Abstract:
An improved flexible pouch, apparatus and methodology for a pouch having an upper edge, a lower edge, and side edges extending therebetween. The side seal is 4-6±1 mm wide. The apparatus and method includes the steps of unrolling the material along a horizontal orientation, and turning the sheet of material to have a vertical orientation. The method also checks the alignment of the sheet of material, and adjusts the alignment relative to a vertical axis, to align the outer edges of the sheet of material. The method cuts the roll width of material into sections, and positions the aligned sections together to form the body of the pouch. The method forms side seams by sealing along the side edges of each pouch. The method also separates the individual pouches from the roll width of material, and removes the pouches from the machine.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/772,949 filed Feb. 14, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to a flexible pouch for packaging a product and, more specifically, to a flexible pouch with an improved side seam for packaging a product and an apparatus and method of manufacturing the same. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Various types of disposable, portable containers are known in the art for storing a fluid or dry product, such as a liquid, granular material, powder or the like. One example of such a container is a flexible pouch. Consumers prefer the convenience of flexible pouches, due to their shape, size, shelf life and storage adaptability. Manufacturers recognize the packaging benefits of a flexible pouch, since the pouch can be formed and filled on the same manufacturing line. An example of a method and apparatus for filling a flexible pouch with a product is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,601, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0004]    The flexible pouch is made from a flexible material, such as an extrusion or a laminate composed of sheets of plastic or aluminum or the like. An outer layer of the material may have preprinted information, such as a logo or the like, to provide the consumer with information regarding the contents of the pouch. The material is available in sheet form, on a roll, and a plurality of pouches may be fabricated from one width of the roll. 
         [0005]    The pouch may be formed using conventionally known manufacturing techniques, such as a horizontal form-fill-seal machine with single or multiple lanes, a flat bed pre-made pouch machine, a vertical form-fill-seal machine, or the like. The machine includes a number of stations, with a particular operation or operations taking place at each station. The pouch is generally formed by folding a sheet or sheets of material over each other to achieve a predetermined shape. The pouch may also include an insert or gusset positioned between two parallel edges to form a pouch capable of standing unsupported. Edges, such as a side edge may be joined together using a sealing technique such as bonding or welding. Alternatively, the roll is folded to form a pouch with three open sides. 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 corner, or gripper assembly or a holder such as a cup or puck or combination of both prior to the filling process. The pouch is ready to be filled, sealed and finished as required. 
         [0006]    It is advantageous to concurrently form a plurality of pouches from one width of the roll of material, or multiple lanes across the machine bed. For example, a high speed multiple lane machine, can form approximately 100-200 pouches per lane in a minute. At such a high machine speed, it is important to control the tolerance of the side seam. Each pouch formed from the roll width typically has a side seam dimension of 5-10 mm and tolerance of ±2 mm, for a total seam dimension in the range of 3-12 mm. Present manufacturing techniques require this large of seam size and tolerance due to slippage of the unrolling material during the high speed manufacturing process. However, the failure rate of the narrow seam increases due to this large variation. The integrity of the side seal is an important functional feature of the pouch, and a poor seal can lead to a failure of the seam. Thus, there is a need in the art for an apparatus and method of making a flexible pouch with an improved side seam seal width and tolerance. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    Accordingly, the present invention is an improved flexible pouch for a product and an improved apparatus and method for manufacturing the pouch. The flexible pouch includes a front panel and a back panel each having an upper edge, a lower edge opposite the upper edge, and side edges extending therebetween the upper and lower edges. The side seal is 4-6 mm±1 mm wide. 
         [0008]    The apparatus and method of forming a pouch with a reduced side seam seal includes the steps of unrolling a sheet of material having a predetermined width along a horizontal orientation, and turning the sheet of material to have a vertical orientation. The method also includes the steps of checking the alignment of the sheet of material, and adjusting the alignment with respect to a vertical axis, so that the edges of the sheet of material are in alignment. The method further includes the steps of cutting the roll width of material in halt and joining the two material sections together to form the front and back panels of the pouches in the width of material. The method still further includes the step of delineating individual pouches in the roll width of material by sealing together the side edges and lower edge of each pouch. The method also includes the steps of separating the individual pouches from the roll width of material, sorting the pouches and removing the pouches from the pouch-forming machine. 
         [0009]    One advantage of the present invention is that a flexible pouch with an improved side seam and method of making such a flexible pouch using a high speed apparatus that moves the film in multiple index steps in a linear manner is provided. Another advantage of the present invention is that the method of making the flexible pouch results in more precise side seams, with a reduced seam width and tolerance. Still another advantage of the present invention is that the flexible pouch has improved pouch strength and stability. A further advantage of the present invention is that the method of making a flexible pouch with improved side seam is cost effective since less laminate material is required. Still a further advantage of the present invention is that the method and apparatus for making the flexible pouch improves the cost-effectiveness of manufacturing the pouch. 
