Abstract:
A flexible pouch that includes a pressure relief valve and an associated barrier seal. The barrier seal separates and partially encloses a portion of the flexible pouch containing the pressure relief valve from a portion of the pouch containing product, such as a liquid. The barrier helps to ensure that only gases are released through the pressure relief valve, and further helps to prevent product from interfering with operation of the pressure relief valve.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 62/013,106 filed on Jun. 17, 2014, the contents of which are incorporated herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to flexible pouches. Specifically, the present invention relates to a flexible pouch having an efficient pressure release valve. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Pressure can accumulate within a sealed pouch by a variety of methods. For example, temperature change could cause gas within the pouch to expand, gas from a carbonated product could come out of solution, gas could be generated by fermentation of a product in the pouch, etc. As such, it is desired to provide an efficient way to relieve this pressure. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present disclosure is for a flexible pouch that includes a pressure relief valve and an associated barrier seal. The barrier seal separates and partially encloses a portion of the flexible pouch containing the pressure relief valve from a portion of the pouch containing product, such as a liquid. The barrier helps to ensure that only gases are released through the pressure relief value, and further helps to prevent product from interfering with operation of the pressure relief valve. 
         [0005]    A flexible pouch having a product storage area is provided having a pressure relief valve and a seal positioned adjacent to the pressure relief valve, the seal positioned between the pressure relief valve and the product storage area so as to help block product in the product storage area from interfering with operation of the pressure relief valve. In one embodiment the flexible pouch includes a front panel and a back panel, the pressure relief valve connected to one of the front panel or the back panel. In one embodiment the pressure relief valve is a one way valve allowing gas to travel only in one direction through the pressure relief valve wherein gas is only permitted to flow out of the pressure relief valve. 
         [0006]    In other embodiments, the pouch includes a fitment, the pressure relief valve spaced apart from the fitment. Further, in some embodiments, the seal extends partially around the pressure relief valve. The seal may be generally U-shaped where the bottom portion of the U-shape extends towards the product storage area. Further, the seal may extend around at least 75% of the area around the pressure relief valve. 
         [0007]    Further, the flexible pouch includes at least one panel having at least two layers. In one embodiment, at least one layer is polyethylene terphalate (PET), a second layer is provided aluminum foil and a third layer is provided made of one EVOM, PET and/or polyethylene. The pouch may also include a handle. 
         [0008]    In a separate embodiment, a flexible pouch is provided having a front panel and a back panel, the front panel and the back panel sealed together to define an interior, the interior having a product storage area. The pouch further includes a pressure release valve positioned on one of the front panel or the back panel, the pressure release valve spaced apart from the product storage area and a seal positioned adjacent to the pressure relief valve, the seal positioned between the pressure relief valve and the product storage area so as to help block product in the product storage area from interfering with operation of the pressure relief valve. In one embodiment the pressure relief valve is a one way valve allowing gas to travel only in one direction through the pressure relief valve wherein gas is only permitted to flow out of the pressure relief valve. 
         [0009]    In other embodiments, the pouch includes a fitment, the pressure relief valve spaced apart from the fitment. Further, in some embodiments, the seal extends partially around the pressure relief valve. The seal may be generally U-shaped where the bottom portion of the U-shape extends towards the product storage area. Further, the seal may extend around at least 75% of the area around the pressure relief valve. 
         [0010]    The flexible pouch also includes sealed areas having an unsealed strip portion straddled by a pair of sealed strip portions on either side. Incorporating the sealed strip portions and unsealed strip portions into the sealed areas helps to provide a secure structure to the flexible pouch, thereby helping to prevent leakage of any product contained in the pouch, while at the same time helping to reduce the rigidity of the sealed area of the pouch, thereby creating a pouch that is more comfortable in the hands of user. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a flexible pouch, according to the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is an frontal view of the flexible pouch, according to the present invention; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a zoomed in portion elevation view shown in  FIG. 2 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0014]    A flexible pouch  10  includes a front panel  15  and a back panel  20 . The front panel  15  and back panel  20  are sealed to each other along a top edge  25  and side edges  30  of the pouch  10 . A fitment  35  is sealed between the front panel  15  and the back panel  20  in a top corner of the pouch. A gusset is sealed between the front panel  15  and the back panel  20  along the bottom of the pouch  10 . The sealing the front panel  15  to the back panel  20  along the top edge  25  and side edges  30 , the sealing between the panels  15 ,  20  and the fitment  35 , and the sealing between the panels  15 ,  20  and the gusset define an interior space of the pouch  10 . Access to the interior space is provided by the fitment  35 , which includes a passage in communication with the interior space at one end, and the outside environment at another end. 
         [0015]    The flexible pouch  10  also includes a pressure relief valve  40 . The pressure relief valve  40  is attached to the front panel  15  or the back panel  20  generally adjacent to the top edge  25  and away from the fitment  35 . The pressure relief valve  40  is designed such that gas is free to travel one direction through the valve  40 , but not flow back through the valve  40  in the opposite direction. For example, gases within the interior space of the pouch  10  would be able to exit though the valve  40 , but not re-enter. 
