Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D75/00—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes, or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers
  • B65D75/52—Details
  • B65D75/58—Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture
  • B65D75/5861—Spouts
  • B65D75/5872—Non-integral spouts
  • B65D75/5877—Non-integral spouts connected to a planar surface of the package wall
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C59/00—Surface shaping of articles, e.g. embossing; Apparatus therefor
  • B29C59/007—Forming single grooves or ribs, e.g. tear lines, weak spots
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C65/00—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor
  • B29C65/02—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor by heating, with or without pressure
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C66/00—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts
  • B29C66/01—General aspects dealing with the joint area or with the area to be joined
  • B29C66/05—Particular design of joint configurations
  • B29C66/10—Particular design of joint configurations particular design of the joint cross-sections
  • B29C66/11—Joint cross-sections comprising a single joint-segment, i.e. one of the parts to be joined comprising a single joint-segment in the joint cross-section
  • B29C66/112—Single lapped joints
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C66/00—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts
  • B29C66/01—General aspects dealing with the joint area or with the area to be joined
  • B29C66/05—Particular design of joint configurations
  • B29C66/10—Particular design of joint configurations particular design of the joint cross-sections
  • B29C66/13—Single flanged joints; Fin-type joints; Single hem joints; Edge joints; Interpenetrating fingered joints; Other specific particular designs of joint cross-sections not provided for in groups B29C66/11 - B29C66/12
  • B29C66/131—Single flanged joints, i.e. one of the parts to be joined being rigid and flanged in the joint area
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C66/00—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts
  • B29C66/40—General aspects of joining substantially flat articles, e.g. plates, sheets or web-like materials; Making flat seams in tubular or hollow articles; Joining single elements to substantially flat surfaces
  • B29C66/47—Joining single elements to sheets, plates or other substantially flat surfaces
  • B29C66/474—Joining single elements to sheets, plates or other substantially flat surfaces said single elements being substantially non-flat
  • B29C66/4742—Joining single elements to sheets, plates or other substantially flat surfaces said single elements being substantially non-flat said single elements being spouts
  • B29C66/47421—Joining single elements to sheets, plates or other substantially flat surfaces said single elements being substantially non-flat said single elements being spouts said spouts comprising flanges

