Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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EASY TO EMPTY FLEXIBLE CONTAINERS
FIELD
The present disclosure relates in general to containers, and in particular, to
containers made
from flexible material, wherein the containers are easy to empty.
BACKGROUND
Fluent products include liquid products and/or pourable solid products. In
various
embodiments, a container can be used to receive, contain, and dispense one or
more fluent products.
And, in various embodiments, a container can be used to receive, contain,
and/or dispense individual
articles or separately packaged portions of a product. A container can include
one or more product
volumes. A product volume can be configured to be filled with one or more
fluent products. A
container receives a fluent product when its product volume is filled. Once
filled to a desired
volume, a container can be configured to contain the fluent product in its
product volume, until the
fluent product is dispensed. A container contains a fluent product by
providing a barrier around the
fluent product. The barrier prevents the fluent product from escaping the
product volume. The
barrier can also protect the fluent product from the environment outside of
the container. A filled
product volume is typically closed off by a cap or a seal. A container can be
configured to dispense
one or more fluent products contained in its product volume(s). Once
dispensed, an end user can
consume, apply, or otherwise use the fluent product(s), as appropriate. In
various embodiments, a
container may be configured to be refilled and reused or a container may be
configured to be
disposed of after a single fill or even after a single use. A container should
be configured with
sufficient structural integrity, such that it can receive, contain, and
dispense its fluent product(s), as
intended, without failure.
A container for fluent product(s) can be handled, displayed for sale, and put
into use. A
container can be handled in many different ways as it is made, filled,
decorated, packaged, shipped,
and unpacked. A container can experience a wide range of external forces and
environmental
conditions as it is handled by machines and people, moved by equipment and
vehicles, and contacted
by other containers and various packaging materials. A container for fluent
product(s) should be
configured with sufficient structural integrity, such that it can be handled
in any of these ways, or in
any other way known in the art, as intended, without failure.
A container can also be displayed for sale in many different ways as it is
offered for
purchase. A container can be offered for sale as an individual article of
commerce or packaged with
one or more other containers or products, which together form an article of
commerce. A container
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can be offered for sale as a primary package with or without a secondary
package. A container can
be decorated to display characters, graphics, branding, and/or other visual
elements when the
container is displayed for sale. A container can be configured to be displayed
for sale while laying
down or standing up on a store shelf, while presented in a merchandising
display, while hanging on a
display hanger, or while loaded into a display rack or a vending machine. A
container for fluent
product(s) should be configured with a structure that allows it to be
displayed in any of these ways,
or in any other way known in the art, as intended, without failure.
A container can also be put into use in many different ways, by its end user.
A container can
be configured to be held and/or gripped by an end user, so a container should
be appropriately sized
and shaped for human hands; and for this purpose, a container can include
useful structural features
such as a handle and/or a gripping surface. A container can be stored while
laying down or standing
up on a support surface, while hanging on or from a projection such as a hook
or a clip, or while
supported by a product holder, or (for refillable or rechargeable containers)
positioned in a refilling
or recharging station. A container can be configured to dispense fluent
product(s) while in any of
these storage positions or while being held by the user. A container can be
configured to dispense
fluent product(s) through the use of gravity, and/or pressure, and/or a
dispensing mechanism, such as
a pump, or a straw, or through the use of other kinds of dispensers known in
the art. Some
containers can be configured to be filled and/or refilled by a seller (e.g. a
merchant or retailer) or by
an end user. A container for fluent product(s) should be configured with a
structure that allows it to
be put to use in any of these ways, or in any other way known in the art, as
intended, without failure.
A container can also be configured to be disposed of by the end user, as waste
and/or recyclable
material, in various ways.
One conventional type of container for fluent products is a rigid container
made from solid
material(s). Examples of conventional rigid containers include molded plastic
bottles, glass jars,
metal cans, cardboard boxes, etc. These conventional rigid containers are well-
known and generally
useful; however their designs do present several notable difficulties.
First, some conventional rigid containers for fluent products can be expensive
to make.
Some rigid containers are made by a process shaping one or more solid
materials. Other rigid
containers are made with a phase change process, where container materials are
heated (to
soften/melt), then shaped, then cooled (to harden/solidify). Both kinds of
making are energy
intensive processes, which can require complex equipment.
Second, some conventional rigid containers for fluent products can require
significant
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amounts of material. Rigid containers that are designed to stand up on a
support surface require
solid walls that are thick enough to support the containers when they are
filled. This can require
significant amounts of material, which adds to the cost of the containers and
can contribute to
difficulties with their disposal.
Third, some conventional rigid containers for fluent products can be difficult
to decorate.
The sizes, shapes, (e.g. curved surfaces) and/or materials of some rigid
containers, make it difficult
to print directly on their outside surfaces. Labeling requires additional
materials and processing, and
limits the size and shape of the decoration. Overwrapping provides larger
decoration areas, but also
requires additional materials and processing, often at significant expense.
Fourth, some conventional rigid containers for fluent products can be prone to
certain kinds
of damage. If a rigid container is pushed against a rough surface, then the
container can become
scuffed, which may obscure printing on the container. If a rigid container is
pressed against a hard
object, then the container can become dented, which may look unsightly. And if
a rigid container is
dropped, then the container can rupture, which may cause its fluent product to
be lost.
Fifth, some fluent products in conventional rigid containers can be difficult
to dispense.
When an end user squeezes a rigid container to dispense its fluent product,
the end user must
overcome the resistance of the rigid sides, to deform the container. Some
users may lack the hand
strength to easily overcome that resistance; these users may dispense less
than their desired amount
of fluent product. Other users may need to apply so much of their hand
strength, that they cannot
easily control how much they deform the container; these users may dispense
more than their desired
amount of fluent product.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure describes various embodiments of containers made from
flexible
material. Because these containers are made from flexible material, these
containers can be less
expensive to make, can use less material, and can be easier to decorate, when
compared with
conventional rigid containers. First, these containers can be less expensive
to make, because the
conversion of flexible materials (from sheet form to finished goods) generally
requires less energy
and complexity, than formation of rigid materials (from bulk form to finished
goods). Second, these
containers can use less material, because they are configured with novel
support structures that do
not require the use of the thick solid walls used in conventional rigid
containers. Third, these
flexible containers can be easier to print and/or decorate, because they are
made from flexible
materials, and flexible materials can be printed and/or decorated as
conformable webs, before they
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are formed into containers. Fourth, these flexible containers can be less
prone to scuffing, denting,
and rupture, because flexible materials allow their outer surfaces to deform
when contacting surfaces
and objects, and then to bounce back. Fifth, fluent products in these flexible
containers can be more
readily and carefully dispensed, because the sides of flexible containers can
be more easily and
controllably squeezed by human hands. Even though the containers of the
present disclosure are
made from flexible material, they can be configured with sufficient structural
integrity, such that
they can receive, contain, and dispense fluent product(s), as intended,
without failure. Also, these
containers can be configured with sufficient structural integrity, such that
they can withstand
external forces and environmental conditions from handling, without failure.
Further, these
containers can be configured with structures that allow them to be displayed
and put into use, as
intended, without failure.
In particular, the present disclosure provides various containers that include
a resiliently
deformable product volume and a dispenser configured to dispense fluent
product from the product
volume. When no dispensing force is applied to the product volume, the product
volume has an
undeformed state and a first interior volume. When a dispensing force is
applied to the product
volume, the product volume is resiliently deformable to a deformed state in
which the product
volume is reduced to a second interior volume less than the first interior
volume, and the dispenser
can dispense at least some of the fluent product from the product volume. When
the dispensing
force is released, the product volume is self restoring to the undeformed
state.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure lA illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand up flexible
container.
Figure 1B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container of Figure
1A.
Figure 1C illustrates a top view of the stand up flexible container of Figure
1A.
Figure 1D illustrates a bottom view of the stand up flexible container of
Figure 1A.
Figure lE illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 1A, including an asymmetric structural support frame.
Figure 1F illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 1A, including an internal structural support frame.
Figure 1G illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 1A, including an external structural support frame.
Figure 2A illustrates a top view of a stand up flexible container having a
structural support
frame that has an overall shape like a frustum.
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Figure 2B illustrates a front view of the container of Figure 2A.
Figure 2C illustrates a side view of the container of Figure 2A.
Figure 2D illustrates an isometric view of the container of Figure 2A.
Figure 2E illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
5 container of Figure 2A, including an asymmetric structural support frame.
Figure 2F illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 1A, including an internal structural support frame.
Figure 2G illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 2A, including an external structural support frame.
Figure 3A illustrates a top view of a stand up flexible container having a
structural support
frame that has an overall shape like a pyramid.
Figure 3B illustrates a front view of the container of Figure 3A.
Figure 3C illustrates a side view of the container of Figure 3A.
Figure 3D illustrates an isometric view of the container of Figure 3A.
Figure 3E illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 3A, including an asymmetric structural support frame.
Figure 3F illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 3A, including an internal structural support frame.
Figure 3G illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 3A, including an external structural support frame.
Figure 4A illustrates a top view of a stand up flexible container having a
structural support
frame that has an overall shape like a trigonal prism.
Figure 4B illustrates a front view of the container of Figure 4A.
Figure 4C illustrates a side view of the container of Figure 4A.
Figure 4D illustrates an isometric view of the container of Figure 4A.
Figure 4E illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 4A, including an asymmetric structural support frame.
Figure 4F illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 4A, including an internal structural support frame.
Figure 4G illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 4A, including an external structural support frame.
Figure 5A illustrates a top view of a stand up flexible container having a
structural support
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frame that has an overall shape like a tetragonal prism.
Figure 5B illustrates a front view of the container of Figure 5A.
Figure 5C illustrates a side view of the container of Figure 5A.
Figure 5D illustrates an isometric view of the container of Figure 5A.
Figure 5E illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 5A, including an asymmetric structural support frame.
Figure 5F illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 5A, including an internal structural support frame.
Figure 5G illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 5A, including an external structural support frame.
Figure 6A illustrates a top view of a stand up flexible container having a
structural support
frame that has an overall shape like a pentagonal prism.
Figure 6B illustrates a front view of the container of Figure 6A.
Figure 6C illustrates a side view of the container of Figure 6A.
Figure 6D illustrates an isometric view of the container of Figure 6A.
Figure 6E illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 6A, including an asymmetric structural support frame.
Figure 6F illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 6A, including an internal structural support frame.
Figure 6G illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 6A, including an external structural support frame.
Figure 7A illustrates a top view of a stand up flexible container having a
structural support
frame that has an overall shape like a cone.
Figure 7B illustrates a front view of the container of Figure 7A.
Figure 7C illustrates a side view of the container of Figure 7A.
Figure 7D illustrates an isometric view of the container of Figure 7A.
Figure 7E illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 7A, including an asymmetric structural support frame.
Figure 7F illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 7A, including an internal structural support frame.
Figure 7G illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 7A, including an external structural support frame.
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Figure 8A illustrates a top view of a stand up flexible container having a
structural support
frame that has an overall shape like a cylinder.
Figure 8B illustrates a front view of the container of Figure 8A.
Figure 8C illustrates a side view of the container of Figure 8A.
Figure 8D illustrates an isometric view of the container of Figure 8A.
Figure 8E illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 8A, including an asymmetric structural support frame.
Figure 8F illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 8A, including an internal structural support frame.
Figure 8G illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
stand up flexible
container of Figure 8A, including an external structural support frame.
Figure 9A illustrates a top view of an embodiment of a self-supporting
flexible container,
having an overall shape like a square.
Figure 9B illustrates an end view of the flexible container of Figure 9A.
Figure 9C illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
self-supporting
flexible container of Figure 9A, including an asymmetric structural support
frame.
Figure 9D illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
self-supporting
flexible container of Figure 9A, including an internal structural support
frame.
Figure 9E illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
self-supporting
flexible container of Figure 9A, including an external structural support
frame.
Figure 10A illustrates a top view of an embodiment of a self-supporting
flexible container,
having an overall shape like a triangle.
Figure 10B illustrates an end view of the flexible container of Figure 10A.
Figure 10C illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
self-supporting
flexible container of Figure 10A, including an asymmetric structural support
frame.
Figure 10D illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
self-supporting
flexible container of Figure 10A, including an internal structural support
frame.
Figure 10E illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
self-supporting
flexible container of Figure 10A, including an external structural support
frame.
Figure 11A illustrates a top view of an embodiment of a self-supporting
flexible container,
having an overall shape like a circle.
Figure 11B illustrates an end view of the flexible container of Figure 11A.
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Figure 11C illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
self-supporting
flexible container of Figure 11A, including an asymmetric structural support
frame.
Figure 11D illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
self-supporting
flexible container of Figure 11A, including an internal structural support
frame.
Figure 11E illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
self-supporting
flexible container of Figure 11A, including an external structural support
frame.
Figure 12A illustrates an isometric view of push-pull type dispenser.
Figure 12B illustrates an isometric view of dispenser with a flip-top cap.
Figure 12C illustrates an isometric view of dispenser with a screw-on cap.
Figure 12D illustrates an isometric view of rotatable type dispenser.
