U.S. patent number RE41,273 [Application Number 12/184,809] was granted by the patent office on 2010-04-27 for access structure with bursting detonator for opening a sealed package.
This patent grant is currently assigned to PopPack, LLC. Invention is credited to William Simon Perell.
United States Patent |
RE41,273 |
Perell |
April 27, 2010 |
Access structure with bursting detonator for opening a sealed
package
Abstract
Breaching access structure 10S provides easy access to sealed
interior 10I containing contents 10C. Access region 12A proximate
edge 12E of package 10, provides entrance into the interior and
access to the contents. Band seal 14 formed by the upper lamina 14U
and lower lamina 14L extends along the access region, enclosing
breaching bubble 16. The band seal has inner seal portion 14I
between the bubble and the interior, and outer seal portion 14O
between the bubble and edge 12E of the package. The bubble is
expandable to open the package in response to bursting detonator
18. The detonator is burst by external pressure applied by a user.
Opposed pair of peel flaps, upper flap 16U and lower flap 16L, are
formed by the opposed laminae of the outer seal along the edge
breach as the bubble breaches. These small initial flaps are
grasped by the user and manually peeled apart to initiate opening
the band seal.
Inventors: |
Perell; William Simon (San
Francisco, CA) |
Assignee: |
PopPack, LLC (San Francisco,
CA)
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Family
ID: |
36583950 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/184,809 |
Filed: |
August 1, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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10831964 |
Sep 6, 2005 |
6938394 |
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10246893 |
Sep 19, 2002 |
6726364 |
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Reissue of: |
11010915 |
Dec 14, 2004 |
07306371 |
Dec 11, 2007 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
383/210;
383/61.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
75/5855 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
33/00 (20060101); B65D 33/16 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;383/202,210,211,61.1 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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00 306207 |
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Mar 1989 |
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00317130 |
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May 1989 |
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EP |
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04215927 |
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Aug 1992 |
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EP |
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2345363 |
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Oct 1977 |
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FR |
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2253605 |
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Sep 1992 |
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GB |
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2000255598 |
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Sep 1992 |
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JP |
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11029176 |
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Feb 1999 |
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JP |
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WO 1996/023700 |
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Aug 1996 |
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WO |
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WO 2002/083504 |
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Oct 2002 |
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WO |
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WO 2004/100856 |
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Nov 2004 |
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WO |
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WO 2005/022323 |
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Mar 2005 |
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WO |
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WO 2005/077811 |
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Aug 2005 |
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WO |
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Primary Examiner: Pascua; Jes F
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Dority & Manning, P.A.
Parent Case Text
.Iadd.RELATED APPLICATION DATA
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/831,964, filed Apr. 26, 2004, now U.S. Pat.
No. 6,938,394, granted Sep. 6, 2005, which is a
continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
10/246,893, filed Sep. 19, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,726,364,
granted Apr. 27, 2004. .Iaddend.
Claims
I claim:
1. A breaching access structure for providing easy access to the
contents of a sealed interior, comprising: breaching edge along the
edge of the access structure; access region within the access
structure proximate a breaching edge; band seal extending across
the access region; breaching bubble within the band seal; outer
seal portion of the band seal, between the breaching bubble and the
breaching edge of the access structure; inner seal portion of the
band seal, between the breaching bubble and the sealed interior;
and bursting detonator containing bursting fluid proximate the
breaching bubble, which detonator bursts in response to applied
pressure for establishing fluid communication from the detonator to
the breaching bubble, causing the breaching bubble to breach for
facilitating opening the inner seal portion providing access to the
interior.
2. The access structure of claim 1, wherein the bursting detonator
is inside the breaching bubble.
3. The access structure of claim 2, wherein the bursting detonator
is anchored inside the breaching bubble.
4. The access structure of claim 3, wherein the bursting detonator
is retrievable from inside the breaching bubble after breach.
5. The access structure of claim 2, wherein the bursting detonator
completely fills the breaching bubble.
6. The access structure of claim 2, wherein the bursting detonator
partially fills the breaching bubble.
7. The access structure of claim 2, wherein the bursting detonator
is loose inside the breaching bubble.
