STAND-UP FLEXIBLE CONTAINER WITH TOP AND BOTTOM HANDLES

Abstract

A stand-up pouch having a bottom flap with a segment of unsealed flaps which prevent full expansion of the gusseted bottom panel so as to bear the weight of the pouch when placed upon a surface.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates flexible containers for dispensing a flowable material therefrom. More particularly, the present invention relates to flattenable containers constructed from flexible material with features allowing the container to be placed in an upright, standing position when full, and flattened when empty. The container further includes grip sections at both the top and bottom which allows a user to easily dispense a flowable material from within the container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Flattenable, flexible containers are popular in packaging materials due to being economical in their mass production while still attaining the advantages of having superior structural integrity. When a flexible container is dropped, the tensile strength of the flexible material resists breakage and all material remains within. Moreover, the flexible material may be of the type that is impermeable to oxygen so as to maintain freshness and reduce spoilage of any materials sealed within the container.

One disadvantage of such flattenable, flexible containers is that as they are emptied, they can become difficult to handle, particularly if they are so flexible that they tend to collapse upon themselves as they are emptied.

Various attempts to solve the above disadvantage have been made in the past, such as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 8,348,509 to Wilkes et. al. (“Wilkes”). Wilkes discloses a flexible stand-up container which includes a pouch made from a panel structure having gusseted side panels, a top opening comprising a rigid fitment, a top handle made from the panels as they are pressed together, and a lower hand grip formed by a U-shaped slit cut into a flap made from the pressed panels. Although the disclosed container may make distribution of its contents easier, its complex configuration involves its own unique set of disadvantages.

For example, the Wilkes panel structure configuration requires at least four sheets/rolls of flexible material. This causes production of the disclosed container to be less economical and more complex than containers having less individual panels due to material requirements and the number of steps in the manufacturing process. The individual gusseted side panels also allow for more bending and folding of the container panels as the container is emptied. This can be a disadvantage when dispensing the material contents from the container due to the contents potentially getting stuck in the folds of collapsing panels. The disclosed panel structure configuration also requires seams at the peripheries of each of the adjoining four panels which can negatively affect the container's overall structural integrity. It is therefore an object of the present invention to address the above disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the above drawbacks of prior art stand-up flexible containers by providing a stand-up flexible, flattenable container configuration made from plastic sheeting that utilizes a minimum number of individual panels. In an embodiment, a flattenable pouch is constructed from two panels of plastic sheeting secured by a seam along each side periphery, and a bottom gusset which may be secured by a seam of any desired configuration including straight seam, K seam or doyen seam, for example. Two bottom flaps extend from this bottom seam and overlap the bottom gusset. The flaps are sealed at their distal ends to form a grip section with the option of a handle opening which may be formed as a cut-out. On the opposite top end of the pouch, a top opening may be sealed with a component (e.g., a spout or nozzle) installed therewith or the opening may be secured to a zipper or other closure element. A pair of connected, spaced legs may extend from the top opening and sealed together to allow for a handle opening to be cut or otherwise formed therein.

The stand-up flexible, flattenable container configuration disclosed herein may be manufactured from one, two, or three panel sections of flexible material which may be cut or otherwise formed from plastic sheets which may be supplied in rolls for the manufacturing process, for example. Briefly described, in an embodiment having three panels, a first panel forms the bottom gusset, a second panel forms the front panel and corresponding flaps, and a third panel forms the rear panel and corresponding flaps. The three panels are then pressed together by a plated heat sealer. In an embodiment utilizing two panels, a first panel from a first roll forms both the front and rear panels by folding the first panel into two halves at a crease. A slit is then cut along the crease to form the front and rear panels. A second panel from a second roll is folded in half and inserted and positioned front and rear panels to create the bottom gusset and overlapping flaps from which the bottom handle is formed. The front, rear and bottom panels are then pressed together by a plated heat sealer. When one panel is used, the panel from a single roll is folded multiple times to form four distinct sections by three creases. The multi-folded panel is then pressed by a plate heat sealer at the proper locations and then trimmed to form the flexible container.

Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and will in part become apparent to those in the practice of the invention, when considered with the attached figures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith, wherein like reference numerals are employed to indicate like parts in the various views, and wherein:

FIG. 1A is a front, plan view of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a side elevational view, partly in cross-section, of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in the unassembled condition;

FIG. 1C is a side elevation view of the bottom panel seen in FIGS. 1A,B;

FIG. 2 is a side, perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a close-up, perspective view of an end of the embodiment of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a schematic, plan view of a method for manufacturing an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of a step of the manufacturing method utilizing three plastic sheet rolls;

FIG. 6B is a perspective view of a second step of the manufacturing method utilizing three plastic sheet rolls;

FIG. 6C is a perspective view of a third step of the manufacturing method utilizing three plastic sheet rolls;

FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a step of the manufacturing method utilizing two plastic sheet rolls;

FIG. 7B is a perspective view of a second step of the manufacturing method utilizing two plastic sheet rolls;

FIG. 7C is a perspective view of a third step of the manufacturing method utilizing two plastic sheet rolls;

FIG. 7D is a perspective view of a fourth step of the manufacturing method utilizing two plastic sheet rolls;

FIG. 8A is a perspective view of a step of the manufacturing method utilizing one plastic sheet roll;

FIG. 8B is a perspective view of a second step of the manufacturing method utilizing one plastic sheet/roll; and

FIG. 8C is a simplified side view of the embodiment of FIG. 8B in the partially expanded condition.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate currently preferred embodiments of the invention, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, there is seen in FIGS. 1A-C, 2 and 3 a flexible container embodiment referred to herein as the “container” and indicated generally by the reference numeral 10. This embodiment has a panel structure incorporating a front panel 16, rear panel 18, and a gusseted bottom panel 20 defining a flattenable pouch 12. Pouch 12 has a pouch opening 14 wherethrough contents may be inserted and removed from the interior of pouch 12.

One or more of the panels 16, 18 and gusseted bottom panel 20 are made (e.g., cut) from continuous webs or sheets (also referred to herein as “film” or “sheeting”) of generally thin, flexible material which allows the pouch to collapse upon itself into a partially or completely flattened condition when empty. The panels 16, 18 and gusseted bottom panel 20 each have an inner surface 16′, 18′ and 20′, respectively, which make contact with any contents within pouch 12, and an opposite outer surface 16″, 18″ and 20″, respectively, which are exposed to the surrounding environment. Portions or all of panels 16, 18 and gusseted bottom panel 20 may be transparent so contents within pouch 12 may be seen from outside container 10. Moreover, labels may be applied to and/or illustrations and/or text may be imprinted directly on one or more of the inner and/or outer surfaces 16″, 18″ and 20″.

One example of a flexible material that may be used to manufacture the panels is plastic which may be extruded or otherwise formed into a film which can be heat sealed together during manufacturing of container 10. Although heat sealing is the preferred method of affixing the panels together, other methods such as stitching or gluing may be used as desired. Some examples of suitable materials from which the panels may be formed include, but are not limited to, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl chloride, saran, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, rubber hydrochloride, cellophane, paper, and aluminum foil. Depending on the nature of the intended contents, panel materials having certain characteristics may be selected (e.g., air tight and/or biocompatible materials).

In a preferred embodiment, a heat sensitive adhesive layer is applied to at least one surface of the plastic sheeting to allow for the heat sealing of one panel to another (or a single panel to itself after folding) as will be described in more detail below. The application of the adhesive layer to the plastic sheeting (e.g., by lamination, extrusion or rolling) is typically done prior to forming the plastic sheeting into a roll but may be performed at any point in the manufacturing process prior to the heat sealing operation, as desired. The interior adhesive layer can be any suitable thermoplastic material having a melting point lower than the plastic sheeting material. Examples of suitable adhesive layers include, but are not limited to, a polyamide, such as nylon; a polyester, such a polylactic acid; a polyolefin, such as polyethylene, polypropylene and the like; or a polyurethane-based material, and select copolymers including one or more of the above. Additionally, adhesive layers having different melting points may also be used on different parts of the panels to allow for separate sealing operations during manufacturing of certain embodiments of the invention as will be explained further below.

