U.S. patent application number 11/784813 was filed with the patent office on 2008-10-16 for easy-opening flexible container.
Invention is credited to Michael Patrick Hayden, Kilian John O'Neill, Mark Francis Olivier, Philip Andrew Sawin.
Application Number | 20080253697 11/784813 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39689166 |
Filed Date | 2008-10-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080253697 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
O'Neill; Kilian John ; et
al. |
October 16, 2008 |
Easy-opening flexible container
Abstract
A flexible container including a flexible pouch having a
dispensing aperture through which an interior space is accessible
from outside the flexible pouch, a flexible sealing member
releasably attached to the flexible pouch and covering the
dispensing aperture, and a rigid closure element surrounding the
dispensing aperture. The flexible sealing member has at least two
lifting tabs for lifting the flexible sealing member and thereby
exposing the dispensing aperture. The rigid closure element has a
base permanently attached to the flexible pouch and lid connected
to the base by a hinge. At least one of the lifting tabs is likely
to not be obstructed by the rigid closure element when the lid is
in an open condition, thereby remaining usable for lifting the
flexible sealing member to expose the dispensing aperture, even if
another lifting tab is obstructed by the rigid closure element.
Inventors: |
O'Neill; Kilian John;
(Falkenstein, DE) ; Olivier; Mark Francis; (Mason,
OH) ; Sawin; Philip Andrew; (Wyoming, OH) ;
Hayden; Michael Patrick; (Mason, OH) |
Correspondence
Address: |
THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY;Global Legal Department - IP
Sycamore Building - 4th Floor, 299 East Sixth Street
CINCINNATI
OH
45202
US
|
Family ID: |
39689166 |
Appl. No.: |
11/784813 |
Filed: |
April 10, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
222/92 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47K 2010/3266 20130101;
B65D 2575/586 20130101; B65D 75/5877 20130101; B65D 83/0805
20130101; B65D 75/5894 20130101; B65D 75/5838 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
383/42 |
International
Class: |
B65D 37/00 20060101
B65D037/00 |
Claims
1. A flexible container comprising: a flexible pouch formed of a
flexible sheet material and having walls defining and enclosing an
interior space, the flexible pouch comprising a dispensing aperture
formed in at least one of the walls, through which the interior
space is accessible from outside the flexible pouch; a flexible
sealing member releasably attached to the flexible pouch and
overlying and extending beyond the dispensing aperture so as to
cover the entirety of the dispensing aperture, the flexible sealing
member comprising at least two lifting tabs adapted to be used for
lifting the flexible sealing member to thereby expose the
dispensing aperture, the lifting tabs being either unattached to
the flexible pouch or attached to the flexible pouch relatively
more weakly than the remainder of the flexible sealing member; and
a rigid closure element comprising a base attached to the flexible
pouch and disposed so as to surround the dispensing aperture at a
distance from it, and a lid connected to the base by a hinge such
that the lid may be swung from an open condition, in which the
flexible sealing member and the dispensing aperture are accessible
from outside the flexible pouch, to a closed condition, in which
the lid is engaged with the base and obstructs access to the
flexible sealing member and the dispensing aperture from outside
the flexible pouch, wherein at least one of the lifting tabs is not
obstructed by the rigid closure element when the lid is in the open
condition, thereby remaining usable for lifting the flexible
sealing member to expose the dispensing aperture.
2. The flexible container of claim 1 wherein at least one of the
lifting tabs is free of attachment to the flexible pouch.
3. The flexible container of claim 1 wherein at least one of the
lifting tabs is attached to the flexible pouch by a first adhesive
having a lower peel force than a second adhesive by which the
remainder of the flexible sealing member is attached to the
flexible pouch.
4. The flexible container of claim 1 wherein at least one of the
lifting tabs is attached to the flexible pouch by a lighter
coverage of adhesive than the remainder of the flexible sealing
member.
5. The flexible container of claim 1 wherein the dispensing
aperture is defined by perforation but is not cut out and the
flexible sealing member is attached to the portion of the flexible
sheet material surrounded by the perforation, such that lifting the
flexible sealing member completes the formation of the dispensing
aperture by tearing the flexible sheet material at the
perforation.
