Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02715820 2010-08-17
WO 2009/115939 PCT/IB2009/050950
1
PERFORATED EASY OPENING POUCH
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to pouches. Specifically, the present invention
relates to
pouches which are easy to tear open.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Pouches are typically formed of a laminate or a film and may be used for
holding many
types of items such as food, shampoos, detergents, medicines, etc. In order to
make them easier
to use, notches, laser cut score lines, and perforations are standard in the
packaging industry.
However it is always a challenge to balance the need for an easy opening
functionality (e.g., tear
lines, perforations, score lines, etc.) with pouch sturdiness and strength
against bursting and
leakage. Many packages such as, for example, laundry detergents do not have
tearing lines
because during shipment such pouches are often dropped, compressed, etc. which
could cause
unacceptable leakage. Instead, merely a notch or other slit is made to start
the tearing, but no
cost-effective technology has been found which can also control the
propagation of the tear.
Instead, often the pouches are cut open with scissors.
Small, e.g., less than 500 mL, pre-formed pouches and pouches formed from two
layers
are more easily customizable and they often possess notches, or perforated
tearing lines.
Specifically, while such pre-formed pouches are useful for smaller volumes,
they become more
difficult for larger volumes, where the volume : sealing area ratio becomes
too large. The
strength of a seal is directly proportional to the sealing area, and a seal is
generally weaker than
the film material itself. So, as the volume grows, the sealing area may need
to grow
proportionally, which leads to a large amount of wasted film material and/or a
weak pouch
which bursts too easily and/or which may leak during shipping, dropping, etc.
in other words,
when such pre-formed pouch technologies are scaled up to, for example 1-2
liter or larger bags,
known methods for forming tearing lines (laser cutting, etc.) tend to
unacceptably expensive to
complicate, and/or may weaken the pouch integrity, causing undesirable
leakage, breaking
and/or bursting during manufacturing, filling, shipping, etc.
Accordingly, the need exists for an improved pouch and easy-opening system
which is
both easy to tear, and strong against unintentional breakage, especially for
larger pouches.
CA 02715820 2010-08-17
WO 2009/115939 PCT/IB2009/050950
2
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a perforated large-size easy opening pouch is
formed
from a single sheet containing at least one layer of a film material, and the
sheet forms a volume.
The pouch also contains a seal containing a perforation. The perforation is
completely
surrounded by the seal. When a tear is initiated along the perforation, the
tear propagates to a
non-sealed portion of the pouch.
A sealing jaw contains a sealing arm with a profiled sealing area further
containing a cut
blade. The cut blade is completely surrounded by the profiled sealing area.
The sealing jaw also
contains a receiving jaw containing a profiled sealing area further containing
a cut channel to
receive the cut blade.
The pouch sealing method herein includes the steps of providing a sheet,
forming a tube
having a leading edge, sealing the leading edge to form a first seal, filling
the tube with a
predetermined amount of a product, and simultaneously sealing the tube to form
a second seal
and cutting the tube to form a pouch filled with the product. At least one of
the first seal or the
second seal comprises a perforation which is completely surrounded by the
respective first or
second seal. When a tear is formed along the perforation, the tear propagates
to a non-sealed
portion of the pouch.