8. The access structure of claim 7, wherein the bursting detonator
is retrievable from inside the breaching bubble after breach.
9. The access structure of claim 1, wherein the bursting detonator
is formed on a stretchable material which bursts by thinning under
the applied pressure.
10. The access structure of claim 1, wherein the bursting detonator
is formed of a rigid material which bursts by fracturing under the
applied pressure.
11. The access structure of claim 1, wherein the applied pressure
for bursting the detonator is external pressure.
12. The access structure of claim 1, wherein the applied pressure
for bursting the detonator is created within the detonator by
chemically active reagents.
13. The access structure of claim 1, wherein the bursting fluid is
a gas.
14. The access structure of claim 13, wherein the bursting fluid is
nitrogen gas.
15. The access structure of claim 13, wherein the bursting fluid is
ambient air.
16. The access structure of claim 13, wherein the bursting fluid is
a liquid.
17. The access structure of claim 13, wherein the bursting fluid is
a gel substance which remains malleable at low temperatures.
18. The access structure of claim 1, further comprising an item
contained in the bursting detonator.
19. The access structure of claim 18, wherein the item contained in
the bursting detonator is information.
20. The access structure of claim 18, wherein the item contained in
the bursting detonator is a status indicator.
21. The access structure of claim 1, wherein the breaching bubble
contains more than one bursting detonator.
22. The access structure of claim 1, wherein the breaching bubble
is multiple breaching bubbles.
23. The access structure of claim 22, wherein a breaching bubble
with an inner seal and an outer seal is positioned at one end of
the sealed interior, and another breaching bubble with an inner
seal and an outer seal is positioned at the other end of the sealed
interior.
24. A breaching access structure for providing easy access to the
contents of a sealed interior, comprising: breaching edge along the
edge of the access structure; access region within the access
structure proximate a breaching edge; band seal extending across
the access region; breaching bubble within the band seal; outer
seal portion of the band seal, between the breaching bubble and the
breaching edge of the access structure; inner seal portion of the
band seal, between the breaching bubble and the sealed interior;
bursting detonator containing bursting fluid proximate the
breaching bubble, which detonator bursts in response to applied
pressure for establishing fluid communication from the detonator to
the breaching bubble, causing the breaching bubble to breach for
facilitating opening the inner seal portion providing access to the
interior; and a bursting tract defined in the material of the
bursting detonator for providing a sponsored rupture of the
detonator at the tract.
25. The access structure of claim 24, wherein the sponsored rupture
at the tract is directional.
26. The access structure of claim 24, wherein the sponsored rupture
at the tract has a lower rupture threshold than the remainder of
the detonator.
27. The access structure of claim 24, wherein the tract is more
fragile than the remainder of the detonator.
28. The access structure of claim 27, wherein the material forming
the fragile tract is a thinner than the material forming the
remainder of the bursting detonator.
29. The access structure of claim 28, wherein the thinner tract is
a score in the surface of the detonator.
30. The access structure of claim 29, wherein the score is a laser
score.
31. The access structure of claim 29, wherein the score is a line
score.
32. The access structure of claim 29, wherein the score is an angle
score defining a high stress point at the vertex.
33. The access structure of claim 29, wherein the score is a closed
loop score.
34. A breaching access structure for providing easy access to the
contents of a sealed interior, comprising: breaching edge along the
edge of the access structure; access region within the access
structure proximate a breaching edge; band seal extending across
the access region; breaching bubble within the band seal; outer
seal portion of the band seal, between the breaching bubble and the
breaching edge of the access structure; inner seal portion of the
band seal, between the breaching bubble and the sealed interior;
the band seal and the outer seal portion and inner seal portion are
formed by opposed laminae of flexible material pressed into a
sealing engagement, and the breaching bubble is between the opposed
laminae; and bursting detonator containing bursting fluid proximate
the breaching bubble, which detonator bursts in response to applied
pressure for establishing fluid communication from the detonator to
the breaching bubble, causing the breaching bubble to breach for
facilitating opening the inner seal portion providing access to the
interior.
35. The access structure of claim 34, wherein the sealing
engagement is a frangible.
