Abstract:
A fillable, sealable, disposable container for storing, transporting and consuming a liquid, such as an individual beverage serving; the container having opposed front and a back walls, joined along their opposed sides, each wall also having an upper portion, defining an opening for filling the container, and a lower portion, connecting the lower portions of the front and back walls, for stabilizing the container for filling, and a sealable fluid-tight liquid retaining seal about said opening, for sealing the upper portion of the front and back walls, and means for creating a hole in the front wall of the container, for extracting the liquid.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority from Provisional Patent Application No. 60/686,723, filed Jun. 1, 2005. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to a fillable, sealable container for a fixed amount of a liquid, such as a serving of a beverage; and the machinery for manufacturing such a container.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Individual servings of beverages, such as juices, are sold in disposable pouches or boxes, ideal for storing, transporting and/or consuming the single serving of the beverage. The pouches, which are made of fluid-impervious laminar materials, are not re-usable. An example of the laminar materials from which beverage pouches are currently being manufactured is constructed as follows, beginning with the outer layer: polyester film/printing ink/coating adhesive/metal foil/coating adhesive/heat-sealable plastic (e.g., polyethylene) film. Such a laminate is further described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,583, which is hereby incorporated by reference.  
         [0004]     Another example of the laminar materials from which such pouches are manufactured is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,851,578 which is hereby incorporated by reference, is a plastic sheet, a metallic sheet or a composite sheet composed of the former sheets; the plastic sheet is exemplified by polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, polycarbonate or a nylon resin.  
         [0005]     In U.S. Pat. No. 6,652,144, which is hereby incorporated by reference, the fluid container pouch is described as comprising two opposing pliable sidewalls, formed of a composite material, such as a polypropylene ply having a barrier layer of aluminum foil, a metalized coating, or polyethylene vinyl alcohol, on at least one side of said polypropylene ply.  
         [0006]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,378,069 describes a thin-walled pouch container made of synthetic resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and similar flexible plastics susceptible to heat sealing. U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,914 discloses beverage pouches constructed of aluminum/plastic laminate foil. Indeed, most disposable beverage pouches are heat sealed along their side walls, the plastic layers being used for heat sealing of the front and back surfaces of the pouch as well as fluid imperviousness. These two references are, also, hereby incorporated by reference,  
         [0007]     Access to the beverage in the pouch is typically achieved with a straw attached to the container, which may be separated from the container and used to pierce the pouch and sip the beverage. However, it is not easy to pierce the wall of a pouch constructed of multi-layer laminar materials. U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,514 discloses a method of making a beverage packaging bag comprising laminar panels of a combination of polyester film, polypropylene film, nylon film, cellophane, or aluminum foil, capable of being readily pierced by a straw.  
         [0008]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,233 to Kramer, et al. describes another method for creating a piercing point in a container made of a plurality of layers of laminated material. One of the container walls is provided with a piercing point constructed by forming a depression in the exterior surface of the container wall. The depression does not penetrate completely through the wall. The depression is surrounded by an annular ring, which marks its location.  
         [0009]     US 2003/0221393 A1 describes a conventional aluminum foil beverage container which possesses a round hole provided at a top side face, which is covered with a thin film of aluminum, and which can be pierced by a straw.  
         [0010]     A variety of closures for flexible storage bags and pouches have been developed including the so-called profile closure having at least one pair of mating channels, an example of which may be seen in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 28,969 to Naito which shows the Zip-loc storage bag. U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,951 discloses embedding Ziploc on the inside surface of a storage pouch, by attaching interlocking closure strips or profiles on inside surfaces of said front and back walls, adjacent to the areas of said front and back walls to become sealed after filling. No “straw holes” are provided in these storage pouches.  
         [0011]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,883,683 B1 describes a pouch with front and back walls tack sealed together along a line proximal the top edge to releasably close the opening of the pouch. When the tack seal is broken, the front and back walls may be separated from one another to open the pouch, and the pouch resealed by pressing together the front and back walls over the tack seal. Again, no “straw holes” are provided in these storage pouches. Recently, storage bags have been provided with a bottom surface, making it possible to stand the pouch upright on a counter, and place items/food to be stored through the sealable opening.  
         [0012]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,591 discloses a pouch construction wherein carefully placed lines of deformation in the pouch create an opening at the top of the pouch, by merely applying pressure against the two opposed sides of the pouch, toward one another.  