6. The flexible container of claim 1 wherein the lifting tabs are
disposed at opposing portions of the flexible sealing member.
7. The flexible container of claim 1 wherein the lifting tabs are
disposed at adjacent portions of the flexible sealing member.
8. The flexible container of claim 1 wherein the flexible sealing
member has a substantially oval shape.
9. The flexible container of claim 1 wherein the flexible sealing
member has a substantially rectangular shape.
10. The flexible container of claim 1 wherein the rigid closure
element has a substantially oval shape.
11. The flexible container of claim 1 wherein the rigid closure
element has a substantially rectangular shape.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to a flexible container enclosing
articles to be dispensed through an aperture.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Many types of household and personal care articles, such as
dust cloths, wipes, wet wipes, facial cloths, and baby cloths may
be packaged inside flexible containers. In a typical flexible
container for packaging such goods, a flexible pouch is formed of a
flexible sheet material. Access into the interior of the pouch is
typically provided by way of a dispensing aperture in the sheet
material.
[0003] The dispensing aperture is typically closed by a flexible
sealing member to prevent contamination and/or drying of the
article(s) contained inside the pouch prior to use. The flexible
sealing member is typically adhered to the pouch by means of an
adhesive. At one end of the flexible sealing member, a lifting tab
is typically provided for use in lifting the flexible sealing
member in order to expose the dispensing aperture and thereby gain
access to the interior of the pouch.
[0004] Some flexible containers are outfitted with rigid closure
elements. A typical rigid closure element includes two elements
that interlock, such as a base that is adhered to the pouch and a
hinged lid. However, such a rigid closure element may fail to seal
tightly and thereby fail to prevent contamination of the article(s)
and/or moisture loss from article(s) such as wet wipes. One
solution has been to provide both a flexible sealing member to
close the dispensing aperture and a rigid closure element to cover
both the flexible sealing member and the dispensing aperture.
[0005] When only a flexible sealing member or only a rigid closure
element is present, the requirement for its placement during
manufacture is simply that the flexible sealing member or the rigid
closure element must close the dispensing aperture, thereby
preventing exposure of the enclosed article(s). In order to
facilitate meeting this requirement, the flexible sealing member or
the rigid closure element may be made substantially larger than the
dispensing aperture, such that minor misplacement does not result
in a failure to close the dispensing aperture.
[0006] However, when both a flexible sealing member and a rigid
closure element are present, their placements are interrelated. For
example, relative misplacement of the rigid closure element may
obstruct the lifting tab on the flexible sealing member and thereby
prevent the user from lifting the flexible sealing member for
access to the enclosed article(s). Since the rigid closure element
is typically strongly secured to the flexible pouch, the user is
then forced to open the flexible container in some other way, such
as cutting or tearing the flexible pouch. Of course, a flexible
pouch that has been cut or torn open typically cannot be resealed,
and the original purpose of enclosing the article(s) inside the
flexible container is thus defeated.
[0007] The relative misplacement of either the flexible sealing
member or the rigid closure element may also result in higher
manufacturing cost due to the scrapping of defective product and/or
the necessity to spend more on equipment, training, and inspection
in order to minimize the number of defective products reaching the
users. In addition, users who encounter defective products may lose
faith in the product.
[0008] Hence, it would be beneficial to provide a flexible
container having both a flexible sealing member and a rigid closure
element configured such that the problems described above would be
less likely to occur.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] A flexible container includes a flexible pouch having a
dispensing aperture through which an interior space is accessible
from outside the flexible pouch, a flexible sealing member
releasably attached to the flexible pouch and covering the
dispensing aperture, and a rigid closure element surrounding the
dispensing aperture. The flexible sealing member has at least two
lifting tabs for lifting the flexible sealing member and thereby
exposing the dispensing aperture. The rigid closure element has a
base attached to the flexible pouch and lid connected to the base
by a hinge. At least one of the lifting tabs is likely to not be
obstructed by the rigid closure element when the lid is in an open
condition, thereby remaining usable for lifting the flexible
sealing member to expose the dispensing aperture, even if another
lifting tab is obstructed by the rigid closure element.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0010] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an exemplary flexible
container.
