MXPA99011070A - Flexible compartmented package that stands upright having rupturable seal and connecting strap - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a flexible compartmented package (10). The compartmented package has a first compartment (12) flexibly connected to a second compartment (14) by a rupture seal (20). The first compartment is folded over the second compartment. The package includes a connecting strap (40) attached to the compartments and enabling the package to stand in an upright position. The rupturable seal is rupturable in order for the products contained within the compartments to be mixed prior to dispensing from the compartmented package. Such a package can be viewed by a consumer on a store shelf, without the need to pick the package up in order toread the information printed on the packages'label.

Description

FLEXIBLE PACKAGE DIVIDED IN COMPARING IMIENTS THAT CAN BE PLACED VERTICALLY WITH BREAKABLE SEAL AND STRIP OF CONNECTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a multi-compartment package. More particularly, the present invention relates to packages of this type that have an easy-to-break seal. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Flexible multi-compartment packages having "breakable" seals are typically employed to separate compounds that should not be mixed until they are ready for use.For example, U.S. Patent No. 3,074,544 issued to Bollmeier et al., Presents a package of combination and U.S. Patent No. 5,287,961 issued to Herran presents a multi-compartment package having an improved dividing strip.When the breakable seals of said packages are broken, the compounds in the separate compartments can be mixed in. Thus, the packages divided into compartments They are very convenient for storing various products ready for mixing and use, such multi-compartment packages are offered in various sizes and shapes.Some of the packages of this type are relatively bulky and often difficult to handle since they are relatively flexible and can present a for irregular ma However, most of these packages are substantially flat and pillow-shaped. Such packages are typically stored simply by placing the flat package on a shelf or surface. The multi-compartment packages are typically stacked one on top of the other in a manner that hides the label of the packages. Thus, packages of this type generally do not attract the attention of customers or consumers when the latter are walking in stores, retail stores, and the like. This causes that many products are not seen by the buyers especially since the shelves of the warehouses are replete with many presentation arrangements and labels of packages that "attract attention". Furthermore, in order to visually identify the contents of these relatively flat packages or to read the label in a package of this type, the consumer has to take the package. Thus, it is uncomfortable for the consumer to have to take several packages of this type before finding the brand, flavor, color, type, etc., that they are looking for. Also, since competition for shelf space is often strong, it is desirable to have a package that offers a visible or "eye-catching" presentation. Therefore, it has been a desire to offer a compartmentalized package that allows a consumer to easily identify the package, read its label or identify the product contained within the package. There is also a need in the sense that a package of this type is comfortable and easy to use with products ready to be mixed. COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION A package divided into a compartment is presented for storing a product ready to be mixed. The package includes a first compartment having a first volume and a second compartment having a second volume. The first compartment and the second compartment are substantially flexible and hermetically sealed. At least some breakable seals are included in the first compartment or in the second compartment. The breakable seal allows a fluid communication from the first compartment or from the second compartment. Preferably, the breakable seal connects the first compartment with the second compartment. More preferably, rupture of the breakable seal allows fluid communication between the first volume and the second volume in order to form a product that can flow. A connecting strap is fixed on the first compartment and the second compartment. This connecting strap keeps the compartments in a bent configuration and allows the divided compartment package to be maintained in a vertical position. The breakable seal is preferably flexible and allows the first compartment to be bent over the second compartment. When the package divided into compartments is in this configuration folded, the hydraulic forces within the first volume and the second volume of the first compartment and the second compartment are balanced between them and through the breakable seal, thus preventing a premature rupture of the breakable seal. The package divided into compartments is unfolded in order to allow rupture of the breakable seal. Preferably, the connecting strap comprises a sheet of paper, resin or plastic material. More preferably, the first compartment and the second compartment are thermoformed from a plastic material and the first volume and the second volume are partially visible through the first compartment and second compartment. When the first compartment is folded over the second compartment, the package has the appearance of an A-shaped structure, which preferably has the breakable seal located between the first compartment and the second compartment. In a preferred embodiment, the connection strap has an external surface that offers a suitable area for printing labels or other visual marks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS While the specification ends with claims that particularly indicate and clearly claim the present invention, it is considered that said invention will be better understood from the following detailed description together with the attached drawings in which reference numbers similar indicate the same element in the views, and wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view in a