Flexible package having main compartment and ancillary compartment

A package made of a single rectangular sheet of flexible material which has both a main product compartment and an ancillary compartment. The main compartment is filled with product stacked in columns separated by a grid of cardboard or similar material and thereafter sealed. The main compartment also has a tear strip for providing a dispensing opening in the side of the compartment for removing the product units one at a time from the columns. The ancillary compartment being made of flexible material can be folded down and secured in a collapsed position so that the package can be shipped without adding additional shipping volume. The ancillary compartment is also open at its axial end to allow the insertion and removal of ancillary materials in route to the end user. Means, such as a drawstring, are provided to repeatedly open and close the ancillary compartment without damaging the package.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
This invention relates to a flexible package and, more particularly, to a 
package having a sealed main compartment with a dispensing opening and a 
collapsible ancillary compartment which has a separate opening which can 
be repeatedly opened and closed. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Presently some coffees intended for commercial consumption are shipped to a 
distributor in partially empty cardboard cartons. Upon receipt, the 
distributor opens these partially empty cartons and inserts ancillary 
materials, e.g., cups, filters, creamer, stirrers and sweeteners. Then the 
distributor reseals the cartons and transports them for sale to the end 
user; in this case, coffee providing establishments. The end user then 
opens the package to remove coffee and ancillary materials as needed. 
This system results in increased shipping volume and produces a 
corresponding increase in shipping costs. Thus, it is desirable to ship 
these products in packages which have a volume substantially equal to the 
volume of the product itself during shipment from the product 
manufacturer. It is also desirable to enable a subsequent increase in 
package volume to permit the insertion of ancillary materials. 
Furthermore, it is desirable to provide a means for orderly incremental 
dispensing of the package contents. It is additionally desirable to 
provide the above features while reducing packaging and shipping costs to 
a minimum. 
In addition to coffee, there are other products which could benefit from 
being shipped in a package which includes an ancillary compartment 
requiring only a slight increase in shipping volume. Diapers, for 
instance, could be beneficially packaged in such a container. The package 
used to ship the diapers would double as a diaper bag by allowing the 
consumer to simply fill the ancillary compartment with items such as baby 
powder, baby wipes, extra clothes, etc. 
Schwimmer et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,841,176 and Dock, U.S. Pat. No. 
3,664,569, disclose cardboard packages having collapsible ancillary areas. 
Morrison, U.S. Pat. No. 3,915,295, discloses a hard or soft cigarette pack 
with a slidable drawer for accommodating matches. None of these references 
teach a flexible bag having a reclosable and securable ancillary 
compartment with a dispensing opening in the main compartment. 
Schneider et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,224,640, Kugler, U.S. Pat. No. 3,323,640, 
Helms, U.S. Pat. No. 3,429,718 and Repko, U.S. Pat. No. 3,469,768 disclose 
flexible multi-compartment packages. These references, however, do not 
teach accessing each compartment through separate opening means, nor do 
they teach the securely reclosable feature. 
Although the prior art discloses examples of packages having collapsible 
ancillary compartments, none of these references teach a package made of 
flexible material having two vertically adjacent compartments; one with a 
means for permanently opening the compartment for dispensing and one with 
a securely reclosable opening means. 
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
An object of the invention is to provide a dispensing package which has an 
ancillary compartment which can be collapsed so it does not increase the 
overall shipping volume. 
It is likewise an object of the invention to provide a dispensing package 
which has an ancillary compartment which can be filled either in route to, 
or by the end user. 
It is also an object of the invention to provide a shipping package with a 
main compartment which is sealed but which also has a means for creating 
an opening to allow orderly dispensing of the package contents. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a shipping package having an 
ancillary compartment which can be repeatedly opened and closed without 
damaging the package. 
Additionally, it is an object of the invention to provide a package which 
facilitates handling operations throughout the package's life. 
It is further an object of the invention to accomplish the aforementioned 
objectives while reducing packaging and shipping costs to a minimum. 
Other objects will become apparent hereinafter. 