         [0010]    Other features and advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood after reading the subsequent description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is an elevational view of a flexible pouch with improved side seam, according to the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a flowchart of a method of forming and filling the flexible pouch of  FIG. 1 , according to the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3   a  is an elevational view of the film as it is unrolled, according to the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3   b  is an elevational view of the film after it is cut, according to the present invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is an elevational view of an apparatus for forming a flexible pouch using the method of  FIG. 2 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0016]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a flexible pouch  10  is illustrated. The pouch  10  is filled with a product (not shown) and sealed. The filled pouch may assume various shapes, such as cylindrical, cube, conical or the like. The type of product and usage of the pouch influences the shape. The type of product is unlimited, and could have a solid or a liquid form. 
         [0017]    The flexible pouch  10  is preferably formed from a roll of flexible, preprinted laminate material. The choice of laminate material is nonlimiting, and is influenced by factors such as the product contained in the pouch  10 , the shape of the pouch or the anticipated use of the pouch. Preferably, the laminate is either a three, four or five gauge material, and the outer layer is preprinted. It should be appreciated that a portion of the material may be a clear laminate, in order to view the contents of the pouch. For example, the laminate material may include at least one layer of virgin polyethylene terphalate (PET) and at least one layer of aluminum foil (AL) and another layer such as EVOH, PET, polyethylene, or polypropylene or nylon or the like. The laminate may also include a metalized foil paper layer laminated to a cast polypropylene layer and another layer of PET, polyethylene or EVOH. It should be appreciated that there may be a fourth layer of nylon. Another material example includes a cast polypropylene (CPP) layer, a polyethylene (PET) layer, a foil (AL) layer, a nylon (ONO) layer and another CPP layer. Another example of a material structure is the use of nylon, foil, nylon, and cast polypropylene (ONO/AL/ONO/CPP) or CPP/NY/AL/CPP. A further example of a laminate material structure is CPP/AL/ONO/PE. This structure works well when the product has a short shelf life, and the nylon eliminates stretching or cracking of the AL layer. Advantageously, a pouch  10  made using the cast polypropylene laminate material retains its filled shape even as the product is removed from the pouch  10 . It should be appreciated that if a filled carbonated pouch is stored at ambient temperature, the laminate will start to creep after a period of time, such as ten days. The laminate material may include an extrusion layer to contain “creepage” or “stretch” of the film after filling due to carbonation expansion, if the product is carbonated. In addition, the selected material may be organoleptic compliant in order to avoid the transfer of odor contaminants to the product, or product contamination during the shelf life period of the product. 
         [0018]    The pouch  10  itself is defined by a panel, which may be formed using one or more sheets of material. In this example, the pouch  10  includes a front wall  12  and a back wall  14 , and the edges are joined along a seam. With one sheet of material, it is folded so that the outer edges are joined together to form one seam. Alternatively, the pouch may be formed from two facing panels of material that are joined together along corresponding side edges. 
         [0019]    Further, the pouch is defined by an upper edge  16 , an opposed lower edge  18 , and at least one side edge  20  extending therebetween the upper and lower edges  16 ,  18 . The edges of the pouch  10  are sealed using heat or ultrasonically or by a combination of heat and ultrasonically. In this example, the pouch includes three fin-style seams, such as an upper seam, a bottom seam and a side seam  22 . The side seam  22  has a width of 4-6 mm with a tolerance of ±1 mm. One of the seams may include a fitment sealed between the walls of the pouch, such as a spout. 
         [0020]    The pouch  10  may include a sidewall. The sidewall advantageously allows the pouch  10  to acquire another shape, such as cylindrical, or to stand upright. The sidewall may be integrally formed in the panel as a gusset  24  or a separate piece of material as an insert (not shown). The sidewall may be located between the side edges of the panels, between the lower edges, between the upper edges, or a combination thereof. The gusset  24  or insert may be generally wider at the lower edge and taper upwardly towards the upper edge, or be of a uniform dimension. The sidewall may be formed between the lower edges of the pouch  10  to provide a base for the pouch  10  to stand upright. A sidewall formed between the side or upper edges may serve as an area for receiving an opening means  26 , to be described. 
         [0021]    The pouch  10  further includes an opening means  26  for accessing the contents of the pouch. Various types of opening means  26  are known in the art for this purpose. An example of an opening means  26  for accessing the contents or dispensing the contents from the pouch  10  is a cap secured to a fitment. The fitment is made from a material such as polypropylene. It should be appreciated that the fitment is usually applied prior to filling the pouch. The fitment is sealed, such as ultrasonically or heat sealed, between the edges of the pouch. The pouch  10  may be filled through the open opposite end or through the spout. The spout fitment may have a tamper-evident means. If the product is a carbonated product, the spout fitment may include a carbonation insert and oxygen scavenger to reduce oxygen in the head space. 