Front panel 16 and rear panel 18 are disposed with their respective interior surfaces 16′, 18′ in facing relation to each other and are preferably substantially the same or similar in their geometry (e.g., size, shape, thickness, etc.). Panels 16, 18 are sealed together along their opposite side edges with side edges 16a and 18a sealed together and side edges 16b and 18b sealed together to form non-gusseted side seams 22, 24, respectively.

Gusseted bottom panel 20 is secured to panels 16, 18 by means of a bottom seam 26 that extends between side seams 22, 24. Gusseted bottom panel 20 may fold upon itself and extend into the center cavity of pouch 12 when empty. When pouch 12 is filled, the panel 20 expands with the fold bowing outwardly under the pressure of the filling contents such that the unfolded, expanded gusseted bottom panel 20 forms a base allowing container 10 to be placed on a horizontal surface in a stable, upright orientation.

In a preferred embodiment, a section of unsealed flap sections may form a bottom wall panel when fully expanded and also restrict gusseted bottom panel 20 from fully expanding so that bottom panel 20 does not bear the entire weight of the content of pouch 12 as is explained more fully below.

It should be appreciated that additional panels of flexible material (not shown) may be used in the manufacture of container 10 to create a multi-walled pouch 12 (otherwise known as “bag-in-bag”, “double-wall bag”, or “triple-wall bag”).

Each of the seams 22, 24, and 26 may be welded through heat and pressure, for example, with a heat sealer plate of a seaming iron or a hot roller (not shown). Two or more stand seals 28 may be incorporated into the side peripheries of the excess material of panels 16, 18 below bottom seam 26. Stand seals 28 adjoin the excess front and rear panels so as to add further stability to container 10 when placed in the standing position described above. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A-C and 2, bottom seam 26 is configured as what is known in the art as a “K” seam although other seam configurations may be formed as desired (e.g., curved seams which provide a different aesthetic and also avoid the formation of sharp interior corners which could potentially trap material within pouch 12).

As seen best in the unassembled side view of FIG. 1B, at least one but preferably both the front and rear panels 16, 18 extend beyond and below the position of bottom seam 26 to define respective flap sections 30 and 32. Flap sections 30, 32 are adjoined along a seam 13 adjacent their respective free ends 30′, 32′ to form a seam grip section 13. A seal 15 is formed so that the flap sections 30, 32 extending between seal 26 and seal 15 define an unsealed section 29 having a length L₂ (FIGS. 1A and 1B). Grip section 13 may be defined by a single seam 31 spanning at least part of but preferably the entire length of both flap sections 30, 32 (e.g., welded via a heat sealer plate) and which is sufficiently wide to ensure flap sections 30, 32 remain joined. It should be appreciated, however, that grip section 13 may also be defined by multiple parallel or non-parallel seams spanning part of or the full width of flap sections 30, 32 and the seam(s) 31 may be located on either or both sides of handle 34 (described below).

An opening forming a bottom handle 34 may be cut or otherwise formed out of grip section 13 to allow a user to pass the fingers of one hand through bottom handle 34 while using their other hand to grasp the top handle (described below) so as to more easily tip container 10 to dispense the contents through top opening 14. Bottom handle 34 may be cut via any desired cutting device such as, for example, a hydraulic die cutter. When container 10 is positioned in its upright, standing condition, flap sections 30, 32 will lie flat and against the gusseted bottom panel 20 although portions of there may extend beyond panel 20 depending on the length of flap sections 30, 32.