Figure 12E illustrates an isometric view of nozzle type dispenser with a cap.
Figure 13A illustrates an isometric view of straw dispenser.
Figure 13B illustrates an isometric view of straw dispenser with a lid.
Figure 13C illustrates an isometric view of flip up straw dispenser.
Figure 13D illustrates an isometric view of straw dispenser with bite valve.
Figure 14A illustrates an isometric view of pump type dispenser.
Figure 14B illustrates an isometric view of pump spray type dispenser.
Figure 14C illustrates an isometric view of trigger spray type dispenser.
Figure 15 illustrates a front view of another embodiment of a stand up
flexible container,
similar to the container illustrated in Figures 1A-1D, but having a dispenser
disposed on or at a
bottom of the container.
Figure 16A illustrates the flexible container of Figure 15 in an undeformed
state.
Figure 16B illustrates a dispensing force applied to the flexible container of
Figure 15.
Figure 16C illustrates the flexible container of Figure 15 deformed to a
deformed state in
response to the application of the dispensing force.
Figure 16D illustrates the flexible container of Figure 15 fully restored to
the undeformed
state upon release of the dispensing force.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present disclosure describes various embodiments of containers made from
flexible
material. Because these containers are made from flexible material, these
containers can be less
expensive to make, can use less material, and can be easier to decorate, when
compared with
conventional rigid containers. First, these containers can be less expensive
to make, because the
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conversion of flexible materials (from sheet form to finished goods) generally
requires less energy
and complexity, than formation of rigid materials (from bulk form to finished
goods). Second, these
containers can use less material, because they are configured with novel
support structures that do
not require the use of the thick solid walls used in conventional rigid
containers. Third, these
flexible containers can be easier to decorate, because their flexible
materials can be easily printed
before they are formed into containers. Fourth, these flexible containers can
be less prone to
scuffing, denting, and rupture, because flexible materials allow their outer
surfaces to deform when
contacting surfaces and objects, and then to bounce back. Fifth, fluent
products in these flexible
containers can be more readily and carefully dispensed, because the sides of
flexible containers can
be more easily and controllably squeezed by human hands. Alternatively, any
embodiment of
flexible containers, as described herein, can be configured to dispense fluent
products by pouring the
fluent products out of its product volume.
Even though the containers of the present disclosure are made from flexible
material, they
can be configured with sufficient structural integrity, such that they can
receive, contain, and
dispense fluent product(s), as intended, without failure. Also, these
containers can be configured
with sufficient structural integrity, such that they can withstand external
forces and environmental
conditions from handling, without failure. Further, these containers can be
configured with
structures that allow them to be displayed for sale and put into use, as
intended, without failure.
As used herein, the term "about" modifies a particular value, by referring to
a range equal to
the particular value, plus or minus twenty percent (+/- 20%). For any of the
embodiments of flexible
containers, disclosed herein, any disclosure of a particular value, can, in
various alternate
embodiments, also be understood as a disclosure of a range equal to about that
particular value (i.e.
+/- 20%).
As used herein, the term "ambient conditions" refers to a temperature within
the range of 15-
35 degrees Celsius and a relative humidity within the range of 35-75%.
As used herein, the term "approximately" modifies a particular value, by
referring to a range
equal to the particular value, plus or minus fifteen percent (+/- 15%). For
any of the embodiments of
flexible containers, disclosed herein, any disclosure of a particular value,
can, in various alternate
embodiments, also be understood as a disclosure of a range equal to
approximately that particular
value (i.e. +/- 15%).
As used herein, when referring to a sheet of material, the term "basis weight"
refers to a
measure of mass per area, in units of grams per square meter (gsm). For any of
the embodiments of
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flexible containers, disclosed herein, in various embodiments, any of the
flexible materials can be
configured to have a basis weight of 10-1000 gsm, or any integer value for gsm
from 10-1000, or
within any range formed by any of these values, such as 20-800 gsm, 30-600
gsm, 40-400 gsm, or
50-200, etc.
5
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "bottom"
refers to the portion
of the container that is located in the lowermost 30% of the overall height of
the container, that is,
from 0-30% of the overall height of the container. As used herein, the term
bottom can be further
limited by modifying the term bottom with a particular percentage value, which
is less than 30%.
For any of the embodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, a
reference to the bottom of the
10
container can, in various alternate embodiments, refer to the bottom 25%
(i.e. from 0-25% of the
overall height), the bottom 20% (i.e. from 0-20% of the overall height), the
bottom 15% (i.e. from 0-
15% of the overall height), the bottom 10% (i.e. from 0-10% of the overall
height), or the bottom 5%
(i.e. from 0-5% of the overall height), or any integer value for percentage
between 0% and 30%.
As used herein, the term "branding" refers to a visual element intended to
distinguish a
product from other products. Examples of branding include one of more of any
of the following:
trademarks, trade dress, logos, icons, and the like. For any of the
embodiments of flexible
containers, disclosed herein, in various embodiments, any surface of the
flexible container can
include one or more brandings of any size, shape, or configuration, disclosed
herein or known in the
art, in any combination.
As used herein, the term "character" refers to a visual element intended to
convey
information. Examples of characters include one or more of any of the
following: letters, numbers,
symbols, and the like. For any of the embodiments of flexible containers,
disclosed herein, in
various embodiments, any surface of the flexible container can include one or
more characters of any
size, shape, or configuration, disclosed herein or known in the art, in any
combination.
As used herein, the term "closed" refers to a state of a product volume,
wherein fluent
products within the product volume are prevented from escaping the product
volume (e.g. by one or
more materials that form a barrier, and by a cap), but the product volume is
not necessarily
hermetically sealed. For example, a closed container can include a vent, which
allows a head space
in the container to be in fluid communication with air in the environment
outside of the container.
As used herein, the term "deformed state" refers to the state of the product
volume when an
external pressure (e.g., a dispensing force) is applied to the one or more
walls of the flexible
container. The product volume is resiliently deformable, with the one or more
walls of the flexible
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container defining the product volume being movable. The one or more walls can
move to varying
degrees when the product volume is transitioning to the deformed state. When
the external pressure
is released, the flexible container is configured such that the one or more
walls move to return the
product volume to the undeformed state.
As used herein, the term "deflation feature" refers to one or more structural
features provided
with a flexible container and configured for use in deflating some or all of
the expanded structural
support volume(s) of the flexible container, by allowing expansion material(s)
inside of the structural
support volume to escape into the environment, so that the structural support
volume is no longer
expanded. A deflation feature can be used when the flexible container is ready
to be disposed of (i.e.
as waste, compost, and/or recyclable material). Any of the flexible containers
disclosed herein can
be configured with any number of any kind of deflation feature, configured in
any way disclosed
herein or known in the art.
One kind of deflation feature is a cutting device, which is a rigid element
that includes a
point or edge configured to cut and/or pierce through flexible material(s)
that form at least part of a
structural support volume. As an example, a cutting device can be included
with a flexible container
by attaching the device to any portion of the outside (e.g. top, middle, side,
bottom, etc.) of the
container with adhesive, or under a label, or any other way known in the art,
for externally attaching
rigid elements to a container. As another example, a cutting device can be
included with a flexible
container by including the device with other packaging material, such as
attached to an outer carton,
inside of an overwrap layer, in between containers provided together, etc. As
still another example,
a cutting device can be included with a flexible container by including the
device inside of any
portion of the container, such as in a product volume, in a structural support
volume, in a mixing
chamber, in a dedicated space for the device, in a base structure, or any
other way known in the art,
for internally including rigid elements within a container. As yet another
example, a cutting device
can be included with a flexible container, by making the cutting device
integral with or detachable
from another rigid element that is part of the container, such as a rigid base
structure, cap, dispenser,
fitment, connecting element, reinforcing element, or any other rigid element
for containers disclosed
herein or known in the art. A cutting device can be configured to be any
convenient size and any
workable shape and can be used manually or through use of a tool. In addition
to rigid elements,
flexible materials that can be turned into a rigid cutting device through
rolling up or folding flexible
materials are also envisioned.
Another kind of deflation feature is an exit channel, which can be configured
to be opened in
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material(s) that border or define at least a portion of the fillable space of
a structural support volume.
An exit channel can be an existing connection (e.g. seam, seal, or joint) in
the container, which is
configured to fail (e.g. separate and at least partially open) when exposed to
opening forces. An exit
channel can also be formed with one or more points, lines, and/or areas of
weakness (e.g. thinned,
scored, perforated, frangible seal, etc.), which are configured to fail or to
otherwise be breached,
when exposed to opening forces. An exit channel can be protected by another
material, such as an
adhesive label, to ensure the exit channel remains closed until the user
wishes to deflate. An exit
channel can further be formed by configuring the container with one or more
tear initiation sites
(such as a notch in an edge, a pull-tab, etc.) such that a tear propagating
from the site(s) can open the
flexible material. An exit channel can be configured to be any convenient size
and any workable
shape and can be opened manually (by grasping and pulling, by poking with a
finger or fingernail, or
any other way) or through use of a tool or by overpressurizing a structural
support volume (through
application of compressive force or controlled environmental conditions) such
that the structural
support volume fails when its expansion material(s) burst out.
Still another kind of deflation feature is a valve, connected to the fillable
space of a structural
support volume, wherein the valve can be opened to the container's
environment. Embodiments of
the present disclosure can use as a deflation feature, any and all embodiments
of valves (including
materials, structures, and/or features for valves, as well as any and all
methods of making and/or
using such valves), as disclosed in the following patent documents: US
nonprovisional patent
application 13/379,655 filed June 21, 2010, entitled "Collapsible Bottle,
Method Of Manufacturing a
Blank For Such Bottle and Beverage-Filled Bottle Dispensing System" in the
name of Reidl,
published as U52012/0097634; US nonprovisional patent application 10/246893
filed September 19,
2002, entitled "Bubble-Seal Apparatus for Easily Opening a Sealed Package" in
the name of Pere11,
et al., published as 20040057638; and US patent 7,585,528 filed December 16,
2002, entitled
"Package having an inflated frame" in the name of Ferri, et al., granted on
September 8, 2009; each
of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
As used herein, the term "directly connected" refers to a configuration
wherein elements are
attached to each other without any intermediate elements therebetween, except
for any means of
attachment (e.g. adhesive).
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "dispenser"
refers to a
structure configured to dispense fluent product(s) from a product volume
and/or from a mixing
volume to the environment outside of the container. For any of the flexible
containers disclosed
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herein, any dispenser can be configured in any way disclosed herein or known
in the art, including
any suitable size, shape, and flow rate. For example, a dispenser can be a
push-pull type dispenser, a
dispenser with a flip-top cap, a dispenser with a screw-on cap, a rotatable
type dispenser, dispenser
with a cap, a pump type dispenser, a pump spray type dispenser, a trigger
spray type dispenser, a
straw dispenser, a flip up straw dispenser, a straw dispenser with bite valve,
a dosing dispenser, etc.
A dispenser can be a parallel dispenser, providing multiple flow channels in
fluid communication
with multiple product volumes, wherein those flow channels remain separate
until the point of
dispensing, thus allowing fluent products from multiple product volumes to be
dispensed as separate
fluent products, dispensed together at the same time. A dispenser can be a
mixing dispenser,
providing one or more flow channels in fluid communication with multiple
product volumes, with
multiple flow channels combined before the point of dispensing, thus allowing
fluent products from
multiple product volumes to be dispensed as the fluent products mixed
together. As another
example, a dispenser can be formed by a frangible opening. As further
examples, a dispenser can
utilize one or more valves and/or dispensing mechanisms disclosed in the art,
such as those disclosed
in: published US patent application 2003/0096068, entitled "One-way valve for
inflatable package";
US patent 4,988,016 entitled "Self-sealing container"; and US 7,207,717,
entitled "Package having a
fluid actuated closure"; each of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Still further, any of the
dispensers disclosed herein, may be incorporated into a flexible container
either directly, or in
combination with one or more other materials or structures (such as a
fitment), or in any way known
in the art. In some alternate embodiments, dispensers disclosed herein can be
configured for both
dispensing and filling, to allow filling of product volume(s) through one or
more dispensers. In
other alternate embodiments, a product volume can include one or more filling
structure(s) (e.g. for
adding water to a mixing volume) in addition to or instead of one or more
dispenser(s). Any
location for a dispenser, disclosed herein can alternatively be used as a
location for a filling
structure. In some embodiments, a product volume can include one or more
filling structures in
addition to any dispenser(s). And, any location for a dispenser, disclosed
herein can alternatively be
used as a location for an opening, through which product can be filled and/or
dispensed, wherein the
opening may be reclosable or non-reclosable, and can be configured in any way
known in the art of
packaging. For example, an opening can be: a line of weakness, which can be
torn open; a zipper
seal, which can be pulled open and pressed closed (e.g. a press seal), or
opened and closed with a
slider; openings with adhesive-based closures; openings with cohesive-based
closures; openings with
closures having fasteners (e.g. snaps, tin tie, etc.), openings with closures
having micro-sized
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fasteners (e.g. with opposing arrays of interlocking fastening elements, such
as hook, loops, and/or
other mating elements, etc.), and any other kind of opening for packages or
containers, with or
without a closure, known in the art.