         [0022]    Another example of an opening means  26  is a straw-pierceable portion for receiving a straw. Still another example of an opening means is a resealable fitment, such as a zipper that is sold under the name TopTite™. A further example of an opening means  26  is a tear-off portion. The tear-off portion usually has an integral tear notch  28  for initiating the tearing. Still a further example of an opening means is a pull tab covering an opening in the pouch. 
         [0023]    It should be appreciated that the pouch  10  may include other components or features, as is known in the art. For example, the unfilled flexible pouch  10  may advantageously include a guide packet formed in a panel or wall of the pouch  10  prior to filling and sealing, to facilitate the separation of the front and rear panels prior to the filling of the pouch  10 . An example of a pouch with a guide pocket is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/310,221. Still another example of a component or feature is an integrally formed label, which may include a barcode. The barcode enables information, such as shipping data, of shelf life or the like, to be read by a scanner. 
         [0024]    The pouch  10  may form one compartment for the product. Alternatively, the pouch  10  may include multiple discrete compartments. An example of such a pouch is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/367,613, which is incorporated herein by reference. Further, the pouch may incorporate any of the above-described features in any combination. The finished pouch may assume various shapes, such as cylindrical, cubical, conical or the like, as influenced by the type of product and intended usage of the pouch. 
         [0025]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , a method for forming the flexible pouch  10  using the high speed machine  70  described with respect to  FIG. 3  is illustrated. The method begins in block  100  at a first station with the step of providing a roll of material  30  and unrolling the film from the roll along a horizontally oriented plane. The initial width of the roll of material is determined by the desired finished size of the pouch  10  and the number of pouches obtained from the width. Typically, three to four pouches, representing six to eight panels, as shown at  32 , can be obtained from a width of the roll of material on a three lane machine or four lane machine, respectively. The film may pass through an ultraviolet light chamber without reflection to remove pathogen and microbiological contaminants. 
         [0026]    The method advances to block  110  and the planar orientation of the unrolling material  30  is changed from a horizontal orientation to a vertical planar orientation. For example, the machine  70  utilizes an angled roll bar to modify the planar orientation of the unrolling material. The vertical orientation is advantageous in aligning the unrolling material  30  prior to cutting. A precise alignment is advantageous, especially at a higher machine speed, because the seam tolerance is more precise. A tighter tolerance reduces the amount of material required. 
         [0027]    The methodology advances to block  115  and the alignment of the unrolling material at a predefined location is determined. For example, an optical reading means may be utilized, such as an optical scanner or the like. The optical reading means preferably identifies a predetermined portion location of the material, such as an edge of the material or a registration mark as shown at  34 . As previously described, the roll is a preprinted laminate of material layers. An outer layer of the preprinted material may include a locating indicia (not shown), such as a registration mark  34 , for checking the alignment of the material. The registration marks may be positioned on the material to denote an outer edge of the material. 
         [0028]    The methodology advances to block  120  and the determined alignment of the unrolling material is used to automatically correct the alignment of the unrolling material. In this example, a moveable roller is utilized to adjust the alignment of the material along a vertically oriented axis. Preferably, the adjustment movement is ±2 degrees from the vertically oriented axis. 
         [0029]    The methodology advances to block  125  and the roll width of the aligned unrolling material is cut into sections at a cutting station. In this example, the material is split into two sections  36  at the cutting station. Each section  36  has an outer surface and an inner surface  36   a ,  36   b.    
         [0030]    The methodology advances to block  130  and one of the two sections of material is rotated 180 degrees and positioned on top of the other section of material, so that the inner surfaces  36   a ,  36   b  face each other, as shown in  FIG. 4   b . It should be appreciated that the outermost edges of each section of material are automatically in alignment, since the sections were in alignment prior to the step of cutting as shown at  44 . 
         [0031]    The methodology advances to block  135  and a features such as a gusset or insert is optionally applied between the aligned first and second unrolling sections of material. A fitment, such as a spout, may be inserted at this station, or alternatively at a later station. 
         [0032]    The methodology advances to block  140  and an edge is sealed. For example, a seam  22  defining each of the pouches  32  in the roll width of material  30  is formed in the aligned first and second unrolling sections of material, as shown in  FIG. 4   b . In this example, the seam  38  is a side section  22 . The lower edge of each pouch may also be sealed at this time. For example, a seal is applied to the combined first and second unrolling sections of material to form each of the side seams joining each front panel to each back panel in a heat-sealing operation. The width of the side seal seam for each individual pouch is approximately 4±1 mm. It should be appreciated that two side seal seams may be adjoining, and the seal width increased to 8±1 mm. Advantageously, the precise alignment of the roll of material prior to cutting out the sections used to form the pouch panels allows for a decrease in the width of the side seal. One example of a sealing process is a heat weld that includes the application of heat and compression. Another example of a seal is an ultrasonic seal. Still another example of a seal is a combination of a heat seal and an ultrasonic seal. 
