U.S. patent application number 12/064007 was filed with the patent office on 2008-09-25 for tubular bag and method for filling it.
This patent application is currently assigned to Huhtamaki Ronsberg, Zweigniederlassung der Huhtama ki Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG. Invention is credited to Andreas Michalsky.
Application Number | 20080232721 12/064007 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36930178 |
Filed Date | 2008-09-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080232721 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Michalsky; Andreas |
September 25, 2008 |
Tubular Bag and Method For Filling It
Abstract
Tubular pouch (10) having a spout (13) sealed-in in the region
of a top sealing seam (12) and having a stand-up base (11). The top
sealing seam (12) is unsealed at at least one location (14, 15)
between the spout (13) and the outer edge (partial sealing), so
that, when the pouch (10) is being filled, air can escape from the
pouch (10) to the outside (arrow 16) through that unsealed location
(14, 15).
Inventors: |
Michalsky; Andreas;
(Memmingerberg, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
KNOBBE MARTENS OLSON & BEAR LLP
2040 MAIN STREET, FOURTEENTH FLOOR
IRVINE
CA
92614
US
|
Assignee: |
Huhtamaki Ronsberg,
Zweigniederlassung der Huhtama ki Deutschland GmbH & Co.
KG
|
Family ID: |
36930178 |
Appl. No.: |
12/064007 |
Filed: |
June 28, 2006 |
PCT Filed: |
June 28, 2006 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2006/006274 |
371 Date: |
June 11, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
383/41 ;
53/473 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65B 51/146 20130101;
B65D 75/008 20130101; B65D 75/5883 20130101; B65D 2205/00 20130101;
B65D 2575/583 20130101; B65B 3/18 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
383/41 ;
53/473 |
International
Class: |
B65D 30/10 20060101
B65D030/10; B65D 75/00 20060101 B65D075/00; B65D 75/58 20060101
B65D075/58; B65D 33/00 20060101 B65D033/00; B65B 1/18 20060101
B65B001/18; B65B 3/18 20060101 B65B003/18; B65B 7/02 20060101
B65B007/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 23, 2005 |
DE |
10 2005 039 853.7 |
Claims
1. A stand-up or other tubular pouch, said pouch having an outer
edge, a top sealing seam and a pourer or spout sealed-in in the
region of said top sealing seam, wherein at least one unsealed
location is provided in said top sealing seam between said spout
and said outer edge to allow air to escape from said pouch to the
outside through said at least one unsealed location when said pouch
is being filled.
2. A tubular pouch according to claim 1, further including a
stand-up or other base.
3. A tubular pouch according to claim 1, wherein said top sealing
seam has at least one unsealed location on each side of said
spout.
4. A method of filling a tubular pouch according to claim 1,
comprising the steps of filling said pouch with liquid, paste-form
or pourable pouch contents through said spout or an opening formed
therein, and allowing air in the interior of the pouch to escape to
the outside through said at least one unsealed location in said top
sealing seam during filling, and, after said pouch has been filled,
sealing said at least one unsealed location of the top sealing seam
to provide fluid-tight closure.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a tubular pouch, especially
a stand-up pouch, having a pourer or spout sealed-in in the region
of a top sealing seam and optionally having a base, especially a
stand-up base, and to a method of filling such a tubular pouch.
[0002] Tubular pouches of this kind are generally known, for
example from DE 202 12 251 U1, which originates from the applicant.
They are used for holding liquid, paste-form, powdered or other
pourable products. Filling such tubular pouches through the spout
or an opening formed therein is problematic, because the air in the
interior of the pouch also has to escape through that opening. This
can have the result that, along with the air flowing out of the
pouch to the outside, introduced pouch contents are also carried to
the outside. The result is undesirable contamination of the filling
plants and also variations in filling weight. Furthermore, the
filling speed suffers quite considerably therefrom, since the
above-mentioned problems can essentially only be solved by carrying
out the filling operation relatively slowly, it being necessary
additionally to provide at least one air-outlet opening in the
filling head with the result that the filling cross-section becomes
correspondingly smaller.