36. The access structure of claim 34, wherein the breaching bubble
expands towards the breaching edge of the access structure in
response to the detonator bursting, and separates the opposed
laminae along the outer seal causing the breaching bubble to
breach.
37. The access structure of claim 34, wherein the breaching bubble
expands towards the breaching edge of the access structure in
response to the applied pressure and detonator bursting, and
separates the opposed laminae along the outer seal causing the
breaching bubble to breach.
38. The access structure of claim 37, further comprising opposed
peel flaps formed by the separated opposed laminae, which may be
peeled apart further separating the opposed laminae to open the
inner band seal providing access to the interior.
39. The access structure of claim 34, wherein one of the opposed
laminate is generally planar.
40. The access structure of claim 39, wherein the bursting
detonator is anchored to the planar lamina.
41. The access structure of claim 34, wherein at least one of the
opposed laminae is convex.
42. The access structure of claim 34, further comprising a partial
middle laminae between the opposed laminae, which forms the
bursting detonator within the breaching bubble.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a breaching access structure for a sealed
package having a breaching bubble which edge breaches to provide
peel flaps for opening the package, and more particularly to such a
breaching bubble having a bursting detonator that initiates the
breaching.
BACKGROUND
Heretofore, U.S. Pat. No. 6,726,364 to Perell et al teaches a
storage package with a band seal formed by opposed laminae
enclosing a breaching bubble. The band seal has an inner seal
between the bubble and the interior of the package, and an outer
seal between the bubble and the edge of the package. The bubble may
be expanded by external pressure applied to the bubble by the user.
The expansion separates the opposed laminae causing the bubble to
breach along the edge. Opposed peel flaps form along the edge
breach by the separation of the opposed laminae of the outer seal.
These small initial flaps are grasped by the user and manually
peeled apart to separate the remainder of the outer seal and the
inner seal, and open the package.
SUMMARY
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an access
structure with a bursting detonator within the breaching bubble.
Pressure on the bursting fluid within the detonator causes the
detonator wall to rupture, initiating the breaching of the bubble.
The rupture communicates the high fluid pressure within the
bursting detonator into the bubble. This step change in internal
bubble pressure urges the laminae toward separation, causing the
bubble to edge breach.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a bursting
detonator which ruptures almost instantaneously causing a rapid,
sudden and energetic edge breach. As the user presses on the bubble
and detonator therein, compression energy builds in the bursting
fluid. The external mechanical energy provided by the user, is
transformed into internal compression energy. The compression
continues to build until released by rupture into the bubble. The
bulk of this accumulated energy is instantaneously transferred at
burst into the breaching bubble causing the bubble to expand and
breech. The slow energy introduction by the user over the entire
period of pressing, is released in an instant as an intense
pressure pulse.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a bursting
detonator having uniform rupture threshold. That is, the detonators
in each package are generally the same size, shape, and wall
thickness, and made of the same material. These mass manufactured
detonators rupture at about the same fluid pressure. The user's
package opening technique is simplified. He merely applies the same
pressure at same place in the same manner.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a bursting
detonator with a bursting tract for providing a sponsored rupture.
The bursting tract is scored or otherwise weakened, in order to
promote rupture.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a bursting
detonator which produces a uniform sound upon bursting.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a bursting
detonator as an inner container for items accompanying the product
within the sealed interior. Manufacturers frequently provide
product accessories and utensils which are not in the sealed
interior with the product, such as prizes and instructions. These
items may be included in the bursting detonator.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an access
structure with multiple bursting detonators.