As used herein, the term "dispensing force" refers to an external force
applied to one or more
portions of the flexible container for the purpose of dispensing fluent
product(s) from the container.
The external force can, for example, be a squeeze, force applied by a user
(e.g., a consumer) of the
container, or some other force, for example, as applied by a dispensing unit
or housing. The
magnitude of the external force can have any value between about 0.1 and about
550 N, or can be
within any range formed by these values, such as, between about 2 to 200 N,
about 30 to 100 N, etc.
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "disposable"
refers to a
container which, after dispensing a product to an end user, is not configured
to be refilled with an
additional amount of the product, but is configured to be disposed of (i.e. as
waste, compost, and/or
recyclable material). Part, parts, or all of any of the embodiments of
flexible containers, disclosed
herein, can be configured to be disposable.
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "durable"
refers to a
container that is reusable more than non-durable containers.
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "effective
base contact area"
refers to a particular area defined by a portion of the bottom of the
container, when the container
(with all of its product volume(s) filled 100% with water) is standing upright
and its bottom is
resting on a horizontal support surface. The effective base contact area lies
in a plane defined by the
horizontal support surface. The effective base contact area is a continuous
area bounded on all sides
by an outer periphery.
The outer periphery is formed from an actual contact area and from a series of
projected
areas from defined cross-sections taken at the bottom of the container. The
actual contact area is the
one or more portions of the bottom of the container that contact the
horizontal support surface, when
the effective base contact area is defined. The effective base contact area
includes all of the actual
contact area. However, in some embodiments, the effective base contact area
may extend beyond
the actual contact area.
The series of projected area are formed from five horizontal cross-sections,
taken at the
bottom of the flexible container. These cross-sections are taken at 1%, 2%,
3%, 4%, and 5% of the
overall height. The outer extent of each of these cross-sections is projected
vertically downward
onto the horizontal support surface to form five (overlapping) projected
areas, which, together with
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the actual contact area, form a single combined area. This is not a summing up
of the values for
these areas, but is the formation of a single combined area that includes all
of these (projected and
actual) areas, overlapping each other, wherein any overlapping portion makes
only one contribution
to the single combined area.
5
The outer periphery of the effective base contact area is formed as
described below. In the
following description, the terms convex, protruding, concave, and recessed are
understood from the
perspective of points outside of the combined area. The outer periphery is
formed by a combination
of the outer extent of the combined area and any chords, which are straight
line segments
constructed as described below.
10
For each continuous portion of the combined area that has an outer perimeter
with a shape
that is concave or recessed, a chord is constructed across that portion. This
chord is the shortest
straight line segment that can be drawn tangent to the combined area on both
sides of the
concave/recessed portion.
For a combined area that is discontinuous (formed by two or more separate
portions), one or
15
more chords are constructed around the outer perimeter of the combined area,
across the one or more
discontinuities (open spaces disposed between the portions). These chords are
straight lines
segments drawn tangent to the outermost separate portions of the combined
area. These chords are
drawn to create the largest possible effective base contact area.
Thus, the outer periphery is formed by a combination of the outer extent of
the combined
area and any chords, constructed as described above, which all together
enclose the effective base
area. Any chords that are bounded by the combined area and/or one or more
other chords, are not
part of the outer periphery and should be ignored.
Any of the embodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, can be
configured to have
an effective base contact area from 1 to 50,000 square centimeters (cm2), or
any integer value for
cm2 between 1 and 50,000 cm2, or within any range formed by any of the
preceding values, such as:
from 2 to 25,000 cm2, 3 to 10,000 cm2, 4 to 5,000 cm2, 5 to 2,500 cm2, from 10
to 1,000 cm2, from
20 to 500 cm2, from 30 to 300 cm2, from 40 to 200 cm2, or from 50 to 100 cm2,
etc.
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "expanded"
refers to the state
of one or more flexible materials that are configured to be formed into a
structural support volume,
after the structural support volume is made rigid by one or more expansion
materials. An expanded
structural support volume has an overall width that is significantly greater
than the combined
thickness of its one or more flexible materials, before the structural support
volume is filled with the
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one or more expansion materials. Examples of expansion materials include
liquids (e.g. water),
gases (e.g. compressed air), fluent products, foams (that can expand after
being added into a
structural support volume), co-reactive materials (that produce gas), or phase
change materials (that
can be added in solid or liquid form, but which turn into a gas; for example,
liquid nitrogen or dry
ice), or other suitable materials known in the art, or combinations of any of
these (e.g. fluent product
and liquid nitrogen). In various embodiments, expansion materials can be added
at atmospheric
pressure, or added under pressure greater than atmospheric pressure, or added
to provide a material
change that will increase pressure to something above atmospheric pressure.
For any of the
embodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, its one or more flexible
materials can be
expanded at various points in time, with respect to its manufacture, sale, and
use, including, for
example: before or after its product volume(s) are filled with fluent
product(s), before or after the
flexible container is shipped to a seller, and before or after the flexible
container is purchased by an
end user.
As used herein, when referring to a product volume of a flexible container,
the term "filled"
refers to the state when the product volume contains an amount of fluent
product(s) that is equal to a
full capacity for the product volume, with an allowance for head space, under
ambient conditions.
As used herein, the term filled can be modified by using the term filled with
a particular percentage
value, wherein 100% filled represents the maximum capacity of the product
volume.
As used herein, the term "flat" refers to a surface that is without
significant projections or
depressions.
As used herein, the term "flexible container" refers to a container configured
to have a
product volume, wherein one or more flexible materials form 50-100% of the
overall surface area of
the one or more materials that define the three-dimensional space of the
product volume. For any of
the embodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, in various
embodiments, the flexible
container can be configured to have a product volume, wherein one or more
flexible materials form a
particular percentage of the overall area of the one or more materials that
define the three-
dimensional space, and the particular percentage is any integer value for
percentage between 50%
and 100%, or within any range formed by any of these values, such as: 60-100%,
or 70-100%, or 80-
100%, or 90-100%, etc. One kind of flexible container is a film-based
container, which is a flexible
container made from one or more flexible materials, which include a film.
For any of the embodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, in
various embodiments,
the middle of the flexible container (apart from any fluent product) can be
configured to have an
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overall middle mass, wherein one or more flexible materials form a particular
percentage of the
overall middle mass, and the particular percentage is any integer value for
percentage between 50%
and 100%, or within any range formed by any of the preceding values, such as:
60-100%, or 70-
100%, or 80-100%, or 90-100%, etc.
For any of the embodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, in
various embodiments,
the entire flexible container (apart from any fluent product) can be
configured to have an overall
mass, wherein one or more flexible materials form a particular percentage of
the overall mass, and
the particular percentage is any integer value for percentage between 50% and
100%, or within any
range formed by any of the preceding values, such as: 60-100%, or 70-100%, or
80-100%, or 90-
100%, etc.
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "flexible
material" refers to a
thin, easily deformable, sheet-like material, having a flexibility factor
within the range of 1,000-
2,500,000 N/m. For any of the embodiments of flexible containers, disclosed
herein, in various
embodiments, any of the flexible materials can be configured to have a
flexibility factor of 1,000-
2,500,000 N/m, or any integer value for flexibility factor from 1,000-
2,500,000 N/m, or within any
range formed by any of these values, such as 1,000-1,500,000 N/m, 1,500-
1,000,000 N/m, 2,500-
800,000 N/m, 5,000-700,000 N/m, 10,000-600,000 N/m, 15,000-500,000 N/m, 20,000-
400,000 N/m,
25,000-300,000 N/m, 30,000-200,000 N/m, 35,000-100,000 N/m, 40,000-90,000 N/m,
or 45,000-
85,000 N/m, etc. Throughout the present disclosure the terms "flexible
material", "flexible sheet",
"sheet", and "sheet-like material" are used interchangeably and are intended
to have the same
meaning. Examples of materials that can be flexible materials include one or
more of any of the
following: films (such as plastic films), elastomers, foamed sheets, foils,
fabrics (including wovens
and nonwovens), biosourced materials, and papers, in any configuration, as
separate material(s), or
as layer(s) of a laminate, or as part(s) of a composite material, in a
microlayered or nanolayered
structure, and in any combination, as described herein or as known in the art.
As examples, flexible materials such as films and nonwovens, can be made from
one or more
thermoplastic polymers, as described herein and/or as known in the art.
Thermoplastic polymers can
include polyolefins such as polyethylene and/or copolymers thereof, including
low density, high
density, linear low density, or ultra low density polyethylenes. Polypropylene
and/or polypropylene
copolymers, including atactic polypropylene; isotactic polypropylene,
syndiotactic polypropylene,
and/or combinations thereof can also be used. Polybutylene is also a useful
polyolefin.
Other suitable polymers include polyamides or copolymers thereof, such as
Nylon 6, Nylon
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11, Nylon 12, Nylon 46, Nylon 66; polyesters and/or copolymers thereof, such
as maleic anhydride
polypropylene copolymer, polyethylene terephthalate; olefin carboxylic acid
copolymers such as
ethylene/acrylic acid copolymer, ethylene/maleic acid copolymer,
ethylene/methacrylic acid
copolymer, ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymers or combinations thereof;
polyacrylates,
polymethacrylates, and/or their copolymers such as poly(methyl methacrylates).
Other nonlimiting examples of polymers include polyesters, polycarbonates,
polyvinyl
acetates, poly(oxymethylene), styrene copolymers, polyacrylates,
polymethacrylates, poly(methyl
methacrylates), polystyrene/methyl methacrylate copolymers, polyetherimides,
polysulfones, and/or
combinations thereof. In some embodiments, thermoplastic polymers can include
polypropylene,
polyethylene, polyamides, polyvinyl alcohol, ethylene acrylic acid, polyolefin
carboxylic acid
copolymers, polyesters, and/or combinations thereof.
Biodegradable thermoplastic polymers also are contemplated for use herein.
Biodegradable
materials are susceptible to being assimilated by microorganisms, such as
molds, fungi, and bacteria
when the biodegradable material is buried in the ground or otherwise contacts
the microorganisms
Suitable biodegradable polymers also include those biodegradable materials
which are
environmentally-degradable using aerobic or anaerobic digestion procedures, or
by virtue of being
exposed to environmental elements such as sunlight, rain, moisture, wind,
temperature, and the like.
The biodegradable thermoplastic polymers can be used individually or as a
combination of
biodegradable or non-biodegradable polymers.
Biodegradable polymers include polyesters
containing aliphatic components. Among the polyesters are ester
polycondensates containing
aliphatic constituents and poly(hydroxycarboxylic) acid. The ester
polycondensates include
diacids/diol aliphatic polyesters such as polybutylene succinate, polybutylene
succinate co-adipate,
aliphatic/aromatic polyesters such as terpolymers made of butylenes diol,
adipic acid and
terephthalic acid. The poly(hydroxycarboxylic) acids include lactic acid based
homopolymers and
copolymers, polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), or other polyhydroxyalkanoate
homopolymers and
copolymers. Such polyhydroxyalkanoates include copolymers of PHB with higher
chain length
monomers, such as C6-C12, and higher, polyhydroxyalkanaotes, such as those
disclosed in U.S.
Patent Numbers RE 36,548 and 5,990,271, polyglycolic acid, and
polycaprolactone.
Non-limiting examples of suitable commercially available polymers include
Base11 Profax
PH-835 (a 35 melt flow rate Ziegler-Natta isotactic polypropylene from
Lyondell-Basell), Base11
Metocene MF-650W (a 500 melt flow rate metallocene isotactic polypropylene
from Lyondell-
Base11), Polybond 3200 (a 250 melt flow rate maleic anhydride polypropylene
copolymer from
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Crompton), Exxon Achieve 3854 (a 25 melt flow rate metallocene isotactic
polypropylene from
Exxon-Mobil Chemical), Mosten NB425 (a 25 melt flow rate Ziegler-Natta
isotactic polypropylene
from Unipetrol), Danimer 27510 (a polyhydroxyalkanoate polypropylene from
Danimer Scientific
LLC), Dow Aspun 6811A (a 27 melt index polyethylene polypropylene copolymer
from Dow
Chemical), and Eastman 9921 (a polyester terephthalic homopolymer with a
nominally 0.81 intrinsic
viscosity from Eastman Chemical), any biosourced materials for example, from
Braskem, and
acrylonitrile-methyl acrylate polymers, such as Barex..
A thermoplastic polymer component of a flexible material can be a single
polymer species as
described above or a blend of two or more thermoplastic polymers as described
above.
Also as examples, flexible materials can further include one or more
additives, as described
herein and/or as known in the art. Non-limiting examples of classes of such
additives include
perfumes, dyes, pigments, nanoparticles, antistatic agents, fillers,
photoactives, and other classes of
additives known in the art, and combinations. The films disclosed herein can
contain a single
additive or a mixture of any number of additives.
Contemplated fillers include, but are not limited to inorganic fillers such
as, for example, the
oxides of magnesium, aluminum, silicon, and titanium. These materials can be
added as inexpensive
fillers or processing aides. Other inorganic materials that can function as
fillers include hydrous
magnesium silicate, titanium dioxide, calcium carbonate, clay, chalk, boron
nitride, limestone,
diatomaceous earth, mica glass quartz, and ceramics. Additionally, inorganic
salts, including alkali
metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts, phosphate salts, can be used.