[0011] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of another exemplary
flexible container.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The term "disposed" refers to an element being attached and
positioned in a particular place or position in a unitary structure
with other elements.
[0013] The term "attach" refers to elements being connected or
united by fastening, adhering, bonding, etc. by any method suitable
for the elements being attached together and their constituent
materials. Many suitable methods for attaching elements together
are well-known, including adhesive bonding, pressure bonding,
thermal bonding, etc. Such attachment methods may be used to attach
elements together over a particular area either continuously or
intermittently. Unless indicated otherwise, elements that are
described as being attached to each other are attached directly
together, with either nothing or only bonding material, e.g., an
adhesive, between them. Elements may be attached "permanently",
i.e., attached in such a way that one or both of the elements
and/or any bonding material that is present must be damaged in
order to separate them. This permanent attachment excludes
temporary attachment, such as fastening elements together by means
of fasteners that may be unfastened. Alternatively, elements may be
attached "releasably", i.e., attached in such a way that neither of
the elements needs to be damaged in order to separate them.
[0014] The term "laminate" refers to elements being attached
together in a layered arrangement.
[0015] The term "cohesive" refers to the property of a material
that, once set, sticks to itself but does not to any significant
degree stick to other materials.
[0016] The terms "water-permeable" and "water-impermeable" refer to
the penetrability of materials in the context of the intended usage
of disposable absorbent articles. Specifically, the term
"water-permeable" refers to a layer or a layered structure having
pores, openings, and/or interconnected void spaces that permit
liquid water to pass through its thickness in the absence of a
forcing pressure. Conversely, the term "water-impermeable" refers
to a layer or a layered structure through the thickness of which
liquid water cannot pass in the absence of a forcing pressure. As
is well known in the art, a common method for measuring the
permeability to water of the materials is a hydrostatic pressure
test, also called a hydrostatic head test or simply a "hydrohead"
test. Suitable well known compendial methods for hydrohead testing
are approved by INDA (formerly the International Nonwovens and
Disposables Association, now The Association of the Nonwoven
Fabrics Industry) and EDANA (European Disposables And Nonwovens
Association).
[0017] The term "nonwoven" refers to a sheet, web, or batt of
directionally or randomly oriented fibers, made by bonding or
entangling the fibers through mechanical, thermal, or chemical
means. Nonwoven materials exclude paper and products which are
woven, knitted, tufted, or felted by wet milling. The fibers are
preferably but not necessarily man-made synthetics.
[0018] A flexible container may have any shape suitable for
enclosing its contents, such as a stack or a roll of substrate
sheets, such as wipes. For example, the flexible container may be
cylindrical, polygonal, or parallelepipedal in shape.
[0019] Each of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary
embodiment of a flexible container 1 in which a flexible pouch 2 is
formed of a flexible polymeric sheet material 3, which may be
water-impermeable if the need to contain moisture or the need to
exclude moisture exists, or may be water-permeable if neither of
these needs exists. The flexible pouch 2 has a top wall 4, an
opposing bottom wall (not shown in the figures for clarity),
opposing end walls 6 and 7, a front side wall 8, and an opposing
rear side wall (not shown in the figures for clarity), arranged in
a generally parallelepipedal configuration. The opposing end walls
6 and 7 are closed by end seals 9 and 10. The walls define and
enclose the interior space 11 of the flexible pouch 2.
[0020] The flexible pouch 2 has a dispensing aperture 12 in its top
wall 4. Such a dispensing aperture may be made in another of the
walls, instead of or in addition to the top wall. The dispensing
aperture 12 may be fully formed in the manufacturing process or may
be defined, but not cut out, by perforation of the sheet material
3. The exemplary dispensing aperture 12 shown in the figures has a
relatively simple oval shape. The dispensing aperture 12 may have a
different relatively simple shape, such as a rectangular shape, or
may have a relatively complex shape, such as a generally
rectangular shape with rounded corners, or a shape with multiple
protrusions. In general, the dispensing aperture 12 may have any
shape suitable for access into the interior space 11 of the
flexible pouch 2.
