Patent Abstract:
A packaging unit for holding an adhesive or a component of an adhesive includes an outer container and an inner member placed in the outer container. The outer container has a generally box shape and further has a perforation around the perimeter of the container. The inner member has a spout through which the adhesive or component of the adhesive is received and dispensed. Tearing the perforation separates the outer container into a top portion and a bottom portion so that the inner member is removable from the outer container.

Full Description:
FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to packages for holding adhesives. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may or may not constitute prior art. 
         [0003]    In many roofing applications, for example in large, flat commercial roof decks, a roofing membrane is used to seal and protect the roof deck from environmental weather conditions. The roofing membrane may be made of various materials, such as polymeric materials including EPDM (ethylene propylene diene M-rubber) or TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin). The roofing membrane is adhered overtop insulation boards or panels. The insulation boards are typically secured to the roofing substrate or roof deck via an adhesive composition. A conventional adhesive composition used to adhere the insulation boards to the roof deck includes polyurethane. The polyurethane adhesives are oftentimes applied directly onto the roof deck via an applicator system and the insulation boards are then laid onto the roof deck surface. Conventional polyurethane adhesives oftentimes include two separate parts that are mixed by an applicator just prior to being applied onto the surface of the roof deck. The two parts include an isocyanate blend and a simple polyol blend. Upon mixing, the isocyanate blend reacts or crosslinks with the simple polyol blend to form the polyurethane adhesive. 
         [0004]    However, these conventional two-part polyurethane adhesives are sensitive to weather conditions due to the effects of temperature on the viscosity, and therefore the reaction speed, of the adhesive. Accordingly, conventional two-part polyurethane adhesives are packaged and formulated into various grades, such as Summer, Winter, and Regular, that vary the composition of the adhesive in order to account for temperature. 
         [0005]    Therefore, there is room in the art for adhesive packages for a pump driven applicator system that reliably pumps adhesives. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    A packaging unit for holding an adhesive or a component of an adhesive includes an outer container and an inner member placed in the outer container. The outer container has a generally box shape and further has a perforation around the perimeter of the container. The inner member has a spout through which the adhesive or component of the adhesive is received and dispensed. Tearing the perforation separates the outer container into a top portion and a bottom portion so that the inner member is removable from the outer container. 
         [0007]    Further features, advantages, and areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the views. In the drawings: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a bulk packaging unit for adhesives in accordance with the principles of the present invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the bulk packaging unit of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a partial view of the bulk packaging unit of  FIG. 1  illustrating a handle; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the bulk packaging unit of  FIG. 1  with the top of an outer container removed; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a view of a die cut panel from which an outer container of the bulk packaging unit of  FIG. 1  is formed; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is an alternative bulk packaging unit for adhesives in accordance with the principles of the present invention; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is yet another alternative bulk packaging unit for adhesives in accordance with the principles of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. 
         [0017]    Referring now to the drawings, a bulk packaging unit for storing and transporting an adhesive or a component of an adhesive is shown at  10  in  FIGS. 1-3 . The packaging unit  10  can be used, for example, with adhesive applicators such as those described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/246,482, filed Sep. 27, 2011 and entitled “Adhesive Bead Applicator,” and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/399,417, filed Feb. 17, 2012 and entitled “Adhesive Applicator,” the contents of which are incorporated in their entirety. The packaging unit  10  includes an inner flexible member or bag  12  contained in an outer container or carton  14 . The bag  12  is made of a water-impermeable flexible material and has a spout  26 . The bag  12  is filled with an adhesive or a component or part of an adhesive. In some arrangements, a screw cap is removed from the spout and then the adhesive or adhesive component is poured into the bag  12  until the adhesive or adhesive component fills the bag  12 . When the bag  12  is being filled, the bag  12  can reside in the carton  14  or can be outside the carton  14  and then placed into the carton after the bag is filled. In either case, the bag  12  closely conforms to the interior of the carton  14  when the bag  12  is filled with the adhesive or adhesive component. 
         [0018]    The bag  12  receives the adhesive or adhesive component for pre-use storage, shipping, use in an adhesive applicator, and post-use storage. The bag  12  is generally made of a suitable plastic material that can be translucent or transparent to facilitate viewing of the contents in the bag  12 . The spout  26  generally includes threads to allow threading of the spout with the threads of the cap. After the bag is filled with the adhesive or adhesive component, the screw cap can be twisted on the spout  26  or a valved device  28  can be connected or attached, for example, by threading threads of the valved device  28  to the spout  26  to seal the contents of the bag  12 . Accordingly, the bag  12  and its contents can be shipped in the carton  14  with a screw cap or the valved device  28 . The valved device  28  can include a poppet valve  30  that engages a stem member of a conduit to facilitate flow of the contents of the bag  12  from the bag. The valved device can be a quick release or connect nozzle for faster change outs and connection with a conduit. Such quick connect couplers or nozzles include those available from Colder Products of St. Paul, Minn. The bag  12  can further include a handle  24  that allows the bag  12  to be carried and to be placed and removed from the carton  14 . In a particular arrangement, the handle  24  extends through an opening  29  in the carton  14  after the carton  14  is closed off to enclose the bag  12  in the carton  14  to enable the bag  12  with its contents and the carton  14  to be carried together. 