[0003] The present invention is therefore based on the problem of
providing a tubular pouch and a method of filling same, with which
all the above-mentioned problems can be avoided. In particular, it
should be possible to effect clean and rapid filling of tubular
pouches of the kind under consideration herein.
[0004] That problem is solved in respect of a tubular pouch by the
characterizing features of claim 1 and in respect of the method by
the characterizing features of claim 3, with claim 2 relating to a
preferred tubular pouch construction.
[0005] A key aspect of the present invention is therefore that the
top sealing seam is initially subjected to "partial sealing" such
that at at least one location between the spout and the outer edge
of the top sealing seam there is arranged an unsealed location, so
that, when the pouch is being filled, air can escape from the pouch
to the outside through that unsealed location. It is therefore no
longer necessary for the air in the interior of the pouch, when the
pouch is being filled, to escape to the outside through the spout
or through the filling opening, with all the afore-mentioned
disadvantages.
[0006] Preferably, the top seam has at least one unsealed location
on each side of the spout, so that a large amount of air from the
interior of the pouch can escape to the outside in an extremely
short time, with the result that the filling speed is increased
accordingly.
[0007] After the pouch has been filled with liquid, paste-form or
pourable contents through the spout, the at least one unsealed
location of the top sealing seam is sealed and thus fluid-tightly
closed, this being referred to as so-called "residual sealing".
[0008] An exemplary embodiment of a tubular pouch according to the
invention and the method of filling same is described in greater
detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0009] FIG. 1 shows a tubular pouch only partially sealed in the
region of the top sealing seam, with a diagrammatic representation
of its being filled; and
[0010] FIG. 2 shows the tubular pouch after filling and residual
sealing.
[0011] The tubular pouch 10 shown in FIG. 1 is in the form of a
stand-up pouch having a stand-up base 11 and a pourer or spout 13
sealed-in in the region of a top sealing seam 12. The top sealing
seam 12 is only partially sealed on both sides of the spout 13,
that is to say it has an unsealed location 14, 15 on each side, so
that, when the pouch 10 is being filled, air can escape from the
pouch 10 to the outside through those unsealed locations 14, 15.
That flow of air is indicated by reference numeral 16 in FIG. 1.
Furthermore, filling the tubular pouch 10 is indicated by the arrow
17 in FIG. 1.
[0012] After the tubular pouch 10 has been filled in the way
described with reference to FIG. 1, the so-called residual sealing
is carried out, by means of which the unsealed locations 14, 15 of
the top sealing seam 12 are sealed and thus fluid-tightly closed.
That residual sealing is indicated in FIG. 2 by reference numeral
18.
[0013] In addition to what has been said above it should also be
mentioned that both the partial sealing and the residual sealing
are preferably carried out as ultrasound sealing. The appropriate
technical means for that operation are generally available, so that
for that reason too the method according to the invention is
advantageously suitable for use and, moreover, also on conventional
filling plants.
[0014] The size, i.e. the length, of the unsealed locations 14, 15
and the associated openings in the container for the escape of air
from the interior of the container during filling of the container
depends, of course, upon the nature of the product, especially the
viscosity thereof, with which the pouch 10 is to be filled.
[0015] Finally, it should be pointed out in connection with the
prior art that it has already been proposed to evacuate the
interior of a container to be filled. However, that technique is
not suitable for use, or is at least not advantageous, in the case
of tubular pouches of the kind under consideration herein. For that
reason too, the described invention is advantageous in comparison
with the prior art.
[0016] All the features disclosed in the application documents are
claimed as being important to the invention insofar as they are
novel over the prior art either alone or in combination.
REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0017] 10 tubular pouch
[0018] 11 stand-up base
[0019] 12 top sealing seam
[0020] 13 spout
[0021] 14 unsealed location of the top sealing seam
[0022] 15 unsealed location of the top sealing seam
[0023] 16 flow of air
[0024] 17 filling flow
[0025] 18 residual sealing
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