         [0013]     While these pouches are attractive and convenient, manufacturers and sellers of the pouches, the markup for the pouch is inordinately high considering the cost of the pouch and the beverage contained in the pouch.  
         [0014]     One alternative to the disposable pouch is a reusable plastic container such as a sipper-cup construction. These alternative structures need repeated washings, and, if constructed of plastic, may become discolored and acquire an unpleasant smell. Another alternative is glass containers, which do not have these disadvantages, but bring the danger and inconvenience of breaking.  
         [0015]     It is an object of the present invention to provide fillable, sealable, containers for liquids, especially individual serving of a beverage. It is a further object of present invention to make such a container inexpensive and disposable. It is a still further object of the invention to provide a “straw hole” in the container, for piercing the container with a straw; and to provide a straw attached to the container, or means for attaching a straw to the container.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0016]     These objects, as well as other objects which will become apparent from the discussion that follows, are achieved, in accordance with the present invention, the first embodiment of which comprises a fillable, sealable, disposable container, comprising opposed front and a back walls of fluid impervious material, each wall having an upper portion, opposed side edges, and a lower portion, and a bottom wall between the lower portions of the front and back wall. In one preferred embodiment, the front and back walls are joined along the opposed side edges, leaving a liquid receiving opening between the upper portions of the front and back walls. In another preferred embodiment, the upper portion of the back wall is folded over to overlap the upper portion of the front wall, and the walls are joined along the opposed side edges, to create a pouch with a liquid receiving opening in the upper portion of the front wall. The pouch, or container, is provided with a sealable fluid-tight liquid retaining seal about said liquid receiving opening, for sealing a liquid portion, or serving, in the container. The pouch or container is also provided with means for creating a hole in the front wall of the container, beneath the upper portion of the front wall, for extracting the liquid through the hole, such as with a straw. The liquid receiving opening maintains an effective pouring diameter, while the container is supported on its bottom stabilizing surface.  
         [0017]     The sealable fluid-tight liquid retaining seal may be a mating channel closure, such as a Ziploc seal, or an adhesive seal on the inside surface of the upper portion of at least one of the front wall and the back walls. The pouch or container may also be provided with a protective secondary seal, comprising adhesive on the outside surface of the upper portion of the front wall, for attaching the front wall to itself about a fold in the upper portions of the front and back walls.  
         [0018]     The bottom stabilizing surface may comprise a pleat in the connecting bottom wall, the sides of which are secured to each other, but not to the side edges of the front and back walls, creating a two legged gusset. Alternatively, the bottom stabilizing surface may comprise a pleat in the connecting bottom wall, the edges of which are sealed to the lower portion of the front and back walls, along their side edges. In still another embodiment, the bottom stabilizing surface is flat wall, such as an ovate blank. When the container is supported on its bottom stabilizing surface the liquid receiving opening can remain open, maintaining an effective pouring diameter.  
         [0019]     The pouch or container has means for creating a hole in the front wall of the container, such as an area of weakening in the front wall, below the liquid retaining means; or an opening in the front wall, below the liquid retaining means, with a removable tab forming a fluid-tight seal over the hole; or a circular mating channel closures in the tab and about the hole.  
         [0020]     The fillable, sealable, disposable containers of these embodiments of the present invention may be manufactured by providing a sheet of fluid impervious material, comprising an inner surface and an outer surface; a length and a width, said width comprising the height of the front and back walls, and a generally rectangular connecting bottom wall. The following steps may be performed in any convenient order: a) reverse folding the connecting bottom wall on the center line, bisecting the height of the bottom connecting wall, b) forward folding the sheet at the line between the front wall and the bottom connecting wall, and forward folding the sheet at the line between the back wall and the bottom connecting wall, to form a pleat in the bottom connecting wall, c) bringing the inside surfaces of the front and back walls together, and aligning the side edges of the front wall and the back wall; d) providing a liquid retaining seal on the inside surface of the front wall and the back wall; e) heat sealing the side edges of the pleat to the side edges of front and back walls; f) heat sealing the side edges of the front and back walls; and, g) creating a means for making a straw hole in the front wall, below the liquid retaining seal; to access the contained liquid. The liquid retaining means may comprise a mating channel closure or an adhesive closure, which may be provided with release means. The fluid retaining seal may be provided by securing an edging sheet of fluid impervious material, comprising a liquid retaining seal, along the width edges of the sheet. In an alternative method, the side edges of the pleat may be heat sealed, but not sealed to the side edges of the front and back walls, creating a two-legged gusset. In another alternative method, the connecting bottom wall comprises a generally ovate bottom stabilizing surface.  
