Abstract:
A double sided or two-chamber pouch having a finger ring and a slider for simultaneously dispensing the same flowable or different liquid product contents through a tear-open top or uncapped nozzle by which the mixed product contents can be sipped or sucked from the pouch or applied as a spread by an alternative user.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    NONE 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Research and development of this invention and Application have not been federally sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program. 
       REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX NOT APPLICABLE 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0004]    This invention relates to disposable pouches containing flowable candy or confectionery product contents, in general, and to such disposable pouches of enhanced appeal to a prospective purchaser. 
         [0005]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0006]    Disposable, flexible, plastic pouches containing flowable candy or confectionery product contents are regularly sold in retail stores. Typically, the candy or confection is accessed by tearing off a top corner of the pouch, through which the product content is sipped or sucked out. Alternatively, a nozzle may be built into the top, which when uncapped allows the candy/confection, to flow into one&#39;s mouth. An arrangement would be welcomed by the consumer which would allow multiple product contents to be sipped or sucked out of the pouch simultaneously at the same time, either entirely or to whatever amount is desired. 
       OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a new and improved disposable, flexible plastic pouch for use in the liquid and flowable candy industries, for example, where multiple product contents can be sipped or sucked out, mixed together in whatever amount desired by the consumer. 
         [0008]    It is another object of the invention to provide such a disposable, flexible plastic pouch which would allow individual product contents to react with one another at the time of mixing that would otherwise cause one to break down the other over time if they were in contact with one another sitting on a retail store shelf or hanging from a shopkeeper&#39;s display awaiting purchase. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The present invention, first, is of a double sided or two-chamber sealed pouch in a preferred embodiment, with each chamber being provided with its own liquid or flowable candy or confectionery—either of the same or different composition. Second, the pouch is provided with a single finger ring for the grasping of the pouch, and a slider to be used by the consumer&#39;s other hand to move the product contents from the chambers, out through their top openings. As will be described, the body of each pouch is fabricated of panels of flexible multi-layered laminated film that are heat-sealed together. In the preferred two-chamber pouch: three panels of 3 layers each are employed. The top and bottom layer of each panel is composed of polyethylene; the middle layer of the top and bottom panels is of nylon, and the middle layer of the inner panel is of an aluminum foil. As will also be described, access to sip or suck the mixed product contents simultaneously from the two chambers is had by tearing off the end of the sealed pouch remote from the finger ring. 
         [0010]    As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a nozzle might be employed at such remote end instead, to allow the candy/confection to flow into the user&#39;s mouth when uncapped. Likewise, the candy or confectionery product content may be replaced by other flowable contents—as with different medications, for example, required to be kept separate because of possible interaction until mixed together at the time of taking. (In this respect, and as an illustration, a gelatin type content might need to be separated from others of high acid propensity which might break down the gelatin if mixed together over time, but which are desired to be mixed at the time of ingestion to arrive at a taste that one might want to obtain.) As will also be appreciated, the teachings of the invention would be applicable where pouches of three or more chambers are desired for the joint mixing of their individual product contents, as long as panels of flexible multi-layered laminated films are employed that are all heat-sealed together, with top and bottom layers of polyethylene separated by nylon, aluminum foil, or even paper to serve as a moisture barrier layer. 
         [0011]    In any arrangement of the invention, grasping the finger ring in one hand then, and moving the slider towards the tear-away top or nozzle allows a dispensing of all or any desired amount of mixed product content out and into a consumer&#39;s mouth or onto any product as a spread. A small fine opening at the bottom of the slider allows the chambers to be squeezed to the limit to facilitate the dispensing. Such squeezing and slider movement enables substantially all of the mixed contents of the chambers to be removed, or a lesser amount, whichever is desired. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    These and other features of the invention will be more clearly understood from a consideration of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is an illustration helpful in understanding the arrangement of layered lamination panels in fabricating the double sided or two-chamber sealed pouch of the invention; 
           [0014]      FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  are views of opposite sides of a filled pouch according to the invention; 
           [0015]      FIGS. 3   a - 3   d  are views helpful in an understanding of the finger ring of the invention, with  FIGS. 3   e - 3   g  being views helpful in understanding the assembly of the finger ring with respect to the panels employed; 
           [0016]      FIGS. 4   a - 4   e  are illustrations helpful in an understanding of the slider of the invention, with  FIG. 4   f  helpful in understanding the attachment of the slider with the pouch; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the various parts of the slide dispensing sealed double sided or two-chamber pouch of the invention; and 
           [0018]      FIGS. 6   a - 6   c  are assembly views helpful in understanding how the sealed pouch is configured. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]      FIG. 1  illustrates the double sided pouch as having three panels  10 ,  12  and  14  of three layers each—the panels being heat sealed together to form two chambers. In a preferred embodiment, this allows two different products or two different flavors/colors of the same product to be filled in the same two-chamber pouch. Each panel is comprised of a top layer, a middle layer, and a bottom layer. For the panel  10 , these are illustrated by the reference numerals  16 ,  18  and  20 ; by the reference numerals  22 ,  24  and  26  for the panel  12 ; and by reference numerals  28 ,  30  and  32  for the panel  14 . The top and bottom layers of each panel are fabricated of the same plastic material so as to be heat sealable together along their edge surfaces—for example, of polyethylene. The middle layers  18  and  30  of the panels  10  and  14  are of a nylon composition, while the middle layer  24  of the panel  12  is of an aluminum foil. Reference numeral  34  in each layer identifies a die cut hole or opening, to be employed in assembling the finger ring of the invention, while reference numeral  36  in each layer identifies tear points that allow a user to open the panels and both chambers simultaneously along a tear line  37  in mixing their respective product contents as the contents are sipped or sucked from the pouch. 