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a 
flexible package which includes a main compartment and a vertically 
extended ancillary compartment. The main compartment totally encloses a 
column of stacked product units adjacent to the side wall and is sealed. A 
line of weakness is provided in the main compartment for creating an 
opening within the side wall for removing said product one at a time 
without other product protruding from the package. The ancillary 
compartment is open at its uppermost axial end to allow the insertion and 
removal of ancillary materials. This ancillary compartment is fitted with 
means to allow repeated opening and closing operations without damaging 
the package.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The present invention comprises a multi-compartmented package with both 
main 1 and ancillary 2 compartments. The package manufacturer forms the 
package from a flexible sheet of polyethylene or other suitable flexible 
material, e.g. polyethylene, cellophane, saran, foil, or a flexible 
laminate. The flexible material is preferably cut into a rectangular blank 
3 as generally shown in FIG. 3, which results in reduced waste and costs. 
Costs are further reduced since utilizing a single sheet eliminates the 
need for registering several sheets of material together which requires 
additional time and machinery. 
Two tear strips 4 are perforated into the rectangular blank 3 as shown in 
FIG. 3. Next, a cardboard 10 or similar backing is laminated to the tear 
strip 4 as shown in FIG. 7 to aid its removal. For clarity, the parameters 
of the tear strip 4 will be discussed after its use has been developed 
hereinafter. 
The perforated rectangular blank 3 is then folded along the transverse fold 
line 11 to determine the midpoint and folded back along transverse fold 
lines 12 and 13. Thus, the transverse seal lines 5, 6, 7 and 8 are aligned 
with corresponding transverse seal lines 5', 6', 7', and 8' respectively 
and glued, heat sealed, or otherwise joined along these lines resulting in 
the modified "M" shape evidenced in the sectional view of FIG. 5. 
Maintaining the alignment of transverse seal lines 5 with 6, 7 with 8, and 
one transverse edge 14 of the blank with the other transverse edge 14' 
each axial edge of the blank 15 and 16 is sealed to itself, creating a 
double walled ancillary compartment 2 and a single walled main compartment 
1. 
Sealing transverse lines 5 with 5' and 6 with 6' creates two casings which 
in combination circumscribe the opening in the top axial end of the shell. 
Preferably two "V" shaped notches 17 are cut in the casing area at each of 
the side seams through which two drawstrings 18 are threaded. Threading 
each drawstring 18 through a different pair of notches 17 enables easier 
grasping and closing operations. Thus, the shell corresponding to that 
shown in FIG. 4 and shown in cross-section in FIG. 5 is manufactured. If 
the package manufacturer is not also the product manufacturer this shell 
is then shipped to the product manufacturer in collapsed form reducing 
shipping volume and therefore package costs. 
The product manufacturer prepares the product units 19 for insertion into 
the package shell. The units of product 19 are stacked in columns. To 
facilitate stacking and provide stability the product units 19 have 
preferably some portion of their upper and lower surfaces planar, although 
they can have virtually any shape. In some cases, as with coffee, it is 
desirable to individually wrap units of product 19 to provide these planar 
surfaces. Thus, the product unit 19 of the preferred embodiment is a 
coffee containing relatively hard rectangular cube having a flanged top 
and a planar closure affixed thereto and is disclosed fully in U.S. Pat. 
No. 4,684,025 incorporated herein by reference. 
After stacking, six columns of product are arranged in a two by three 
configuration. This configuration is preferred for use with product units 
19 having relatively square horizontal cross sectional areas because this 
two by three configuration results in each column being adjacent an 
exterior wall without creating a long, thin, unstable package. The product 
units of the preferred embodiment are approximately 75.5 mm long, 75 mm 
wide, 33 mm high and weigh approximately between 25 grams and 60 grams 
each. 
A vertical grid 20 made of sheets of cardboard or similarly rigid material 
as shown in FIG. 6 separates the columns and performs several valuable 
functions. First, the grid 20 provides continued support for the ancillary 
or unsealed compartment 2 and maintains the shape of the main or sealed 
compartment 1 after product units 19 are removed. Second, the grid 20 adds 
stability to the columns, particularly if unstable columns result from 
non-planar product units when product is removed from adjacent columns. 
Additionally, this grid 20 aids in allowing the relative motion of one 
column to another as product units 19 are removed. This is particularly 
important where the product units 19, as shown in the preferred 
embodiment, have protrusions which extend and can catch on the units of 
adjacent columns. To perform this function well the grid 20 should have 
relatively smooth planar surfaces. The necessary rigidity of the grid 20 
is determined by several factors including the weight of the ancillary 
materials 22, the weight of the product units 19 and the order of product 
unit removal. 