It has now been found that the invention can balance easy opening via a
tearing line
combined with profiled sealing while also maintaining the robustness and
strength of a complete
seal. Also described herein is a method of and a sealing jaw for sealing and
creating the easy
opening portion simultaneously with the bag formation and packing. Since the
sealing jaw
combines the sealing profile with the perforator, it further reduces
misalignment of the
perforation, optional notch, sealing portions, etc. which could happen if they
were formed on
different machines, or in different processes.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and
distinctly
claiming the invention, it is believed that the invention will be better
understood from the
following description of the accompanying figures in which like reference
numerals identify like
elements, and wherein:
Fig. 1 is a front view of an existing comparative pouch having a tear notch;
Fig. 2 is a front view of an embodiment of the pouch herein;
CA 02715820 2010-08-17
WO 2009/115939 PCT/IB2009/050950
3
Fig. 3 is a cut-away view of the embodiment of Fig. 2, as seen along line 3-3;
Fig. 4 is a close-up front view of an embodiment herein;
Fig. 5 is a front view of an embodiment of the sealing arm according to the
invention
herein;
Fig. 6 is a front view of an embodiment of the receiving arm according to the
invention
herein;
Fig. 7 is a front view of an embodiment showing multiple perforations;
Fig. 8 is a close-up front view of an alternate perforation;
Fig. 9 is a close-up front view of an alternate perforation; and
Fig. 10 is a close-up front view of an alternate perforation.
The figures herein are not necessarily drawn to scale.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
All temperatures herein are in degrees Celsius ( C) unless otherwise
indicated. As used
herein, the term "comprising" means that other steps, ingredients, elements,
etc. which do not
adversely affect the end result can be added. This term encompasses the terms
"consisting of
and "consisting essentially of.
This disclosure relates to a perforated large-size easy opening pouch formed
of a single
sheet of film material. The pouch contains a perforation which is completely
surrounded by a
seal, and when a tear is formed along the perforation, the tear propagates to
at least one non-
sealed portion of the pouch. This disclosure also relates to methods and
equipment for making
such a pouch.
Referring to the Figures herein, Fig. 1 is a front view of an existing
comparative pouch,
10, having seals, 12, on four sides. The seals form a volume, 14, for
containing a product. The
pouch, 10, is typically a pre-formed pouch which is formed from two sheets of
film material.
Pre-formed pouches are typically made by sealing all except for 1 side of the
pouch, and either
sequentially or concurrently cutting the shape. The product is then filled
into the pouch, and the
remaining side sealed. Such pre-formed pouches are typically used for small
volumes of from <
1 mL up to about 500 mL, but tend not to be used for larger volumes.
Occasionally pre-formed
standing pouches may be used for larger volumes, such as liquid detergents.
The comparative pouch in Fig. 1 contains a tear-notch, 16, which provides a
starting
point and indicator for the user to tear the pouch, and the tear will
propagate to a non-sealed
CA 02715820 2010-08-17
WO 2009/115939 PCT/IB2009/050950
4
portion, such as the spout, 18, and then to somewhere on the sealed side, 12'.
However, such a
tear is not easy to control, and in fact the tear will often times go to very
different places on the
sealed side, 12'. In other words, it is difficult to reproducibly tear such a
pouch. Once the
pouch is torn open, the product can be used and/or taken out.
Fig. 2 is a front view of an embodiment of the pouch, 20, herein which is
formed from a
single sheet of film material which contains seals, 12 at the top, 22, and
bottom, 24. The pouch,
20, also has sides, 26, which do not have any seals. The pouch, 20, contains a
tear-notch, 16,
formed in the seal, 12, at the top, 22 which points towards a perforation, 28.
The perforation,
28, is completely surrounded by the seal, 12" in the X and Y planes parallel
to the pouch
surface. It is the fact that the perforation, 28, is completely surrounded by
the seal, 12', which
allows the pouch to tear easily and controllably and yet still have the
structural stability and also
high bursting resistance. A longitudinal seal, 12"' completes the pouch and
forms what is
commonly known in the art as a "pillow bag".
The pouch is formed of sheet which is in turn formed from at least one film
material
typically selected from the group consisting of polyamide (nylon),
polyethylene, polypropylene,
ethyl-vinyl-acetate, poly-4-methylpentene-1, a microporous membrane, and a
combination
thereof; or polyamide (nylon), linear low-density polyethylene, an oriented
polypropylene,
polyethylene terephthalate, and a combination thereof. The film material may
also be affixed to
and/or contain a metal therein, and/or be a metalized film. Film materials are
well known in the
art and may further contain resins, laminates, printed artwork, additives
(i.e., UV blockers,
antimicrobials, dyes, pigments, etc.), etc. Suitable film materials are
available from various
suppliers worldwide such as 3M Company (St. Paul, Minnesota, USA), Du Pont Co.
