U.S. patent application number 13/283113 was filed with the patent office on 2012-05-03 for self-standing pouch.
This patent application is currently assigned to Pouch Pac Innovations, LLC. Invention is credited to R. Charles Murray.
Application Number | 20120106878 13/283113 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45996862 |
Filed Date | 2012-05-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120106878 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Murray; R. Charles |
May 3, 2012 |
SELF-STANDING POUCH
Abstract
A self-standing pouch is provided. The pouch includes a pouch
body and a flap. The flap is disposed beneath the pouch body. The
flap may be folded so as to form a generally planar surface
disposed at the bottom of the pouch. The planar surface is operable
to support the pouch in a generally upright manner. The pouch may
include a fitment and a pair of gussets. The fitment may be
disposed at the top of the pouch, or on a portion of the pouch
body. The fitment is operable to provide access to the pouch
contents. The gussets help the pouch expand during pouch filling
operations and as contents of the flap are displaced into the pouch
body when the flap is folded to form the planar surface.
Inventors: |
Murray; R. Charles;
(Sarasota, FL) |
Assignee: |
Pouch Pac Innovations, LLC
Sarasota
FL
|
Family ID: |
45996862 |
Appl. No.: |
13/283113 |
Filed: |
October 27, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61407272 |
Oct 27, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
383/104 ;
383/78 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 2575/583 20130101;
B65D 75/5883 20130101; B65D 75/008 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
383/104 ;
383/78 |
International
Class: |
B65D 30/16 20060101
B65D030/16; B65D 33/16 20060101 B65D033/16 |
Claims
1. A pouch formed from a sheet of pliable material and operable to
hold itself in an upright manner, the pouch configured to hold a
liquid, the pouch comprising: a pouch body portion configured to
hold the liquid; a flap portion integrally formed to the body
portion and configured to hold a portion of the liquid; the flap
portion may be folded so as to form a generally planar surface,
wherein liquid in the flap portion is displaced into the pouch body
portion, the generally planar surface operable to support the pouch
in a generally upright manner.
2. The pouch body as set forth in claim 1, wherein the distal end
of the flap portion is narrower than the pouch body portion so as
to be tapered.
3. The pouch body as set forth in claim 1, further including a pair
of gussets, one of the pair of gussets formed on one side of the
pouch body, and the other of the pair of gussets formed on the
other side of the pouch body.
4. The pouch body as set forth in claim 1, wherein the flap portion
includes an adhesive portion formed on the outer surface of the
flap portion, the adhesive portion operable to hold a portion of
the flap portion against a portion of the pouch body.
5. The pouch body as set forth in claim 1, further including tape
operable to hold a portion of the flap portion against a portion of
the pouch body.
6. The pouch body as set forth in claim 1, further including a
fitment mounted to the pouch body, the fitment providing access to
the contents of the pouch.
7. A pouch configured to hold itself in an upright manner, the
pouch comprising: a pair of sheets of pliable material, each of the
pair of sheets of pliable material having side edges, a pouch body
portion and a flap portion, the side edges of respective sheets
seal to each other so as to form a pouch body and a flap, the flap
operable to be folded onto a portion of the pouch body so as to
define a generally planar surface at the base of the pouch body,
the planar surface operable to support the pouch in an upright
manner.
8. The pouch as set forth in claim 7, wherein the pair of sheets of
pliable material is one selected from the group consisting of
treated polymer or aluminum foil.
9. The pouch body as set forth in claim 7, wherein the distal end
of the flap is narrower than the pouch body so as to be
tapered.
10. The pouch body as set forth in claim 7, further including a
pair of gussets, one of the pair of gussets formed on one side of
the pouch body, and the other of the pair of gussets formed on the
other side of the pouch body.
11. The pouch body as set forth in claim 7, wherein the flap
includes an adhesive portion formed on the outer surface of the
flap portion, the adhesive portion operable to hold a portion of
the flap portion against a portion of the pouch body.
12. The pouch body as set forth in claim 7, further including tape
operable to hold a portion of the flap portion against a portion of
the pouch body.
13. The pouch body as set forth in claim 7, further including a
fitment mounted to the pouch body, the fitment providing access to
the contents of the pouch.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application 61/407,272 filed on Oct. 27, 2010, the disclosure of
which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Flexible pouches are currently known and used. Flexible
pouches may conveniently store products such as beverages and other
liquids. Further, flexible pouches are portable and may be easily
handled with one hand. Flexible pouches may include gussets
disposed along the sides to help the pouch expand and hold more
liquids. Some currently known flexible pouches are self-standing,
meaning the pouches are configured to hold themselves in a
generally upright manner.
