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
  • B65D33/00—Details of, or accessories for, sacks or bags
  • B65D33/16—End- or aperture-closing arrangements or devices
  • B65D33/25—Riveting; Dovetailing; Screwing; using press buttons or slide fasteners
  • B65D33/2508—Riveting; Dovetailing; Screwing; using press buttons or slide fasteners using slide fasteners with interlocking members having a substantially uniform section throughout the length of the fastener; Sliders therefor
  • B65D33/2516—Riveting; Dovetailing; Screwing; using press buttons or slide fasteners using slide fasteners with interlocking members having a substantially uniform section throughout the length of the fastener; Sliders therefor comprising tamper-indicating means, e.g. located within the fastener
  • B65D33/2533—Riveting; Dovetailing; Screwing; using press buttons or slide fasteners using slide fasteners with interlocking members having a substantially uniform section throughout the length of the fastener; Sliders therefor comprising tamper-indicating means, e.g. located within the fastener the slide fastener being located between the product compartment and the tamper indicating means
• • 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
  • B65D33/00—Details of, or accessories for, sacks or bags
  • B65D33/16—End- or aperture-closing arrangements or devices
  • B65D33/1691—End- or aperture-closing arrangements or devices using adhesive applied to attached closure elements
• • 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
  • B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
  • B65D85/07—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for compressible or flexible articles
• • 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
  • B65D75/5855—Peelable seals