compartmentalized package of the present invention before folding; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the compartmentalized package of the present invention along the line of section 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a top plan view of a connection strap in accordance with the present invention; Figure 4 is a top plan view of an alternative connection strap in accordance with the present invention; and Figure 5 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the compartmentalized package of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to Figure 1, the compartmentalized package, generally indicated as 10, is shown before being folded. The compartmentalized package 10 has a first compartment 12 with a first volume 22 and a second compartment 14 with a second volume 24. Preferably, the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 are substantially flexible. As such, these compartmentalized packages 10 can be manufactured in various sizes and shapes. For example, a package divided into compartments 10 can be constructed in accordance with that indicated in U.S. Patent No. 3,074,544 issued to Bollmeier et al., On January 22, 1963 and transferred to Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company; U.S. Patent No. 4,227,614 issued to Hollander, Jr. on October 14, 1980, and transferred to John P. Glass; and U.S. Patent No. 5,287,961 issued to Herran on February 22, 1994, and transferred to W.R. Grace and Co.; all of which are incorporated here by reference. The compartmentalized package 10 can be constructed or manufactured from a plastic film or it can be thermoformed, injection molded by blow molding, extrusion, or the like, from any plastic material. Preferably, the plastic material is heat sealable so as to seal the contents within the compartmentalized package 10. More preferably, the plastic material can be hermetically sealed which means that the package with compartments 10 when sealed is substantially watertight. air or liquid, or has high oxygen barrier properties. Particularly, the transmission property of 02 has a value that is preferably between about 1 and 0.001 cc / 100 square inches / 24 hours at a temperature of 23 ° C (dry), more preferably between about 0.1 and 0.01 cc / 100 square inches / 24 hours at a temperature of 23 ° C (dry), and with. special preference a high value of approximately 0.08 and a low value- of approximately 0.05_ cc / 100 square inches / 24 hours at a temperature of 23 ° C (dry). The transmission property of H20 of the film has a value preferably comprised between about 0.9 and 0.2 g / 100 square inches / 24 hours at a temperature of 100 ° F and with a relative humidity of 90%, "more preferably it has a high value of about 0.8 and a low value of about 0.3, and especially a value of about 0.36 g / 100 square inches / 24 hours at a temperature of 100 ° F and with a relative humidity of 90%. multiple layers or single layers of plastic materials or can be plastic films that have several layers, mixtures and elaborate extrusions, for example, of one or more of the following: polyamide, nylon, polyethylene, ethylene / vinyl acetate, ionomer, polyester, polyethylene terephthalate, vinyl, polypropylene, polyvinylidene chloride, polybutylene, ethylene vinyl alcohol, or polymers coated with oxide. A preferred film for construction of a compartmentalized package 10 of the present invention has a high strength nylon base, an ethylene vinyl alcohol barrier layer, with a Surlyn sealant and is commercially known as OMNIFLEX C44® which is a commercially available film from Printpac Inc. In a preferred embodiment of the package divided into compartments 10, a first layer 16 and a second layer 18 of plastic material are fastened therebetween. The second layer 18 is preferably thermoformed and offers portions in recess and the first layer 16 is preferably substantially planar. The first compartment 12 having a first volume 22 and the second compartment 14 having a second volume 24 are formed when the first layer 16 is fixed on the second layer 18. The periphery is formed by means of a first edge 32, a second edge 34, and deformable edges 36, 38. The periphery of the package divided into compartments 10 can be sealed by heat sealing, adhesives, and the like. The periphery is sealed in a substantially permanent manner such that manual handling of the package with compartments 10 will not break or cause separation at the periphery. An alternative compartmentalized package 10 can be made from a single sheet of plastic film fixed on itself. Referring now to Figure 2, a breakable seal 20 separates the first compartment 12 from the second compartment 14. A breakable seal 20 can be made by various methods insofar as it can be separated by manually manipulating the divided package in compartments 10 when it is unfolded the package. For example, a breakable seal 20 may be fabricated as a thin-walled section, a weakened zone, a fragile thermal seal, a welded zone having interruptions or discontinuities or the like, and combinations thereof. Alternatively, a first edge 32 and a second edge 34 can also be formed as breakable seals that allow delivery of a first volume 22 of the first compartment 12 independently of the second volume 24 from the second compartment 14. The preferred thickness of the film is found within a range of approximately 0.003 to 0.011 inches. A preferred breakable seal 20 can be produced, for example, from an OMNIFLEX C44 ® sheet, by using a VERTROD ® pulse thermal sealer at a temperature between about 230 ° F and about 250 ° F with a time of residence of about 2 to 3 seconds, more preferably of about 2.2 to 2.5 seconds, and under a pressure of about 20 to 40 psi. It will be understood that the conditions for the production of the breakable seal vary according to the construction materials, however, the chosen conditions must produce the expected result. In addition, breakable seals can be made to break at different pressures by changing seal characteristics. For example, the time, temperature, pressure, amount of impurities, surface area, and the like employed when each breakable seal is constructed can be increased and / or