Briefly, these and other objects of the present invention are
accomplished by providing a breaching access structure having an
access region proximate a breaching edge. The structure has a band
seal extending thereacross containing a breaching bubble. The band
seal has an outer seal portion between the breaching bubble and the
branching edge, and an inner seal portion between the breaching
bubble and a sealed interior. A bursting detonator proximate the
breaching bubble contains bursting fluid. The detonator bursts in
response to applied pressure for establishing fluid communication
from the detonator to the breaching bubble. The detonator pressure
causes the breaching bubble to breach for facilitating opening the
inner seal portion providing access to the interior.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further objects and advantages of the access structure having a
breaching bubble and bursting detonator, will become apparent from
the following detailed description and drawings (not drawn to
scale) in which:
FIG. 1A is a side view of storage package 10 showing stored
contents 10C and breaching bubble 16 and bursting detonator 18;
FIG. 1B is a end view of package 10 of FIG. 1A;
FIG. 1C is a side view of package 10 showing detonator 18 bursting
into bubble 16 due to applied pressure at point "X";
FIG. 1D is a end view of package 10 of FIG. 1C;
FIG. 1E is a side view of package 10 showing bubble 16 forming edge
breach 16B;
FIG. 1F is a end view of package 10 of FIG. 1E;
FIG. 1G is a side view of package 10 showing peel flaps 16U and 16L
being peeled back to open sealed member 10I;
FIG. 1H is a end view of package 10 of FIG. 1G;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a convex package 20;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a planar package 30;
FIG. 4 is a side view of binary bursting detonator 38 within
package 40;
FIG. 5 is a top view of package 50 showing multiple bursting
detonators 58 each with a bursting tract 58T; and
FIG. 6 is a top view of package 60 showing multiple breaching
bubbles 66 with bursting detonators 68.
The first digit of each reference numeral in the above figures
indicates the figure in which an element or feature is most
prominently shown. The second digit indicates related elements or
features, and a final letter (when used) indicates a sub-portion of
an element or feature.
REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS
The table below lists the reference numerals employed in the
figures, and identifies the element designated by each numeral.
Storage Package 10 10C Contents 10C 10I Sealed interior 10I 10S
Breaching Access Structure 10S 12A Access Region 12A 12E Breaching
Edge 12E 14 Band Seal 14 14I Inner Seal Portion 14I 14L Lower
Lamina 14L 14O Outer Seal Portion 14O 14U Upper Lamina 14U 16
Breaching Bubble 16 16B Edge Breach 16B 16F Separation Frontier 16F
16L Lower Peel Flap 16L 16U Upper Peal Flap 16U 18 Bursting
Detonator 18 18A Anchor Site 18A 18F Bursting Fluid 18F 20I Sealed
interior 20I 24I Inner Seal Portion 24I 24L Curved Lower Lamina 24L
20O Outer Seal Portion 24O 24U Curved Upper Lamina 24U 26 Breaching
Bubble 26 28 Bursting Detonator 28 28P Product Item 28P 34F
Frangible End of Middle Lamina 34F 34L Flat Base Lower Lamina 34L
34M Partial Middle Lamina 34M 34P Pinned End of Middle Lamina 34P
34S Seal of Middle Lamina 34S 34U Curved Cover Upper Lamina 34U 36
Breaching Bubble 36 38 Bursting Detonator 38 42E Breaching Edge 42E
46 Breaching Bubble 46 44L Lower Lamina 44L 44U Upper Lamina 44U 48
Binary Detonator Capsule 48 48F First Chamber 48F 48S Second
Chamber 48S 50 Storage Package 50 56 Breaching Bubble 56 58
Bursting Detonator 58 58T Bursting Tract 58T 60 Storage Package 60
66 Breaching Bubble 66 68 Bursting Detonator 68 60I Sealed interior
60I 60S Access Structure 60S
General Embodiment--(FIG. 1A-H)
Breaching access structure 10S provides easy access to contents 10C
of sealed interior 10I of storage package 10 through breaching edge
12E which extends along the edge of the access structure. The
package is formed by enclosure material, which may be any suitable
confining substance such as films, plastics, paper (with wood
and/or cotton content) fabric, cellophane, or biodegradable matter.
Thin mylar plastic forms a flexible film with hermetic properties,
and is commonly used as a enclosure material for packages. Contents
10C may be any tangible object such as snacks, candies, prepared
foods, edible generally, agricultural commodities, pharmaceuticals,
sterile supplies and instruments, manufactured products, or sundry
household goods.