Additionally, alkyd resins can
also be added as fillers. Alkyd resins can comprise a polyol, a polyacid or
anhydride, and/or a fatty
acid.
Additional contemplated additives include nucleating and clarifying agents for
the
thermoplastic polymer. Specific examples, suitable for polypropylene, for
example, are benzoic acid
and derivatives (e.g. sodium benzoate and lithium benzoate), as well as
kaolin, talc and zinc
glycerolate. Dibenzlidene sorbitol (DBS) is an example of a clarifying agent
that can be used. Other
nucleating agents that can be used are organocarboxylic acid salts, sodium
phosphate and metal salts
(for example aluminum dibenzoate).
Contemplated nanoparticles include metals, metal oxides, allotropes of carbon,
clays,
organically modified clays, sulfates, nitrides, hydroxides, oxy/hydroxides,
particulate water-
insoluble polymers, silicates, phosphates, and carbonates. Examples include
silicon dioxide, carbon
black, graphite, graphene, fullerenes, expanded graphite, carbon nanotubes,
talc, calcium carbonate,
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bentonite, montmorillonite, kaolin, zinc glycerolate, silica,
aluminosilicates, boron nitride, aluminum
nitride, barium sulfate, calcium sulfate, antimony oxide, feldspar, mica,
nickel, copper, iron, cobalt,
steel, gold, silver, platinum, aluminum, wollastonite, aluminum oxide,
zirconium oxide, titanium
dioxide, cerium oxide, zinc oxide, magnesium oxide, tin oxide, iron oxides
(Fe203, Fe304) and
5 mixtures thereof.
Thermoplastic polymers, and their variations, as disclosed herein can be
formed into a film
and can comprise many different configurations, depending on the film
properties desired. The
properties of the film can be manipulated by varying, for example, the
thickness, or in the case of
multilayered films, the number of layers, the chemistry of the layers, i.e.,
hydrophobic or
10 hydrophilic, and the types of polymers used to form the polymeric
layers. The films disclosed herein
can be multi-layer films. The film can have at least two layers (e.g., a first
film layer and a second
film layer). The first film layer and the second film layer can be layered
adjacent to each other to
form the multi-layer film. A multi-layer film can have at least three layers
(e.g., a first film layer, a
second film layer and a third film layer). The second film layer can at least
partially overlie at least
15 one of an upper surface or a lower surface of the first film layer. The
third film layer can at least
partially overlie the second film layer such that the second film layer forms
a core layer. It is
contemplated that multi-layer films can include additional layers (e.g.,
binding layers, non-
permeable layers, etc.). It will be appreciated that multi-layer films can
comprise from about 2
layers to about 1000 layers; in certain embodiments from about 3 layers to
about 200 layers; and in
20 certain embodiments from about 5 layers to about 100 layers, or any
integer value for number of
layers, in any of these ranges. For multi-layer films, each respective layer
can be made from any
material disclosed herein or known in the art, in any manner disclosed herein
or known in the art.
A multi-layer film can include a 3-layer arrangement wherein a first film
layer and a third
film layer form the skin layers and a second film layer is formed between the
first film layer and the
third film layer to form a core layer. The third film layer can be the same or
different from the first
film layer, such that the third film layer can comprise a composition as
described herein. It will be
appreciated that similar film layers could be used to form multi-layer films
having more than 3
layers. One embodiment for using multi-layer films is to control the location
of the oil. For
example, in a 3 layer film, the core layer may contain the oil while the outer
layer do not.
Alternatively, the inner layer may not contain oil and the outer layers do
contain oil.
If incompatible layers are to be adjacent in a multi-layer film, a tie layer
can be positioned
between them. The purpose of the tie layer is to provide a transition and
adequate adhesion between
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incompatible materials. An adhesive or tie layer is typically used between
layers of layers that
exhibit delamination when stretched, distorted, or deformed. The delamination
can be either
microscopic separation or macroscopic separation. In either event, the
performance of the film may
be compromised by this delamination. Consequently, a tie layer that exhibits
adequate adhesion
between the layers is used to limit or eliminate this delamination.
A tie layer is generally useful between incompatible materials. For instance,
when a
polyolefin and a copoly(ester-ether) are the adjacent layers, a tie layer is
generally useful.
The tie layer is chosen according to the nature of the adjacent materials, and
is compatible
with and/or identical to one material (e.g. nonpolar and hydrophobic layer)
and a reactive group
which is compatible or interacts with the second material (e.g. polar and
hydrophilic layer).
Suitable backbones for the tie layer include polyethylene (low density - LDPE,
linear low
density - LLDPE, high density - HDPE, and very low density - VLDPE) and
polypropylene.
The reactive group may be a grafting monomer that is grafted to this backbone,
and is or
contains at least one alpha- or beta- ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic
acid or anhydrides, or a
derivative thereof. Examples of such carboxylic acids and anhydrides, which
maybe mono-, di-, or
polycarboxylic acids, are acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid, fumaric
acid, itaconic acid,
crotonic acid, itaconic anhydride, maleic anhydride, and substituted malic
anhydride, e.g. dimethyl
maleic anhydride. Examples of derivatives of the unsaturated acids are salts,
amides, imides and
esters e.g. mono- and disodium maleate, acrylamide, maleimide, and diethyl
fumarate.
A particularly tie layer is a low molecular weight polymer of ethylene with
about 0.1 to about
weight percent of one or more unsaturated monomers which can be copolymerized
with ethylene,
e.g., maleic acid, fumaric acid, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, vinyl
acetate, acrylonitrile,
methacrylonitrile, butadiene, carbon monoxide, etc. Exemplary embodiments are
acrylic esters,
maleic anhydride, vinyl acetate, and methyacrylic acid. Anhydrides can be used
as grafting
25 monomers, for example maleic anhydride can be used.
An exemplary class of materials suitable for use as a tie layer is a class of
materials known as
anhydride modified ethylene vinyl acetate sold by DuPont under the tradename
Bynel , e.g.,
Bynel 3860. Another material suitable for use as a tie layer is an anhydride
modified ethylene
methyl acrylate also sold by DuPont under the tradename Bynel , e.g., Bynel
2169. Maleic
30 anhydride graft polyolefin polymers suitable for use as tie layers are
also available from Elf
Atochem North America, Functional Polymers Division, of Philadelphia, PA as
OrevacTM.
Alternatively, a polymer suitable for use as a tie layer material can be
incorporated into the
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composition of one or more of the layers of the films as disclosed herein. By
such incorporation, the
properties of the various layers are modified so as to improve their
compatibility and reduce the risk
of delamination.
Other intermediate layers besides tie layers can be used in the multi-layer
film disclosed
herein. For example, a layer of a polyolefin composition can be used between
two outer layers of a
hydrophilic resin to provide additional mechanical strength to the extruded
web. Any number of
intermediate layers may be used.
Examples of suitable thermoplastic materials for use in forming intermediate
layers include
polyethylene resins such as low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low
density polyethylene
(LLDPE), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), ethylene methyl acrylate (EMA),
polypropylene, and
poly(vinyl chloride). Polymeric layers of this type can have mechanical
properties that are
substantially equivalent to those described above for the hydrophobic layer.
In addition to being formed from the compositions described herein, the films
can further
include additional additives. For example, opacifying agents can be added to
one or more of the film
layers. Such opacifying agents can include iron oxides, carbon black,
aluminum, aluminum oxide,
titanium dioxide, talc and combinations thereof. These opacifying agents can
comprise about 0.1%
to about 5% by weight of the film; and in certain embodiments, the opacifying
agents can comprise
about 0.3% to about 3% of the film. It will be appreciated that other suitable
opacifying agents can
be employed and in various concentrations. Examples of opacifying agents are
described in US
Patent Number 6,653,523.
Furthermore, the films can comprise other additives, such as other polymers
materials (e.g., a
polypropylene, a polyethylene, a ethylene vinyl acetate, a polymethylpentene
any combination
thereof, or the like), a filler (e.g., glass, talc, calcium carbonate, or the
like), a mold release agent, a
flame retardant, an electrically conductive agent, an anti-static agent, a
pigment, an antioxidant, an
impact modifier, a stabilizer (e.g., a UV absorber), wetting agents, dyes, a
film anti-static agent or
any combination thereof. Film antistatic agents include cationic, anionic,
and/or, nonionic agents.
Cationic agents include ammonium, phosphonium and sulphonium cations, with
alkyl group
substitutions and an associated anion such as chloride, methosulphate, or
nitrate. Anionic agents
contemplated include alkylsulphonates. Nonionic agents include polyethylene
glycols, organic
stearates, organic amides, glycerol monostearate (GMS), alkyl di-
ethanolamides, and ethoxylated
amines. Other filler materials can comprise fibers, structural reinforcing
agents, and all types of
biosourced materials such as oils (hydrogenated soy bean oil), fats, starch,
etc.
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For any of the flexible materials, materials that are safe/approved for food
contact may be
selected. Additionally, materials that are approved for medical usage, or
materials that can be
sterilized through retort, autoclave, or radiation treatment, or other
sterilization processes known in
the art, may be used.
In various embodiments, part, parts, or all of a flexible material can be
coated or uncoated,
treated or untreated, processed or unprocessed, in any manner known in the
art. In various
embodiments, parts, parts, or about all, or approximately all, or
substantially all, or nearly all, or all
of a flexible material can made of sustainable, bio-sourced, recycled,
recyclable, and/or
biodegradable material. Part, parts, or about all, or approximately all, or
substantially all, or nearly
all, or all of any of the flexible materials described herein can be partially
or completely translucent,
partially or completely transparent, or partially or completely opaque.
With regard to films and elastomers for use as flexible materials, these can
be formed in any
manner known in the art, such as casting, extruding (blown or flat; singly or
with coextrusion),
calendering, depositing solution(s), skiving, etc. then slitting, cutting,
and/or converting the films
and/or elastomers into the desired sizes or shapes, as sheets or webs, as will
be understood by one
skilled in the art. With regard to blown films, multiple processes can be used
including: collapsed
bubble to create a blocked film, and double and or triple bubble processes.
Flexible materials may
further be subjected to any number or orienting, tenter frame, tenter hook,
stretching, or activation
processes. With regard to foamed sheets for use as flexible materials, these
can be formed in any
manner known in the art, by mixing base ingredients, adding the foaming
mixture to a mold or
shaping apparatus, then curing, cutting, and/or converting the foam into the
desired sizes or shapes,
as sheets or webs. With regard to nonwoven fabrics, these can be formed in any
manner known in
the art using spunbonded fibers and/or meltblown fibers, staple-length and/or
continuous fibers, with
any layering, mixing, or other combination known in the art. Other materials
listed herein for use as
flexible materials can be made in any manner known in the art.
The flexible materials used to make the containers disclosed herein can be
formed in any
manner known in the art, and can be joined together using any kind of joining
or sealing method
known in the art, including, for example, heat sealing (e.g. conductive
sealing, impulse sealing,
ultrasonic sealing, etc.), welding, crimping, bonding, adhering, and the like,
and combinations of any
of these.
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "flexibility
factor" refers to a
material parameter for a thin, easily deformable, sheet-like material, wherein
the parameter is
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measured in Newtons per meter, and the flexibility factor is equal to the
product of the value for the
Young's modulus of the material (measured in Pascals) and the value for the
overall thickness of the
material (measured in meters).
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "fluent
product" refers to one
or more liquids and/or pourable solids, and combinations thereof. Examples of
fluent products
include one or more of any of the following: bites, bits, creams, chips,
chunks, crumbs, crystals,
emulsions, flakes, gels, grains, granules, jellies, kibbles, liquid solutions,
liquid suspensions, lotions,
nuggets, ointments, particles, particulates, pastes, pieces, pills, powders,
salves, shreds, sprinkles,
and the like, either individually or in any combination. Throughout the
present disclosure the terms
"fluent product" and "flowable product" are used interchangeably and are
intended to have the same
meaning. Any of the product volumes disclosed herein can be configured to
include one or more of
any fluent product disclosed herein, or known in the art, in any combination.
For any of the embodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, in
various embodiments,
the "fluent product" can have a viscosity, at 25 degrees Celsius and 0.1 s-1,
of between about .0003
Pa*s to about 100,000 Pa*s, or within any ranged formed by any of the
preceding values, such as:
between .0001 Pa*s to about .01 Pa*s, between about .0001 Pa*s to about .1
Pa*s, between about
.0001 Pa*s to about 1 Pa*s, between about .0001 Pa*s to about 10 Pa*s, between
about .001 Pa*s to
about .01 Pa*s, between about .001 Pa*s to about .1 Pa*s, between about .001
Pa*s to about 1 Pa*s,
between about .001 Pa*s to about 10 Pa*s, between about .001 Pa*s to about 100
Pa*s, between
about .01 Pa*s to about 1 Pa*s, between about .01 Pa*s to about 10 Pa*s,
between about .01 Pa*s to
about 100 Pa*s, between about .1 Pa*s to about 1 Pa*s, between about .1 Pa*s
to about 10 Pa*s,
between about .1 Pa*s to about 100 Pa*s, between 1 Pa*s to about 10 Pa*s,
between about 1 Pa*s to
about 100 Pa*s, or between about 10 Pa*s to about 100 Pa*s. In some
embodiments, the fluent
product can have a minimum viscosity, at 25 degrees Celsius, equal to a value
within any one of
these ranges. For example, the fluent product can have a minimum viscosity
(i.e., a viscosity of at
least), at 25 degrees Celsius, of about .001 Pa*s, about .01 Pa*s, about .1
Pa*s, about 1 Pa*s, about
10 Pa*s, or some other value between about .0003 Pa*s to about 100,000 Pa*s.
Some fluents like
solvents (e.g. acetone) have low viscosities whereas some materials such as
putty have higher
viscosities.