Definitions

• This invention relates to packages that may be used for efficiently packaging and shipping compressible products, and methods for making such packages.
• disposable absorbent products While not being limited to such products, one exemplary class of products often shipped in a compressed condition is disposable absorbent products.
• disposable diapers can be highly compressed and packaged to minimize shipping and storage space requirements. After the consumer opens the original packaging, however, the diapers inside can recover a certain percentage of their original, pre- compressed, volume to an extent that they can no longer be adequately re-closed in the original packaging. This creates a problem for the consumer, who wishes to re-seal the remaining diapers against environmental contaminants and moisture.
• the present invention comprises a unitary flexible package for enclosing and containing in a sealed condition one or more compressible products in both a compressed and uncompressed condition.
• the package comprises a first closure member capable of sealing the package in a first closed condition defining a first volume, and a second closure member capable of sealing the package in a second closed condition defining a second volume, the second volume being greater than the first volume.
• the package can have at least one flap for folding a portion of the package into a compact, low volume package.
• a method for making a package of the present invention having at least one flap comprising the steps of: providing a continuous sleeve of material having a first open end and a second open end; joining to the first open end a second closure member; folding the first open end at a fold to form a flap; joining the flap to the continuous sleeve of material to form a first closure member at a first closed end; placing the products into the continuous sleeve of material; compressing the products; closing the second end of sleeve of material to contain the products in a compressed condition.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a package of the present invention.
• FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the package shown in Figure 1 prior to opening the first closure member.
• FIG. 5 is a partial cut away perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, showing compression forces.
• joind encompasses configurations whereby an element is directly secured to another element by affixing the element directly to the other element, and configurations whereby an element is indirectly secured to another element by affixing the element to intermediate member(s) that in turn are affixed to the other element.
• unitary refers to packaging that is formed of separate parts joined together to form a coordinated entity.
• packaging comprising flexible, polymeric film that is formed, folded, sealed and possibly joined to other components, such as closure mechanisms as a coordinated entity is “unitary”.
• a package such as a plastic bag, separately contained inside another package, such as a paperboard box, would not together be considered to be “unitary”.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a unitary flexible package 10 for enclosing and containing in a sealed condition one or more compressible products 100.
• package 10 can be generally rectangular parallelepiped in shape, although other shapes can be used, depending primarily on the compressible products 100 contained therein.
• Package 10 can be constructed in any desired dimensions, depending upon the particular product(s) 100 to be contained therein.
• Package 10 of the present invention can be fabricated from a wide variety of suitable materials including, but not limited to, paper, woven fabrics, and plastic, including polymer films.
• Polymer films preferably have sufficient strength and resistance to creep deformation so as to package compressed articles.
• Such polymer materials are known in the art for compressed article packaging, and include, for example, thermoplastic polymer films, such as polyethylene, polyolefins, and polyesters.
• thermoplastic polymer films such as polyethylene, polyolefins, and polyesters.
• One preferred material for packaging articles such as disposable diapers is linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) having a thickness between about 5 micrometers and 5 mm in thickness. In general, the thickness of the packaging material is dependent up on the products being packaged and the amount of compression.
• LLDPE linear low density polyethylene
• Thermoplastic polymer films facilitate the securement by application of heat of seams, pleats, and flaps, as is known in the art.
• Other means of securing various seams and flaps of package 10, as well as securing volume reducing pleats in the assembled condition can be used, such as tape, staples, and adhesives, of which hot melt adhesives are presently preferred.
• the compressible products 100 may include solid, individual compressible items, but also may include individual compressible packages that each enclose a compressible product or products in liquid, powdered, granular, particular, or discrete forms.
• suitable means to contain the product during the compression process should be employed to prevent product loss.
• package 10 of the present invention may contain a single individual product 100, for example a re-usable product, such as a sponge, that can be re-sealed in the package 10 between uses.
• the package 10 of the present invention is particularly suitable for containing a plurality of products 100, which may themselves be packages or carriers of individual product units.
• Products 100 of particular interest in accordance with the present invention include products which are resiliently compressible, i.e., which can be compressed by a compressive force, and yet tend to return completely, substantially, or at least partially, to their original volume and external dimensions when the compressive force is released.
• Products of this type include clothing, pillows, sponges, cotton batting, cotton balls, building materials such as fiber insulation batting, and disposable absorbent articles, such as diapers, feminine hygiene products, and adult incontinence products, as well as paper and tissue products such as paper towels, bathroom tissue, facial tissue, wipes, table napkins, as well as a wide variety of other products.
• first closed condition package 10 defines a first volume V1 , which is the volume of the enclosed interior space defined by the side walls 11 of the package 10 when the products therein are in their compressed condition, for example, in the shipping condition, and the package 10 is secured by first fastener 12 in a closed condition.
• first volume V1 is the volume of the enclosed interior space defined by the side walls 11 of the package 10 when the products therein are in their compressed condition, for example, in the shipping condition, and the package 10 is secured by first fastener 12 in a closed condition.
• the package in a first closed condition, can contain at least one product 100 in a compressed, reduced volume, condition.
• Adhesive tape 18 can be any suitable adhesive tape known in the art, but preferably can be a tape having a line of weakness 21 , such as a perforation, and/or a release strip 22, such as a tear string or tape (as shown in FIGS. 1-2), to enable simple opening of first closure member 12.
• a line of weakness 21 with or without a release strip 22 associated therewith, can facilitate the rupture of the tape into two parts, 12a and 12b, as shown in FIG. 3. Once ruptured in this manner, first closure member 12 is not intended to be reused, but in some embodiments could have re-sealing capability.
• flap 16 which can be formed, for example as shown in FIG. 2, by a fold 20 in a portion of side walls 11 of the package 10, can unfold.
• the unfolding of flap 16 creates additional volume within package 10. That is, once flap 16 is unfolded, additional volume designated as space 25 in FIG. 3 is available within package 10.
• Compressible products 100 can thereby expand back to a portion of their uncompressed volume while still being contained within package 10, which now is in a second condition, which when closed by second closure member, defines a second volume V2, which is greater than first volume V1.
• package 10 defines a second volume V2, which is the volume of the enclosed interior space defined by the side walls 11 of the package 10 when the second closure is closed.
• Compressible products 100 can be compressed to a fraction of their pre- compression volume, depending on what type of product they are. For example, certain sponges can be compressed to one-half their uncompressed volume.