         [0016]    Adjacent the pressure relief valve is a barrier seal  45 . The barrier seal  45  is located, at least in part, between the pressure relief valve  40 , and a main product storage area  50  of the pouch  10 . The barrier seal  45  extends around a portion of the relief pressure relief valve  40  to help block product in the main storage area  50  from interfering with operation of the valve  40 . In the shown embodiment, the barrier seal  45  is generally U-shaped, and partially surrounds the valve  40  to cover about 75%, or three out of four sides, of the area around the valve  40 . It is understood and appreciated that the barrier seal  45  could cover more or less to the area around the valve  40 , and the barrier seal  45  could take different shapes. For example, the barrier seal could be a simple line shape covering a minimal area, the barrier seal could be generally V-shaped or C-shaped, the barrier seal could be a  3  sided box, or any other shaped known to those skilled in the art that would assist in keeping product away from the valve  40 . The optimal shape and location of the barrier varies depending on the design of the pouch  10 . 
         [0017]    The pouch  10  also includes a handle portion  55 . The handle portion  55  is defined by part of one of the side edges  30 , part of the top edge  25 , and a cut out  60  in the front panel  15  and the back panel  20 . The cut out  60  has an angled slot type shape that incudes includes a waved profile portion  65  and slot angle portions  70 . The waved profile portion  65  and angle portions  70  interact ergonomically with the fingers and hand of a user holding the pouch  10  by the handle portion  55 . The front panel  15  and back panel  20  are sealed to each other in a sealed perimeter  75  of the cutout. 
         [0018]    The sealed edges  30  and sealed perimeter  75  includes sealed strip portions  80  and unsealed strip portions  85 . The sealed strip portions  80  and unsealed strip portions  85  extend parallel to and along the side edges  30 , and around the perimeter  75  of the cutout. The unsealed strip portion  85  is located between the sealed strip portions  80 . The width of the unsealed strip portion  85  is approximately half the width of either of the sealed strip portions  80  disposed adjacent to the unsealed strip portion  85 . 
         [0019]    The sealed strip portion  85  is more ridged than the unsealed strip portions  80 . Providing the unsealed strip portion  80  between the sealed strip portions  85  gives greater flexibility to the sealed edges  30  and the sealed perimeter  75 . The greater flexibility allows the flexible pouch to better conform to the hands of a user, thereby making the flexible pouch more comfortable and easier to carry. 
         [0020]    The flexible pouch is made from a flexible material, preferably a laminate composed of sheets of plastic or aluminum or the like. In one embodiment, the laminate includes at least one layer of virgin polyethylene terphalate (PET) and at least one layer of aluminum foil and another layer such as EVOM, PET or polyethylene. In a preferred embodiment, the laminate includes metalized foil paper layer laminated to a cast polypropylene layer and another layer of PET, polyethylene or EVOM. It should be appreciated that there may be a fourth layer. The choice of layer material is driven by the product contained in the pouch. In this example, the material is available in sheet form, on a roll. An outer layer of the material may include preprinted information, such as a logo, or the like, to provide the consumer with information regarding the contents of the pouch. 
         [0021]    The pouch may be formed using conventionally known manufacturing techniques, such as a horizontal form-fill seal machine, a flat bed pre-made pouch machine, a vertical form-fill-seal machine, or the like. The pouch is generally formed by folding sheets of material over each other to achieve a predetermined shape. Edges, such as a side edge, are joined together using a sealing technique such as bonding or welding. Alternatively, the pouch is formed by laying one layer of material over a second layer of material and forming a gusset along two parallel edges to form a pouch capable of standing unsupported. An upper edge of the front panel and back panel is generally not sealed until after the pouch is filled. The empty pouch may be placed in a holder such as a cup or puck prior to the filling process. To fill the pouch, the upper edges of the pouch are spread apart. For example, a concentrated flow of gas is directed towards the upper edge of the pouch to separate the panels. Grippers may also be utilized at the same time to pull the panels apart. The pouch is filled, sealed and finished. 
         [0022]    Edges of the pouch, such as the side edge and lower edge, are joined together in a sealing operation. One edge is left open, preferably designated as the upper edge, in order to fill the pouch. In this example, the side and lower edges are joined together using an ultrasonic sealing process that includes the application of heat and compression in a two-step heat welding operation. A first seal is slowly tack welded with a low heat, such as 180° F., to tack the two pieces of material together, so that steam is not released containing volatile materials such as ketones, butyls, butanes, or the like. The material may include resins, such as organoleptic resins which produce an undesirable taste in the product. After the slow low-heat weld, a second heat seal is applied to the weld along the inner edge, and adjacent the contents. The second seal is heated to a higher temperature, such as 260° to provide strength. The seals are immediately cooled to stabilize the pouch. 
         [0023]    It should be appreciated that this heat sealing process may be applied to any one of the edges. If a fitment is also applied, the process may be modified slightly. The fitment is located on the pouch in a variety of locations, such as mounted on a bottom, or a top, or a side portion of the pouch.