         [0021]     In another embodiment of the fillable, sealable, disposable pouch or container for a liquid of the present invention, the container is provided with a liquid receiving opening in the upper portion of the front wall, comprising a mating channel closure. Such a container may also be provided with a secondary seal, as described above, and a pleated, gusseted, or ovate, bottom stabilizing surface. Said liquid receiving opening maintains an effective pouring diameter, while the container is supported on its bottom stabilizing surface. In addition, the container may be provided with at least one score line traversing the top channel of the mating channel closure, and/or at least one score line traversing the bottom channel of the mating channel closure, to increase the effective pouring diameter of the opening. Such a container may be manufactured by sealing a mating channel closure to the front panel, on the inner surface or the outer surface, preferably before the container is fully formed. A line of weakening or perforations may underlie the closure, to aid in making the initial opening of the closure.  
         [0022]     For a full understanding of the present invention, reference should now be made to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0023]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the front of one embodiment of a fillable, sealable pouch for a beverage serving, according to the present invention.  
         [0024]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the back of the syllable sealable pouch of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0025]      FIG. 3  is the right side view of the fillable, sealable pouch of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0026]      FIG. 4  is a right side view of the fillable, sealable pouch of  FIG. 1 , opened to be filled.  
         [0027]      FIG. 5  is a front perspective view of another embodiment of the fillable, sealable beverage pouch of the present invention.  
         [0028]      FIG. 5A  is a left side view of the beverage pouch of  FIG. 5 .  
         [0029]      FIG. 6 , is a right side view of another embodiment of the fillable, sealable beverage pouch of the present invention.  
         [0030]      FIG. 7  is a front a perspective view of another embodiment of the fillable, sealable, disposable beverage pouch of the present invention, illustrating a generally ovate shaped, or tear-shaped, bottom surface.  
         [0031]      FIG. 8  is a front plan view of another embodiment of the fillable, sealable beverage pouch of the present invention with a Ziploc, mating channel closure in the front wall.  
         [0032]      FIG. 9  is a left side view of the pouch of  FIG. 8 .  
         [0033]      FIG. 10  is a left side view of the pouch of  FIG. 8 , with the lower portion of the liquid retaining means folded open to increase the liquid receiving opening for filling the container.  
         [0034]      FIG. 10A  is a left side view of the pouch of  FIG. 8 , with the upper and lower portion of the liquid retaining means folded open to further increase the liquid receiving opening for filling the container.  
         [0035]      FIG. 11  is a top plan view of a sheet for forming the container of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0036]      FIG. 12  is a top plan view of a sheet for forming the container of  FIG. 8 . 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0037]     The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 1-12  of the drawings. Identical elements in the various Figures are designated with the same reference numerals.  
         [0038]      FIG. 1  illustrates the front of the fillable, sealable pouch for a beverage according to the present invention, shown generally at  1 . The back of the pouch is illustrated in  FIG. 2 . The pouch comprises a front wall,  2 , with an upper portion,  2   a , and a lower portion,  2   b ; and a back wall,  3 , comprising an upper portion,  3   a , and a lower portion  3   b . The front and back walls have side edges,  4 , which may be secured by heat sealing or adhesive, or a combination thereof. The front and back walls are connected by connecting bottom wall, forming a bottom stabilizing surface,  5 . The front and back walls, and the connecting bottom wall, are made of plastic and/or foil laminates.  
         [0039]     A liquid receiving opening is created in the upper portion of the front and back walls. A bottom stabilizing surface is formed by a generally flat bottom wall, or a pleated or legged stabilizing surface, described in detail below, enables the pouch to stand up, and the liquid receiving opening to maintain an effective diameter while liquid is poured through the opening,  9 , in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0040]     To seal the liquid in the pouch, a liquid-tight seal, such as the Ziploc closure, or mating channel closure, shown at  8 , in  FIG. 3  may be provided on the inside surfaces of the upper portion of the front and back walls. If desired, a secondary closure,  7 , may be created by folding the upper portion of the pouch along fold line,  10 , and securing the fold with an adhesive strip,  11 , located on the outside surface of the upper portion of the front wall, above and or below the fold line,  10 . If the laminar material of the front and back walls make it difficult to fold the top of the pouch, initial fold lines,  10   a  in the front wall, and  10   b , in the back wall may be scored during manufacture to facilitate folding to create the secondary seal.  