decreased. Said arrangement allows the packages divided into compartments 10 to be adapted to the particular use envisaged. As shown in Figure 3, a connecting strip 40 is substantially rectangular and has a length L and a constant width W. Preferably, a connecting strip 40 also includes a first serrated line 41 and a second serrated line 43 spaced apart and which extend the full width W. These fluted lines 41 and 43 divide the connecting strip 40 into 3 segments. A first segment 42 having a length Lx extending from a front edge 45 to a first fluted line 41. A second segment 44 having a length L2 extending from a first fluted line 41 to a second fluted line 43. A third segment 46 having a length L3 extending from a second serrated line 43 to a trailing edge 47. Preferably, the length L of the connecting strip 40 is equivalent to the length Li + length L2 + length L including the distance from the front edge 45 to the trailing edge 47. A connection strip 40 can be manufactured from many flexible materials, for example, cloth, paper, coated paper, plastic, thermoformed plastic, paper-resin sheet, sheet, and the like. It is preferable that these materials allow multicolor printing in order to allow the connecting strip 40 to include visual marks, labels and other printed or pictorial information. In a preferred embodiment, the connecting strip 40 is formed from commercially available coated paper in TEKTRONIC ® Computer Graphics under the trade name Phaser IISD Printer Paper. Preferably, the connecting strip 40 is fixed on at least one of the first compartment 12 and second compartment 14 in a substantially continuous manner by any mechanical method commonly known to those skilled in the art, including, for example, glue, connection, heat sealing, lamination, adhesive connection, welding, or even by means of a mechanical fastener such as a snap fastener, hook, or the like. A connecting strip 40 can also be manufactured integrally with at least one of the first compartment 12 and second compartment 14. Referring now to Figure 4, an alternative embodiment of the connection strap 140 is shown. A connection strap can be formed 140 of many sizes and shapes but preferably has an irregular shape with an overall length L. A connecting strap 140 also includes a first grooved line 141 and a second grooved line 143 spaced along the length L. Preferably, it is First grooved line 141 and this second grooved line 143 divide connecting strip 140 into at least 3 segments of varying shape and size. The first segment 142 has a length Li extending from a front edge 141 to the first score line 141. The second segment 144 has a length L2 extending from the first score line 141 to the second score line 143. A third segment 146 has a length L3 extending from the second score line 143 to a rear edge 147. Preferably, the length L of the connection strap 140 is equivalent to the length Li + length L2 + length L3 including the distance from the edge front 145 to rear edge 147. The lengths Li and L2 and L3 can be equivalent or different. The first segment 141 has a width i and the second segment 144 has a width W2 and the third segment 146 has a width W3 where these widths may each have different dimensions. More preferably, the widths i and W3 are equivalent and W2 is of a smaller dimension. Alternatively, a second segment 144 of multiple portions can be made. As shown in Figure 5, a breakable seal 20 is flexible such that the first compartment 12 is bent over the second compartment 14 around the breakable seal shaft 20. When the divided package is folded into compartments 10 around the breakable seal 20, the hydraulic forces are balanced within each compartment and in the breakable seal 20 in such a way as to avoid premature failure or rupture of the breakable seal 20. In this folded configuration, a compartmentalized package 10 forms a structure in the form of A. Preferably, the breakable seal 20 is located at the apex of the A-shaped structure. Deformable edges 36 and 38 form a triangular-shaped portion of the A-shaped structure. Preferably, the connecting strap 40 is it is fixed on the package divided into compartments 10 by virtue of being bent over the first edge 32 in the first grooved line 41 and the second edge 34 in the second one. nda line 43. Alternatively, a connecting strip 40 may encompass the deformable edges 34 and 38. The length L2 is substantially equivalent to the distance between the first edge 32 and the second edge 34. Preferably, the first segment 42 and the third segment 46 of the connecting strip 40 are fixed on the first layer 16 in the first compartment 12 and second compartment 14 in a substantially continuous manner. For example, a connecting strip 14 can be fixed by means of an adhesive bond, glue, heat seal, or the like. More preferably, a connecting strip 40 covers a substantial portion of at least one of the first compartment 12 and second compartment 14. Preferably, the length Li is slightly smaller than the length X of the first compartment 12, and more preferably, the first compartment 12 and second compartment 14 have equivalent lengths. In addition, the width W is slightly less than the width Y of the first layer 16 on the first compartment 12, and the width W2 is substantially less than the width Y. The attachment of the connection strap 40 maintains a first compartment 12 and a second compartment 14 in a folded configuration and allows the divided compartment package 10 to remain upright. The term "vertical" as used herein indicates that the first layer 16 of the package divided into compartments 10 is substantially vertical or oblique relative to a horizontal surface. The connecting strip 40 prevents the first compartment 12 from sliding out of the second compartment 14. Preferably, the first segment 42 and the third segment 46 of the connecting strip 40 have a visible part when the compartmentalized package 10 is viewed from a upper part. Particularly, the preferred embodiment of the connecting strip 40 includes visual marks, label or other printed or pictorial information on the surfaces of the first segment 42, second segment 44, or third segment 46. Thus, the connection strap 40 offers a presentation that "draws