Abstract:
A fluid container pouch has first and second opposing side walls forming at least one enclosed chamber between them, each side wall is comprised of a laminate material having at least two layers. A first layer of the laminate is sealant layer for sealing to a sealant layer of an opposed side wall. A second layer of the laminate provides a barrier between the contents of the pouch and its environment. Each of the first and second layers comprises a material having oriented structure, such that energy sufficient to tear the material will be directed in a predetermined direction across the material, and further that the oriented structures of the first and second layers are aligned with each other. At least one design weakness in the pouch operative to direct tearing energy in a direction aligned with the oriented structure of said first and second layers.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/078,870, filed 19 February 2002, now pending, the complete disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention is related generally to the field of packaging, and more particularly, to the packaging of fluids for convenient storage, transportation, and use.  
           [0004]    More specifically, the present invention relates to a novel beverage container having a self-contained straw for ease of consumption.  
           [0005]    2. Description of Related Art  
           [0006]    The use of a pliable pouch to store fluids for convenient storage, transportation, and use is well known in the art. For example, such pouches may be used to store medical fluids for intravenous infusion to a patient; or for purified water or saline in a first aid kit. Such pouches are also used in conjunction with beverages designed for human consumption.  
           [0007]    When used as a container, the problem arises of how to open the package, and thereafter use the contents without spillage. One common solution in the beverage marketplace is to provide a wrapped straw with each pouch, secured to the outside thereof. These straws are generally rigid, and have a sharpened point at one end. Some predetermined and appropriately designated weak point of the pouch is punctured with the sharpened point of the straw, allowing consumption of the contents.  
           [0008]    This arrangement has certain drawbacks. For example, the straw may become separated from the pouch prior to its intended use. For reasons of durability and preservation of the contents, so called barrier properties, such pouches are typically resilient, and difficult to tear open by hand. In that case, the package could only be opened with great force, likely spilling the contents in the process. Therefore, it would be inconvenient to consume the contents if the straw were separated.  
           [0009]    Even if not separated, the wrapper of the straw may become damaged, compromising its hygiene and that of the contents when the straw is inserted into the pouch.  
           [0010]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,799,914 issued to Schmit, et al., discloses a fluid pouch having a straw enclosed within it. However, to prevent fluid from flowing through the straw into an upper chamber, the straw must be sealed by means of a complex folding procedure. This would necessitate expenditure on labor or automated machinery to perform this task.  
           [0011]    Further, the lower chamber must be sealed around the straw. In production, it would be common for the straw to be irreversibly sealed in the process, for example, when heat is applied to seal the pouch around the straw as described. Thereafter, the straw, and consequently the pouch, would be unusable.  
           [0012]    Other beverage pouches known in the art are taught, for example, by Darmstadter, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,941,642 and 6,220,756-B1. Darmstadter teaches the inclusion of a straw within the pouch, however the pouch has only one chamber, and the straw is merely a straight straw, not a flexible straw. Consequently, it extends very little beyond the pouch when opened, and is therefore relatively inconvenient to use.  
           [0013]    Another beverage pouch containing a straw is taught by Christine, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,591. Again, this straw is straight, not flexible, and extends very little beyond the pouch when opened. It is likewise inconvenient to use.  
           [0014]    Moreover with respect to Christine, the pouch requires the straw to be broken prior to use, and the pouch also requires a sealed fitment at an upper end of the straw.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0015]    To overcome these and other difficulties in the prior art, disclosed is a fluid container pouch having a self-contained flexible drinking or dispensing straw.  
           [0016]    A fluid container pouch according to the present invention comprises at least first and second fluid chambers having at least two flow channels for fluid communication between said first and second fluid chambers. At least one of said flow channels comprises a flexible conduit, such as a flexible drinking straw.  
           [0017]    According to another aspect of the present invention, a fluid beverage pouch is formed between opposing pliable sidewalls made of a material consisting of a polypropylene ply having a barrier layer on at least one side.  
           [0018]    In accordance with the present invention, a fluid container pouch is provided which is provided internally with a flexible straw. This allows for convenient and hygienic consumption of the beverage. This goal is further achieved while preventing fluid from pooling in an upper chamber where a distal portion of a flexible straw is held without the need for releasably sealing the straw in the packaging process, nor the risk of inadvertently permanently sealing the straw in the packaging process.  
           [0019]    Further in accordance with the present invention, a beverage container pouch is provided which achieves suitable barrier properties as compared with currently used materials for such purposes at a significantly reduced cost.  
