Patent Publication Number: US-2003230604-A1

Title: Flexible pouch having dispensing nozzle and frangible seal

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] The present invention relates to containers and more particularly to flexible pouches for containing liquids.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] Conventional containers for engine lubricating oils include a molded plastic body defining a substantially rectangular storage volume. The conventional container further includes a circular discharge port closed by a threaded cap. Engine lubricating oil is dispensed from the conventional container, into an automobile engine for example, by removing the threaded cap and inverting the container. A funnel, or other dispensing accessory, however, is needed to limit spillage of the oil when the open container is inverted. Also, the discharge of the lubricating oil from the conventional container can be difficult to control.  
       [0003] The lack of venting provided by the relatively rigid conventional oil container causes a “chugging” form of delivery in which the oil is dispensed from the container in period bursts. The delivery of oil in bursts increases the probability that oil be spilled from the conventional container. In addition, the molded plastic containers maintain their shape when emptied. The volume occupied by the empty container creates bulky refuse to be disposed.  
       [0004] U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,857 to Russell and U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,390 to Markva disclose containers for engine lubricating oils made from molded plastic and having a body portion and a neck portion. The containers further include a frangible seal closing the neck portion to provide for inversion of the container following removal of the threaded cap without discharge of the oil. The body of the Russell &#39;857 container utilizes the conventional rectangular shape. The body portion of the Markva &#39;390 container is substantially cylindrical in shape. Application of pressure to body portions of the molded plastic containers of Russell &#39;857 and Markva &#39;390 causes the neck seals to rupture.  
       [0005] The molded plastic containers of Russell &#39;857 and Markva &#39;390, however, do not provide venting and, therefore, deliver oil in period bursts in the chugging manner described above. Each of the relatively rigid molded plastic containers of Russell &#39;857 and Markva &#39;390 also will maintain its shape when emptied creating inefficient bulky refuse to be disposed.  
       [0006] Flexible pouches are used to package a variety of products. The conventional flexible pouch includes front and rear panels of laminated foil or film materials that are heat sealed together along opposite sides of the pouch. U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,646 to Sherman discloses a flexible pouch for a liquid having a gusseted bottom wall for self support of the pouch. The Sherman pouch includes a rounded pour spout that is opened by cutting a corner of the pouch. Flexible pouches, such as the Sherman pouch, are collapsible such that the interior volume defined by the pouch is reduced as the liquid is discharged. As a result, the discharge of the liquid is not subject to the above described “chugging” associated with unvented containers that do not collapse as they are emptied. The collapsing nature of the flexible pouch construction also provides for less refuse volume for the packaging in contrast to containers that maintain their shape when emptied.  
       [0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,157 to Gentile discloses a pouch for pastes and semi-solids that includes a removable cap portion designed to close the pouch following removal of the cap portion by tearing. It is not known, however, to include an elongated nozzle in a flexible pouch adapted for dispensing an engine lubricating oil from the pouch. It is also not known to provide a flexible pouch having a frangible closure that is adapted to burst when pressure is applied to the pouch contents.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008] The invention provides a collapsible pouch for motor oil. The pouch includes a bulb-shaped storage chamber and an elongated dispensing nozzle. The storage chamber and the dispensing nozzle include first and second panels of a flexible laminate material secured together along opposite sides. The pouch further includes a burstable closure seal located in the dispensing nozzle including strips of an adhesively bondable material. The strips are capable of forming a bond having sufficient strength to maintain closure of the dispensing, nozzle in the absence of a predetermined pressure applied to the motor oil. The pouch may include a bottom panel secured to the first and second panels to provide for self-support of the pouch when filled. The pouch may also include a removable end portion connected to the dispensing nozzle opposite the storage chamber. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0009] For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings a form that is presently preferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.  
     [0010]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a self-standing pouch according to the present invention;  
     [0011]FIG. 2 is a side view of the pouch of FIG. 1;  
     [0012]FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the pouch of FIG. 1;  
     [0013]FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the lines  4 - 4  of FIG. 1; and  
     [0014]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a pouch according to the present invention being used to dispense oil contained by the pouch. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0015] Referring to the drawings, where like numerals identify like elements, there is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 a flexible pouch  10  according to the present invention providing packaging for an engine lubricating oil. The flexible pouch  10  includes front and rear panels  12 ,  14  that consist of film layers, or alternatively foil and film layers, that are adhesively bonded together to form a laminate. A preferred laminate for the panels  12 ,  14 , from the inside surface to the outside, includes layers of polyethylene (PE), nylon, and polyethyleneterephthalate (PET).  
     [0016] The front and rear panels  12 ,  14  are secured along opposite sides  16 ,  18  preferably in a heat sealing process in which adjacent film layers are fused together. The present invention is not limited to heat fused film layers and could alternatively comprise laminates secured together using a heat seal adhesive that is pattern applied along the sides  16 ,  18  of the panels  12 ,  14 . The panels  12 ,  14  of the pouch  10  could be made from any flexible material that is suitable for forming a flexible pouch.  
     [0017] The front and rear panels  12 ,  14  define a storage chamber  20  and an elongated dispensing nozzle  22  extending from the storage chamber  20 . As shown in FIG. 2, the storage chamber  20  of the pouch  10  is rounded to define a substantially bulb-like shape. Referring to FIG. 3, the pouch  10  further includes a bottom panel  24  secured to the front and rear panels  12 ,  14 , preferably by heat sealing. The pouch  10  includes folded portions of the front and rear panels  12 ,  14  that form gusset reinforcement at opposite sides of the pouch  10  in the known manner. The inclusion of the gusset reinforced bottom panel  24  in the oil pouch  10  provides for self-support of the pouch. Such self-support for the pouch  10  is desirable for presentation of the product on a store display shelf, for example. The self-supporting construction of pouch  10  also desirably results in the engine lubricating oil being downwardly directed by gravity forces away from a discharge end  26  of the dispensing nozzle, to be described in greater detail.  