attention" that attracts consumers towards the package divided into compartments 10 and the contents thereof. Preferably, the compartmentalized package 10 contains a complete product, ready to be mixed, made of two or more components that must be kept separate until they are about to be used. Typically, such components have the ability to flow and may be fluid but also solids, powders, liquids or combinations thereof. For example, a ready-to-mix product may have a liquid or oil component that is kept separate from an aqueous component. A particularly preferred product for use in a compartmentalized package 10 is a complete food product, ready for mixing such as, for example, the shelf stable dough mixture presented in U.S. Patent No. 5,409,720 issued to Kent et al. day April 25, 1995 and transferred to Day Day Inc. Other food products and complete beverages, ready to mix, can be, for example: mixtures, dough, pasta, breads, chocolate biscuits and nuts, cakes, cookies, bread corn, drinks, frostings, bagels, pancakes, salad dressings, soups, sauces, milkshakes, waffles, yogurt, as well as other food products and flavored or sweet drinks. In order to mix the separated compounds, the connection strip 40 is cut off or detached, which allows the divided compartment package 10 to be unfolded. A breakable seal 20 can then be broken by manual manipulation of the compartmentalized package 10. Preferably, said manipulation is through tightening, twisting, pulling or pressing on the first compartment 12 and / or second compartment 14 of the package divided into compartments. 10 in order to create a pressure sufficient to break, separate, cut, or open the breakable seal 20. The opening of the breakable seal 20 allows the components contained in the separate compartments 12 and 14 to be in communication with each other for their mixed. The mixing of these components can be accelerated by further manipulation of the package divided into compartments 10 in order to form the particular product to be supplied. Preferably, a portion of first compartment 12 and second compartment 14 is transparent or translucent and, more preferably, first volume 22 or second volume 24, are at least partially visible through the corresponding first compartment 12 and second compartment 14. This allows the user to observe the product while it is mixing. In order to supply the product from the package divided into compartments 10, the periphery can be cut, torn, and opened using scissors or the like. Alternatively, an easy or perforated opening mechanism can be provided. Alternatively, an attachment such as, for example, a screw cap can be attached to the compartment 12, 14 or side wall 16, which would facilitate the opening and supply of said product. After the opening of the periphery of the compartmentalized package 10, the product can be supplied therefrom by pressing on the compartmentalized package 10. While particular embodiments of the present invention were illustrated and described herein, they can be performed various modifications to the package divided into compartments without departing from the teachings of the present invention. The terms used in the description of the invention are used in their descriptive sense and not as limiting terms, it being intended that all equivalents thereof are included within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (1)

1. CLAIMS A compartmentalized package comprising a first compartment having a first volume and a second compartment having a second volume, the first compartment and the second compartment being flexibly connected and bent one above the other, the first compartment, and the second compartment are also substantially flexible and hermetically sealed, at least one breakable seal is included in the first compartment and in the second compartment, the compartmentalized package is characterized in that: a connecting strap is fixed on the divided package in compartment, the connecting strap keeps the compartments in the bent configuration and allows the compartmentalized package to remain upright. The package divided into compartments according to claim 1, wherein the rupture of the breakable seal allows the supply of the first volume from the first compartment independently of the second volume of the second compartment. The compartmentalized package according to claim 1, wherein the rupture of the breakable seal allows communication between the first compartment and the second compartment such that the first volume and the second volume are mixed within the package divided into compartments. The package divided into compartments according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the premature breaking of the breakable seal is avoided in the folded configuration and the divided package in compartments is unfolded in order to allow rupture of the breakable seal. The compartment divided package according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first compartment includes a first edge and the second compartment includes a second edge, the first edge and the second edge are close to each other in the bent configuration, preferably the Connection strap is fixed on the first compartment and the second compartment near the first edge and second edge. The package divided into compartments according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first compartment and the second compartment are thermoformed using a plastic material. The package divided into compartments according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first compartment and the second compartment have an external surface, the connection strap being fixed on the external surface. The package divided into compartments according to any of the preceding claims wherein the connection strap consists of a plastic material. The package divided into compartments according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first volume and the second volume are at least partially visible through the first compartment and the second compartment. The package divided into compartments according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the compartments contain a complete food product, ready to be mixed.