         [0041]     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the mating channel closure,  8 , comprises mating channels,  8   a  in the front wall, and  8   b  in the back wall. In an alternative construction, shown in  FIG. 6 , the initial fluid-tight seal may comprise one or both adhesive surfaces,  16   a  and  16   b , on the inner surface of the upper portions of the front and back walls.  
         [0042]     Shown at  12  in  FIG. 5  are means for creating a hole in the front wall of the pouch container, created by a hole,  15 , in the front wall, beneath the upper portion; and a removable tab,  14 , temporarily, but firmly secured over the hole,  15 . To reduce liter, the tab may be permanently secured to the front wall at region,  13 .  
         [0043]     As shown in  FIG. 5 , either the front or back wall may be reinforced at lines,  25 , generally perpendicular to the bottom surface, to assist in maintaining the pouch in an upright position for filling. Also shown in  FIG. 5  is an alternative form of the means for creating a hole in the front wall of the container, comprising a circular mating channel closure,  12 ′.  
         [0044]     As shown in  FIGS. 1, 2 , and  4 , the bottom surface may be formed by a pleat,  6 , the edges of which maybe heat sealed to each other and to the side edges of the bottom portion of the front and back walls. The inverted pleat created a stabile bottom surface for filling the container.  FIG. 5  illustrates an alternative embodiment of the bottom stabilizing surface, comprising a two-legged gusset, created by pleating the connecting bottom wall, and sealing the edges of the pleat to each other, but not to the side edge of the lower portion of the front and back walls.  FIG. 7  illustrates another alternative embodiment of the beverage pouch container according to the present invention, in which the bottom stabilizing surface comprises a generally flat bottom surface,  5 ′, comprising a generally ovate, or tear-shaped blank.  
         [0045]      FIG. 8  illustrates another embodiment of the fillable, sealable beverage pouch container of the present invention, wherein the upper portions of the front and back wall meet at a fold line or top seal,  17 , and a liquid receiving opening, with a fluid-tight seal, such as a Ziploc closure or mated channel closure  18  provided about the opening in the upper portion of the front wall. Opening the closure  18 , permits one to fill the pouch with a liquid, and seal it therein with the fluid tight seal of the mated channel closure,  18 . If desired a secondary seal may be made by folding the upper portion of the front and back walls over the front surface of the front wall and securing the fold with adhesive strips,  19 , and/or,  20 , on the front wall, above and below the closure,  18 . Referring again to  FIG. 8 , the lower channel  18   a , may be provided with a score line,  21 , permitting the lower channel,  18   a , to be folded at the score line, projecting the lower channel away from the front wall, to increase the effective pouring diameter of the opening, as illustrated in  FIG. 10 . In addition, the lower channel,  18   b , may also be provided with a score line,  22 , permitting the upper channel to be folded, so as to project inwardly of the front wall, further increasing the effective pouring diameter of the opening, as illustrated in  FIG. 10A .  
         [0046]      FIG. 11  illustrates a blank of fluid impervious material from which one can form the container of  FIG. 1 . The upper surface of the blank will become the inner surface of the container, and whose lower surface will become the outer surface of the container. As illustrated in  FIG. 11 , the front wall  2 , has an upper portion  2   a  and a lower portion  2   b , and the back wall  3  also has an upper portion  3   a  and a lower portion  3   b . The blank also has a length, l, and a width, w. The width comprises the height of the front and back walls, and the connecting bottom wall. In continuous high-speed production, it is anticipated that the blanks will be cut from a continuous web of fluid impervious material running in the lengthwise direction. Cutting the blank from the running web creates the side edges  4 .  
         [0047]     To construct the container, the blank must be reverse folded along the center line,  26 , of the bottom connecting wall, and forward folding the sheet at the line,  30 , between the front wall and the bottom connecting wall, and forward folding the sheet at the line,  28 , between the back wall and the bottom connecting wall; to form a pleat in the bottom connecting wall, bringing the inside surfaces of the front and back walls together, and aligning the side edges of the front wall and the back wall.  