[0003] Current self-standing pouches are commonly configured with a
plurality of seams formed along the bottom edges of the pouch. The
seams form a wall having a distal edge. The distal edge is spaced
apart from the bottom surface of the pouch so as to hold the pouch
in a substantially upright position, as shown in FIG. 1.
[0004] The formation of such a self-standing pouch, more
particularly, the seams on the bottom edges, requires additional
tooling and a dedicated sheet formed along the bottom portion of
the pouch. Thus in the mass assembly of such pouches, self-standing
pouches require the addition of an extra tool piece. The extra tool
piece increases manufacturing costs.
[0005] Furthermore, sealing the bottom portion of the pouch to form
the wall is an extra step in the manufacturing process. This
increases the manufacturing time and costs of the self-standing
pouch. Thus, it remains desirable to have a self-standing flexible
pouch wherein the added cost and time of forming the bottom wall
are not necessary.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention discloses a self-standing pouch. The
pouch includes a pouch body and a flap. The flap is disposed
beneath the pouch body. The flap may be folded so as to form a
generally planar surface disposed at the bottom of the pouch. The
planar surface is operable to support the pouch in a generally
upright manner.
[0007] The pouch may include a fitment and a pair of gussets. The
fitment may be disposed at the top of the pouch, or on a portion of
the pouch body. The fitment is operable to provide access to the
pouch contents. The gussets help the pouch expand during pouch
filling operations and as contents of the flap are displaced into
the pouch body when the flap is folded to form the planar
surface.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0008] A better understanding of the present invention will be had
upon reference to the following detailed description when read in
conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein like reference
characters refer to like parts throughout the several views and in
which:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art self-standing
pouch;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a frontal view of the self-standing pouch of the
present invention;
[0011] FIG. 2a is an illustration of a preferred embodiment of the
present invention;
[0012] FIG. 3 is side view of FIG. 2;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a view of FIG. 3 showing the flap partially
folded;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a view of FIG. 4 showing the flap folded over so
as to form a relatively planar surface for supporting the pouch in
a substantially upright manner;
[0015] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of
the self standing pouch showing the flap partially folded;
[0016] FIG. 7 is view of FIG. 6 showing the flap folded over;
and
[0017] FIG. 8 is a view of FIG. 7 showing and the flap attached to
the pouch body.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] With reference now to FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5 an embodiment of a
self-standing pouch 10 is provided. The pouch 10 may be formed from
a sheet 12 of pliable material such as treated polymer or aluminum
foil. Respective the sheet 12 is formed into a pouch 10 having a
pouch body portion 14, and a flap portion 16. The flap portion 16
may include an adhesive portion 18 operable to secure the flap
portion 16 to the pouch body portion 14.
[0019] An edge of the pouch 10 may be left unsealed so as to form
an opening 22 and a fitment 24 may be mounted within the opening 22
and sealed thereto so as to allow the user to access the contents
of the pouch 10. It should be appreciated the fitment 24 may be
mounted to other locations on the pouch 10, such as the outer
surface of the pouch body 14.
[0020] With reference now to FIGS. 2a, and 6-8, a second preferred
embodiment of the pouch 10 is provided. In the second preferred
embodiment, the pouch 10 includes gussets 26 at opposing sides. The
gussets 26 allow the pouch 10 to expand during filling operations.
The folded sheet 12 of pliable material may then be sealed so as to
form a pouch 10 having side edges 28, a bottom edge 30, and a top
edge 32. The pouch 10 may further include a pouch body portion 14
and a flap portion 16. The folded sheet 12 may be sealed such that
the flap portion 16 of the pouch 10 is tapered.
[0021] The remaining sheet 12 of pliable material may then be
simply trimmed from the pouch 10. Any sealing method for forming
the edges 28, 30, 32, 34 of the pouch 10 may be used herein,
illustratively including heat, ultrasonic, or a combination of the
two.
[0022] The pouch 10 may be formed by a pair of symmetrical sheets
12 and includes a pair of side sheets 26, as shown in FIG. 2a. Each
of the side sheets 26 includes a fold 36 so as to form a gusset 26.
One gusset 26 is disposed on one side of the pouch body portion 19,
and the other gusset 26 is disposed on the other side of the pouch
body portion 14. With reference now to FIGS. 3-8, a view of the
side of the pouch 10 is provided. Each side of the pouch 10 is
symmetrical to the other side. Thus, an explanation of one side is
applicable to explain the structure of the opposing side.
