Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Mo4406
MD-94-1 09-AC
COMPARTMENTALIZED ENVELOPE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of Invention:
The present invention relates to a package comprising a
reclosable, compartmentalized envelope. More specifically, the present
invention relates to a compartmentalized envelope containing pouches of
5 chemicals which are particularly useful as agricultural chemicals.
Brief Description of the Prior Art:
Agricultural chemicals are sold, shipped and stored in various
packages. Paradoxically, safety and environmental regulations
compelling stringent packaging, limits the ease of removal of the
10 chemical from the packaging and the ease of use of the chemicals.
Another shortcoming of many of these packages resides in their
propensity to have residual chemicals after the intended use of the
chemicals. Governmental regulations require that most packages having
residual chemicals be handled or disposed of by methods that can be
1 5 expensive.
Of interest here are packages from which the chemicals can be
readily removed and used conveniently by applicators.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the foregoing, the present invention
20 encompasses a reclosable compartmentalized envelope having two or
more compartments containing sealed pouches of chemicals. Also,
encompassed by the invention is a method of making the envelope
comprising: providing the envelope and sealed pouches containing
chemicals, placing the sealed pouches into the compartments and
25 reclosably sealing the compartments. Preferably, the pouches are filled
with dosage specific amounts of the chemicals.
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Further encompassed by the invention is a method of using the
reclosable compartmentalized envelope comprising: providing the
envelope having pouches containing chemicals in a manner that prevents
their contact with the environment during shipment and storage but
5 disposes the chemicals to a facile removal, by opening the envelope to
remove a pouch of chemicals, placing the pouch in water to dissolve and
applying the resulting aqueous solution to an intended target. The
envelope is reclosed to protect remaining unopened pouches. Thus, this
package provides a means for using its contents incrementally. The
10 invention is described more fully hereunder.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 illustrates the front view of the reclosable compartmentalized
envelope showing a zipper as a reclosable means. Fig. 2 illustrates the
front view of the reclosable compartmentalized envelope. Fig. 3
15 illustrates the side view (right) of the reclosable compartmentalized
envelope. Fig. 4 illuslldles the back view of the reclosable
compartmentalized envelope. Fig. 5 illustrates side view (left) of the
reclosable compartmentalized envelope. Fig. 6 illusll~tes top view of the
reclosable compartmentalized envelope. Fig. 7 illustrates the bottom
20 view of the reclosable compartmentalized envelope. Fig. 8 illustrates the
top view of the reclosable compartmentalized envelope showing pouches
with full contents. Fig. 9 illuslldles the cross section of the pouch and
compartment at section 9-9 of Fig. 8 Fig. 10 illuslldles the cross section
of the pouch showing a slice between compartments at section 10-10 of
25 Fig. 8.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The reclosable compartmentalized envelope of the present
invention is generally illustrated by Figs. 1-10 The envelope Fig. 1,
reference number 11, can be formed with one or more pieces of material
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by: folding and/or lapping and sealing the ends of the material to form the
envelope. The material is sealed on the outside to forrrl the outside
boundaries and on the inside to form the inside boundaries defining the
compartments. The front end of the envelope is provided with a
reclosable means by attaching it to lips on the front panel of the
envelope. Generally, the material useful herein is sufficiently durable to
remain intact during shipping, storage and use of the envelope. Further,
the material must have sufficient moisture barrier to protect the pouches
contained therein. Also, the material is such that it can be equipped with
or adapted to have a means of reclosing the envelope. Typically, the
material comprises a flexible film. Specific but non-limiting examples of
the material can be selected from the group consisting of: polyethylene,
polyester, polyamide, polypropylene, ethylene vinyl alcohol, aluminum foil
and a mixture or composite thereof. The dimensions of the envelope
depend on the type of material and the service conditions of the
envelope. Illustratively, an envelope that is made of a polyolefin material
would have outside dimensions of about 16 to 24 inches in length, 6 to
10 inches in height and 1 to 2 inches in thickness (expansion) when the
envelope contains filled pouches.