Access regions 12A is within the access structure proximate
breaching edge 12E, and provides entrance into the sealed interior
and access to the contents. Band seal 14 extends across the access
region and is formed by opposed laminae of enclosure material. The
band seal has upper lamina 14U and lower lamina 14I, pressed into a
sealing engagement. Breaching bubble 16 is enclosed between the
opposed laminae within the band seal. The band seal has inner seal
portion 14I and outer seal portion 14O, both formed by the opposed
laminae material. The inner seal portion is between the breaching
bubble and the sealed interior. The outer seal portion is between
the bubble and breaching edge 12E of the access region. The opposed
laminae forming the band seal and the seal portions therein, may be
pressed into a sealing engagement, trapping breaching bubble 16
therebetween. The sealing engagement may be frangible, forming a
seal which is easily broken without destruction. Such frangible
seals may be formed under controlled pressure and temperature and
time conditions. A additional details of a suitable access
structure are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,726,364 issued on 27
Apr. 2004 to Perell et al, the subject matter of which is hereby
incorporated by reference in its entirety into this disclosure.
Bursting detonator 18 proximate breaching bubble 16, contains
bursting fluid 18F. The detonator bursts in response to fluid
pressure (either external see FIG. 1B, or internal see FIG. 4) for
establishing fluid communication from the detonator to the
breaching bubble. The fluid pressure within the detonator is
communicated into the breaching bubble, initiating bubble expansion
and laminae separation and breaching along breaching edge 12E. The
bursting detonator is preferably inside the breaching bubble, and
anchored to the inside surface of the breaching bubble. The bursted
detonator is shown in FIGS. 1A1C and 1E at various stages in the
opening of the sealed interior. Detonator 18 is shown before
bursting in FIG. 1A, during bursting in FIG. 1C, and after bubble
breach in FIG. 1E. Anchor site 18A for detonator 18 is shown in
FIGS. 1B1D and 1F at these various stages. The anchored detonator
is firmly fixed at the anchor site, and does not slip around within
the breaching bubble during bursting. After breach, the bursted
detonator stays attached to the lamina, where it cannot be
swallowed by an infant or dropped as litter. The bursting detonator
may be formed of a stretchable material such as a low density
polyethylene, which thins as the detonator spreads-out and flattens
or deforms under the fluid pressure. At a critical thinness, the
detonator material ruptures along a tear causing the bursting.
Opening the Band Seal
Breaching bubble 16 expands towards breaching edge 12E of the
access structure (see FIG. 1C) in response to the fluid pressure
released by bursting detonator 18. The bubble is larger than the
detonator providing an spreading zone within bubble for the
detonator to spread-out, and thin and burst. In the embodiment
shown in FIG. 1A-H, the bursting is accomplished by external
pressure applied by the user. The user may direct the bubble
expansion outward towards edge 12E of the package by applying the
external pressure along the inward side of the detonator proximate
point "X" (see FIG. 1C). Inward expansion of the bubble towards
inner seal 14I is limited, because the applied external pressure
keeps the opposed laminae pressed together in sealing engagement
along the inward side. Therefore, expansion due to the directed
pressure is primarily outward towards outer seal 14O, and urges the
bubble expansion outward towards the edge of the package, as
indicated by the large outward arrow.
The outward bubble expansion progressively separates the outer seal
laminae along a moving separation frontier 16F. The frontier moves
across the outer seal until the frontier reaches the edge of the
package, where the bubble breaches creating edge breach 16B (see
FIG. 1E and FIG. 1F). The outer seal may be a frangible seal,
suitable for breaching. Minor leakage of bubble air or fluid during
the shelf life of the package may be tolerated. The bursting
pressure from the detonator having burst compensates for the
leakage. The pre-bursting pressure applied to the bursting
detonator also causes pressure in the surrounding breaching bubble.
During this short pre-burst stage, the bubble becomes taut and
firm, and primed against the separation frontier. The bubble may
expand and the separation proceed, in response to both the
detonator bursting and the pre-bursting pressure in the bubble.
Opposed Peel Flaps
Opposed pair of peel flaps, under flap 16U and lower flap 16L (see
FIG. 1E), are formed by the separated opposed laminae of the outer
seal along the edge breach as the bubble breaches. These small
initial flaps are grasped by the user and manually peeled apart,
further separating the opposed laminae in order to initiate opening
the inner band seal providing access to the interior. The opposed
laminae material forming the bubble and the outer seal may stretch
slightly under the bursting pressure and bubble expansion.