(Wilmington, Delaware, USA), Toppan Insatsu Co. (Tokyo, Japan), and Gelman
Sciences
Company (Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA). The sheet herein may contain either a
single layer or
contain multiple layers of film material, so long as it remains sealable. The
sheet is from about
15 to about 220 , or from about 20 to about 200 , or from about 25 to about
160 thick.
Each individual film material may be oriented, or random.
Multiple layers of film materials may be joined together to form a sheet with
multiple
properties and/or benefits. In such cases, it is known in the art to join the
multiple layers
together by, for example, lamination, heat sealing, ultrasonic sealing,
gluing, pressure sealing,
etc. The sheet may then be formed into a pouch by pulling and/or stretching
the sheet around a
forming tube and sealing the edges in any direction such as the machine
direction at any point or
CA 02715820 2010-08-17
WO 2009/115939 PCT/IB2009/050950
the cross direction at either the top and/or the bottom. In an embodiment
herein the pouch is
sealed in the machine direction to form a tube. The leading edge is then
sealed by a sealing jaw
in the cross direction, the product to be contained in the tube is then filled
into the tube, pulled to
advance the sheet, and the sealing jaw simultaneously seals and cuts the
trailing portion in the
cross direction, thereby releasing the filled bag and forming a new leading
edge at the same
time. Machinery and techniques for forming such filled pouches are often
referred to as
autopacking machines and are well known in the art and available from multiple
suppliers
around the world.
As noted above, small preformed pouches (see Fig. 1) may easily possess
sufficient
strength to hold small amounts of product, and/or low density products without
bursting even
when perforations are made in the film and/or sheet. So, the pouch herein is
typically intended
to hold large amounts of bulky products, as that is where the benefits of the
invention are
especially evident. Thus, in an embodiment herein the pouch comprises a volume
(when sealed)
of at least 500 mL, or from about 500 mL to about 100 L, or from about 800 mL
to about 60 L,
or from about 1 L to about 30 L, or from about 1.5 L to about 20 L. The
product (not shown) to
be filled into the pouch typically has a bulk density of at least 250 g/L, or
from about 300 g/L to
about 1.3 kg/L, or from about 450 g/L to about 1.1 kg/L. Non-limiting examples
of the product
include a solid product, a granular product, a liquid product, and/or a gel
product. In an
embodiment herein, the product is a granular detergent, a liquid detergent, a
food item, a drink
item, a fabric softener, a fabric conditioner, a fertilizer, or a chemical, as
such items may be
easily packed and stored in such a pouch which may be easily opened by hand
tearing. In an
embodiment herein, the food item is a human food item or an animal food item
such as a pet
food.
Fig. 3 shows a cut-way view of the embodiment in Fig. 2, as seen along lines 3-
3. The
pouch, 20, is formed of a single sheet of film material, 30, which is
connected to itself at seals
12" and 12"' so as to define an internal volume, 14. As will be understood by
one skilled in the
art when comparing Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the volume 14 and the volume 14' are
actually connected
to each other and the same. Similarly, the seals 12" are actually connected to
each other and are
the same. In Fig. 3, the perforation, 28, (actually a cut, 34, as per Fig. 4)
is the only thing which
separates the seals 12" from each other, and in fact where the perforation,
28, ends it can be seen
that the seals 12" are part of the same seal, 12". See also Fig. 2.
