EP0063013B1

EP0063013B1 - Double bag with separate openings and process for its production

Info

Publication number: EP0063013B1
Application number: EP82301740A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Emile Jean Le Dez
Original assignee: Unilever Bestfoods North America
Current assignee: Unilever Bestfoods North America
Priority date: 1981-04-03
Filing date: 1982-04-01
Publication date: 1986-02-26
Also published as: FR2503098A1; ZA822010B; ES271112Y; MX153758A; EP0063013A1; IE52584B1; AU8230882A; AR229870A1; ATE18168T1; DE3269291D1; IE820789L; BR8201870A; YU43793B; JPH0462943B2; ES271112U; HK65486A; AU547565B2; FR2503098B1; JPS57194953A; YU74782A

Description

The present invention is concerned with a double bag or sack, that is, one with two compartments, each of which is provided with a separate closure, destined to contain powdered or liquid food products.
It is known that in this particular field, culinary preparations are presented in the dry, powdered state, so that they can be prepared rapidly by heating or cooking in an appropriate liquid, such as water. In certain cases, the preparation includes two different products, destined to be prepared in two successive stages, contained in two compartments of a double bag, but which has only one opening that operates on the two compartments simultaneously. A particular result of this is that the entire product must be consumed immediately without the possibility of storing one of the constituents separately.
GB-A-494,010 relates to a wage bag or envelope comprising two compartments intended to hold banknotes and coins separately. The mouth of this bag is sealed by a simple gummed flap or flaps or other adhesive. The bag is subsequently opened by removal of the same flap or flaps, thereby releasing the contents of both compartments simultaneously. There is no suggestion that the two compartments could be opened separately.
GB-A-2,030,109 discloses a sachet intended to contain food products and comprising two separate compartments, but again these cannot be opened independently. With this type of double bag, it is not possible to use two doses of the same product or of the same variety at different times, while maintaining the second dose under the storage conditions that existed before the opening of the first compartment.
The purpose of the present invention is to remedy the above disadvantages by furnishing a double bag, each compartment of which has an individual closing device, characterized by a compact form, and easy and economical manufacture and filling.
According to the present invention there is provided a double bag for powdered or liquid food products constituted by an exterior sheet folded onto itself thereby forming two external walls which meet at a common fold line and by an interior sheet between said external walls, the sheets being sealed together at their edges thus forming two distinct compartments (GB-A-2 030 109) characterized in that the interior sheet is sealed to one or both of the external walls along two lines parallel to each other and to the common fold line.
According to a first embodiment, the external walls have two supplementary folds symmetrical with respect to the fold line, the respective zones between the sealing line and the limit of each supplementary fold constituting the opening elements.
According to a second embodiment, a first zone forming the opening element of a compartment is arranged between the two sealing lines and a second zone, forming the opening of the other compartment, is arranged beyond the sealing line that is the farthest removed from the fold line.
Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will follow more clearly from the description that is given below of its possible forms of embodiment, made in consideration of the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 represents a perspective schematic view, partially cut, of the first embodiment of a double bag according to the invention;
Figures 2 and 3 represent details of the embodiment according to Figure 1;
Figure 4 represents a perspective schematic view, partially cut, of the second embodiment of a double bag according to the invention; and
Figure 5 represents a detail of the embodiment of Figure 4.