Enclosure material of a stretching plastic type such as mylar
provides loose or baggy initial peel flaps (see FIG. 1F). The
looseness offers the user more gripping material to start peeling
the flaps apart.
The initial peel flaps formed along the edge breach become larger
in area as the user peels the flaps apart (see FIG. 1G and FIG.
1H). This enlarged area first includes some of the opposed laminae
material forming the outer seal. As the flaps are peeled further
apart, the enlargement includes some of the opposed laminae
material forming the bubble, and then some of the material forming
the inner seal. This enlarged flap area offers the user an even
more material to grip as the laminae separation proceeds. The
uniform, page-like peeling shown in FIG. 1G illustrates ideal
separation of the laminae. The actual peeling may be uneven,
irregular, or askew. The opposed laminae material forming the inner
seal may be resealable to permit resealing the interior after the
band seal has been opened.
The bubble expands under the pressure both outward towards edge 12E
of the access structure and laterally, as indicated by the small
lateral arrows (see FIG. 1C). The lateral expansion provides a
laterally expanded edge breach with laterally expanded peel flaps.
Instead of the directed pressure shown in FIG. 1C, the user may
press the detonator closer to the center of the bubble, causing the
bubble to expand in all directions. The bubble may expand under the
pressure both outward towards the edge and inward towards the inner
seal.
Convex Embodiment--(FIG. 2)
One or both of the opposed laminae may be generally convex, such as
curved lower lamina 24L and curved upper lamina 24U (see FIG. 2).
The opposed laminae may be pressed together along the edges, and
along the band seal to form outer seal 24O and inner seal 24I. The
space between the curved lamina and within the pressed edges
defines breaching bubble 26 and sealed interior 20I. Bursting
detonator 28 (shown in bold line) may completely fill the breaching
bubble. Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 1A-H, bursting detonator
18 only partially fills breaching bubble 16.
Product Items
The bursting detonator or the breaching bubble may contain small,
useful product items, such as tokens, coupons, candy, utensils,
fragrances, etc. Item 28P may be product information such as
instructions, manufacturing data, and use-by-date, expressed in
various formats, such as print, bar codes and graphics. The
information may be carried on various mediums such, paper and
memory chips, and even on CDs. The product item may be a status
indicator, to indicate such conditions as whether: 1) The contents
have been stored at a temperature outside a critical range. That
is, the stage environment was temporarily too warm or too cold. 2)
The contents have been exposed to the ambient, and degraded by
oxygen. The contents are no longer fresh. 3) The package or seal
has been damaged, degraded or tampered with. 4) The use-by-date of
the contents has expired.
Planar Embodiment--(FIG. 3)
One of the opposed laminae may be generally planar, such as flat
base 34L. The other opposed lamina may be generally convex, such as
curved cover 34U. The flat base provides a moving assembly platform
during manufacturing, which then receives the other components of
the storage package. Bursting detonator 38 may be anchored to the
flat base prior to mounting the curved cover. In addition, the flat
base may receive a partial lamina film forming the detonator.
Partial middle lamina 34M, between the opposed laminae, extends
into breach bubble 36 to form bursting detonator 38. Pinned end 34P
of middle lamina 34M is pinned between upper lamina 34U and lower
lamina 34L. Frangible end 34F within the bubble is secured only to
the lower lamina forming frangible detonator seal 34S. Lamina
detonator 38 expands under pressure causing the middle lamina to
separate from the lower lamina and edge breach into the bubble
along the detonator seal.
Detonator Fluid
The bursting fluid contained within the bursting detonator may be
any suitable compressible gas. Inert and chemically pure gases,
such as nitrogen gas are preferred. Low cost ambient air may be
employed as the bursting fluid. Preferably, the air is filtered to
remove harmful particulate matter, such as pathogens, dust, and
allergens. Alternatively, the bursting fluid may be any suitable
incompressible liquid such as water or solvent. The bursting fluid
may be a low-temperature gel substance which remains plastic and
malleable at freezer temperatures. Frozen food packages taken right
out of the freezer, may be opened immediately by bursting such a
gel detonator.