• Disposable absorbent articles such as diapers having cellulosic fluff absorbent cores, can be folded and compressed to a thickness that is 60% of their folded, uncompressed thickness.
• a package of the present invention can have a volume V1 that is 10% to 90% of the second volume V2.
• the package of the present invention can have a volume V1 that is 50% to 80% of the volume V2.
• the package of the present invention when used to package disposable absorbent articles, can have a volume V1 that is 60%-70% of volume V2.
• V2 can be 200% or more of V1.
• second closure member 14 If second closure member 14 is intended to be an air-tight sealed closure, it can be in a non-air-tight condition prior to opening of first closure member 12. That is, second closure member 14 can be un-closed prior to opening first closure member such that the added volume can be filled, at least initially, with air to permit adequate expansion of the volume of package 10 from the first volume V1 to the second volume V2. Of course, second closure member 14 can be in a closed, sealed position, which may require partial opening to permit entry of air for volume expansion of package 10.
• the package of the present invention can be described as a unitary flexible package 10 for enclosing and containing in a sealed condition one or more compressible products 100 in both a compressed and uncompressed condition.
• the package can be produced and shipped with the products in a compressed condition.
• the package can have a first closure member 12 capable of sealing the package in a first closed condition defining a first volume, and a second closure member 14 capable of sealing the package in a second closed condition defining a second volume, the second volume being greater than said first volume.
• the enclosed products can be much easier to remove, no longer being in their compressed condition.
• first and second closure members 12, 14 refers to "closing" so as to contain the products within the package.
• the term can refer to air-tight or water-tight seals, but is not limited to such seals.
• Various other package configurations can be implemented without departing from the above description.
• two or more folds 16 can be utilized depending on where it is desired that the first closure member be disposed on the finished package of compressed products.
• a fan-fold can be used to accomplish the function of fold 16.
• two or more first closure members 12 can be used, one or more associated with each fold 16.
• the greater the difference between V1 and V2 the greater number of folds 16 may be necessary to efficiently and neatly package the excess side wall material 11 of the packaging prior to opening of the first closure member 12.
• first closure member 12 could be as depicted in FIG. 4, where flap 16 is secured by way of a line of adhesive, such as hot melt adhesive. Rather than adhesive attachment, flap 16 could be secured in a first closed position by way of heat sealing the portions of side wall 11 thermoplastic polymer package material in the region of first closure member 12.
• a compression-resistant seal 24 can be supplied adjacent the region of fold 16. In this manner, first closure member 12 can be released, and flap 16 can be unfolded, prior to release of the pressure exerted by compressed products 100. To release the pressure exerted by compressed products 100 and allow package 10 to expand to the second volume V1 , seal 24 must first be broken.
• One method of making seal 24 is by releasable adhesive, that is, adhesive that has sufficient adhesion to be compression resistant, but nevertheless has a low enough peel force to permit separation of the portions of the package material that are adhered together thereby.
• compression-resistant seal 24 is shown in relationship to the configuration shown in FIG. 4, the seal 24 can be utilized in combination with other configurations, such as that shown in FIG. 2, for example.
• the package material between the seal 24 and the second closure member 14 would not need to be folded and sealed as a flap, but could be simply left unsealed to the package.
• Such a configuration may be beneficial in packages requiring little difference between the first volume V1 and the second volume V2.
• FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of a package 10 of the present invention having an optional handle 26 on one side thereof, which can be unitarily formed with the package.
• the package 10 is formed from flexible packaging material such as polymeric film or Kraft paper, for example, such that the various folds and pleats can be made easily in high speed production, as is known in the art.
• Known methods for packaging compressed products in flexible packaging can be used to to make the packages of the present invention. Such methods can include “on line” continuous processes, or “off line” batch processes.
• known "flow wrap” technology can be adapted to form the compression packaging by the use of continuous webs of polymer film formed into a continuous sleeve of material in the X axis, as shown in FIG. 4. The material can be subsequently formed, folded, and/or pleated and heat sealed at the two open ends to form a closed, unitary package 10. Because the material is formable/deformable and flexible, pleats may optionally be preformed or may be formed from the sheet material during the course of the product compression.
• products 100 are a plurality of folded disposable diapers that have been compressed in the direction indicated by the X axis, for example, during final assembly of the package.
• the packaging process can include, for example, in either a batch or a continuous process, forming a sleeve of material 30 continuous in the Z-Y axis (i.e., a tube of material, e.g., formed by heat sealing opposing edges of a web of material to form a flexible, formable, cylindrical tube as known in the art).
• Product(s) 100 can be placed into continuous sleeve 30 by any suitable method, depending on the particular product(s) being packaged.
• individual diapers can be supplied in a predetermined quantity of folded, stacked, diapers, and introduced into sleeve 30 by means known in the art.
• compression can be applied in the direction of the X-axis as shown by the lines of external force F in FIG. 6.
• the external force F can be applied by plunger or other means known in the art while the package is constrained.
• pleats 32 formed by folding inwardly sleeve material 30 at the second open end of the package where compression is being applied.
• a separate end piece 34 of package material 30 is compressed with products 100.
• Pleats 32 are folded and sealed, such as by heat sealing, onto end piece 34 to form a closed, unitary package 10.
• the second open end of the sleeve of material 30 is closed to sufficiently contain products 100 in a compressed condition.
• the products 100 are first compressed, for example in an off line process, and introduced in the compressed condition into the packaging material for closure into a unitary package.
• the products 100 can be placed into continuous sleeve of material 30 prior to closing either the first or second ends of package 10.
• the second end (not having first and second closure members 12, 14, associated therewith) can be closed first, and then the first end can be closed.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)
• Packaging Of Annular Or Rod-Shaped Articles, Wearing Apparel, Cassettes, Or The Like (AREA)
• Auxiliary Devices For And Details Of Packaging Control (AREA)
• Wrappers (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=8179686

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (9)

Cited By (2)

Families Citing this family (34)

Citations (9)

Family Cites Families (22)

• 2001
  • 2001-12-22 AT AT01130772T patent/ATE324335T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2001-12-22 EP EP01130772A patent/EP1321381B2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2001-12-22 DE DE60119141T patent/DE60119141T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 2002
  • 2002-12-20 US US10/325,333 patent/US20030115837A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-12-20 CN CNB028245814A patent/CN1283529C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-12-20 JP JP2003556320A patent/JP3902771B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-12-20 WO PCT/US2002/041133 patent/WO2003055773A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2002-12-20 AU AU2002359808A patent/AU2002359808A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-12-20 MX MXPA04005952A patent/MXPA04005952A/es active IP Right Grant

Patent Citations (9)

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