[0021] A flexible sealing member 13 overlies the dispensing
aperture 12 and extends beyond the dispensing aperture in all
directions so as to also overlie the immediately surrounding area
and thereby cover the entirety of the dispensing aperture 12. The
flexible sealing member 13 is formed of a flexible material, which
may be identical to the sheet material 3 of which the flexible
pouch 2 is formed. The flexible sealing member 13 is releasably
attached to the flexible pouch 2 by any method suitable for the
materials involved, including, for example, adhesive attachment,
cohesive attachment, or a combination of suitable methods. In
embodiments in which the dispensing aperture 12 is only defined,
but not cut out, by perforation in the manufacturing process, the
formation of the dispensing aperture 12 may be completed by the
user when lifting the flexible sealing member 13, at which time the
attachment of the flexible sealing member 13 to the sheet material
3 may cause the weakened sheet material 3 to tear where it was
perforated.
[0022] The flexible sealing member 13 has lifting tabs 14 and 15
located along the periphery of the flexible sealing member 13.
These lifting tabs 14 and 15 adapted to be grasped by a user and
used to lift the flexible sealing member 13 away from the surface
of the flexible pouch 2 to thereby expose the dispensing aperture
12. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, opposing lifting tabs 14 and 15
are located along the periphery of the flexible sealing member 13
near the opposing end walls 6 and 7 of the flexible pouch 2. Such
lifting tabs may be provided along the periphery of the flexible
sealing member 13 near the side walls of the flexible pouch 2,
instead of or in addition to the locations shown in FIG. 1.
Similarly, such lifting tabs may be provided anywhere along the
periphery of the flexible sealing member 13, instead of or in
addition to the locations shown in FIG. 1 or previously described.
For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, the lifting tabs 14 and
15 are located along the periphery of the flexible sealing member
13 in adjacent quadrants of the flexible sealing member 13, i.e.,
one lifting tab 14 is located relatively nearer the end wall 6 of
the flexible pouch 2 and the other lifting tab 15 is located
relatively nearer the front side wall 8 of the flexible pouch
2.
[0023] The exemplary flexible sealing member 13 shown in the
figures has a relatively simple oval shape and each of the lifting
tabs 14 and 15 is shown in the figures as having the relatively
simple shape of a segment of the oval. The flexible sealing member
13 may have a different relatively simple shape, such as a
rectangular shape, or may have a relatively complex shape, such as
a generally rectangular shape with rounded corners, or a shape with
multiple protrusions. In general, the flexible sealing member 13
may have any shape suitable for covering the aperture 12. Likewise,
each of the lifting tabs 14 and 15 may have a different relatively
simple shape, such as a rounded shape or a rectangular shape, or
may have a relatively complex shape, such as a shape with multiple
protrusions. In general, each of the lifting tabs 14 and 15 may
have any shape suitable for being grasped by the user. The
exemplary lifting tabs 14 and 15 shown in the figures generally
conform to the general contour of the flexible sealing member 13.
In some embodiments, the lifting tabs 14 and 15 may have the forms
of distinct protuberances projecting outward from the general
contour of the flexible sealing member 13.
[0024] The provision of multiple lifting tabs reduces the
likelihood that the user will not be able to lift the flexible
sealing member to gain access to the article(s) enclosed inside the
interior space of the flexible pouch. In particular, if relative
misplacement of the flexible sealing member and the rigid closure
element results in the obstruction of one of the lifting tabs,
another lifting tab will likely remain usable. Likewise, if one
lifting tab is defective in some way, such as by being adhered
securely to the flexible pouch, it is likely that another lifting
tab will remain usable. Additionally, the provision of multiple
lifting tabs makes it possible to open the dispensing aperture with
either hand, thus facilitating access to the enclosed article(s) by
both left-handed and right-handed users, as well as by a user whose
one hand is occupied in a task, such as holding a child, and who
therefore must use his or her free hand, which may be left or
right, to reach for the enclosed article(s).