Fluid substances with a low coefficient of thermal expansion may be
employed. These substances exhibit less contraction or expansion as
the temperature changes. Because of the lower shrinkage, the
detonator remains firmer at lower temperatures. Such a firm
detonator has a crisp, more reliable response to fluid pressure. In
addition, low coefficient substances exhibit less expansion at
higher temperatures, which may force the detonator into an untimely
burst.
Internal Pressure--(FIG. 4)
In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the pressure which bursts the
detonator is external pressure applied manually by the user. In
other embodiments, the pressure for bursting the detonator may be
internal gas pressure created within the detonated by chemically
active reagents. Binary detonating capsule 48 contains a first
reagent such as liquid vinegar in firs chamber 48F, and a second
reagent such as baking soda powder in second chamber 48S. The
capsule is formed of a rigid, fragile material, which and may be
fractured or crushed under the fluid pressure or mechanical
bending, generated by distorting breaching bubble 46. The reagents
come into contact and react, generating an expanding volume of gas,
which in the vinegar/soda example is carbon dioxide. The internal
gas pressure causes opposed laminae 44L and 44U to separate and
breach along edge 42E. This internal expansion may be assisted by a
cooperating external pressure applied by the user. In this
cooperating case, the presence of the internal pressure reduces the
external pressure required. In the capsule embodiment of FIG. 4,
the bursting detonator is loose inside the breaching bubble, and
may be retrieved from the breaching bubble after breach. This loose
detonator embodiment does not require the manufacturing step of
anchoring the detonator, and the detonator is free to move around
within the bubble.
Multiple Bubbles/Detonators--(FIGS. 5 and 6)
The breaching access structure may have multiple breaching bubbles,
each with one or more bursting detonator. Breaching bubble 56 on
storage package 50 contains more than one bursting detonator 58. If
one of the detonators fails, the other detonator is available as a
back-up. Access structure 60S on storage package 60 has multiple
breaching bubbles 66, each with a detonator 66. One breaching
bubble with an inner seal and an outer seal is positioned at one
end of sealed interior 60I. Another breaching bubble with an inner
seal and an outer seal is positioned at the other end of the sealed
interior. The sealed interior may be opened from either end.
Bursting Tract--(FIG. 5)
The bursting detonator may have a bursting tract defined in the
material of the detonator for providing a sponsored rupture of the
detonator at the tract. The sponsored rupture may have a lower
rupture threshold than the remainder of the detonator, increasing
the probability that the rupture will occur within the tract. The
material forming the tract may be more fragile and/or thinner than
the material forming the remainder of the detonator, and therefore
more prone to breaking or splitting. The material forming the
fragile tract may be chemically treated to become more brittle, or
otherwise damaged or flawed.
The thinner tract may be a score in the surface of the detonator.
Various embodiments of scored bursting tracts 58T within bursting
detonators 58, are shown in FIG. 5. The score may be a simple line
score inscribed on the detonator by a spot laser beam. For example,
a bursting detonator having a 1.5 mil wall thickness may be reduced
to the wall thickness to 1 mil along the score by employing a low
power laser beam having a diameter of about one half a human hair.
The score may be an angular score such as an acute angle or an "X"
or a triangle, defining a high stress rupture point at the vertex.
Alternatively, the score may be a closed loop score such as a
circle or an oval. The direction of the sponsored rupture may be
controlled to promote the edge breach of the breaching bubble. The
detonator may be orientated to position the score adjacent to the
edge breach location, causing most of the energy of the rupture to
be applied to separating the opposed laminae. The sponsored
conditions of the rupture establish a more predictable bursting,
resulting in a more uniform sound created by the rush of breaching
fluid.
CONCLUSION
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the objects of
this invention have been achieved as described hereinbefore by
providing a bursting detonator within a breaching access structure.
Various changes may be made in the structure and embodiments shown
herein without departing from the concept of the invention.
Further, features of embodiments shown in various figures may be
employed in combination with embodiments shown in other figures.
Therefore, the scope of the invention is to be determined by the
terminology of the following claims and the legal equivalents
thereof.
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