         [0019]    The carton  14  is in some arrangements is a corrugated rigid or semi-rigid, box-like structure made from a die cut panel shown in  FIG. 5 . The carton  14  encloses the bag  12  and, hence, supports and protects the bag  12  and its contents for transportation and use of the packaging unit  10 . The carton  14  includes two inner panels  16  and  18  and two outer panels  20  and  22 . After the bag  12  is placed in the carton  14 , the two inner panels  16  and  18  are folded in and then the outer panels  20  and  22  are folded in on top of the inner panels  16  and  18 . Again, the bag  12  can be filled with its contents prior to being placed in the carton  14  or after it is placed in the carton  14 . The panels  20  and  22  can be sealed shut with a piece of tape  60  on one or both sides of the seam formed by the adjacent edges of the panels  20  and  22  or the panels  20  and  22  can be sealed by any other suitable means. 
         [0020]    The panel  20  is provided with a flap portion  21  than can be pulled out to define the opening  29 . In some arrangements the panel  20  includes a small opening  23  that allows the placement of a finder or thumb to pull out the flap portion  21  so that the handle  24  of the bag  12  can extend through the opening  29  as described previously. 
         [0021]    To form the box like structure of the carton  14 , the four sections of the panel shown in  FIG. 5  are folded along the line  50 ,  52 , and  54 . A smaller section  48  is folded along the line  56  such that the section  48  can be sealed to the section  58  with tape, glue, or any other suitable means. The carton  14  further includes bottom panels  40 ,  42 ,  44 , and  46  that are folded inwards to form the bottom of the carton  14 . 
         [0022]    In particular arrangements, the carton includes a tear tape  34  that is pulled to separate the carton  14  along a perforation  32 . Specifically, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the perforation allows the carton  14  to be separated into a top portion  14 A and a bottom portion  14 B. The perforation  32  is located about a distance, /, from the top of the carton  14 . Accordingly, when the packaging unit  10  is in use, an operator can remove the top portion  14 A to allow access to the bag  12  with its contents so that the bag  12  can be removed from the bottom portion  14 B and connected to an adhesive applicator with the valved device  28 , such as the quick connect device described above. 
         [0023]    Referring now to  FIG. 6 , there is shown at  100  another arrangement of a packaging unit for an adhesive or adhesive component for use in an adhesive applicator. The packaging unit  100  includes a flexible inner member or bag  112  enclosed in a container or carton  114 . The bag  112  includes a spout  126  with a screw on cap. Alternatively, the spout  126  can include a valved device such as, for example, a quick connect coupler that was described previously. The bag  112  also includes a handle  124  to enable placing the bag  112  and its contents into the container  114  and removing it from the container  114 , as well. Unlike the packaging unit  10  described earlier, the carton  114  of the packaging unit  100  does not include an opening through which the handle  124  extends. The carton  114 , however, does include a perforation  132  that facilitates separating the carton  114  into a bottom portion  114 A and a top portion  114 B, for example, by pulling on a tear tape as discussed previously. The packaging unit can include a single carton  114  or it can include a four sided stack liner  113  to increase crush resistance of the packaging unit. Note that any of the other packaging units described herein can include a stack liner as well. The stack liner  113  is made of a corrugated construction or any other suitable construction. The carton  114  and the bag  112  can be formed and made of the same materials as the carton  14  and the bag  12 . 
         [0024]    Another arrangement of a packaging unit is shown in  FIG. 7  at  200 . The packaging unit  200  includes a carton  214  with a first section  260  and a second section  262  into which respective bags  12  or  112  can be placed. Again the spout  126  can be sealed with a screw cap or a valved device. The carton  214  includes a perforation  232  that facilitates separating the carton  214  into a bottom portion  214 A and a top portion  214 B, for example, by pulling on a tear tape as discussed previously. The carton  214  can include an inner carton and an outer carton or it can be a single carton in which the bags  112  are placed. The carton  214  and bag  112  can be formed and made of the same materials as the carton  14  and the bag  12 . The packaging unit  200  allows the transportation, use, and storage of both components in respective sections  260  and  262  for both components of a two-part adhesive. 
         [0025]    Any of the aforementioned cartons  14 ,  114 , or  214  can be provided with an opening in a side of the carton to allow viewing of the bag inside the carton. Further, any of the aforementioned cartons  14 ,  114 , or  214  can be provided with a coating on the inside, outside, or both the inside and outside of the carton. The coating can be water resistant or water proof. 
         [0026]    The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1