CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
NONE
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Research and development of this invention and Application have not been federally sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program.
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX NOT APPLICABLE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to disposable pouches containing flowable candy or confectionery product contents, in general, and to such disposable pouches of enhanced appeal to a prospective purchaser.
2. Description of the Related Art
Disposable, flexible, plastic pouches containing flowable candy or confectionery product contents are regularly sold in retail stores. Typically, the candy or confection is accessed by tearing off a top corner of the pouch, through which the product content is sipped or sucked out. Alternatively, a nozzle may be built into the top, which when uncapped allows the candy/confection, to flow into one's mouth. An arrangement would be welcomed by the consumer which would allow multiple product contents to be sipped or sucked out of the pouch simultaneously at the same time, either entirely or to whatever amount is desired.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a new and improved disposable, flexible plastic pouch for use in the liquid and flowable candy industries, for example, where multiple product contents can be sipped or sucked out, mixed together in whatever amount desired by the consumer.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a disposable, flexible plastic pouch which would allow individual product contents to react with one another at the time of mixing that would otherwise cause one to break down the other over time if they were in contact with one another sitting on a retail store shelf or hanging from a shopkeeper's display awaiting purchase.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention, first, is of a double sided or two-chamber sealed pouch in a preferred embodiment, with each chamber being provided with its own liquid or flowable candy or confectionery—either of the same or different composition. Second, the pouch is provided with a single finger ring for the grasping of the pouch, and a slider to be used by the consumer's other hand to move the product contents from the chambers, out through their top openings. As will be described, the body of each pouch is fabricated of panels of flexible multi-layered laminated film that are heat-sealed together. In the preferred two-chamber pouch: three panels of 3 layers each are employed. The top and bottom layer of each panel is composed of polyethylene; the middle layer of the top and bottom panels is of nylon, and the middle layer of the inner panel is of an aluminum foil. As will also be described, access to sip or suck the mixed product contents simultaneously from the two chambers is had by tearing off the end of the sealed pouch remote from the finger ring.
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a nozzle might be employed at such remote end instead, to allow the candy/confection to flow into the user's mouth when uncapped. Likewise, the candy or confectionery product content may be replaced by other flowable contents—as with different medications, for example, required to be kept separate because of possible interaction until mixed together at the time of taking. (In this respect, and as an illustration, a gelatin type content might need to be separated from others of high acid propensity which might break down the gelatin if mixed together over time, but which are desired to be mixed at the time of ingestion to arrive at a taste that one might want to obtain.) As will also be appreciated, the teachings of the invention would be applicable where pouches of three or more chambers are desired for the joint mixing of their individual product contents, as long as panels of flexible multi-layered laminated films are employed that are all heat-sealed together, with top and bottom layers of polyethylene separated by nylon, aluminum foil, or even paper to serve as a moisture barrier layer.
In any arrangement of the invention, grasping the finger ring in one hand then, and moving the slider towards the tear-away top or nozzle allows a dispensing of all or any desired amount of mixed product content out and into a consumer's mouth or onto any product as a spread. A small fine opening at the bottom of the slider allows the chambers to be squeezed to the limit to facilitate the dispensing. Such squeezing and slider movement enables substantially all of the mixed contents of the chambers to be removed, or a lesser amount, whichever is desired.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other features of the invention will be more clearly understood from a consideration of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is an illustration helpful in understanding the arrangement of layered lamination panels in fabricating the double sided or two-chamber sealed pouch of the invention;
FIGS. 2
a and 2b are views of opposite sides of a filled pouch according to the invention;
FIGS. 3
a-3d are views helpful in an understanding of the finger ring of the invention, with FIGS. 3e-3g being views helpful in understanding the assembly of the finger ring with respect to the panels employed;
FIGS. 4
a-4e are illustrations helpful in an understanding of the slider of the invention, with FIG. 4f helpful in understanding the attachment of the slider with the pouch;
FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the various parts of the slide dispensing sealed double sided or two-chamber pouch of the invention; and
FIGS. 6
a-6c are assembly views helpful in understanding how the sealed pouch is configured.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 illustrates the double sided pouch as having three panels 10, 12 and 14 of three layers each—the panels being heat sealed together to form two chambers. In a preferred embodiment, this allows two different products or two different flavors/colors of the same product to be filled in the same two-chamber pouch. Each panel is comprised of a top layer, a middle layer, and a bottom layer. For the panel 10, these are illustrated by the reference numerals 16, 18 and 20; by the reference numerals 22, 24 and 26 for the panel 12; and by reference numerals 28, 30 and 32 for the panel 14. The top and bottom layers of each panel are fabricated of the same plastic material so as to be heat sealable together along their edge surfaces—for example, of polyethylene. The middle layers 18 and 30 of the panels 10 and 14 are of a nylon composition, while the middle layer 24 of the panel 12 is of an aluminum foil. Reference numeral 34 in each layer identifies a die cut hole or opening, to be employed in assembling the finger ring of the invention, while reference numeral 36 in each layer identifies tear points that allow a user to open the panels and both chambers simultaneously along a tear line 37 in mixing their respective product contents as the contents are sipped or sucked from the pouch.
