end portions of the front and back panels to provide necessary material for folding and formation. Regardless of the formation techniques, or the use of separate web panels, a designated and distinguishable panel portion is defined for each panel. Further, one or more of the panel portions can be gusseted.
The package 100 and its portions can be formed to provide a stand-up pouch, pre-made pouch, bag-top, one formed and filled on a “form-fill-seal” (e.g., vertical, horizontal, etc.) machine, thermoforming machine, and other known package designs and configurations. Other known package designs and packaging techniques and features can be adapted to incorporate or form the configuration of the present invention as well. The fitment or access device 112 can be provided to the package 100 during the machining or formation process, or pre-applied to a section of material or web prior to package formation.
Embodiments employing seals can utilize heat seals, adhesive bonding, and various other known sealing techniques.
Various figures and descriptions disclose features and accessories. However, it must be noted that these features are merely illustrative in nature and may be placed in varying locations and under varying configurations, and still be consistent with the present invention. Various regions of the package can include a handle portion, access devices (e.g., re-closeable zipper devices), and the like. In addition, the shape and configuration for the panel portions are also merely illustrative and can be altered without deviating from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Any of the panel portions, or selected regions thereof, can include various aesthetic and functional graphics, such as logos, instructions, advertising, bar codes, and the like. These graphics can run transverse, parallel, or even in a diagonal orientation to the longitudinal panel edges discussed herein.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is, therefore, desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Similarly, the above-described methods and techniques for forming the present invention are illustrative processes and are not intended to limit the methods of manufacturing/forming the present invention to those specifically defined herein. A myriad of various unspecified steps and procedures can be performed to create or form the inventive package 100. In addition, features or aspects of various example embodiments may be mixed and matched (even if such combination is not explicitly described herein) without departing from the scope of the invention.
This application claims priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/243772, filed on Sep. 18, 2009, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/311110, filed on Mar. 5, 2010, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61243772 | Sep 2009 | US | |
| 61311110 | Mar 2010 | US |