     [0018] Referring to FIG. 4, the pouch  10  includes a closure seal  28  that is located in the dispensing nozzle  22  between the front and rear panels  12 ,  14  adjacent the discharge end  26  of the dispensing nozzle. The closure seal  28  preferably includes strips  30 ,  32  of an adhesive material pattern applied onto the inner surfaces of the front and rear panels  12 ,  14 , respectively. Each of the adhesive strips  30 ,  32  extends laterally between opposite sides  16 ,  18  of the discharge nozzle  22  as shown in phantom line in FIG. 1. The adhesive strips  30 ,  32  are positioned on the panels  12 ,  14  such that the strips contact each other as shown in FIG. 4, to seal the chamber  20  and a portion of the discharge nozzle  22 .  
     [0019] The adhesive strips  30 ,  32  of the closure seal  28  preferably provide sufficient bonding between the panels  12 ,  14  such that the closure seal  28  will not be break in response to relatively weak pressure applied to the contents of the package, as may be expected during shipping and handling, for example. The closure seal  28  is adapted, however, to provide for a limited bond between the adhesive strips  30 ,  32  such that the strips  30 ,  32  will separate as shown in FIG. 5 in response to a predetermined, moderate, pressure. Such a moderate pressure would be that pressure applied to the oil contained in pouch  10  when an average user squeezes the bulb-shaped chamber  20  with the hand, for example, as shown in FIG. 5 and described below, for example.  
     [0020] The adhesive strips  30 ,  32  of the closure seal  28  preferably consist of a cold seal adhesive material to provide the limited bond strength desired for separation of the strips when the bulb-shaped chamber  20  of the pouch  10  is squeezed by an average user of the pouch  10 . Cold seal adhesives, per se known, will seal to themselves under compression without the need for heating of the adhesive.  
     [0021] The present invention, however, is not limited to the use of a cold seal adhesive for the strips  30 ,  32  of the closure seal  28 . The strips  30 ,  32  could, alternatively, consist of a heat sealable adhesive material. It is known that, by reducing the temperature at which a heat sealable adhesive material is joined together, reduced bond strength will result. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the use of a separate adhesive material applied to the inner surfaces of the panels  12 ,  14  to form the strips  30 ,  32  of the closure seal  28 . It is conceivable, for example, that the panels  12 ,  14  could include inner layers of a heat sealable material bonded together. To provide the limited bond strength required for the frangible seal of closure seal  28 , the inner layers of the panels  12 ,  14  would be bonded together under a lower temperature than that used to join the opposite sides  16 ,  18  of the pouch  10 .  
     [0022] The pouch  10  includes a tear notch  34  formed in side  18  between the closure seal  28  and an end portion  36  of the pouch  10 . The tear notch  34  facilitates removal of the end portion  36  of the pouch  10  for exposure of the closure seal  28  to provide for discharge of the pouch contents. As shown in FIG. 1, the panels  12 ,  14  are sealed together around the periphery of the end portion  36 . In this manner, the end portion  36 , prior to its removal from the pouch  10 , will function as a cap to contain the contents of the pouch  10  in the event inadvertently applied pressure is sufficient to rupture the closure seal  28 .  
     [0023] The delivery of the contained oil from the pouch  10  is achieved in the following manner. A user grasps the end portion  36  of the pouch  10  and removes the end portion by tearing the pouch between the opposite sides  16 ,  18  beginning at the tear notch  34  in side  18 . The removal of the end portion  36  from the pouch forms a torn end  38 , shown in FIG. 5, exposing the closure seal  28 . The closure seal  28 , however, functions to contain the oil within the pouch  10  providing for spill-free inversion of the pouch  10  to position the nozzle  22  beneath the chamber  20  in position to dispense oil from the pouch  10 .  
     [0024] The pouch  10  is shown in FIG. 5 dispensing oil from the nozzle  22 . Following removal of the end portion  36 , pouch  10  is inverted and pressure is applied to the chamber  20  by hand  40  of a user, for example. The pressure applied to the contents of pouch  10  ruptures the closure seal  28  thereby opening the nozzle  22  for discharge of oil  42 . As illustrated in FIG. 5, the flexible pouch  10  collapses as the chamber  20  is squeezed by hand  40 . As discussed previously, the collapsible construction of the pouch  10  facilitates spill-free discharge of the oil from the pouch  10  by preventing “chugging” discharge associated with rigid molded plastic container of the prior art in which oil is released in period bursts.  
     [0025] The collapsing of the pouch  10  upon removal of the oil also provides for much more compact refuse to be disposed of upon use of the pouch  10 . The pouch  10  of the present invention is capable of being collapsed into a space that is up to 20 times smaller than that occupied by the relatively rigid and non-collapsing molded plastic containers of the prior art. Such reduction in refuse space would be highly desirable for an entity such as a gas station that may utilize large numbers of containers of oil during a given trash cycle.  
     [0026] While the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments of the various figures, it is to be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the described embodiments for performing the same function of the present invention without deviating therefrom. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to any single embodiment, but rather should be construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the recitation of the appended claims.