Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02851679 2014-05-13
FLEXIBLE POUCHES FOR GOODS ON A ROLL
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a nonprovisional utility patent application
claiming priority to
provisional application Serial No. 61/847,908 filed July 18, 2013, the
entirety of which is hereby
incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to improvements in the construction and
configuration of
a product container for goods, particularly goods on a roll such as trash bags
provided in
interleaved or perforated configurations.
2. Description of the Related Art
[0003] Product containers serve several functions in the retail marketplace.
One important
function of a product container can be to communicate information to a
consumer about the
product itself. Product containers can also provide a sealed, portable package
for the product,
ensuring that the product has not been tampered with or otherwise disturbed
since packaging. In
some cases, product containers also serve as a convenient, transportable
package for the product,
especially when handles are provided for carrying the product container.
[0004] Numerous other considerations are also taken into account when
designing and
selecting product containers for a particular product. Certain product
containers may serve as a
dispenser, enabling a consumer to store the product in the container and
permitting dispensing of
individual products or items when needed. Such dispensing containers arc
available in a variety
of configurations depending on the specific product to be packaged.
Additionally, merchandising
and logistical concerns may also necessitate that the product container be
capable of being easily
stacked, or palletized, in a finite amount of space without crushing undcr the
weight of the
stacked product.
[0005] Product containers come in a myriad of shapes and sizes. Product
containers are often
comprised of a combination of various cardboard material, rigid plastic
material, and flexible
plastic wrap. The materials selected for constructing the product container,
taking into the
account the rigidity, toughness, and other properties of a particular grade of
material selected,
address the various needs described above in addition to other considerations.
Additionally,
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product container selection and design requires that the foregoing needs be
balanced while also
attempting to minimize the cost and weight of the product container.
[00061 Flexible pouches are one type of product container that are
particularly useful in certain
contexts. Flexible pouches are particularly relevant to the present invention,
by providing unique
advantages in the context of rolled goods. Flexible pouches have been used
extensively with
bulk goods, particularly food products, as well as dispensing flat-folded
products. For example,
products such as cleaning wipes have been available in a flat-folded
configuration sold in
flexible pouches with a reelosable portion allowing access to the flat-folded
cleaning wipes.
[0007] In view of the considerations discussed above, the invention disclosed
herein is
particularly advantageous when a pouch is used with products arranged in an
interleaved or
perforated roll configuration. One specific example of a roll of product that
can be used as part
of the present invention is one or more rolls of trash bags, particularly an
interleaved roll of trash
bags as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,048,224, the entirety of which is hereby
incorporated by
reference, In other instances, the individual trash bags are still partially
joined, typically by
perforations, when provided in the rolled configuration. In view of the
foregoing, the present
invention addresses some important considerations detailed above.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention is a flexible pouch for products on a roll.
Embodiments of the
present invention involve a flexible pouch sealed along four corners extending
parallel with the
axis of the rolled products. In some embodiments, the bottom ends of the
flexible pouches are
gusseted, folded, and sealed to provide a substantially flat bottom.
Similarly, in some
embodiments, the top ends of the flexible pouches are gusseted, folded, and
sealed to provide a
substantially flat top panel. In some embodiments of the present invention,
the top ends of the
flexible pouches are gusseted and sealed and may optionally be provided with a
handle to
facilitate carrying of the flexible pouch.
[0009] It is contemplated that the present invention may be utilized in ways
that are not fully
described or set forth herein. The present invention is intended to encompass
these additional
uses. Therefore, the present invention should be given the broadest reasonable
interpretation in
view of the present disclosure and the accompanying figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED DRAWINGS
[0010] A full and complete understanding of the present invention may be
obtained by
reference to the detailed description of the present invention and certain
embodiments when
viewed with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings can be
briefly described as
follows.
[0011] Fig. 1 depicts a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present
invention.
[0012] Fig. 2 depicts a front elevation view of a first embodiment of the
present invention.
[0013] Fig. 3 depicts a side elevation view of a first embodiment of the
present invention.
[0014] Fig. 4 depicts a top elevation view of a first embodiment of the
present invention,
[0015] Fig. 5 depicts a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present
invention.
[0016] Fig. 6 depicts a front elevation view of a second embodiment of the
present invention.
[0017] Fig. 7 depicts a side elevation view of a second embodiment of the
present invention,
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[0018] Fig. 8 depicts a top elevation view of a second embodiment of the
present invention.
[0019] Fig. 9 depicts a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present
invention.
[0020] Fig. 10 depicts a front elevation view of a third embodiment of the
present invention.
[0021] Fig. 11 depicts a side elevation view of a third embodiment of the
present invention.
[0022] Fig. 12 depicts a top elevation view of a third embodiment of the
present invention.
[0023] Fig. 13 depicts a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the
present invention.
[0024] Fig. 14 depicts a front elevation view of a fourth embodiment of the
present invention.
10025] Fig. 15 depicts a side elevation view of a fourth embodiment of the
present invention.