On these drawings, the same references designate the same elements.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a double bag according to the invention consists of two compartments 1 and 2, delimited by the respective external walls 3 and 4 and by an interior sheet 5a, 5b which is common to the two compartments. The external walls 3 and 4 are in fact constituted by a single sheet folded along a common fold line A-A. The folding forms two lips inside of which the double interior sheet 5a, 5b is sealed along two sealing lines 6 and 7, which are parallel to fold line A-A and are arranged on either side of this fold line. According to this first mode of embodiment, the bag also has two other supplementary folds 8 and 9, into which extend corresponding folds 10 of interior sheet 5a, 5b. The bag of general reference 11 has, for example, a rectangular form, the edges B of the sheets which constitute it being glued or soldered together in a manner which is known in the art. Zones D1 and D2, which are respectively between sealing lines 6 and 7, and supplementary folds 8, 9, constitute the individual opening elements of compartments 1 and 2, parallel to fold line A-A. For this purpose, one may equip zones D1 and D2 with precut matching notches 12.
Referring to Figure 3, if desired, one may realize the interior sheet in the simple form 5, this latter also being included in supplementary fold 9.
Referring to Figures 4 and 5, and according to a second possible form of embodiment, a bag according to the invention has two compartments, 1 and 2, as before, defined by two external walls 3 and 4 of a single sheet folded along common fold line A-A, and by an interior sheet 5. The interior sheet 5 is inserted inside the lips formed by the fold line A-A and it is sealed along two parallel sealing lines 13 and 14, arranged on the same side with respect to fold line A-A. A first zone D3, forming the opening element of compartment 1 is comprised between the two sealing lines 13 and 14, while the second zone, D4, forming the opening elements of compartment 2, is arranged beyond the sealing line 14 which is the farthest removed from fold line A-A. Sheet 5 is also sealed on edges B.
In order to manufacture a double bag according to the invention, one may place the single sheet forming the external walls onto a flat surface, followed by defining a fold line and carrying out the sealing of the sheet that forms the internal walls along the two lines. This is followed by folding as well as applying the supplementary folds according to the first mode of embodiment then sealing edges B which are perpendicular to the fold line. Under these conditions, the bottom of the bag is constituted by the opening elements D1―D2 or D3-D4 and one may proceed with filling the compartments. After filling, the side opposite to fold line A-A is sealed by any appropriate means, for example, by first folding the edge of the interior sheet 5 and an edge of an external wall 3 onto the other external wall 4, along the cover flap 15.
The walls may be made of any suitable sheet- like material, for example, from paper made impermeable, metal-like paper, or metal or plastic materials. In the latter case, the sealing may be carried out by thermal welding.
It should be pointed out that when the bag is filled and sealed, it is more attractive when presented with the bottom constituted by the region of flap 15 in which case the user merely has to cut separately one of the zones that form the opening element to obtain the product of one compartment while conserving the product of the other compartment under the best conditions.
Thus, after opening one or the other compartments, the present invention permits preservation of the product, contained in the compartment that remains closed, under the initial storage conditions up to the time when it will be used. Notably, in the case of culinary products, the invention permits guaranteed safe consumption with all the predictions inscribed on the packaging (composition, mode of use, storage conditions, labelling and marking), which maintains its integrity until the use of the product that it contains.
Naturally the present invention is described and represented only for the purpose of explanation but it does not represent a limitation and one can make any useful modifications to it, notably in the range of equivalent techniques, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

Claims

1. Double bag for powdered or liquid food products constituted by an exterior sheet folded onto itself thereby forming two external walls (3, 4) which meet at a common fold line (A-A) and by an interior sheet (5/5a, 5b) between said external walls, the sheets being sealed together at their edges (B) thus forming two distinct compartments (1, 2) characterized in that the interior sheet (5/5a, 5b) is sealed to one or both of the external walls (3, 4) along two lines (6, 7/13, 14) parallel to each other and to the commong fold line (A-A).

2. Bag according to Claim 1, characterized by the fact that the external walls have two supplementary folds (8, 9) symmetrical with respect to the fold line (A), the respective zones (0₁, O2) between the sealing lines (6, 7) and each supplementary fold (8, 8) constituting two opening elements.

3. Bag according to Claim 2, characterized by the fact that the interior sheet is double (5a, 5b).

4. Bag according to Claim 1, characterized by the fact that a first zone (D₃) forming an opening element of a compartment (1) is arranged between the two sealing lines (13, 14) and a second zone (D₄), forming an opening element of the other compartment (2), is arranged beyond the sealing line (19) that is the farthest removed from the fold line (A).

5. Process of manufacture of a bag according to any of Claims 1 to 4, characterized by the fact that a single sheet forming the external walls (3, 4) is placed on a flat surface, the fold line (A) is defined, the sheet forming the interior wall (5/5a, 5b) is sealed along two sealing lines, the fold is made and then the sheets are sealed along edges (B), which are perpendicular to the said fold line.