         [0048]     When the liquid retaining means is a line of adhesive, extending lengthwise of the blank, it may be advantageously provided on the upper (inside) surface of the blank (container) before folding the blank. To complete the container, the side edges must be sealed, preferably by heat sealing. Heat-sealing the side edges secures the pleat along the side edges of the lower portion of the front and back walls. To facilitate the user in creating a straw hole in the front wall, below the liquid retaining seal; the web may be scored, or otherwise provided with a defined line of weakening, preferably before the web is folded.  
         [0049]     If the liquid retaining seal is to be a mating channel closure, to create a re-closeable seal, an edging sheet of fluid impervious material, carrying one half of a mating channel closure may be provided along one the length of the web, and the other half of the mating channel closure provided on an edging sheet along the other length of the web, and the edging sheets secured to the lengthwise edges of the web.  
         [0050]     Similarly, if the straw hole is to be re-closeable, one half of a mating channel closure may be provided and attached to the outer surface of the front wall,  2 , (under surface of the web), with the other half of the mating channel closure preferably provided in atop the first half, and secured thereto by closing the channel. The attachment is preferably done after the web is folded along line  30 , bringing the outer surface of the front wall to an “up” position.  
         [0051]     In another embodiment of the container it may be desired to create a two-legged gusset at the bottom surface, rather than a pleat. This may be accomplished by heat sealing the side edges of the lower portion of the front and back walls to the edge between lines  26  &amp;  30 , and lines  28  &amp;  30 , respectively. As with the pleat, this may be accomplished before or after the heat-sealing of the remainder of the side edges of the front and back walls. In certain embodiments of the invention, it may be desirable to provide a transparent material as at least a portion of the back wall. Preferably, a fill line may be provided at the transparent portion, to indicate the maximum height of liquid that can be easily sealed in the container by the fluid retaining seal.  
         [0052]      FIG. 12  illustrates a sample blank for forming the container of  FIG. 7 . The blank may be folded and sealed as the blank in  FIG. 11 , to form the bottom stabilizing surface, however, the liquid receiving opening in this container is not between upper portions of the front and back walls, but in the upper portion of the front wall. The liquid retaining seal in this embodiment is a mating channel closure, such as a “Zip Lock™ closure. A section of the mating channel closure may be attached to the upper portion of the front wall, on either the inside surface (upper surface of the web) or the outside surface (underside of the web) of the front wall. Preferably a line of weakening is provided in the front wall, along the section of the closure, and a midsection tab may also be provided to assist in opening the closure and creating the liquid receiving opening within the opened mating channel closure section. The front and back walls must be secured, as by heat sealing, to form the container with opening in the upper front wall. As it may be advantageous to perform these steps nearer the lengthwise edge of the web, the lines,  26 ,  28  &amp;  30  may be off-set toward the right edge of the web, creating a flap,  32 , between the top edge,  10 , of the container, and the left edge of the blank. Following folding of the blank, the flap  32  may be brought adjacent the upper portion of the front wall (inside or outside surface), and attached thereto, as by heat-sealing along the edge,  34 , of the flap,  32 .  
         [0053]     It can be readily understood that the containers of the present invention will provide an inexpensive alternative to pre-packaged juice boxes, generally considered to be manufactured for children. The container of the present invention will provide the convenience of a prepackaged drink for adults. This is of increasing importance as adults increasingly commute to work and/or school, and work “flex-hours”, requiring them to get meals away from home, on a train, in the car, and at odd hours. The container of the present invention can provide “a cup of milk” to pour into the makeshift cereal bowls made from boxes of individual servings of cereal. In addition, larger volume containers can be used to supply the favorite sports drink, when needed, whether or no the manufacturer had seen fit to so package the drink, and the local store carries that size, or is open at the hour the container of favored beverage is desires. For many yet undiscovered uses, the container of the present invention may be used to substitute those beverages of choice, required for health maintenance, or for a particular diet, for adults or their children.  
         [0054]     There has thus been shown and described a novel disposable seal and lock foil beverage pouch; and the operating machinery to manufacture such product which fulfills all the objects and advantages sought therefore. Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the subject invention will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering this specification and the accompanying drawings which disclose the preferred embodiments thereof. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention, which is to be limited only by the claims which follow.