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "formed"
refers to the state of
one or more materials that are configured to be formed into a product volume,
after the product
volume is provided with its defined three-dimensional space.
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As used herein, the term "graphic" refers to a visual element intended to
provide a decoration
or to communicate information. Examples of graphics include one or more of any
of the following:
colors, patterns, designs, images, and the like. For any of the embodiments of
flexible containers,
disclosed herein, in various embodiments, any surface of the flexible
container can include one or
5 more graphics of any size, shape, or configuration, disclosed herein or
known in the art, in any
combination.
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "height area
ratio" refers to a
ratio for the container, with units of per centimeter (cm-1), which is equal
to the value for the overall
height of the container (with all of its product volume(s) filled 100% with
water, and with overall
10 height measured in centimeters) divided by the value for the effective
base contact area of the
container (with all of its product volume(s) filled 100% with water, and with
effective base contact
area measured in square centimeters). For any of the embodiments of flexible
containers, disclosed
herein, in various embodiments, any of the flexible containers, can be
configured to have a height
area ratio from 0.3 to 3.0 per centimeter, or any value in increments of 0.05
cm-1 between 0.3 and 3.0
15 per centimeter, or within any range formed by any of the preceding
values, such as: from 0.35 to 2.0
-- - -
cm 1, from 0.4 to 1.5 cm 1, from 0.4 to 1.2 cm 1, or from 0.45 to 0.9 cm 1,
etc.
As used herein, the term "indicia" refers to one or more of characters,
graphics, branding, or
other visual elements, in any combination. For any of the embodiments of
flexible containers,
disclosed herein, in various embodiments, any surface of the flexible
container can include one or
20 more indicia of any size, shape, or configuration, disclosed herein or
known in the art, in any
combination.
As used herein, the term "indirectly connected" refers to a configuration
wherein elements
are attached to each other with one or more intermediate elements
therebetween.
As used herein, the term "joined" refers to a configuration wherein elements
are either
25 directly connected or indirectly connected.
As used herein, the term "lateral" refers to a direction, orientation, or
measurement that is
parallel to a lateral centerline of a container, when the container is
standing upright on a horizontal
support surface, as described herein. A lateral orientation may also be
referred to a "horizontal"
orientation, and a lateral measurement may also be referred to as a "width."
As used herein, the term "like-numbered" refers to similar alphanumeric labels
for
corresponding elements, as described below. Like-numbered elements have labels
with the same
last two digits; for example, one element with a label ending in the digits 20
and another element
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with a label ending in the digits 20 are like-numbered. Like-numbered elements
can have labels
with a differing first digit, wherein that first digit matches the number for
its figure; as an example,
an element of Figure 3 labeled 320 and an element of Figure 4 labeled 420 are
like-numbered. Like-
numbered elements can have labels with a suffix (i.e. the portion of the label
following the dash
symbol) that is the same or possibly different (e.g. corresponding with a
particular embodiment); for
example, a first embodiment of an element in Figure 3A labeled 320-a and a
second embodiment of
an element in Figure 3B labeled 320-b, are like numbered.
As used herein, the term "longitudinal" refers to a direction, orientation, or
measurement that
is parallel to a longitudinal centerline of a container, when the container is
standing upright on a
horizontal support surface, as described herein. A longitudinal orientation
may also be referred to a
"vertical" orientation. When expressed in relation to a horizontal support
surface for a container, a
longitudinal measurement may also be referred to as a "height", measured above
the horizontal
support surface.
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "middle"
refers to the portion
of the container that is located in between the top of the container and the
bottom of the container.
As used herein, the term middle can be modified by describing the term middle
with reference to a
particular percentage value for the top and/or a particular percentage value
for the bottom. For any
of the embodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, a reference to
the middle of the
container can, in various alternate embodiments, refer to the portion of the
container that is located
between any particular percentage value for the top, disclosed herein, and/or
any particular
percentage value for the bottom, disclosed herein, in any combination.
As used herein, the term "mixing volume" refers to a type product volume that
is configured
to receive one or more fluent product(s) from one or more product volumes
and/or from the
environment outside of the container.
As used herein, when referring to a product volume, the term "multiple dose"
refers to a
product volume that is sized to contain a particular amount of product that is
about equal to two or
more units of typical consumption, application, or use by an end user. Any of
the embodiments of
flexible containers, disclosed herein, can be configured to have one or more
multiple dose product
volumes. A container with only one product volume, which is a multiple dose
product volume, is
referred to herein as a "multiple dose container."
As used herein, the term "nearly" modifies a particular value, by referring to
a range equal to
the particular value, plus or minus five percent (+/- 5%). For any of the
embodiments of flexible
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containers, disclosed herein, any disclosure of a particular value, can, in
various alternate
embodiments, also be understood as a disclosure of a range equal to
approximately that particular
value (i.e. +/- 5%).
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "non-durable"
refers to a
container that is temporarily reusable, or disposable, or single use.
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "non-fluent
product" refers to
materials, products, and/or articles that are not liquids, pourable solids, or
combinations or liquids
and pourable solids. Any of the flexible containers disclosed herein can be
configured for packaging
one or more of any non-fluent product disclosed herein, or known in the art,
in any combination.
When used for non-fluent products, flexible containers, as disclosed herein,
can provide benefits
associated with partly or fully supporting and/or enclosing the non-fluent
product with primary
and/or secondary packaging that includes one or more structural support
volumes, one or more
structural support members, and/or one or more structural support frames; for
example, so the non-
fluent product can be supported and/or enclosed by packaging that is self-
supporting and/or standing
upright, as will be understood by one skilled in the art.
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term
"nonstructural panel" refers to
a layer of one or more adjacent sheets of flexible material, the layer having
an outermost major
surface that faces outward, toward the environment outside of the flexible
container, and an
innermost major surface that faces inward, toward product volume(s) disposed
within the flexible
container; a nonstructural panel is configured such that, the layer, does not
independently provide
substantial support in making the container self-supporting and/or standing
upright.
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "overall
height" refers to a
distance that is measured while the container is standing upright on a
horizontal support surface, the
distance measured vertically from the upper side of the support surface to a
point on the top of the
container, which is farthest away from the upper side of the support surface.
Any of the
embodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, can be configured to
have an overall height
from 2.0 cm to 100.0 cm, or any value in increments of 0.1 cm between 2.0 and
100.0 cm, or within
any range formed by any of the preceding values, such as: from 4.0 to 90.0 cm,
from 5.0 to 80.0 cm,
from 6.0 to 70.0 cm, from 7.0 to 60.0 cm, from 8.0 to 50.0 cm, from 9.0 to
40.0 cm, or from 10.0 to
30.0, etc.
As used herein, when referring to a sheet of flexible material, the term
"overall thickness"
refers to a linear dimension measured perpendicular to the outer major
surfaces of the sheet, when
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the sheet is lying flat. For any of the embodiments of flexible containers,
disclosed herein, in
various embodiments, any of the flexible materials can be configured to have
an overall thickness 5-
500 micrometers (i.tm), or any integer value for micrometers from 5-500, or
within any range formed
by any of these values, such as 10-500 i.tm, 20-400 i.tm, 30-300 i.tm, 40-200
i.tm, 50-100 i.tm, or 50-
150 i.tm, etc.
As used herein, the term "product volume" refers to an enclosable three-
dimensional space
that is configured to receive and directly contain one or more fluent
product(s), wherein that space is
defined by one or more materials that form a barrier that prevents the fluent
product(s) from
escaping the product volume. By directly containing the one or more fluent
products, the fluent
products come into contact with the materials that form the enclosable three-
dimensional space;
there is no intermediate material or container, which prevents such contact.
Throughout the present
disclosure the terms "product volume" and "product receiving volume" are used
interchangeably and
are intended to have the same meaning. Any of the embodiments of flexible
containers, disclosed
herein, can be configured to have any number of product volumes including one
product volume,
two product volumes, three product volumes, four product volumes, five product
volumes, six
product volumes, or even more product volumes. In some embodiments, one or
more product
volumes can be enclosed within another product volume. Any of the product
volumes disclosed
herein can have a product volume of any size, including from 0.001 liters to
100.0 liters, or any
value in increments of 0.001 liters between 0.001 liters and 3.0 liters, or
any value in increments of
0.01 liters between 3.0 liters and 10.0 liters, or any value in increments of
1.0 liters between 10.0
liters and 100.0 liters, or within any range formed by any of the preceding
values, such as: from
0.001 to 2.2 liters, 0.01 to 2.0 liters, 0.05 to 1.8 liters, 0.1 to 1.6
liters, 0.15 to 1.4 liters, 0.2 to 1.2
liters, 0.25 to 1.0 liters, etc. A product volume can have any shape in any
orientation. A product
volume can be included in a container that has a structural support frame, and
a product volume can
be included in a container that does not have a structural support frame.
As used herein, when referring to a product volume, the term "recoverable"
refers to a
volume that is configured to return to within about 95% to about 100% of its
original volume after a
dispensing force deforming the container is released, through resiliency or
self restoring properties
of the container or product volume. The product volume or the container itself
can said to be
recoverable. The term recoverable can be further modified to indicate a time
over which the
recovery happens, e.g. recoverable within a time less than about 1 minute. The
term recoverable can
also be further modified by including an extent to which the deformation to a
second volume has
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occurred, e.g. recoverable after a deformation of 50%, or recoverable after a
deformation of 90%,
where the percentage refers to percentage of the initial volume.
As used herein, when referring to a product volume, the term "recoverable
volume" refers to
the amount of volume that a container can recover by itself, through
resiliency or self restoring
properties, after a dispensing force deforming the contain is released, and is
calculated as the
difference between the initial volume and a second reduced volume, where the
second reduced
volume is produced by deforming the container to dispense fluent.
As used herein, when referring to a product volume, the term "recoverable
volume
percentage" refers to the volume, as a percentage of the initial volume, that
the product volume can
be reduced to and still fully restore itself to a value within about 95% of
its initial volume.
Recoverable volume percentage is calculated by dividing the recoverable volume
by the initial
volume and multiplying by 100.
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "resilient
material" refers to a
foam, sponge-like, or other compressible resilient material disposed within
the product volume and
configured to restore the product volume to the undeformed state when the
dispensing force is
released. In some embodiments, the resilient material can include one or more
rigid elements or
physical springs.
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "resting on a
horizontal
support surface" refers to the container resting directly on the horizontal
support surface, without
other support.
As used herein, the term "sealed," when referring to a product volume, refers
to a state of the
product volume wherein fluent products within the product volume are prevented
from escaping the
product volume (e.g. by one or more materials that form a barrier, and by a
seal), and the product
volume is hermetically sealed.
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "self-
supporting" refers to a
container that includes a product volume and a structural support frame,
wherein, when the container
is resting on a horizontal support surface, in at least one orientation, the
structural support frame is
configured to prevent the container from collapsing and to give the container
an overall height that is
significantly greater than the combined thickness of the materials that form
the container, even when
the product volume is unfilled. Any of the embodiments of flexible containers,
disclosed herein, can
be configured to be self-supporting. As examples, self-supporting flexible
containers of the present
disclosure can be used to form pillow packs, pouches, doy packs, sachets,
tubes, boxes, tubs, cartons,
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flow wraps, gusseted packs, jugs, bottles, jars, bags in boxes, trays, hanging
packs, blister packs, or
any other forms known in the art.
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "single use"
refers to a closed
container which, after being opened by an end user, is not configured to be
reclosed. Any of the
5 embodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, can be configured
to be single use.
As used herein, when referring to a product volume, the term "single dose"
refers to a
product volume that is sized to contain a particular amount of product that is
about equal to one unit
of typical consumption, application, or use by an end user. Any of the
embodiments of flexible
containers, disclosed herein, can be configured to have one or more single
dose product volumes. A
10 container with only one product volume, which is a single dose product
volume, is referred to herein
as a "single dose container."
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the terms "stand up,"
"stands up,"
"standing up", "stand upright", "stands upright", and "standing upright" refer
to a particular
orientation of a self-supporting flexible container, when the container is
resting on a horizontal
15 support surface. This standing upright orientation can be determined
from the structural features of
the container and/or indicia on the container. In a first determining test, if
the flexible container has
a clearly defined base structure that is configured to be used on the bottom
of the container, then the
container is determined to be standing upright when this base structure is
resting on the horizontal
support surface. If the first test cannot determine the standing upright
orientation, then, in a second
20 determining test, the container is determined to be standing upright
when the container is oriented to
rest on the horizontal support surface such that the indicia on the flexible
container are best
positioned in an upright orientation. If the second test cannot determine the
standing upright
orientation, then, in a third determining test, the container is determined to
be standing upright when
the container is oriented to rest on the horizontal support surface such that
the container has the
25 largest overall height. If the third test cannot determine the standing
upright orientation, then, in a
fourth determining test, the container is determined to be standing upright
when the container is
oriented to rest on the horizontal support surface such that the container has
the largest height area
ratio. If the fourth test cannot determine the standing upright orientation,
then, any orientation used
in the fourth determining test can be considered to be a standing upright
orientation.