CA 02715820 2010-08-17
WO 2009/115939 PCT/IB2009/050950
6
Fig. 4 shows a close-up view of an embodiment herein focusing on the top, 22,
where the
perforation, 28 is located. Here, the perforation, 28, is shown as a line of
cuts, 32, and in Fig 4
these cuts, 32, are intended to be microdots leading in a straight line from
the corner of the tear-
notch, 16, diagonally downwards towards the side, 26. Typically, it is
important that the cut, 32,
goes substantially through both layers of the sheet, 30, present at the seal,
12" so as to allow
easy hand tearing. The perforation, 28, herein typically is composed of a line
or other pre-
determined arrangement of a plurality of cuts, 32, in the sheet, 30 with the
shape of each cut, 32,
being selected from the group consisting of a line, a dot, a triangle, a
diamond, a circle, a
rectangular, an oval, and a combination thereof, or a line, a dot and a
combination thereof, that
can enhance directional propagation of the tear. Typically, each cut, 32,
should generally lead in
the same direction, so as to be able to guide the propagation of the tear
towards the side, 26, and
more specifically towards the target tear destination, 34. Such guiding of the
propagation of the
tear is especially effective if at least one film material is in the sheet at
least partially oriented,
and/or contains an oriented sheet which encourages the tear to propagate in
the desired direction.
To further encourage the tear to propagate towards the side, 26, rather than
the bottom,
24, it can be seen in Fig. 4 that the top, 22 forms a line A-A and the
perforation, 28, forms a line
B-B. A-A and B-B intersect to form an angle, a, that is typically of from
about 90 to about
180 ; or from about 110 to about 160 , or from about 120 to about 150 . In
an embodiment
herein, the cuts forming the perforation are arranged in a line, a curve, an
angle, and a
combination thereof (see, Figs. 8-10).
Fig. 4, indicates a certain perforation distance, PD, which is measured from
the
beginning of the first cut, 32, along the pattern, often a line, formed by the
other cuts, 32, to the
farthest portion of the last cut, 32'. In many cases the dimensions of each
cut, 32, will be
difficult to measure by the naked eye; however, regardless of the shape of the
cut, each cut
typically measures less than about 1 cm, or from about 1 cm to about 0.01 mm,
or about 5 mm to
about 0.05 mm, or from about 3 mm to about 0.1 mm in their longest direction.
In Fig. 4, the torn portion, 36, is the triangular corner which is removed
from the pouch,
20, after the tear propagates along line B-B to reach the target tear
destination, 34. Once the torn
portion, 36, is removed, a spout, 18, remains. In Fig. 4, the spout, 18, would
have a
circumference of two (2) times the spout distance, SD, which is measured from
the edge of the
seal, 12, to the tear target destination, 34 along the line B-B.
CA 02715820 2010-08-17
WO 2009/115939 PCT/IB2009/050950
7
Fig. 4 also indicates the tear distance, TD, which is the distance as measured
from the
end of the last cut, to the target tear destination, 34. For convenience's
sake, the target tear
destination in Fig. 4 is defined as the point at which a hypothetical line
extended from the end of
the last cut, 32' touches the side, 26. In other embodiments, such as seen in
Fig. 7, for example,
one skilled in the art would understand that the target tear destination is
oppositely oriented,
with the tear propagating from the side, 26 to a target tear destination, 34,
at the top, 22. One
skilled in the art understands that other variations are possible and
encompassed herein. The
ratio of the perforation distance, PD, to the tear distance, TD, is typically
more than 1:10, or
from about 1:10 to about 3:1, or from about 1:5 to about 2:1, or from about
1:3 to about 1:1.
Without intending to be limited by theory, it is believed that ratios where
the tear distance is too
much larger than the perforation distance result in a less controllable tear
which may then
propagate in too many undesirable directions such as towards the bottom, 24,
instead of towards
the target tear destination. Conversely, if the tear distance is too much
smaller than the
perforation distance, then the spout formed may be too small to efficiently
dispense the product.
Fig. 5 is a front view of an embodiment of a sealing arm, 50, of the present
invention.