           [0020]    According to a further embodiment of the present invention, a fluid container pouch has first and second opposing side walls forming at least one enclosed chamber between them, each side wall is comprised of a laminate material having at least two layers. A first layer of the laminate is sealant layer for sealing to a sealant layer of an opposed side wall. A second layer of the laminate provides a barrier between the contents of the pouch and its environment. Each of the first and second layers comprises a material having oriented structure, such that energy sufficient to tear the material will be directed in a predetermined direction across the material, and further that the oriented structures of the first and second layers are aligned with each other. At least one design weakness in the pouch operative to direct tearing energy in a direction aligned with the oriented structure of said first and second layers. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0021]    These and other features and advantages will become apparent from the following descriptions and drawings, where like numerals designate like features across the several figures.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 1 shows a prospective view of a filled fluid container pouch according to the present invention;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 2 shows a side elevation view of the filled pouch;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 3 shows a front elevation view of an unfilled fluid container pouch according to the present invention;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 4 shows a side elevation view of an unfilled fluid pouch;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 5 illustrates the flexible drinking straw used in conjunction with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a pouch according to the present invention after opening;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 7 shows a section view taken along line  7 - 7  of FIG. 6;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 7A shows the portion of FIG. 7 within circle  7 A,  7 B, according to one embodiment, enlarged and in additional detail;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 7B shows the portion of FIG. 7 within circle  7 A,  7 B, according to an alternate embodiment, enlarged and in additional detail;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 8 shows one embodiment of the pouch bearing indicia, shown against a dark background to highlight the pouch contours;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 9 shows a cross-section of the upper portion of the pouch according to a further embodiment, taken along line  9 - 9  of FIG. 3, including a resealable closure. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0033]    Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, an exemplary embodiment of a filled fluid container pouch, generally  10 , is illustrated. The pouch has an upper portion  12 , two lateral side portions  14 ,  16 , and a lower portion  18 . First fluid chamber  20  and second fluid chamber  22  are provided between opposing pliable walls  24  and  26 . First fluid chamber  20  and second fluid chamber  22  are generally separated by a margin  12   a  formed in upper portion  12 .  
         [0034]    A flexible conduit, for example a flexible drinking straw  28 , is provided within the pouch  10  between the first chamber  20  and the second chamber  22 , forming a first flow path therebetween. The flexible straw is unsealed, and provides a first flow path  29  allowing fluid communication between the first chamber  20  and the second chamber  22 . A second flow path  30  also allows fluid communication between the second chamber  22  and the first chamber  20 . In an exemplary embodiment, the second flow path  30  is coaxial with, and surrounds, the flexible straw  28 . In an alternate embodiment, second flow path  30  is a one-way flow path permitting flow only from the second chamber  22  to the first chamber  20 .  
         [0035]    One or more design weaknesses, e.g. tear notches  32   a  and  32   b , are provided at upper portion  12  to allow the pouch to be torn open by hand. One or more through holes  34   a  and  34   b  are provided in upper portion  12  to allow the pouch to be hung from a rack, for example in a retail store aisle or refrigerated case.  
         [0036]    Some portion of the pouch, upper portion  12  in the example of FIG. 1, can be formed in a non-rectangular fashion such as defined by edges  35   a ,  35   b . One method of doing this would be a die-cut press, other methods are known in the art. These cuts can be varied to conform to indicia printed on either or both walls  24 ,  26  of the pouch. With reference to FIG. 8, in one exemplary embodiment, the indicia  110  include a scene having mountains with clouds above the mountains. The indicia  110  is printed on at least one wall, and the upper portion  12  of pouch  10  is die cut to the shape of the clouds. Notch  32   b  can be formed to match the indicia by a die-cut between a cloud above and a mountain slope below.  
         [0037]    Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, the construction of the pouch will be described in more detail opposing pliable walls  24  and  26  can be formed either by joining two sheets of a suitable material together and sealing the same along the upper portion  12 , both lateral portions  14 ,  16 , and the lower portion  18 . This can be accomplished either by heat-sealing, or any other suitable means known in the art. The flexibility of the pliable wall material will allow the first chamber  20  and second chamber  22  to form between opposing pliable walls  26  and  28  when filled with a liquid.  
         [0038]    An alternative, and preferred construction is to fold a single sheet of the desired pouch material onto itself, and sealing along the upper portion  12 , and both lateral portions  14 ,  16 . More preferably, whether formed of two separate sheets or a single folded sheet, lower portion  18  is provided with at least one gusset  36  to allow expansion for additional fluid capacity, as well as to strengthen the seal at the lower portion  18 . Additionally, either or both lateral portions may be provided with gussets irrespective of any gusset  36  at a lower portion.  