30 As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "stand
up container" refers to
a self-supporting container, wherein, when the container (with all of its
product volume(s) filled
100% with water) is standing up, the container has a height area ratio from
0.4 to 1.5 cm-1. Any of
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the embodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, can be configured to
be stand up
containers.
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "structural
support frame"
refers to a rigid structure formed of one or more structural support members,
joined together, around
one or more sizable empty spaces and/or one or more nonstructural panels, and
generally used as a
major support for the product volume(s) in the flexible container and in
making the container self-
supporting and/or standing upright. In each of the embodiments disclosed
herein, when a flexible
container includes a structural support frame and one or more product volumes,
the structural
support frame is considered to be supporting the product volumes of the
container, unless otherwise
indicated.
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "structural
support member"
refers to a rigid, physical structure, which includes one or more expanded
structural support
volumes, and which is configured to be used in a structural support frame, to
carry one or more loads
(from the flexible container) across a span. A structure that does not include
at least one expanded
structural support volume, is not considered to be a structural support
member, as used herein.
A structural support member has two defined ends, a middle between the two
ends, and an
overall length from its one end to its other end. A structural support member
can have one or more
cross-sectional areas, each of which has an overall width that is less than
its overall length.
A structural support member can be configured in various forms. A structural
support
member can include one, two, three, four, five, six or more structural support
volumes, arranged in
various ways. For example, a structural support member can be formed by a
single structural
support volume. As another example, a structural support member can be formed
by a plurality of
structural support volumes, disposed end to end, in series, wherein, in
various embodiments, part,
parts, or about all, or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly
all, or all of some or all of the
structural support volumes can be partly or fully in contact with each other,
partly or fully directly
connected to each other, and/or partly or fully joined to each other. As a
further example, a
structural support member can be formed by a plurality of support volumes
disposed side by side, in
parallel, wherein, in various embodiments, part, parts, or about all, or
approximately all, or
substantially all, or nearly all, or all of some or all of the structural
support volumes can be partly or
fully in contact with each other, partly or fully directly connected to each
other, and/or partly or fully
joined to each other.
In some embodiments, a structural support member can include a number of
different kinds
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of elements. For example, a structural support member can include one or more
structural support
volumes along with one or more mechanical reinforcing elements (e.g. braces,
collars, connectors,
joints, ribs, etc.), which can be made from one or more rigid (e.g. solid)
materials.
Structural support members can have various shapes and sizes. Part, parts, or
about all, or
approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of a structural
support member can be
straight, curved, angled, segmented, or other shapes, or combinations of any
of these shapes. Part,
parts, or about all, or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly
all, or all of a structural support
member can have any suitable cross-sectional shape, such as circular, oval,
square, triangular, star-
shaped, or modified versions of these shapes, or other shapes, or combinations
of any of these
shapes. A structural support member can have an overall shape that is tubular,
or convex, or
concave, along part, parts, or about all, or approximately all, or
substantially all, or nearly all, or all
of a length. A structural support member can have any suitable cross-sectional
area, any suitable
overall width, and any suitable overall length. A structural support member
can be substantially
uniform along part, parts, or about all, or approximately all, or
substantially all, or nearly all, or all of
its length, or can vary, in any way described herein, along part, parts, or
about all, or approximately
all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of its length. For example, a
cross-sectional area of a
structural support member can increase or decrease along part, parts, or all
of its length. Part, parts,
or all of any of the embodiments of structural support members of the present
disclosure, can be
configured according to any embodiment disclosed herein, including any
workable combination of
structures, features, materials, and/or connections from any number of any of
the embodiments
disclosed herein.
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "structural
support volume"
refers to a fillable space made from one or more flexible materials, wherein
the space is configured
to be at least partially filled with one or more expansion materials, which
create tension in the one or
more flexible materials, and form an expanded structural support volume. One
or more expanded
structural support volumes can be configured to be included in a structural
support member. A
structural support volume is distinct from structures configured in other
ways, such as: structures
without a fillable space (e.g. an open space), structures made from inflexible
(e.g. solid) materials,
structures with spaces that are not configured to be filled with an expansion
material (e.g. an
unattached area between adjacent layers in a multi-layer panel), and
structures with flexible
materials that are not configured to be expanded by an expansion material
(e.g. a space in a structure
that is configured to be a non-structural panel). Notably, in various
embodiments, any spaces
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defined by the unattached area between adjacent layers in a multi-layer panel
may contain any gas or
vapor composition of single or multiple chemistries including air, nitrogen or
a gas composition
comprising, as examples, greater than 80% nitrogen, greater than 20% carbon
dioxide, greater than
10% of a noble gas, less than 15% oxygen; the gas or vapor contained in such
spaces may include
water vapor at a relative humidity of 0-100%, or any integer percentage value
in this range.
Throughout the present disclosure the terms "structural support volume" and
"expandable chamber"
are used interchangeably and are intended to have the same meaning.
In some embodiments, a structural support frame can include a plurality of
structural support
volumes, wherein some of or all of the structural support volumes are in fluid
communication with
each other. In other embodiments, a structural support frame can include a
plurality of structural
support volumes, wherein some of or none of the structural support volumes are
in fluid
communication with each other. Any of the structural support frames of the
present disclosure can
be configured to have any kind of fluid communication disclosed herein.
As used herein, the term "substantially" modifies a particular value, by
referring to a range
equal to the particular value, plus or minus ten percent (+/- 10%). For any of
the embodiments of
flexible containers, disclosed herein, any disclosure of a particular value,
can, in various alternate
embodiments, also be understood as a disclosure of a range equal to
approximately that particular
value (i.e. +/- 10%).
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "temporarily
reusable" refers
to a container which, after dispensing a product to an end user, is configured
to be refilled with an
additional amount of a product, up to ten times, before the container
experiences a failure that
renders it unsuitable for receiving, containing, or dispensing the product. As
used herein, the term
temporarily reusable can be further limited by modifying the number of times
that the container can
be refilled before the container experiences such a failure. For any of the
embodiments of flexible
containers, disclosed herein, a reference to temporarily reusable can, in
various alternate
embodiments, refer to temporarily reusable by refilling up to eight times
before failure, by refilling
up to six times before failure, by refilling up to four times before failure,
or by refilling up to two
times before failure, or any integer value for refills between one and ten
times before failure. Any of
the embodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, can be configured to
be temporarily
reusable, for the number of refills disclosed herein.
As used herein, the term "thickness" refers to a measurement that is parallel
to a third
centerline of a container, when the container is standing upright on a
horizontal support surface, as
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described herein. A thickness may also be referred to as a "depth."
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "top" refers
to the portion of
the container that is located in the uppermost 20% of the overall height of
the container, that is, from
80-100% of the overall height of the container. As used herein, the term top
can be further limited
by modifying the term top with a particular percentage value, which is less
than 20%. For any of the
embodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, a reference to the top
of the container can, in
various alternate embodiments, refer to the top 15% (i.e. from 85-100% of the
overall height), the
top 10% (i.e. from 90-100% of the overall height), or the top 5% (i.e. from 95-
100% of the overall
height), or any integer value for percentage between 0% and 20%.
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "unexpanded"
refers to the
state of one or more materials that are configured to be formed into a
structural support volume,
before the structural support volume is made rigid by an expansion material.
As used herein, when referring to a product volume of a flexible container,
the term
"unfilled" refers to the state of the product volume when it does not contain
a fluent product.
As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "unformed"
refers to the state
of one or more materials that are configured to be formed into a product
volume, before the product
volume is provided with its defined three-dimensional space. For example, an
article of manufacture
could be a container blank with an unformed product volume, wherein sheets of
flexible material,
with portions joined together, are laying flat against each other.
Flexible containers, as described herein, may be used across a variety of
industries for a
variety of products. For example, any embodiment of flexible containers, as
described herein, may
be used across the consumer products industry, including any of the following
products, any of
which can take any workable fluent product form described herein or known in
the art: baby care
products (e.g. soaps, shampoos, and lotions); beauty care products for
cleaning, treating, beautifying,
and/or decorating human or animal hair (e.g. hair shampoos, hair conditioners,
hair dyes, hair
colorants, hair repair products, hair growth products, hair removal products,
hair minimization
products, etc.); beauty care products for cleaning, treating, beautifying,
and/or decorating human or
animal skin (e.g. soaps, body washes, body scrubs, facial cleansers,
astringents, sunscreens, sun
block lotions, lip balms, cosmetics, skin conditioners, cold creams, skin
moisturizers, antiperspirants,
deodorants, etc.); beauty care products for cleaning, treating, beautifying,
and/or decorating human
or animal nails (e.g. nail polishes, nail polish removers, etc.); grooming
products for cleaning,
treating, beautifying, and/or decorating human facial hair (e.g. shaving
products, pre-shaving
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products, after shaving products, etc.); health care products for cleaning,
treating, beautifying, and/or
decorating human or animal oral cavities (e.g. toothpaste, mouthwash, breath
freshening products,
anti-plaque products, tooth whitening products, etc.); health care products
for treating human and/or
animal health conditions (e.g. medicines, medicaments, pharmaceuticals,
vitamins, nutraceuticals,
5 nutrient supplements (for calcium, fiber, etc.), cough treatment
products, cold remedies, lozenges,
treatments for respiratory and/or allergy conditions, pain relievers, sleep
aids, gastrointestinal
treatment products (for heartburn, upset stomach, diarrhea, irritable bowel
syndrome, etc.), purified
water, treated water, etc.); pet care products for feeding and/or caring for
animals (e.g. pet food, pet
vitamins, pet medicines, pet chews, pet treats, etc.); fabric care products
for cleaning, conditioning,
10 refreshing and/or treating fabrics, clothes and/or laundry (e.g. laundry
detergents, fabric
conditioners, fabric dyes, fabric bleaches, etc.); dish care products for
home, commercial, and/or
industrial use (e.g. dish soaps and rinse aids for hand-washing and/or machine
washing); cleaning
and/or deodorizing products for home, commercial, and/or industrial use (e.g.
soft surface cleaners,
hard surface cleaners, glass cleaners, ceramic tile cleaners, carpet cleaner,
wood cleaners, multi-
15 surface cleaners, surface disinfectants, kitchen cleaners, bath cleaners
(e.g. sink, toilet, tub, and/or
shower cleaners), appliance cleaning products, appliance treatment products,
car cleaning products,
car deodorizing products, air cleaners, air deodorizers, air disinfectants,
etc.), and the like.
As further examples, any embodiment of flexible containers, as described
herein, may be
used across additional areas of home, commercial, and/or industrial, building
and/or grounds,
20 construction and/or maintenance, including any of the following
products, any of which can take any
workable fluent product form (e.g. liquid, granular, powdered, etc.) described
herein or known in the
art: products for establishing, maintaining, modifying, treating, and/or
improving lawns, gardens,
and/or grounds (e.g. grass seeds, vegetable seeds, plant seeds, birdseed,
other kinds of seeds, plant
food, fertilizer, soil nutrients and/or soil conditions (e.g. nitrogen,
phosphate, potash, lime, etc.), soil
25 sterilants, herbicides, weed preventers, pesticides, pest repellents,
insecticides, insect repellents,
etc.); products for landscaping use (e.g. topsoils, potting soils, general use
soils, mulches, wood
chips, tree bark nuggets, sands, natural stones and/or rocks (e.g. decorative
stones, pea gravel,
gravel, etc.) of all kinds, man-made compositions based on stones and rocks
(e.g. paver bases, etc.));
products for starting and/or fueling fires in grills, fire pits, fireplaces,
etc. (e.g. fire logs, fire starting
30 nuggets, charcoal, lighter fluid, matches, etc.); lighting products
(e.g. light bulbs and light tubes or
all kinds including: incandescents, compact fluorescents, fluorescents,
halogens, light emitting
diodes, of all sizes, shapes, and uses); chemical products for construction,
maintenance, remodeling,
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and/or decorating (e.g. concretes, cements, mortars, mix colorants, concrete
curers/sealants, concrete
protectants, grouts, blacktop sealants, crack filler/repair products,
spackles, joint compounds,
primers, paints, stains, topcoats, sealants, caulks, adhesives, epoxies, drain
cleaning/declogging
products, septic treatment products, etc.); chemical products (e.g. thinners,
solvents, and
strippers/removers including alcohols, mineral spirits, turpentines, linseed
oils, etc.); water treatment
products (e.g. water softening products such as salts, bacteriostats,
fungicides, etc.); fasteners of all
kinds (e.g. screws, bolts, nuts, washers, nails, staples, tacks, hangers,
pins, pegs, rivets, clips, rings,
and the like, for use with/in/on wood, metal, plastic, concrete, concrete,
etc.); and the like.