The sealing arm, 50, and the receiving arm (see Fig. 6, at 70), are opposed to
each other, and
often joined together to forma sealing jaw (not shown). The sealing arm, 50,
contains a profiled
sealing area, 52, for forming the seal (see Fig. 4 at 12"). The profiled
sealing area, 52, further
contains a plurality of cut blades, 54, for forming the cuts, 32. As can be
seen in Fig. 5, the
profiled sealing area, 52, completely surrounds the cut blades, 54 in the X
and Y planes parallel
to the sealing arm surface. The cut blades, 54, directly correspond to and
form the cuts, (see Fig.
4 at 32). As one skilled in the art would appreciate, the shape and number of
the cut blades, 54,
should correspond to the shape and number of the desired cuts (see Fig. 4 at
32), and thus may
also encompass needles, and/or other shapes. Furthermore, as one skilled in
the art would
realize, the cut blades should be of sufficient structural integrity, and
durability to both penetrate
both layers of the sheet (see Fig. 4, at 30) completely, and also be oriented
to easily release the
sheet and/or the finished pouch after the seal and perforation is made. In an
embodiment herein,
the cut blade is from about 1 cm to about 10p, or from about 5 mm to about
20p, or from about 2
mm to about 40 in height, as measured perpendicularly from the surface of the
sealing arm, 50.
In an embodiment herein, a plurality of sealing jaws may be used such that,
for example, sealing
jaw may be present to seal the top of the pouch, while a separate sealing jaw
may seal the
bottom of the pouch. In an embodiment herein the cut blade may be
perpendicular to the surface
CA 02715820 2010-08-17
WO 2009/115939 PCT/IB2009/050950
8
of the sealing arm, or may be angled in the machine direction. Without
intending to be limited
by theory, it is believed that if the cut blade is perpendicular to the
surface of the sealing arm,
then at slower autopacking machine speeds the cut blade will more effectively
form the cuts.
However, it is believed that at faster autopacking machine speeds, a cut blade
that is angled in
the direction of the package flow may more quickly release the finished pouch,
so as to reducing
jamming of the autopacking machine caused by a failure of the finished pouch
to drop away
from the sealing arm.
In Fig. 5, the sealing arm, 50, further contains an optional cutting edge, 56,
for cutting
the pouch, 20, after filling, and also a slit blade, 58, for cutting a slit
(see, e.g., Fig. 9 at 38). The
cutting edge, 56, may be present on either the sealing arm, 50, or the
receiving arm (see Fig. 6 at
70), as desired. However placing the cutting edge, 56, and the cut blade, 54,
on the same part of
the sealing jaw may avoid problems caused by misalignment of the sealing arm,
50, and the
receiving arm (see Fig. 6, at 70). The cutting edge, 56, may be straight,
jagged, curved, etc. as
desired. The slit blade, 58, is typically located next to the first cut blade,
54, so as to enhance
the propagation of the tear in the desired direction. One skilled in the art
recognizes that the slit
blade may be easily replaced by, for example, a notch blade to form a notch,
etc. In an
embodiment herein, the sealing arm or the receiving arm contains a slit blade,
a notch blade, or a
combination thereof.
The sealing arm, 50, contains a top seal portion, 60, which forms the seal at
the top of the
pouch (see 12, at 22 in Fig. 4). On the other side of the cutting edge, 56,
from the top seal
portion, 60, lies the bottom seal portion, 62, which forms the seal at the
bottom (see 12, at 24 in
Fig. 2) of the next pouch in the series. The sealing arm, 50, also contains
optional sealing
ridges, 64, which provide textured seals, which may be desirable in some
instances to produce,
for example, an easier to grip seal, to enhance seal strength, aesthetic
reasons, etc. In an
embodiment herein, the sealing jaw is designed so that it can cut a handle in
the seal, 12.
Fig. 6 is a front view of an embodiment of a receiving arm, 70, of the present
invention.