In a preferred embodiment, the length “L₁” of folded gusseted bottom panel 20 is greater than or equal to the length “L₂” of the unsealed section 29 of each flap section 30, 32 so that when the container is fully expanded, the flap section 30, 32 extend to a coplanar relationship to form a single wall for resting container 10 on a surface directly beneath the gusseted bottom panel 20. With L₂ being less than L₁, gusseted bottom panel 20 will be prevented from opening to its fully expanded condition thereby causing flap sections 30, 32 extending from either side of seam line 15 to bear the weight of the container 10 rather than the gusseted bottom panel 20. A rupture of seam line 15 is not as critical as would be a rupture of seam line 26 since a rupture of seam line 26 would result in leakage of the pouch contents whereas a rupture of seam line 15 would not result in leakage of the contents nor would it prevent normal usage of container 10 as described herein.

Flap sections 30, 32 may be trimmed into any desired outline such as along dotted lines DL₁ and DL₂ seen in FIG. 1A.

At the opposite end of container 10, either one of but preferably both front and rear panels 16, 18 extend beyond and above seals 40a and 40b which affix panels 16 and 18 together at these seal locations and between which remains unsealed to define open top 14 (FIG. 1A). The sections of panels 16 and 18 extending above seals 40a, 40b form respective flap sections 33, 35 (FIG. 1B). Flap sections 33, 35 are adjoined by a seam 41 adjacent free ends 33′, 35′ thereof, respectively, to form a grip section 39 (e.g., welded via a heat sealer plate). An opening forming a top handle 42 may be cut out of grip section 39. A user may grasp top handle 42 when carrying container 10 in an upright orientation and also when dispensing contents therefrom, in which case the user may also grasp bottom handle 34 with their other hand to facilitate tipping container 10 as explained above.

As shown in FIGS. 2-4 a rigid fitment 44 having an opening 46 may optionally be sealed to top opening 14 to facilitate the loading and dispensing of material into and out of pouch 12 of container 10. The external surface of opening 46 may include mating threads to allow a cap 48 to be removably secured to fitment 44 and seal pouch 12 although other closure and dispensing mechanisms may be sealed to top opening 14 (e.g., heat seal closure, slider, hook and loop mechanism, or zip-type, etc.).

As shown in FIGS. 5 through 6C, reference numeral 100 generally designates an embodiment of a method of manufacturing container 10 using three rolls/sheets of plastic sheeting. To initiate method 100, three rolls/sheets of plastic sheeting 104, 106, and 108 are unwound from respective spindles and sent in a first flow direction 102 although it is understood the various spindle locations and angular relation to one another may vary as required. After traveling a certain distance, first plastic sheeting 104 (which will form the bottom panel 20) enters a “folding” area that contains a V-shaped board 110 that folds the first plastic sheeting 104/20 along longitudinal axis L to form a folded edge 20′ (FIG. 6A). After being folded, the folded first plastic sheet section 104 meets with second and third plastic sheeting 106, 108 (which will form front and rear panels 16 and 18, respectively), which are aligned in parallel, spaced relation and originate from the other two plastic sheeting rolls 106, 108, respectively. The folded first plastic sheeting 104/20 is then positioned between the aligned second and third plastic sheeting 106/16, 108/18. As discussed above, this alignment should be such that the length L₂ of the unsealed section of flaps 30, 32 is less than the length L₁ of the folded bottom panel 20 formed from first plastic sheeting 104 (as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B). Each roll of plastic sheeting 104, 106, and 108 may be continuously unwound either by a driving roll or by pulling from an auxiliary drive (not shown).

Once the folded first plastic sheet section 104/20 is properly situated, a configuration of ring rollers 114 presses the three web sections 104/20, 106/16, 108/18 together. The pressed web sections 104/20, 106/16, 108/18 then move to a heat sealer plate section 118 (i.e., via a seaming iron). Heat sealer 118 is designed to seal the folded first plastic sheet section 104/20 to both the second and third plastic sheet sections 106/16, 108/18 and form the bottom seam 26, which creates gusseted bottom panel 20. Sealing the plastic sheet sections in this manner also creates the bottom flap sections 30, 32. Heat sealer 118 may also create one or more stand seals 28 (FIG. 1) by sealing the second and third plastic sheet sections 106/16 and 108/18 at one or more a points along side seams 27 (FIG. 1A). Notches (not shown) may be cut from folded panel 12 at the location of stand seals 26 to allow panel inner surface 16′ to directly adhere to second panel inner surface 18′.