[0026] Fig. 16 depicts a top elevation view of a fourth embodiment of the
present invention.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[002'7] The present disclosure illustrates several embodiments of the present
invention.
However, it is not intended to provide an illustration or encompass all
embodiments
contemplated by the present invention. In view of the disclosure of the
present invention
contained herein, a person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize
that innumerable
modifications and insubstantial changes may be incorporated or otherwise
included within the
present invention without diverging from the spirit of the invention.
Therefore, it is understood
that the present invention is not limited to those embodiments disclosed
herein.
[0028] Looking at Fig. 1, a perspective view of a first embodiment of the
present invention is
depicted. Fig. 2 depicts an elevation view from the front of the first
embodiment, while Fig. 3
and Fig. 4 depict side and top views, respectively. Specifically, the first
embodiment of the
present invention is a flexible pouch 100 preferably containing two goods on a
roll. For
illustrative purposes, in certain embodiments of the present invention, the
two rolls of goods are
rolls of trash bags. In some embodiments, each roll of trash bags may comprise
a plurality of
trash bags which are individually separated and wound into an interleaved
roll. Tri other
embodiments, the roll of trash bags may comprise a plurality of trash bags
which are attached to
adjacent trash bags by perforations, the series of trash bags wound into a
continuous roll.
[0029] In the first embodiment, like other embodiments, the flexible pouch 100
may be a
quad-seal flexible pouch, wherein corner seal 102, corner seal 104, corner
seal 106, and corner
seal 108 (hidden in the various view) define the outer, vertical corners of
the flexible pouch. In
between corner seal 102 and corner seal 104 is side panel 114 while side panel
116 (hidden from
view) is between corner seal 106 and corner seal 108. The front panel 110 is
between corner seal
104 and comer seal 106 while back panel 112 is between corner seal 102 and
corner seal 108. In
the depicted embodiment, the flexible pouch 100 has a perforated tear-out
portion 120 located in
the middle of front panel 110.
[0030] The perforated tear-out portion 120 can be removed from the front
panel, partially or in
whole, to allow access to the roll of goods disposed within the flexible pouch
100. In this
specific depicted embodiment, the centrally located perforated tear-out
portion 120 allows for
easy access to both rolls of goods within the flexible pouch 100.
Additionally, the size of the
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tear-out portion must be sufficient to allow for flexible rolled goods, such
as trash bags, to
dispense easily out of the opening.
[00311 A perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention is
depicted in Fig.
5. Fig. 6, Fig. 7, and Fig. 8 provide a front, side, and top elevation view,
respectively, of this
second embodiment. In this embodiment, the flexible pouch 200 is identical to
the previously
described first embodiment except the second embodiment lacks a perforated
tear-out portion
120. Instead, a perforated Clap 230 is provided. The perforated flap 230 is
perforated on three
sides, but connected to the front panel along corner seal 104. In some
embodiments, the
perforated flap 230 can also be provided with a sticker 232 that can serve
several different
functions. In some embodiments, the sticker 232 may be a rescalable sticker
that is provided
with a permanent adhesive in the area of the perforated flap 230 but has an
adhesive that allows
the sticker to be removed and reattached to the remainder of the front panel
110 that is not part of
the perforated flap 230. The perforated flap 230 can thus be opened to allow
access to the rolls
of goods contained within the flexible pouch 200, while the sticker 232, if
resealable, may allow
the perforated flap 230 to be maintained in a substantially closed position
when not accessing the
goods within the flexible pouch 200.
[00321 A perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention is
depicted in Fig. 9.
Fig. 10, Fig. 11, and Fig. 12 provide a front, side, and top elevation view,
respectively, of this
third embodiment. In this embodiment, the flexible pouch 300 is identical to
the previously
described first embodiment except that the top end of the flexible pouch 300
is not sealed down
to be substantially flat. Instead, the top end of the flexible pouch 300 is
gusseted and sealed to
provide an upward extending fin 330 in the flexible pouch 300. Moreover, in
some
embodiments, the flexible fin 330 may have a handle cut-out 332 to allow easy
carrying of the
flexible pouch 300.
[0033] A perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention is
depicted in Fig.
13. Fig. 14, Fig. 15, and Fig. 16 provide a front, side, and top elevation
view, respectively, of
this fourth embodiment. In this embodiment, the flexible pouch 400 is
identical to the previously
described second embodiment except that the top end of the flexible pouch 400
is not sealed
clown to be substantially flat. Instead, the top end of the flexible pouch 400
is gusseted and
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sealed to provide an upward extending fin 330 in the flexible pouch 400.
Moreover, in some
embodiments, the flexible fin 330 may have a handle cut-out 332 to allow easy
carrying of the
flexible pouch 400.
100341 It is emphasized that the specific embodiments depicted herein are not
intended to limit
the scope of the present invention. Indeed, it is contemplated that any number
of different
embodiments may be utilized without diverging from the spirit of the
invention.
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