The receiving arm, 70, complements the sealing arm (Fig. 5 at 50), and is a
mirror image
thereof, containing a complementary profiled sealing area, 52, which matches
with the sealing
arm's profiled sealing area, 52 (Fig. 5). The receiving arm, 70, contains a
cut channel, 74, which
is typically a concave indentation or depression in the surface of the
receiving arm, 70, that
allows the cut blade (Fig. 5 at 54), the slit blade (Fig 5 at 58), the notch
blade (not shown), etc.
to punch through the sheets and form the respective cuts, slit, notch, etc. In
Fig. 6, the cut
CA 02715820 2010-08-17
WO 2009/115939 PCT/IB2009/050950
9
channel, 74, is surrounded by the profiled sealing area, 52 in the X and Y
planes parallel to the
receiving arm surface. It is essential that the cut channel be deep enough and
aligned correctly
so that the closing of the sealing jaw during use does not damage the cut
blades. In an
embodiment herein, the cut blades are releasably attached to the sealing arm,
so that when thee
cut blades wear out they may be sharpened and/or replaced without having to
make an entire
new sealing arm.
The sealing arm, 50, the receiving arm, 70, or both actively interact to form
the seal by,
for example, heat sealing, ultrasonic sealing, pressure sealing, etc. as
desired, and therefore
contains the appropriate sealing technology therein or thereupon, such as, for
example, a heater,
an ultrasonic generator, a pressure clamp, etc. The sealing arm and the
receiving arm are each
independently formed of an appropriate durable material for their uses herein,
such as, for
example, a metal, a ceramic, a plastic, and a combination thereof. A sealing
jaw intended for
heat sealing should be both strong and conduct heat well, such as copper,
brass, steel, or iron,
aluminum, etc. since it has a heating element therein, such as a heating coil.
Impulse and
induction sealing methods are useful herein. Based on this disclosure, a
sealing arm and a
receiving arm according to the present invention may be custom made by various
suppliers
and/or machine shops around the world.
One skilled in the art will recognize that the sealing jaw herein may be used
to
simultaneously seal and form a perforation completely surrounded by the seal
on, for example, a
pre-formed bag, a pillow bag, and/or a gusset bag. In an embodiment herein the
sealing jaw is
used on an autopacking machine.
Fig. 7 shows a front view of an embodiment showing a plurality of
perforations, 28, 28',
and 28" in parallel lines which help to ensure propagation of the tear towards
the target tear
destination, 34 approximately located in the top, 22, seal, 12. In Fig. 7, the
seal, 12" starts on
the side, 26, and completely surrounds the plurality of perforations, 28, 28',
and 28". In an
embodiment herein, the pouch contains at least 1 perforation, or from about 1
to about 10, or
form about 1 to about 5, or from about 2 to about 4 perforations. In an
embodiment herein the
plurality of perforations are aligned to follow each other, such as to be in
parallel lines. In an
alternate embodiment herein, the plurality of perforations may start from
different areas, such as
from the side, and the top, and be aligned so as to propagate one or more
tears that join up in a
non-sealed portion of the pouch. From this disclosure, one skilled in the art
will also understand
how to form a sealing jaw to form pouches, such as seen in Fig. 7.
CA 02715820 2010-08-17
WO 2009/115939 PCT/IB2009/050950
Fig. 8 shows an alternate embodiment of the pouch, 20, herein having a top,
22, with a
larger seal, 12'. The top, 22, contains a notch, 16, that leads to a
perforation, 28, forming an
angle, P. The perforation is completely surrounded by the seal, 12'. When
torn, the perforation
propagates a tear through a non-sealed portion such to form a spout, 18, and
towards the target
tear destination, 34, which in this case is on the side, 26.