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a liquid package such as a liquid pouch including a dispensing nozzle attached to the surface of the packaging material, whereby on the interior side of the package, at said dispensing nozzle, remains a portion of the packaging material which portion prior to the opening of the liquid package is intact and is torn open in conjunction with the opening of the package.
• Sealed liquid pouches made from a plastic material are conventionally used for packaging and dispensing liquids including water, milk, cream, yogurt and others.
• Such plastic pouches are manufactured in purpose-designed packaging machines in which the pouch manufacturing step is also complemented with the filling step of the pouch with the desired liquid.
• the pouch As exiting from the packaging line, the pouch is hermetically sealed and fully liquid- tight.
• the pouches are manufactured in the volume range of 0.2-20 liters.
• the emptying of smaller- volume pouches causes no problems as they are have a low weight and can thus be easily poured into a mug, glass, onto a plate, etc.
• the larger-volume liquid pouches (5-20 liters) principally used in commercial kitchens, bars, restaurants and similar facilities require special arrangements for their handling and particularly in the dispensing of their liquid contents.
• a method of dispensing the liquid contents of large- volume pouches is to place the pouch in a support frame or similar casing with dimensions matching those of the pouch and to cut a hole in the corner of the pouch where- from the liquid may flow by gravity into a dispensing apparatus for further use.
• this arrangement is rather awkward in practice and requires complicated and expensive dispensing systems.
• Another possibility is to attach by, e.g., heat-sealing or ultrasonic sealing, to the surface of the liquid pouch, advantageously close to the edge of the pouch, a dispensing nozzle or similar element which is provided with a suitable thread or other mounting projections or equivalent means for attaching a cock, dispensing tubing or similar dispensing element.
• the present invention relates to this latter alternative arrangement.
• the dispensing nozzle is attached to the pouch in conjunction with the manufacture of the pouch in a packaging machine.
• the material portion at the dispensing nozzle, on the in ⁇ terior side of the package is pierced with the help of a sharp tool or similar accessory, next a dispensing means such as a dispensing tubing is connected to said dispens ⁇ ing nozzle and the pouch is finally placed in the correct position on a frame designed for the pouch.
• a disadvan ⁇ tage of such liquid packages is that the dispensing opening must be pierced inward through the packaging material, on the interior side of the dispensing nozzle, whereby bacteria may enter the interior of the package along with, e.g., the tool used for piercing the dispens ⁇ ing opening.
• Another drawback to be noted is that exter ⁇ nal tools are required at all for opening the liquid package.
• the liquid package according to the present invention is characterized in that for the purpose of making said opening, the interior wall of the packaging material, at the dispensing nozzle area, is provided with a strength weakening pattern made on the material essentially so as to form a shape identical to that of the desired opening, however, not so as to let the embossed pattern extend through the material at any point.
• An embodiment of the liquid package according to the invention is characterized in that the material strength weakening pattern forms essentially a cross so that the center of the cross is aligned at least essentially close to the longitudinal center axis of the dispensing nozzle to be attached.
• Another embodiment of the liquid package according to the invention is characterized in that the material strength weakening pattern is produced by embossing, laser ablation or a similar method.
• the opening of the liquid package is not only hygienic but also easy. Namely, the package may be opened without using any external tools in an extremely simple manner and even without touching the material point to be opened through a simple procedure comprising compressing the front and back walls of the liquid package together at the dispensing nozzle (located at one corner of the liquid package) using a firm single- or two-hand grip and next pressing the material from the rear wall side with, e.g., a finger at the dispensing nozzle toward the front wall, whereby the material is torn at the weakened area and a dispensing opening of desired shape and size is formed on the interior side of the dispensing nozzle.
• Figure 1 shows a vertically mounted liquid package equipped with a dispensing nozzle
• Figure 2 shows an enlarged view of detail A denoted in Fig. 1 by a circle
• Figure 3 shows a sectional view along line III-III marked in Fig. 2, now in a slightly larger scale than in Fig. 2.
• a one-side simplified view of a liquid pouch 1 is shown having its one corner (or edge) provided with a dispensing nozzle 2 advantageously made of plastic.
• the dispensing nozzle is attached by, e.g., ultrasonic or heat sealing to the front wall la of the liquid package using conventional techniques.
• the rear wall of the liquid package is corre ⁇ spondingly denoted by reference numeral lb (Fig. 3).
• Fig. 2 illustrates in a larger scale the detail marked with a circle and reference letter A in Fig. 1.
• the surface of the packaging material is provided on the interior side at the dispens ⁇ ing nozzle with a cross-shaped strength weakening groove 3.
• the strength weakening pattern may obviously have alternative shapes such as a triangle and others, a cross-shaped pattern has been found functional in practice.
• the center point of the cross-shaped pattern is advantageously located as close to that of the dispensing nozzle 2.
• Required material strength weakening effect is attained by means of embossing with a suitable tool or using laser ablation.
• liquid pouches are manufactured from plastic materials such as a single- or multilayer poly- olefin film made from, e.g., polyethylene or a copolymer of polyethylene, or alternatively, a polyamide or similar material.
• plastic materials such as a single- or multilayer poly- olefin film made from, e.g., polyethylene or a copolymer of polyethylene, or alternatively, a polyamide or similar material.
• FIG. 3 a sectional view of the top part of the liquid package is shown therein with the package oriented vertically, that is, in the conventional position for opening the package prior to the use of its contents. Opening in this position is obviously necessary to prevent the liquid 4 contained in the package from running out via the dispensing nozzle 2 immediately after the package is opened.
• the opening of the liquid package according to the inven ⁇ tion occurs by pinching the nozzle 2 with one or both hands and simultaneously pressing the rear wall lb of the liquid pouch at the nozzle with one finger, e.g., the thumb in the direction denoted by arrow F in the diagram. Then, the rear wall lb is first pushed against the front wall, whereby it subsequently starts to bulge the front wall to the left in the case shown in Fig. 3. This com- pressive force is applied with sufficient vigour until the pouch wall material is torn open at the weakened area 3 thereby providing the wall with an opening of desired shape determined by the material strength weakening pattern. After the opening is thus torn open, the pouch is place upside down into the intended position for its use. The liquid pouch is now ready for use.
• the invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described above, but rather, can be varied within the scope of the appended claims.
• an additional essential require ⁇ ment is set therein that the material strength weakening pattern made the interior wall of the packaging material, at the dispensing nozzle area, may at no point extend through the material wall in order to maintain the integrity of the package against bacterial contamination. Therefore, the material strength weakening pattern cannot be accomplished by perforation in which the holes would extend through the material wall.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)
• Bag Frames (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=8542027

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (5)

Citations (5)

• 1994
  • 1994-12-21 FI FI946000A patent/FI107245B/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1995
  • 1995-12-21 WO PCT/FI1995/000698 patent/WO1996019387A1/en active Application Filing
  • 1995-12-21 AU AU42628/96A patent/AU4262896A/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (5)

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