[0025] The lifting tabs may be free of attachment to the flexible
pouch or may be attached relatively weakly in comparison to the
remainder of the flexible sealing member, such as by an adhesive
having a low peel force or simply by a lighter coverage of adhesive
than is used to attach the remainder of the flexible sealing member
to the flexible pouch. Another way of attaching the lifting tabs
relatively weakly to the flexible pouch is to provide an adhesive
on one surface and a silicone coating on the mating surface.
Relatively weakly attached lifting tabs may be desirable because
they may remain adhered to the flexible pouch wall during its
manufacturing process and thereby decrease the possibility of
entanglement in the manufacturing equipment.
[0026] A rigid closure element 16 is attached onto the top wall 4
of the flexible pouch 2. This rigid closure element 16 has a base
17 and a lid 18. As is known in the art, such a base and a lid may
be connected by a relatively flexible flap forming a hinge 19 as
shown in the figures, or may be connected by a multi-piece hinge
mechanism. In the figures, the lid 18 is shown in an "open"
condition in which the flexible sealing member 13 and the
dispensing aperture 12 are accessible. The base 17 and the lid 18
may engage in any suitable manner such that the lid will remain in
a "closed" configuration once engaged with the base 17. In order to
subsequently gain access to the flexible sealing member 13 and the
dispensing aperture 12, the base 17 and the lid 18 must be
disengaged such that the lid 18 can be swung on the hinge 19 to the
"open" condition shown in the figures.
[0027] The exemplary rigid closure element 16 shown in the figures
has a relatively simple rectangular shape. The rigid closure
element 16 may have a different relatively simple shape, such as a
round shape or an oval shape, or may have a relatively complex
shape, such as a generally rectangular shape with rounded corners,
or a shape with multiple protrusions. In general, the rigid closure
element 16 may have any shape suitable for covering the aperture
12.
[0028] Examples of suitable engaging bases and lids can be found in
U.S. Pat. No. 4,156,493, U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,754, U.S. Pat. No.
6,702,109, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0150785,
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0189367, U.S. Patent
Application Publication No. 2005/0011906, U.S. Patent Application
Publication No. 2007/0023436, and PCT Publication No. WO
00/064755.
[0029] The base 17 is attached to the sheet material 3 of the
flexible sealing member 13 by any method suitable for the materials
involved. This attachment may be permanent or releasable. As shown
in FIG. 1, the base 17 is disposed so as to surround the dispensing
aperture 12 at a distance from it. The rigid closure element 16 is
preferably placed so as to likewise surround the flexible sealing
member 13 at a distance from it, thereby leaving both of the
lifting tabs 14 and 15 accessible and usable. However, as explained
above, some degree of relative misplacement of the rigid closure
element 16 and the flexible sealing member 13 may be acceptable
because of the provision of the multiple lifting tabs 14 and 15,
which increases the likelihood that at least one of the lifting
tabs will remain usable, even if the relative misplacement is so
great that another lifting tab is obstructed.
[0030] Each of the flexible pouch, the flexible sealing member, and
the rigid closure element may be formed partially or wholly of a
polymeric material, as is typical in the art. The polymeric
material(s) utilized in the flexible pouch and/or the flexible
sealing member may have the form of a film and may include only a
single layer or multiple layers in a laminate structure. Such a
laminate structure may include more than one film and/or may
include a layer or layers in other forms, such as a fibrous sheet
or a foil.
[0031] The rigid closure element may be formed partially or wholly
of a moldable thermoplastic material, such as polypropylene,
polyethylene, polystyrene, acrylonitryl butadiene styrene (ABS),
polyester, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate or elastomer, or a
blend of these materials. The rigid closure element may also, or
alternatively, be formed partially or wholly of other materials,
such as cardboard, corrugated paper, wood, cardstock, paper,
ceramic, and combinations thereof.
[0032] The disclosures of all patents, patent applications and any
patents which issue thereon, as well as any corresponding published
foreign patent applications, and all publications listed and/or
referenced in this description, are hereby incorporated herein by
reference. It is expressly not admitted that any of the documents
or any combination of the documents incorporated herein by
reference teaches or discloses the present invention. To the extent
that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts
with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document
incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to
that term in this document shall govern.
[0033] While particular embodiments of the present invention have
been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those
skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can
be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims
all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of
this invention.
* * * * *