Fig. 9 shows an alternate embodiment of the pouch, 20, herein having a top,
22, with a
seal, 12, and a slit, 38, cut into the seal, 12. The slit, 38, functions the
same as a notch to allow
the user to easily initiate propagation of the tear through the perforation,
28, and towards the
target tear destination, 34, on the side, 26, to form a spout, 18. The
perforation, 28, is
surrounded by the seal, 12'.
Fig. 10 shows an alternate embodiment of the pouch, 20, herein having a side,
26, which
contains a slit, 38, which allows the user to easily initiate a tear through
the perforation, 28.
Since the perforation contains an angle, (3, the tear will not continue to the
other side (not
shown), but will instead angle towards the top, 22, at the target tear
destination, 34. One skilled
in the art may adjust the seal, 12, strength by varying the sealing method,
and/or conditions, to
allow the tear to completely propagate through the seal, 12, or to allow the
seal, 12, to have a
higher tearing resistance.
In an embodiment herein the invention is combined with additional techniques
known in
the art, such as a laser-cut, a half-cut, a score line, embossing, etc. and
the known methods and
machinery therefor. In an embodiment herein, a reclosing technology is
combined with the
invention herein, to allow easy and efficient re-closing of the pouch after
opening. Such
reclosing technologies are also especially beneficial with larger-sized
pouches. Typical
reclosing technologies are known in the art and include plastic pressure-
sensitive zippers, hook
and loop fastening systems, zipper systems, adhesive strips and patches, clips
and snaps, locking
systems, etc. For additional technologies useful in combination with the
present invention, see,
EP Patent No. 1 409 366 B 1 to Camargo-Parodi, et al., granted on June 21,
2006; and EP Patent
Application No. 07119454.2 To Rogers, filed on October 29, 2007.
EXAMPLE 1
Pouches according to Fig. 2, Fig. 4, and Fig. 7, are formed on an autopacking
machine
from a sheet using the sealing jaw of Figs 5-6. The autopacking machine
creates all seals by
heating to create thermal bonding between the separate sheets. The sheet is a
three layer
CA 02715820 2010-08-17
WO 2009/115939 PCT/IB2009/050950
11
laminate of the film materials polyethylene terepthalate, a metallic film
(like MYLAR ), and
polyethylene. The sheet is provided on a roll which feeds into the autopacking
machine and is
stretched onto an area where the tube is formed by sealing a line in the
machine direction. The
tube has a leading edge which is sealed to form a first seal using the sealing
jaws according to
Figs. 5-6. A predetermined weight (2 kg) of laundry detergent is filled into
and flows down the
tube and the tube is sealed using the sealing jaws of Figs. 5-6 to form a
filled pillow bag
containing 2 kg of granular laundry detergent. The process then repeats itself
for the next pouch.
The pouch formed above substantially corresponds to the pouch of Fig. 2,
except that the
notch is replaced with a slit. The seal, 12', is the same width on each side
of the perforation, 28,
as the seal, 12, on the top of the bag. When tested by a mechanical tester,
the seal around the
perforation does not decrease the bursting strength of the pouch at all, as
compared to an
identical bag which lacks the perforation. The pouch is easily opened via hand
tearing to form a
spout from which to easily pour the laundry detergent.
The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being
strictly
limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless otherwise
specified, each such
dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally
equivalent range
surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as "40 mm" is
intended to mean
"about 40 mm."
All documents cited in the Detailed Description of the Invention are, in
relevant part,
incorporated herein by reference; the citation of any document is not to be
construed as an
admission that it is prior art with respect to the present invention. To the
extent that any
meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or
definition of the
same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition
assigned to that
term in this document shall govern. All documents cited in the Detailed
Description of the
Invention are, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference; the
citation of any document is
not to be construed as an admission that it is prior art with respect to the
present invention. To
the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts
with any meaning
or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the
meaning or
definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated
and
described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other
changes and
modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention. It is
CA 02715820 2010-08-17
WO 2009/115939 PCT/IB2009/050950
12
therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and
modifications that are
within the scope of this invention.