         [0039]    Pouch  10  may be constructed from a single layer material or a multiple layer material. Materials commonly used for beverage pouches include a polyester ply sandwiched between layers of aluminum foil on either side. While aluminum foil is generally considered an excellent barrier, it has certain drawbacks. Among these, when the aluminum foil is flexed, micro and/or macro cracks develop easily in the surface, which severely compromise the barrier properties. Also, the aluminum foil is exceedingly difficult to tear by hand, and if tearable, the direction of the tear progresses randomly, necessitating other opening methods as previously described.  
         [0040]    Referring now to FIG. 7A, a more preferable material that would allow reduced cost without sacrificing barrier properties is a polypropylene film ply  101  having an oxygen barrier layer  103  on one side only. The oxygen barrier layer  103  may be a metalized coating, an aluminum foil layer, a polyethylene vinyl alcohol layer, or other pliable material of suitable oxygen barrier properties known in the art.  
         [0041]    This combination provides significant advantages. The oxygen barrier layer  103  supplements the oxygen barrier properties of the polypropylene. This is particularly important for carbohydrate-rich beverage liquids, where exposure to oxygen during shipment and storage adversely affects the contents&#39; quality, even suitability for consumption. Furthermore, the above barrier properties can be realized at a reduced cost over the polyester material sandwiched between layers of aluminum foil as is commonly used.  
         [0042]    With reference to FIG. 7A, the pouch  10  is preferably formed by orienting the oxygen barrier layer  103  outward. The outward facing barrier layer allows the superior moisture barrier properties of the polyethylene layer  101  to prevent contact between fluid contents of the pouch and the oxygen barrier layer, which could compromise the properties of the oxygen barrier layer  103 . Pouch  10  may then be formed by folding a single sheet of such material in the manner described above.  
         [0043]    The choice of barrier layer materials may be influenced by aesthetic concerns without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, a pouch having an outwardly facing metalized or aluminum foil oxygen barrier layer will have a reflective outer surface, which would allow attractive and eye-catching indicia to be applied. Use of polyethylene vinyl alcohol for the oxygen barrier has the advantage of transparency, which could be combined with a transparent polypropylene layer to make the contents of the package visible.  
         [0044]    In a more preferred embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 7B, a multiple ply laminate material comprises an innermost sealant layer  150 . The sealant layer may comprise polyethylene, but other materials may be suitable. Polyethylene has the advantage of a low melting point. Therefore, two sheets of the sidewall material can be brought together with respective sealant layers inward towards each other. Heat may be applied from an external source, at a temperature above the low melting point of the polyethylene, but below that of other layers. Therefore, the sealant layers melt together, forming a hermetic seal in region  152 . The seal  152  exists only at the margins of the pouch  10 , and the sealant ply  150  is open to the first and second chambers  20 ,  22 , where no seal is formed. In a more preferred embodiment, the polyethylene is linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE). LLDPE is more rigid, and has improved tearing characteristics, as described infra. In another embodiment, heat may be applied to opposing sealant layers  150  before the two are brought together. Other sealing methods, including but not limited to folding, or application of solvent or adhesive may be substituted.  
         [0045]    The preferred laminate material further comprises a barrier layer  154 , which is bonded to sealant layer  150  by an adhesive layer  156 . Barrier layer  154  may itself comprise multiple layers. In the prior art, suitable barriers would include an aluminum foil layer. Polypropylene, though exhibiting other desirable qualities, is not ordinarily considered to have acceptable oxygen barrier properties. However, recent advances in materials technology have developed a composite polypropylene material, which includes a vacuum deposited aluminum layer as part of a laminate material. An example of such material is marketed under the OPPALYTE brand name by ExxonMobil Chemical Corporation, more specifically designated Ultra-High Barrier  35  MU  842 .  
         [0046]    The material  35  MU  842  provides significant barrier to the permeation of oxygen, water vapor, and flavor or aroma, previously unavailable in a polypropylene material. Additionally, as compared to other materials having similar barrier properties, for example a foil and polyester composite discussed above, the material  35  MU  842  retains its barrier properties after being subject to flexing and/or folding.  