As further examples, any embodiment of flexible containers, as described
herein, may be
used across the food and beverage industry, including any of the following
products, any of which
can take any workable fluent product form described herein or known in the
art: foods such as basic
ingredients (e.g. grains such as rice, wheat, corn, beans, and derivative
ingredients made from any of
these, as well as nuts, seeds, and legumes, etc.), cooking ingredients (e.g.
sugar, spices such as salt
and pepper, cooking oils, vinegars, tomato pastes, natural and artificial
sweeteners, flavorings,
seasonings, etc.), baking ingredients (e.g. baking powders, starches,
shortenings, syrups, food
colorings, fillings, gelatins, chocolate chips and other kinds of chips,
frostings, sprinkles, toppings,
etc.), dairy foods (e.g. creams, yogurts, sour creams, wheys, caseins, etc.),
spreads (e.g. jams,
jellies, etc.), sauces (e.g. barbecue sauces, salad dressings, tomato sauces,
etc.), condiments (e.g.
ketchups, mustards, relishes, mayonnaises, etc.), processed foods (noodles and
pastas, dry cereals,
cereal mixes, premade mixes, snack chips and snacks and snack mixes of all
kinds, pretzels,
crackers, cookies, candies, chocolates of all kinds, marshmallows, puddings,
etc.); beverages such as
water, milks, juices, flavored and/or carbonated beverages (e.g. soda), sports
drinks, coffees, teas,
spirits, alcoholic beverages (e.g. beer, wine, etc.), etc.; and ingredients
for making or mixing into
beverages (e.g. coffee beans, ground coffees, cocoas, tea leaves, dehydrated
beverages, powders for
making beverages, natural and artificial sweeteners, flavorings, etc.).
Further, prepared foods, fruits,
vegetables, soups, meats, pastas, microwavable and or frozen foods as well as
produce, eggs, milk,
and other fresh foods. Any of the embodiments of flexible containers disclosed
herein can also be
sterilized (e.g. by treatment with ultraviolet light or peroxide-based
compositions), to make the
containers safe for use in storing food and/or beverage. In any embodiment,
the containers can be
configured to be suitable for retort processes.
As still further examples, any embodiment of flexible containers, as described
herein, may be
used across the medical industry, in the areas of medicines, medical devices,
and medical treatment,
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including uses for receiving, containing, storing and/or dispensing, any of
the following fluent
products, in any form known in the art: bodily fluids from humans and/or
animals (e.g. amniotic
fluid, aqueous humour, vitreous humour, bile, blood, blood plasma, blood
serum, breast milk,
cerebrospinal fluid, cerumen (earwax), chyle, chime, endolymph (and
perilymph), ejaculate, runny
feces, gastric acid, gastric juice, lymph, mucus (including nasal drainage and
phlegm), pericardial
fluid, peritoneal fluid, pleural fluid, pus, rheum, saliva, sebum (skin oil),
semen, sputum, synovial
fluid, tears, sweat, vaginal secretion, vomit, urine, etc.); fluids for
intravenous therapy to human or
animal bodies (e.g. volume expanders (e.g. crystalloids and colloids), blood-
based products
including blood substitutes, buffer solutions, liquid-based medications (which
can include
pharmaceuticals), parenteral nutritional formulas (e.g. for intravenous
feeding, wherein such
formulas can include salts, glucose, amino acids, lipids, supplements,
nutrients, and/or vitamins);
other medicinal fluids for administering to human or animal bodies (e.g.
medicines, medicaments,
nutrients, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, etc.) by any suitable method of
administration (e.g. orally
(in solid, liquid, or pill form), topically, intranasally, by inhalation, or
rectally. Any of the
embodiments of flexible containers disclosed herein can also be sterilized
(e.g. by treatment with
ultraviolet light or peroxide-based compositions or through an autoclave or
retort process), to make
the containers safe for use in sterile medical environments.
As even further examples, any embodiment of flexible containers, as described
herein, may
be used across any and all industries that use internal combustion engines
(such as the transportation
industry, the power equipment industry, the power generation industry, etc.),
including products for
vehicles such as cars, trucks, automobiles, boats, aircraft, etc., with such
containers useful for
receiving, containing, storing, and/or dispensing, any of the following fluent
products, in any form
known in the art: engine oil, engine oil additives, fuel additives, brake
fluids, transmission fluids,
engine coolants, power steering fluids, windshield wiper fluids, products for
vehicle care (e.g. for
body, tires, wheels, windows, trims, upholsteries, etc.), as well as other
fluids configured to clean,
penetrate, degrease, lubricate, and/or protect one or more parts of any and
all kinds of engines,
power equipment, and/or transportation vehicles.
Any embodiment of flexible containers, as described herein, can also be used
for receiving,
containing, storing, and/or dispensing, non-fluent products, in any of the
following categories: Baby
Care products, including disposable wearable absorbent articles, diapers,
training pants, infant and
toddler care wipes, etc. and the like; Beauty Care products including
applicators for applying
compositions to human or animal hair, skin, and/or nails, etc. and the like;
Home Care products
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including wipes and scrubbers for all kinds of cleaning applications and the
like; Family Care
products including wet or dry bath tissue, facial tissue, disposable
handkerchiefs, disposable towels,
wipes, etc. and the like; Feminine Care products including catamenial pads,
incontinence pads,
interlabial pads, panty liners, pessaries, sanitary napkins, tampons, tampon
applicators, wipes, etc.
and the like; Health Care products including oral care products such as oral
cleaning devices, dental
floss, flossing devices, toothbrushes, etc. and the like; Pet Care products
including grooming aids,
pet training aids, pet devices, pet toys, etc. and the like; Portable Power
products including
electrochemical cells, batteries, battery current interrupters, battery
testers, battery chargers, battery
charge monitoring equipment, battery charge/discharge rate controlling
equipment, "smart" battery
electronics, flashlights, etc. and the like; Small Appliance Products
including hair removal
appliances (including, e.g. electric foil shavers for men and women, charging
and/or cleaning
stations, electric hair trimmers, electric beard trimmers, electric epilator
devices, cleaning fluid
cartridges, shaving conditioner cartridges, shaving foils, and cutter blocks);
oral care appliances
(including, e.g., electric toothbrushes with accumulator or battery, refill
brushheads, interdental
cleaners, tongue cleaners, charging stations, electric oral irrigators, and
irrigator clip on jets); small
electric household appliances (including, e.g., coffee makers, water kettles,
handblenders,
handmixers, food processors, steam cookers, juicers, citrus presses, toasters,
coffee or meat grinders,
vacuum pumps, irons, steam pressure stations for irons and in general non
electric attachments
therefore, hair care appliances (including, e.g., electric hair driers,
hairstylers, hair curlers, hair
straighteners, cordless gas heated styler/irons and gas cartridges therefore,
and air filter attachments);
personal diagnostic appliances (including, e.g., blood pressure monitors, ear
thermometers, and
lensfilters therefore); clock appliances and watch appliances (including,
e.g., alarm clocks, travel
alarm clocks combined with radios, wall clocks, wristwatches, and pocket
calculators), etc. and the
like.
Figures 1A-1D illustrates various views of an embodiment of a stand up
flexible container
100. Figure lA illustrates a front view of the container 100. The container
100 is standing upright
on a horizontal support surface 101.
In Figure 1A, a coordinate system 110, provides lines of reference for
referring to directions
in the figure. The coordinate system 110 is a three-dimensional Cartesian
coordinate system with an
X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis, wherein each axis is perpendicular to the
other axes, and any two of
the axes define a plane. The X-axis and the Z-axis are parallel with the
horizontal support surface
101 and the Y-axis is perpendicular to the horizontal support surface 101.
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Figure 1A also includes other lines of reference, for referring to directions
and locations with
respect to the container 100. A lateral centerline 111 runs parallel to the X-
axis. An XY plane at the
lateral centerline 111 separates the container 100 into a front half and a
back half. An XZ plane at
the lateral centerline 111 separates the container 100 into an upper half and
a lower half. A
longitudinal centerline 114 runs parallel to the Y-axis. A YZ plane at the
longitudinal centerline 114
separates the container 100 into a left half and a right half. A third
centerline 117 runs parallel to the
Z-axis. The lateral centerline 111, the longitudinal centerline 114, and the
third centerline 117 all
intersect at a center of the container 100.
A disposition with respect to the lateral centerline 111 defines what is
longitudinally inboard
112 and longitudinally outboard 113. When a first location is nearer to the
lateral centerline 111
than a second location, the first location is considered to be disposed
longitudinally inboard 112 to
the second location. And, the second location is considered to be disposed
longitudinally outboard
113 from the first location. The term lateral refers to a direction,
orientation, or measurement that is
parallel to the lateral centerline 111. A lateral orientation may also be
referred to a horizontal
orientation, and a lateral measurement may also be referred to as a width.
A disposition with respect to the longitudinal centerline 114 defines what is
laterally inboard
115 and laterally outboard 116. When a first location is nearer to the
longitudinal centerline 114
than a second location, the first location is considered to be disposed
laterally inboard 115 to the
second location. And, the second location is considered to be disposed
laterally outboard 116 from
the first location. The term longitudinal refers to a direction, orientation,
or measurement that is
parallel to the longitudinal centerline 114. A longitudinal orientation may
also be referred to a
vertical orientation.
A longitudinal direction, orientation, or measurement may also be expressed in
relation to a
horizontal support surface for the container 100. When a first location is
nearer to the support
surface than a second location, the first location can be considered to be
disposed lower than, below,
beneath, or under the second location. And, the second location can be
considered to be disposed
higher than, above, or upward from the first location. A longitudinal
measurement may also be
referred to as a height, measured above the horizontal support surface 100.
A measurement that is made parallel to the third centerline 117 is referred to
a thickness or
depth. A disposition in the direction of the third centerline 117 and toward a
front 102-1 of the
container is referred to as forward 118 or in front of. A disposition in the
direction of the third
centerline 117 and toward a back 102-2 of the container is referred to as
backward 119 or behind.
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These terms for direction, orientation, measurement, and disposition, as
described above, are
used for all of the embodiments of the present disclosure, whether or not a
support surface, reference
line, or coordinate system is shown in a figure.
The container 100 includes a top 104, a middle 106, and a bottom 108, the
front 102-1, the
5 back 102-2, and left and right sides 109. The top 104 is separated from
the middle 106 by a
reference plane 105, which is parallel to the XZ plane. The middle 106 is
separated from the bottom
108 by a reference plane 107, which is also parallel to the XZ plane. The
container 100 has an
overall height of 100-oh. In the embodiment of Figure 1A, the front 102-1 and
the back 102-2 of the
container are joined together at a seal 129, which extends around the outer
periphery of the container
10 100, across the top 104, down the side 109, and then, at the bottom of
each side 109, splits outward
to follow the front and back portions of the base 190, around their outer
extents.
The container 100 includes a structural support frame 140, a product volume
150, a dispenser
160, panels 180-1 and 180-2, and a base structure 190. A portion of panel 180-
1 is illustrated as
broken away, in order to show the product volume 150. The product volume 150
is configured to
15 contain one or more fluent products. The dispenser 160 allows the
container 100 to dispense these
fluent product(s) from the product volume 150 through a flow channel 159 then
through the
dispenser 160, to the environment outside of the container 100. In the
embodiment of Figures 1A-
1D, the dispenser 160 is disposed in the center of the uppermost part of the
top 104, however, in
various alternate embodiments, the dispenser 160 can be disposed anywhere else
on the top 140,
20 middle 106, or bottom 108, including anywhere on either of the sides
109, on either of the panels
180-1 and 180-2, and on any part of the base 190 of the container 100. The
structural support frame
140 supports the mass of fluent product(s) in the product volume 150, and
makes the container 100
stand upright. The panels 180-1 and 180-2 are relatively flat surfaces,
overlaying the product
volume 150, and are suitable for displaying any kind of indicia. However, in
various embodiments,
25 part, parts, or about all, or approximately all, or substantially all,
or nearly all, or all of either or both
of the panels 180-1 and 180-2 can include one or more curved surfaces. The
base structure 190
supports the structural support frame 140 and provides stability to the
container 100 as it stands
upright.
The structural support frame 140 is formed by a plurality of structural
support members. The
30 structural support frame 140 includes top structural support members 144-
1 and 144-2, middle
structural support members 146-1, 146-2, 146-3, and 146-4, as well as bottom
structural support
members 148-1 and 148-2.
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The top structural support members 144-1 and 144-2 are disposed on the upper
part of the top
104 of the container 100, with the top structural support member 144-1
disposed in the front 102-1
and the top structural support member 144-2 disposed in the back 102-2, behind
the top structural
support member 144-1. The top structural support members 144-1 and 144-2 are
adjacent to each
other and can be in contact with each other along the laterally outboard
portions of their lengths. In
various embodiments, the top structural support members 144-1 and 144-2 can be
in contact with
each other at one or more relatively smaller locations and/or at one or more
relatively larger
locations, along part, or parts, or about all, or approximately all, or
substantially all, or nearly all, or
all of their overall lengths, so long as there is a flow channel 159 between
the top structural support
members 144-1 and 144-2, which allows the container 100 to dispense fluent
product(s) from the
product volume 150 through the flow channel 159 then through the dispenser
160. The top
structural support members 144-1 and 144-2 are not directly connected to each
other. However, in
various alternate embodiments, the top structural support members 144-1 and
144-2 can be directly
connected and/or joined together along part, or parts, or about all, or
approximately all, or
substantially all, or nearly all, or all of their overall lengths.