Heat sealer 118 also seals side peripheries of both the second and third plastic sheet sections 106/16, 108/18 to form non-gusseted side seams 22, 24 and complete pouch 12. Heat sealer 118 further seals the first side of the aligned second and third plastic sheet sections to form grip section 32. Heat sealer 118 may further seal rigid fitment 44 between seals 40a and 40b. It should be appreciated that heat sealer 118 may seal each of these seams sequentially (not necessarily in the order discussed above) or simultaneously and it may be one uniform device (e.g., heat plate) or a configuration of multiple devices. It should further be appreciated that one or more additional rolls of plastic sheet of flexible material (not shown) may be incorporated into the manufacturing method to produce a multi-walled pouch 12 (otherwise known as “bag-in-bag”, “double-wall bag”, or “triple-wall bag”) as mentioned above.

As shown by referencing FIG. 5 in view of FIGS. 7A through 7D, another embodiment of the manufacturing method may incorporate two rolls/sheets of plastic sheet 104, 106. In this embodiment, the second and third plastic sheet sections 106, 108 originate from single plastic sheet roll 106. At juncture J of the manufacturing process (FIG. 6), a cutting device would be used to slice plastic sheet roll 106 along crease 107. After being sliced, plastic sheet roll 106 transforms into the second and third plastic sheet sections 106/16, 108/18. Similar to the manufacturing method embodiment discussed above, first plastic sheet section 104/20 is folded by a folding machine and then pushed between these newly formed and aligned second and third plastic sheet sections 106/16, 108/18 (FIG. 8C). Heat sealer 118 then forms container 10 (FIG. 7D) by creating the proper seams and, if desired, seals in rigid fitment 44.

As shown by referencing FIG. 5 in view of FIGS. 8A-C, another embodiment of the manufacturing method may incorporate a single plastic sheet roll/sheet 104. In this embodiment, plastic sheet section 104 is folded multiple times by folding machine 110 into four distinct folds created by three creases 107, 109, and 111. When being folded, first and second creases 107, 111 are aligned as seen best in FIG. 8C. In the flattened condition seen in FIG. 8B, center fold 109 is positioned such that the distance between seal 26 and seal 13 is greater than the distance between fold 109 and seal 26. Once folded in this way, heat sealer 118 then forms container 10 (FIG. 9B) by creating the proper seams and, if desired, seals in rigid fitment 44.

It should be understood the steps of the method presented herein do not necessarily have to be in the order in which it is presented. It is also understood that when an element is referred to as being “on”, “connected to/with”, or “coupled to/with” another element, the element can be directly on, connected to/with or coupled to/with the other element or intervening elements may also be present.

While the invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements or components thereof to adapt to particular situations without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope and spirit of the following claims.

Claims

1. A pouch adapted to hold and dispense a quantity or liquid or granular material therefrom, said pouch comprising: a) a front panel having top, bottom and opposite side edges;b) a rear panel having top, bottom and opposite side edges, said opposite side edges of said rear panel attached to said opposite side edges of said front panel;c) a gusseted bottom panel attached to and between said front and rear panels and having a length L1 when in the folded condition;d) said front panel including a bottom flap extending from the location where said bottom panel attaches to said front and rear panels;e) said rear panel including a bottom flap extending from the location where said bottom panel attaches to said front and rear panels;f) a seal adjoining said front panel bottom flap to said rear panel bottom flap, the portions of each of said bottom flaps located between said bottom panel and said seal being unattached, said unattached portion having a length L2 when in the folded condition, wherein L1 is greater than L2 such that said unattached portion prevents the bottom panel from fully expanding and bears the weight of the contents of the pouch.