         [0033]    The methodology advances to block  145 , and each of the pouches are separated from each other, such as at a cutting station. For example, each section of material may be first separated into panels along its width, or through the side seam of the pouches as shown at  38 . The pouches are then separated into individual pouches as shown at  40 . In this example, the width represents the side seams. The material is cut using a known cutting apparatus, such as a laser or punch or the like. The pouches may be separated using a double stop cutting process, whereby two cuts are made at the same time, to separate the upper and lower edges of two pouches at the same time from the sheet of material. 
         [0034]    The methodology advances to block  150  and the separated pouches are further finished. For example, a lower edge  18  of the pouch may be trimmed to shape, i.e. the corners may be angled. The cut may be performed using a cutter or a die cut or the like. Alternatively, the methodology may include the step of applying a fitment. The sequencing of this step is determinable by the type of fitment. 
         [0035]    The methodology may include the step of forming a crease or guide pocket a top portion of each panel  12 ,  14  in a creasing operation in order to facilitate opening and filling the pouch. An example of a method of forming a crease in a panel to facilitate opening the pouch is disclosed in commonly assigned patent application Ser. No. 10/310,221, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0036]    The methodology advances to block  155  and the pre-made pouch  10  is then removed from the machine and is ready for filling. The formed pouch may be loaded into a carrier and the carrier is transferred to a fill-seal machine. It should be appreciated that the fill-seal machine may be integral with the pouch forming machine, or may be a separate machine. 
         [0037]    It should be appreciated that a particular manufacturing station may perform one or a plurality of operations, to enhance the efficiency of the methodology and apparatus. 
         [0038]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , a machine  70  for carrying out the method described with respect to  FIG. 3  is illustrated. Various styles of machines  70  are contemplated for filling the pouch  10 , such as a flat bed, conveyor or the like. An example of such a machine is manufactured by Nishibe, such as the model number SBM500, SMB600 or SMB700. The machine includes a base  92  and a transport means  90 , such as a conveyor, that transports the material through the various stations. The roll of material is mounted along a horizontally oriented axis, and is unrolled along at a material feed station  72 . The machine  72  includes a plurality of rollers that changes the orientation of the unrolling material from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation at a material turning station  74 . 
         [0039]    The unrolling material passes through an alignment station  76 . At the alignment station, material rolls pass through an optical reader. As previously described, the optical reader reads a predefined point with respect to the material. This predefined point may be a registration mark on the material, or the edge of the material. 
         [0040]    The machine utilizes the registration marks  34  to automatically adjust the orientation of the unrolling material position along a vertically oriented axis. For example, rollers are used to adjust the position of the unrolling material ±2 degrees relative to a vertically oriented center axis. 
         [0041]    The machine includes a cutting station  78  where the aligned material is cut into a predetermined number of sections, which in this example are two. One of the sections is rotated 180 degrees, and the first and second sections of this example are positioned such that inner sides face one another. The sections are used to form the front panel and back panel of the pouch, respectively. 
         [0042]    It should be appreciated that a feature, as previously described, may be added between the facing sheets at an appropriate station, such as the insert station shown at  79 . The facing sections are transferred along the conveyer to a sealing station  80 . The sealing station, as previously described, forms the seams joining the facing sections of material and delineating each pouch. In this example, the side edges of each of the pouches along the width of material are heat-sealed in this operation. Because of the precise alignment of the material sheets, the width of the side edge seam is 4 mm, with a tolerance of ±1 mm. 
         [0043]    The material is moved along the conveyer  90  to a cutting station  82  and the material is cut into individual pouches. For example, the pouch is cut along the side seam. The pouch is then cut along the upper edge and lower edge. 
         [0044]    The conveyer  90  then transfers the individual pouches to an unloading station  84 , wherein the individual pouches are taken off the conveyor and placed into a receptacle  96 , such as a holder, or magazine or the like. It should be appreciated that the pouches  10  are fully formed, except for that the upper edges  16  of the panels  12 ,  14  are unsealed. 
         [0045]    The pouches are now ready for filling. It should be appreciated that the pouches may be filled and sealed on another machine, or at fill-seal stations associated with the above described machine. 
         [0046]    The present invention has been described in an illustrative manner. It is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. 
         [0047]    Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, within the scope of the appended claims, the present invention may be practiced other than as specifically described.