         [0020]    In  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b , the opposite sides of the filled pouch formed from the panels  10 ,  12  and  14  are illustrated. The die cut hole  34  is shown, along with the oppositely positioned tear points  36 . As will be understood, the individual product contents of each chamber are sipped or sucked in the direction shown by the arrow after the removal of the torn off closure  38 . The different shadings at  42  in  FIG. 2   a  and at  44  in  FIG. 2   b  indicate different product contents enclosed in each chamber, for example. As will be understood, the product content for each chamber is first introduced into the chambers at  46 ,  48 , before heat sealing together the edge surfaces of the layers  16 ,  20 ,  22 ,  26 ,  28  and  32 . 
         [0021]      FIG. 3   a  represents a perspective view of the finger ring  50  of the pouch, with  FIGS. 3   b ,  3   c  and  3   d  illustrating side, sectional and top views of the ring  50 , respectively. The finger ring  50  is preferably of a low density polyethylene so as to be semi-rigid, in having an inner ring  52  and an outer ring  54 . The outer ring  54  is centered, thin and flat making it easy to seal into the pouch as the ring  50  passes through the panels  10 ,  12  and  14  as illustrated in  FIG. 3   e . The consuming purchaser or other user places the index finger of one hand inside the ring  50 , and places the thumb and index finger of the other hand under the slider  58  illustrated in the various views of  FIGS. 4 and 6 . 
         [0022]      FIGS. 3   f  and  3   g  are side views helpful in an understanding of the positioning of the finger ring  50  with respect to the panels  10 ,  12  and  14 . In particular,  FIG. 3   f  illustrates the side view of the finger ring and panels prior to the panels being sealed together, while  FIG. 3   g  shows the side view and its magnified view once the panels and finger ring are sealed. As  FIG. 3   f  illustrates, the top portion of the finger ring  50  passes through the die cut hole of panel  10 , while the bottom portion of the finger ring passes through the die cut holes  34  of both panels  12  and  14 . The assembly employed follows the placement of the top portion  51  of the inner ring  52  through the underside of the die cut hole  34  of panel  10 , the insertion of the bottom portion  53  of the inner ring  52  through the top side of the die cut holes of panels  12  and  14 , and the sealing together of the panels with the inner and outer rings  52 ,  54  in forming a solid seal. As  FIG. 3   g  illustrates, the outer ring  54  is permanently sealed between the panels  10  and  12 , while the inner ring passes through all three panels. 
         [0023]      FIG. 4   a  is a 3D view of the slider  58 , with  FIGS. 4   b,    4   c ,  4   d  and  4   e  respectively being a side view, a top view, a perspective view and a sectional view. As with the finger ring  52 , the slider  58  is fabricated of a low density polyethylene so as to be semi-rigid—and able, because of its compositional non-stick surface, to glide up along the twin-chambered pouch in squeezing out their respective contents simultaneously in the arrow direction of  FIG. 2   a . Shown in  FIGS. 6   a  and  6   b  in its initial or bottom position  100 , the slider  58  cannot be removed from the pouch at that position as it is blocked there by the top portion  51  of finger ring  52  extending above panel  10  and by the bottom portion  53  extending below panel  14  ( FIGS. 3   f  and  3   g ). In particular, and as will be understood, the slider  58  can be removed only from the opposite or top end of the pouch  102 , once the product content from each chamber is sipped or sucked out. 
         [0024]    With respect to the specific slider construction,  FIG. 4   c  illustrates the top opening of the slider  60  as narrowing from top to bottom in allowing it to move the product contents easily through the individual chambers and out the top end  102 . The perspective view of  FIG. 4   d  illustrates the slider&#39;s small fine opening  62  at its bottom to allow the chambers to be squeezed to the limit in facilitating substantially all of their contents to be removed. The top inner flange  64  of the slider  58  allows for easy gripping and leverage, with reference numeral  66  identifying contour finger grips usable as an alternative in moving the slider  58  upwards along the pouch. Such finger grips  66  can be used together with the inner flange  64  to enable the consuming purchaser or other user to have a solid grip in moving the slider towards the ends of the chambers, or only partway, where desired. Reference numeral  68  identifies a cut out area of the slider allowing it to sit on the top curvature of the finger ring  50 . Such positioning of the finger ring  50  and the slider  58  establishes the initial configuration of the pouch as it is being transported and on a storekeeper&#39;s shelves.  FIG. 4   f  illustrates the slider  58  being attached from the top, or pouch end  102  prior to the filling of the pouch with the product but after the assembly of the finger ring  50 —the slider  58  then being moved all the way down from right to left to lock with the finger ring. 
         [0025]      FIG. 5  illustrates the exploded views of the ring, the slider, and the two-chamber pouch, with  FIG. 6   c  illustrating a sectional view of the assembled pouch to simultaneously dispense the product contents from its two chambers. 
         [0026]    While there has been described what is considered to be a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the teachings herein. For example, the orientation of the inner ring  50  as depicted in  FIGS. 3   e  and  3   f  can be reversed so that the top portion of the ring passes through the die cut hole of panel  14  while the bottom portion of the ring passes through the die cut holes  34  of both panels  12  and  10 —in which event the outer ring  54  is permanently sealed between the panels  12  and  14 , the assembly of the invention being otherwise unchanged. For at least such reason, therefore, resort should be had to the claims appended hereto for a true understanding of the scope of the invention.