If the product manufacturer does not also manufacture the grid 20 it 
becomes important to control its shipping volume when shipped to the 
product manufacturer. Thus, it is preferable to make the grid 20 such that 
it can be either assembled by the product manufacturer or collapsed for 
shipment. The preferred embodiment illustrates a grid 20 made from three 
separate panels of cardboard material which are connected by slots 
extending half way through the height as is commonly seen. The slots of 
the central panel extend halfway down from the top and the slots of the 
other two panels extend halfway up from the bottom. Thus, the grid 20 is 
shipped in three pieces, conserving shipping volume, and can be assembled 
at the product packaging location. 
The product columns and the separating grid 20 are preferably placed upon a 
horizontal platform 21 also made of cardboard or similar material. The 
rigidity and structure of this material is determined in part by the 
product unit removal characteristics and the combined weight of the 
product units 19 and ancillary materials 22. The platform 21 adds strength 
and rigidity to the package bottom and helps define the horizontal 
cross-sectional shape of the package. Also, the platform 21 raises the 
product columns so the opening can extend slightly below the bottom of the 
product unit being removed so product removal is not hindered by catching 
the flexible material at the bottom edge of the opening. 
The dispensing opening, provided in the front and back sides of the main 
compartment 1 to allow access to each column, is formed by removing the 
tear strips 4 created by perforating or otherwise creating a line of 
weakness in the flexible material prior to its being folded and sealed. 
Cardboard backing strips 10 are preferably laminated to the tear strips 4 
to aid their removal. The tear strips 4 are located near the bottom of the 
compartment and extend down to slightly expose the platform. Vertically, 
the opening created by the tear strip 4 removal extends up a distance of, 
preferably less than two times, and even more preferably less than one and 
one-half times the height of a product unit 19 from the bottom of the 
product unit to be removed; in this embodiment the product unit 19 resting 
on the platform surface 22. Thus the product unit 19 above the particular 
unit being removed is retained by the flexible material of the package 
wall at the top edge of the opening so it does not protrude from the 
package. Horizontally, the opening extends preferably slightly longer than 
the full length of the package side to wrap around onto the adjacent sides 
as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. This distance is optimal because there is no 
flexible material at the corners to hinder the removal of product units 19 
and is particularly important where the product units 19 are relatively 
rigid. 
Once the product units 19 are stacked, placed on the platform 21 and 
separated by the grid 20, the main compartment 1 is opened and the shell 
of FIGS. 4 and 5 is brought around the product columns. The flexible 
material at the bottom axial end of the shell is folded much like wrapping 
paper and the main compartment 1 is sealed containing the product units 
19. The manufacturer also insures that the ancillary compartment 2 is 
collapsed. This is done by folding the ancillary compartment 2 down and 
retaining it in its collapsed position. One method for retaining the 
ancillary compartment 2 in this position is to use tape 9, as shown in 
FIG. 1, which can be removed without damaging the flexible material. 
The manufacturer of the product then ships the flexible package with its 
ancillary compartment 2 collapsed, as FIG. 1 illustrates, to his consumer 
thereby saving shipping volume and costs. In the coffee instance, the 
consumer would be a coffee distributor. The distributor would most likely 
resell and transport the package without alteration to an operator, again 
saving shipping costs. The operator would remove the tape 9 and expand the 
ancillary compartment 2 to the position shown in FIG. 2. Having done this, 
he would then fill this compartment 2 with any necessary ancillary 
materials 22, including sweetener, creamer, stirrers, cups and filters. 
The distributor pulls one drawstring to the right and one drawstring to 
the left to easily close the opening in the ancillary compartment 2. In 
addition, the drawstrings 18 can be tied together to insure the ancillary 
compartment 2 is securely closed and will not accidentally open to spill 
its contents. The drawstrings 18 also serve as a means to grasp the 
flexible package to ease carrying and handling operations. The distributor 
would then transport them to his consumer, the end user. 
The end user in this case, most typically the preparer of office coffee, 
receives the package filled with both product units 19 and ancillary 
materials 22. He then unties the drawstrings 18, and opens the ancillary 
compartment 2 to remove any ancillary materials necessary to make a pot of 
coffee. He would also remove at least one tear strip 4 to create a 
dispensing opening in the main compartment 1 and remove a product unit 19 
of coffee. He could then reclose and tie the ancillary compartment 2 using 
the drawstrings 18. Thus, the end user is provided with everything 
necessary to enjoy the manufacturer's product, in this case a fresh pot of 
coffee. 
It is, of course, to be understood, that the present invention is, by no 
means, limited to the particular arrangement shown in the drawings, but 
also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.