The envelope is defined by its outside boundaries and inside
boundaries that form two or more compartments as illustrated by
reference numbers 12, 14, 16, and 18 which are separated from each
other. The separation between the compartments can be provided by
fastening the material of the front panel to the ",aterial of the back panel
of the envelope, at desired inside boundaries 41, 43, and 45. Any
effective fastening means, such as sealing, can be used to provide the
separation. Preferably, the sealing can be done by heat-sealing.
Reference numbers 20, 22, and 24 show the interior seals. The interior
boundaries can extend from about the bottom of the envelope to a level
below the lower lip of the front panel to which the reclosable means is
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attached. Reference numbers 40, 42 or 44 illustrate the level of the
interior boundaries. Typically, the interior boundaries are such that they
define a retaining compartment for the pouches. In essence, the
compartments are of dimensions that would enable one to insert and
5 remove the pouches from the compartments.
The outside boundaries are defined by the side ends and top and
bottom ends of the envelope. Reference numbers 26 and 28 show the
left and right side ends of the envelope. Reference numbers 30 and 32
show the bottom and top ends, respectively. The outside boundaries can
10 be formed by any convenient means. Preferably, they can be formed by
end-lapping and fastening one or two pieces of material. Preferably,
fastening is done by heat sealing. In the present embodiment, the
bottom end of the envelope is defined by a folded end of a piece of
material. The material is folded to form the back and front panels of the
15 envelope. The top end is formed by end-lapping and fastening the
material of the back panel to a strip of material 31 that forms the top
section of the front panel. The strip extends sufficiently downward to
provide a lip to which the reclosable means is fastened. Preferably,
fastening is by heat sealing. Outer sides of the compartments are
20 illustrated by Fig. 1, reference numbers 50, 52, 54, and 56, and Fig 8,
reference numbers 57, 58, and 59. The inner sides of the compartments
are illustrated by Fig. 9, reference numbers 51 and 53.
The envelope can be made reclosable by means such as a zipper
comprising a zipper track 38 and a zipper lock 36. In the present
25 embodiment of the invention, the reclosable means is a zipper comprising
a low density polyethylene double-track with nickel zipper lock. Another
reclosable means that can be used comprises a pressure sensitive "zip-
lock" mechanism. The reclosable means can be located in a position that
is about 1 to 2 inches from the top of the envelope. In the present
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embodiment of the invention, the reclosable means is widthwise disposed
over the section of the envelope that is above the height of the interior
seals. This would allow one to insert the pouches in the compartments,
close and open the envelope to conveniently retrieve the pouches. The
5 reclosable means can be fastened to the lips or flaps of the front panel of
the envelope by any convenient means. Fastening should be such that it
does not compromise the protection of the pouches by, say, moisture
penetration. For example, the zipper can be attached to the lips by
gluing, sewing or heat sealing.
Fig. 4 represents the back view of the compartmentalized
envelope. The back view is essentially the same as the front view except
that, usually, the back panel of the envelope does not have a reclosable
means.
Fig 9, reference number 62, illustrates a cross section of the
15 pouch in a compartment at section 9-9. The contents of the pouch 60
are typically chemicals and preferably agricultural chemicals. The pouch
can be made of a material, p~t:ferably, a film of material having the
following characteristics. The pouch can be made of one or more pieces
of material by folding and/or lapping and sealing the ends of the material.
20 Broadly, the material of the pouch can be characterized as being
sufficiently durable to remain intact during shipping and storage. The
material must have sufficient moisture barrier to protect the contents of
the pouch. Specific but non-limiting examples of the material can be
selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene,
25 polyester, polypropylene, polyolefin and a mixture thereof. The
dimensions of the material would depend on the tvpe of material and the
service conditions. Illustratively, a pouch that is made of polyvinyl alcohol
material would have outside dimensions of about 4 to 10 inches in length,
2 to 6 inches in height and 1 to 2 inches in thickness.