         [0047]    To the exterior of the barrier layer  154 , an additional adhesive layer  158  bonds to an external layer  160 . The external layer  160  may comprise polyester, PET, oriented polypropylene, polyethylene or LLDPE, among other materials. The external layer  160  may be present to provide additional puncture resistance or other generalized content protection, depending upon the selection of the other materials. In alternate embodiments, the external layer  160  and sealant layer  154  may be omitted. The exterior layer  160  may be reverse-printed on its inner surface to display indicia to its exterior surface, in a manner known in the art.  
         [0048]    The precise choice of materials will be dependent upon the particular application, and more specifically the intended contents of the pouch and the requisite barrier properties. For example, an oxygen barrier is desirable for a carbohydrate-rich beverage prepared without preservatives. In another contemplated application, the pouch will contain one or more doses of liquid pharmaceutical for medical delivery. Many medications, for example a cough medication, contain significant amounts of alcohol. Therefore, the pouch material must present a significant barrier to at least alcohol and moisture. However, such medications are often preserved for extended shelf life, making oxygen barrier less of a concern. In that case, other barrier materials may be provided in place of, or in addition to, an oxygen barrier material. These include, but are not limited to, nylon, polyester, polystyrene, fluoropolymers and ethyl vinyl alcohol, among others. Each of the named materials maintains orientation and tearability in accordance with other aspects of the present invention. Other contemplated applications of the present invention include, but are not limited to, the dosing and application of pesticides. The particular pesticide in question will present needs for particular barrier properties, which will drive the material selection, without departing from the scope of the present invention.  
         [0049]    Referring now to FIGS. 1, 6 and  7 , the use of the beverage container pouch will be described. In transportation and handling, the contents may flow via the flexible straw  28  between the first chamber  20  and the second chamber  22 . It is, however, undesirable for fluid contents to be pooled in the second chamber when the pouch is opened. For this purpose, second flow path  30  allows for any fluid conducted into the second chamber  22  via flexible straw  28  to recycle back to the first chamber  20  under the influence of gravity via second flow path  30  when the package is placed in an upright orientation, for example when being opened. To aid in this recycling, a lower edge  40  of second chamber  22  can be angled to bias any fluid within the second chamber  22  towards the second flow path  30  and thereafter into the first chamber  20 .  
         [0050]    To open the pouch, a user would tear the upper portion  12 , beginning at a designated weakness, for example notch  32   b . Proceeding in the direction of arrow  100 , the second chamber  22  would be opened along tear line  204 . Flexible straw  28  may be biased in a manner that will cause it to rise in the direction of arrow  102  once chamber  22  is free of any downward constraints from upper portion  12 . Therefore, an end of flexible straw  28  proximal to the user rises appreciably above the top of the pouch  10 . The user may thereafter consume the beverage or otherwise use the contents.  
         [0051]    It is a problem in the prior art that the features of a pouch that make it resilient also make the pouch difficult to open in order to use or consume the contents. For example, aluminum foil, commonly used in prior art pouches, is particularly resistant to puncture or tear. Therefore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the components of a multi-ply laminate material have an oriented structure. More specifically, these oriented structures are aligned parallel with each other and with the tear line  204 . Tear line  204  is shown horizontal to the pouch  10 , but it may traverse the pouch at any angle. The tear notch  32   b  concentrates the stress of the tearing energy along the tear line  204 , and in conjunction with the parallel aligned orientation of the material structure, the tear progresses along the tear line  204  and across the pouch.  
         [0052]    Further, it is more preferable to have the tear line  204  transect an open portion of at least one chamber, in this case the second chamber  22 . In this way, as the tear progresses along the tear line  204 , the user need only tear two single plies for at least a portion of the tear, which presents less resistance than the margin portion where the two opposing plies are sealed together.  
         [0053]    In yet a further embodiment of the invention, referring to FIG. 9, the pouch  10  is provided with a resealable closure  202  in the second chamber  22 . Resealable closure  202  may be of the tongue-and-groove variety, wherein the seal is formed by the interface of a tongue portion  202   a  and a groove portion  202   b . Other resealing means known in the art may be suitable as well. Resealable closure  202  is provided below the tear line  204  defined by notch  32 .  
         [0054]    In the case where flow path  30  is only a one-way flow path, the pouch may be inverted and/or squeezed for dispensing the contents. It is a further advantage to the present invention that providing the straw within the pouch, particularly across the diagonal dimension of the pouch as shown in the figures, enhances the structural stability of the pouch in all dimensions, particularly during handling and transportation.  
         [0055]    The invention has been described herein with reference to particular exemplary embodiments. Certain alterations and modifications may be apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention. The exemplary embodiments are not meant to be limiting on the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.