[0023] The pouch 10 includes a pouch body portion 14 and a flap
portion 16. The side edges 28 of the sheets 12 are sealed together
to form the pouch body portion 14. Each side of the pouch 10 is
sealed to respective opposing edges 28, 30, 32, 34 of the side
sheets 26 to form gussets 26 on each side of the pouch 10. The side
sheet 26 is made of like material, meaning a material similar to
the front and rear sheets 12 of the pouch body portion 14. In
general, the side sheets 26 extend between the front and rear
sheets 12. Each of the side sheets 26 includes a fold 36 running
generally between the top portion and the bottom portion of the
pouch body portion 14. Thus, as liquids are introduced into the
pouch body portion 19, the gusset 26 allows the back sheet 12 and
front sheet 12 to expand away from each other thus facilitating
filling operations.
[0024] With reference again to FIG. 2a, the sheets 12 are shown
having corresponding side edges 28 of similar length and a top side
extending between respective side edges 28 so as to defined the
width of the pouch body portion 14. A portion of the respective top
edges 32 are sealed together. The remaining portion of respective
top edges 32 is left unsealed so as to provide an opening 22 for
accommodating a fitment 24.
[0025] The flap portion 16 of each sheet 12 is integrally formed to
the pouch body portion 14 and is disposed at the bottom of the
pouch body portion 14, i.e. spaced apart and opposite the top edges
32. The flap portion 16 includes flap edges 34 and a bottom edge
30. The respective flap edges 34 are angled relative to the side
edges 28 of the pouch body portion 14 so as to form a generally
tapered flap portion 16.
[0026] Preferably, the flap portion 16 is tapered such that the
bottom end is narrower in width than the top end. The flap portion
16 facilitates the displacement of liquids into the pouch body
portion 14 when the flap portion 16 is folded onto the pouch body
portion 14. Specifically, the bottom edge 30 of the flap portion 16
is less than or equal to half the width of the pouch 10 top edge 32
of the pouch 10. Thus, the flap portion 16 narrows as the flap
portion 16 extends away from the top end of the pouch 10. The flap
portion 16 is sealed together so as to completely enclose the pouch
10. However, it is anticipated that the bottom edge 30 may be wider
than the top edge 32 in instances where the pouch body portion 14
may accommodate the liquid held in the flap portion 16.
[0027] With reference now to FIG. 3 the flap is shown aligned along
a first axis, as indicated by line 3-3. The side gussets 26 have
been expanded indicating that the pouch body portion 14 is filled
with a liquid. More particularly, the tapered end portion of the
flap portion 16 is also expanded as the weight of the liquid
settles within the flap portion 16.
[0028] With reference now to FIG. 4, the flap portion 16 is shown
partially folded over so as to be displaced from the first axis. As
illustrated by the drawing, the flap displaces the liquid
relatively upwards and further into the pouch body portion 14,
causing the gussets 26 to further expand. With reference now to
FIG. 5, the flap is shown completely folded over so as to form a
planar surface disposed at the bottom of the pouch 10. The planar
surface supports the pouch body portion 14 in a substantially
upright manner. The flap may be sealed to the pouch 10 so as to
maintain the formation of the planar surface. For instance, the
distal end of the flap may be attached to one of either the front
or back walls of the pouch 10.
[0029] Though the flap portion 16 is shown as having linear side
edges 28 extending from the pouch body portion 14, it is
anticipated that the side edges 28 of the flap portion 16 may have
an arcuate shape or such that the flap portion 16 narrows as it
proceeds away from the top end of the pouch 10. It is also shown in
the drawings that the flap portion 16 is integrally formed with the
front sheet 12 and the back sheet 12 and that the front sheet 12
and the back sheet 12 are symmetrical to each other so as to form
the pouch body portion 14.
[0030] The flap portion 16 may be fixed to the pouch body portion
14 using any method currently known in the art to include an
adhesive, ultrasonic welding, or heat sealing. Preferably the flap
portion 16 is sealed using tape 38 so as to allow a user to adjust
the dimensions of the bottom surface based upon the content of the
pouch 10. Alternatively, an adhesive portion 18 may be formed on
the outer surface of the flap portion 16. The adhesive portion 18
operable to hold a portion of the flap portion 16 against a portion
of the pouch 10 body
[0031] Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present
invention are possible in light of the above teachings and may be
practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
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