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The pouch is preferably water-soluble. In the practice of the
invention, the water-soluble pouches can be removed from the
compartments and placed in a mixing vessel or an application vessel.
The water soluble pouches are such that they can dissolve in water over
5 a period of 1 to 5 and preferably 1 to 2 minutes. Examples of the water
soluble pouches are those made of materials selected from the group
consisting of polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene oxide and methyl cellulose.
In preparing a pouch containing the chemical, the pouch can be
filled with predetermined amounts of chemicals by using any effective
10 filling means, and sealed by any sealing means. Once the pouch is
filled, it is sealed in such a manner that would prevent leakage of the
chemical.
Fig. 10, reference number 46 illusllales the space between the top
of seal 40 and the top end of the bag 30. This space is disposed
15 widthwise and comprises an expansion space over the compartments.
The expansion space allows one to easily insert and retrieve the pouches
from the compartments of the envelope.
An illustrative but non-limiting description of the invention is
provided as follows. The reclosable compartmentalized envelope can be
20 made of: a 48 gauge chemically treated polyester number 12, (white) low
density polyethylene, or 0.0003 aluminum foil such as is available as a
laminated composite from Bell Flexible Packaging of Columbus, Georgia
in the United States with a number 22, linear, low density polyethylene
sealant layer. The envelope has two side seals, each 8-3/4 inches long
25 by 3/8 of an inch wide. Additionally, the envelope has three interior seals
that cause formation of four compartments. Each of the three seals is
about 1/4 inch wide. A pull-slide double track zipper is located at a
position that is one inch from the top of the envelope and is
approximately 1/4 inch wide. The zipper closes from right to left. The
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bottom of the envelope is folded and the top has an 1/8 inch lip with the
back panel of the envelope being 1/8 inches longer than the front panel.
The compartments of the formed envelope are filled with the
pouches, typically one per compartment, and reclosably sealed. Because
5 of the reclosability of the envelope, the separated compartments provide
continuous protection for the unused pouches even after the initial
opening of the envelope. Because the compartments are separated,
handling of a pouch in a compartment is independent of handling of
another pouch. This independence in handling can prevent inadvertent
10 contact by wet hands or contact by splashing. Also, the independence in
handling would prevent contamination of the remaining chemical after the
use of a portion thereof from the same container envelope. The
compartments can also maintain the pouches in a uniform shape (flat and
rectangular) which improves the packing in a container of multiple
15 envelopes. As would be realized from the foregoing, the invention
provides a packaging system that can be used to securely contain
chemicals and yet provide a facile means of removing and incrementally
using the chemicals.
These and other aspects of the invention are illustrated by the
20 following non-limiting example of the compartmentalized envelopes and
methods of preparing and using the same.
EXAMPLES
A composite polyolefin/aluminum foil material was used in making
the reclosable compartmentalized envelope of the invention as follows.
25 The material having a film thickness of 0.004 inch (4 mils) was employed
in making the envelope. The envelope was made by end-lapping two
pieces of the material of dimensions s~lrricie"t to produce the envelope.
The ends of the pieces of material are heat sealed by using heat bar
sealing methods. At a position that is about 1 inch from the top, the
30 envelope was zippered with a polyethylene double track zipper.
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Thereafter, compartments were formed in the envelope by heat bar type
heat sealing.
The pouches were prepared with a water-soluble film roll stock on
a vertical "form-fill-seal" machine by forming bottom horizontal heat seal
5 and vertical back heat seal, filling with product while pulling the film
pouch, and forming horizontal top heat seal. Thereafter, the filled
pouches were sealed.
The sealed pouches were placed in compartments of the envelope
which were then zippered to close (optionally, with a tamper indicator
1 0 seal).
Although the invention has been described in detail in the
foregoing for the purpose of illustration, it is to be understood that such
details are solely for that purpose, and that variations can be made
therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and
15 scope of the invention, except as it may be limited by the claims.