In FIGS. 2a and 2b, the opposite sides of the filled pouch formed from the panels 10, 12 and 14 are illustrated. The die cut hole 34 is shown, along with the oppositely positioned tear points 36. As will be understood, the individual product contents of each chamber are sipped or sucked in the direction shown by the arrow after the removal of the torn off closure 38. The different shadings at 42 in FIG. 2a and at 44 in FIG. 2b indicate different product contents enclosed in each chamber, for example. As will be understood, the product content for each chamber is first introduced into the chambers at 46, 48, before heat sealing together the edge surfaces of the layers 16, 20, 22, 26, 28 and 32.
FIG. 3
a represents a perspective view of the finger ring 50 of the pouch, with FIGS. 3b, 3c and 3d illustrating side, sectional and top views of the ring 50, respectively. The finger ring 50 is preferably of a low density polyethylene so as to be semi-rigid, in having an inner ring 52 and an outer ring 54. The outer ring 54 is centered, thin and flat making it easy to seal into the pouch as the ring 50 passes through the panels 10, 12 and 14 as illustrated in FIG. 3e. The consuming purchaser or other user places the index finger of one hand inside the ring 50, and places the thumb and index finger of the other hand under the slider 58 illustrated in the various views of FIGS. 4 and 6.
FIGS. 3
f and 3g are side views helpful in an understanding of the positioning of the finger ring 50 with respect to the panels 10, 12 and 14. In particular, FIG. 3f illustrates the side view of the finger ring and panels prior to the panels being sealed together, while FIG. 3g shows the side view and its magnified view once the panels and finger ring are sealed. As FIG. 3f illustrates, the top portion of the finger ring 50 passes through the die cut hole of panel 10, while the bottom portion of the finger ring passes through the die cut holes 34 of both panels 12 and 14. The assembly employed follows the placement of the top portion 51 of the inner ring 52 through the underside of the die cut hole 34 of panel 10, the insertion of the bottom portion 53 of the inner ring 52 through the top side of the die cut holes of panels 12 and 14, and the sealing together of the panels with the inner and outer rings 52, 54 in forming a solid seal. As FIG. 3g illustrates, the outer ring 54 is permanently sealed between the panels 10 and 12, while the inner ring passes through all three panels.
FIG. 4
a is a 3D view of the slider 58, with FIGS. 4b, 4c, 4d and 4e respectively being a side view, a top view, a perspective view and a sectional view. As with the finger ring 52, the slider 58 is fabricated of a low density polyethylene so as to be semi-rigid—and able, because of its compositional non-stick surface, to glide up along the twin-chambered pouch in squeezing out their respective contents simultaneously in the arrow direction of FIG. 2a. Shown in FIGS. 6a and 6b in its initial or bottom position 100, the slider 58 cannot be removed from the pouch at that position as it is blocked there by the top portion 51 of finger ring 52 extending above panel 10 and by the bottom portion 53 extending below panel 14 (FIGS. 3f and 3g). In particular, and as will be understood, the slider 58 can be removed only from the opposite or top end of the pouch 102, once the product content from each chamber is sipped or sucked out.
With respect to the specific slider construction, FIG. 4c illustrates the top opening of the slider 60 as narrowing from top to bottom in allowing it to move the product contents easily through the individual chambers and out the top end 102. The perspective view of FIG. 4d illustrates the slider's small fine opening 62 at its bottom to allow the chambers to be squeezed to the limit in facilitating substantially all of their contents to be removed. The top inner flange 64 of the slider 58 allows for easy gripping and leverage, with reference numeral 66 identifying contour finger grips usable as an alternative in moving the slider 58 upwards along the pouch. Such finger grips 66 can be used together with the inner flange 64 to enable the consuming purchaser or other user to have a solid grip in moving the slider towards the ends of the chambers, or only partway, where desired. Reference numeral 68 identifies a cut out area of the slider allowing it to sit on the top curvature of the finger ring 50. Such positioning of the finger ring 50 and the slider 58 establishes the initial configuration of the pouch as it is being transported and on a storekeeper's shelves. FIG. 4f illustrates the slider 58 being attached from the top, or pouch end 102 prior to the filling of the pouch with the product but after the assembly of the finger ring 50—the slider 58 then being moved all the way down from right to left to lock with the finger ring.
FIG. 5 illustrates the exploded views of the ring, the slider, and the two-chamber pouch, with FIG. 6c illustrating a sectional view of the assembled pouch to simultaneously dispense the product contents from its two chambers.
While there has been described what is considered to be a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the teachings herein. For example, the orientation of the inner ring 50 as depicted in FIGS. 3e and 3f can be reversed so that the top portion of the ring passes through the die cut hole of panel 14 while the bottom portion of the ring passes through the die cut holes 34 of both panels 12 and 10—in which event the outer ring 54 is permanently sealed between the panels 12 and 14, the assembly of the invention being otherwise unchanged. For at least such reason, therefore, resort should be had to the claims appended hereto for a true understanding of the scope of the invention.
Patent Application
20110170804