The top structural support members 144-1 and 144-2 are disposed substantially
above the
product volume 150. Overall, each of the top structural support members 144-1
and 144-2 is
oriented about horizontally, but with its ends curved slightly downward. And,
overall each of the
top structural support members 144-1 and 144-2 has a cross-sectional area that
is substantially
uniform along its length; however the cross-sectional area at their ends are
slightly larger than the
cross-sectional area in their middles.
The middle structural support members 146-1, 146-2, 146-3, and 146-4 are
disposed on the
left and right sides 109, from the top 104, through the middle 106, to the
bottom 108. The middle
structural support member 146-1 is disposed in the front 102-1, on the left
side 109; the middle
structural support member 146-4 is disposed in the back 102-2, on the left
side 109, behind the
middle structural support member 146-1. The middle structural support members
146-1 and 146-4
are adjacent to each other and can be in contact with each other along
substantially all of their
lengths. In various embodiments, the middle structural support members 146-1
and 146-4 can be in
contact with each other at one or more relatively smaller locations and/or at
one or more relatively
larger locations, along part, or parts, or about all, or approximately all, or
substantially all, or nearly
all, or all of their overall lengths. The middle structural support members
146-1 and 146-4 are not
directly connected to each other. However, in various alternate embodiments,
the middle structural
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support members 146-1 and 146-4 can be directly connected and/or joined
together along part, or
parts, or about all, or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly
all, or all of their overall
lengths.
The middle structural support member 146-2 is disposed in the front 102-1, on
the right side
109; the middle structural support member 146-3 is disposed in the back 102-2,
on the right side
109, behind the middle structural support member 146-2. The middle structural
support members
146-2 and 146-3 are adjacent to each other and can be in contact with each
other along substantially
all of their lengths. In various embodiments, the middle structural support
members 146-2 and 146-
3 can be in contact with each other at one or more relatively smaller
locations and/or at one or more
relatively larger locations, along part, or parts, or about all, or
approximately all, or substantially all,
or nearly all, or all of their overall lengths. The middle structural support
members 146-2 and 146-3
are not directly connected to each other. However, in various alternate
embodiments, the middle
structural support members 146-2 and 146-3 can be directly connected and/or
joined together along
part, or parts, or about all, or approximately all, or substantially all, or
nearly all, or all of their
overall lengths.
The middle structural support members 146-1, 146-2, 146-3, and 146-4 are
disposed
substantially laterally outboard from the product volume 150. Overall, each of
the middle structural
support members 146-1, 146-2, 146-3, and 146-4 is oriented about vertically,
but angled slightly,
with its upper end laterally inboard to its lower end. And, overall each of
the middle structural
support members 146-1, 146-2, 146-3, and 146-4 has a cross-sectional area that
changes along its
length, increasing in size from its upper end to its lower end.
The bottom structural support members 148-1 and 148-2 are disposed on the
bottom 108 of
the container 100, with the bottom structural support member 148-1 disposed in
the front 102-1 and
the bottom structural support member 148-2 disposed in the back 102-2, behind
the top structural
support member 148-1. The bottom structural support members 148-1 and 148-2
are adjacent to
each other and can be in contact with each other along substantially all of
their lengths. In various
embodiments, the bottom structural support members 148-1 and 148-2 can be in
contact with each
other at one or more relatively smaller locations and/or at one or more
relatively larger locations,
along part, or parts, or about all, or approximately all, or substantially
all, or nearly all, or all of their
overall lengths. The bottom structural support members 148-1 and 148-2 are not
directly connected
to each other. However, in various alternate embodiments, the bottom
structural support members
148-1 and 148-2 can be directly connected and/or joined together along part,
or parts, or about all, or
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approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of their
overall lengths.
The bottom structural support members 148-1 and 148-2 are disposed
substantially below the
product volume 150, but substantially above the base structure 190. Overall,
each of the bottom
structural support members 148-1 and 148-2 is oriented about horizontally, but
with its ends curved
slightly upward. And, overall each of the bottom structural support members
148-1 and 148-2 has a
cross-sectional area that is substantially uniform along its length.
In the front portion of the structural support frame 140, the left end of the
top structural
support member 144-1 is joined to the upper end of the middle structural
support member 146-1; the
lower end of the middle structural support member 146-1 is joined to the left
end of the bottom
structural support member 148-1; the right end of the bottom structural
support member 148-1 is
joined to the lower end of the middle structural support member 146-2; and the
upper end of the
middle structural support member 146-2 is joined to the right end of the top
structural support
member 144-1. Similarly, in the back portion of the structural support frame
140, the left end of the
top structural support member 144-2 is joined to the upper end of the middle
structural support
member 146-4; the lower end of the middle structural support member 146-4 is
joined to the left end
of the bottom structural support member 148-2; the right end of the bottom
structural support
member 148-2 is joined to the lower end of the middle structural support
member 146-3; and the
upper end of the middle structural support member 146-3 is joined to the right
end of the top
structural support member 144-2. In the structural support frame 140, the ends
of the structural
support members, which are joined together, are directly connected, all around
the periphery of their
walls. However, in various alternative embodiments, any of the structural
support members 144-1,
144-2, 146-1, 146-2, 146-3, 146-4, 148-1, and 148-2 can be joined together in
any way described
herein or known in the art.
In alternative embodiments of the structural support frame 140, adjacent
structural support
members can be combined into a single structural support member, wherein the
combined structural
support member can effectively substitute for the adjacent structural support
members, as their
functions and connections are described herein. In other alternative
embodiments of the structural
support frame 140, one or more additional structural support members can be
added to the structural
support members in the structural support frame 140, wherein the expanded
structural support frame
can effectively substitute for the structural support frame 140, as its
functions and connections are
described herein. Also, in some alternative embodiments, a flexible container
may not include a
base structure.
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Figure 1B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container 100 of
Figure 1A.
Figure 1C illustrates a top view of the stand up flexible container 100 of
Figure 1A.
Figure 1D illustrates a bottom view of the stand up flexible container 100 of
Figure 1A.
Figure lE illustrates a perspective view of a container 100-1, which is an
alternative
embodiment of the stand up flexible container 100 of Figure 1A, including an
asymmetric structural
support frame 140-1, a first portion of the product volume 150-1b, a second
portion of the product
volume 150-1a, and a dispenser 160-1. The embodiment of Figure lE is similar
to the embodiment
of Figure lA with like-numbered terms configured in the same way, except that
the frame 140-1
extends around about half of the container 100-1, directly supporting a first
portion of the product
volume 150-1b, which is disposed inside of the frame 140-1, and indirectly
supporting a second
portion of the product volume 150-1a, which is disposed outside of the frame
140-1. In various
embodiments, any stand-up flexible container of the present disclosure can be
modified in a similar
way, such that: the frame extends around only part or parts of the container,
and/or the frame is
asymmetric with respect to one or more centerlines of the container, and/or
part or parts of one or
more product volumes of the container are disposed outside of the frame,
and/or part or parts of one
or more product volumes of the container are indirectly supported by the
frame.
Figure 1F illustrates a perspective view of a container 100-2, which is an
alternative
embodiment of the stand up flexible container 100 of Figure 1A, including an
internal structural
support frame 140-2, a product volume 150-2, and a dispenser 160-2. The
embodiment of Figure 1F
is similar to the embodiment of Figure lA with like-numbered terms configured
in the same way,
except that the frame 140-2 is internal to the product volume 150-2. In
various embodiments, any
stand-up flexible container of the present disclosure can be modified in a
similar way, such that: part,
parts, or all of the frame (including part, parts, or all of one or more of
any structural support
members that form the frame) are about, approximately, substantially, nearly,
or completely
enclosed by one or more product volumes.
Figure 1G illustrates a perspective view of a container 100-3, which is an
alternative
embodiment of the stand up flexible container 100 of Figure 1A, including an
external structural
support frame 140-3, a product volume 150-3, and a dispenser 160-3. The
embodiment of Figure 1G
is similar to the embodiment of Figure lA with like-numbered terms configured
in the same way,
except that the product volume 150-3 is not integrally connected to the frame
140-3 (that is, not
simultaneously made from the same web of flexible materials), but rather the
product volume 150-3
is separately made and then joined to the frame 140-3. The product volume 150-
3 can be joined to
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the frame in any convenient manner disclosed herein or known in the art. In
the embodiment of
Figure 1G, the product volume 150-3 is disposed within the frame 140-3, but
the product volume
150-3 has a reduced size and a somewhat different shape, when compared with
the product volume
150 of Figure 1A; however, these differences are made to illustrate the
relationship between the
5 product volume 150-3 and the frame 140-3, and are not required. In
various embodiments, any
stand-up flexible container of the present disclosure can be modified in a
similar way, such that one
or more the product volumes are not integrally connected to the frame.
Figures 2A-8G illustrate embodiments of stand up flexible containers having
various overall
shapes. Any of the embodiments of Figures 2A-8G can be configured according to
any of the
10 embodiments disclosed herein, including the embodiments of Figures 1A-
1G. Any of the elements
(e.g. structural support frames, structural support members, panels,
dispensers, etc.) of the
embodiments of Figures 2A-8G, can be configured according to any of the
embodiments disclosed
herein. While each of the embodiments of Figures 2A-8G illustrates a container
with one dispenser,
in various embodiments, each container can include multiple dispensers,
according to any
15 embodiment described herein. Figures 2A-8G illustrate exemplary
additional/alternate locations for
dispenser with phantom line outlines. Part, parts, or about all, or
approximately all, or substantially
all, or nearly all, or all of each of the panels in the embodiments of Figures
2A-8G is suitable to
display any kind of indicia. Each of the side panels in the embodiments of
Figures 2A-8G is
configured to be a nonstructural panel, overlaying product volume(s) disposed
within the flexible
20 container, however, in various embodiments, one or more of any kind of
decorative or structural
element (such as a rib, protruding from an outer surface) can be joined to
part, parts, or about all, or
approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of any of these
side panels. For clarity, not
all structural details of these flexible containers are shown in Figures 2A-
8G, however any of the
embodiments of Figures 2A-8G can be configured to include any structure or
feature for flexible
25 containers, disclosed herein. For example, any of the embodiments of
Figures 2A-8G can be
configured to include any kind of base structure disclosed herein.
Figure 2A illustrates a front view of a stand up flexible container 200 having
a structural
support frame 240 that has an overall shape like a frustum. In the embodiment
of Figure 2A, the
frustum shape is based on a four-sided pyramid, however, in various
embodiments, the frustum
30 shape can be based on a pyramid with a different number of sides, or the
frustum shape can be based
on a cone. The support frame 240 is formed by structural support members
disposed along the edges
of the frustum shape and joined together at their ends. The structural support
members define a
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rectangular shaped top panel 280-t, trapezoidal shaped side panels 280-1, 280-
2, 280-3, and 280-4,
and a rectangular shaped bottom panel (not shown). Each of the side panels 280-
1, 280-2, 280-3,
and 280-4 is about flat, however in various embodiments, part, parts, or about
all, or approximately
all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of any of the side panels can
be approximately flat,
substantially flat, nearly flat, or completely flat. The container 200
includes a dispenser 260, which
is configured to dispense one or more fluent products from one or more product
volumes disposed
within the container 200. In the embodiment of Figure 2A, the dispenser 260 is
disposed in the
center of the top panel 280-t, however, in various alternate embodiments, the
dispenser 260 can be
disposed anywhere else on the top, sides, or bottom, of the container 200,
according to any
embodiment described or illustrated herein. Figure 2B illustrates a front view
of the container 200
of Figure 2A, including exemplary additional/alternate locations for a
dispenser, any of which can
also apply to the back of the container. Figure 2C illustrates a side view of
the container 200 of
Figure 2A, including exemplary additional/alternate locations for a dispenser
(shown as phantom
lines), any of which can apply to either side of the container. Figure 2D
illustrates an isometric view
of the container 200 of Figure 2A.
Figure 2E illustrates a perspective view of a container 200-1, which is an
alternative
embodiment of the stand up flexible container 200 of Figure 2A, including an
asymmetric structural
support frame 240-1, a first portion of the product volume 250-1b, a second
portion of the product
volume 250-1a, and a dispenser 260-1, configured in the same manner as the
embodiment of Figure
1E, except based on the container 200. Figure 2F illustrates a perspective
view of a container 200-2,
which is an alternative embodiment of the stand up flexible container 200 of
Figure 2A, including an
internal structural support frame 240-2, a product volume 250-2, and a
dispenser 260-2, configured
in the same manner as the embodiment of Figure 1F, except based on the
container 200. Figure 2G
illustrates a perspective view of a container 200-3, which is an alternative
embodiment of the stand
up flexible container 200 of Figure 2A, including an external structural
support frame 240-3, a non-
integral product volume 250-3 joined to and disposed within the frame 240-3,
and a dispenser 260-3,
configured in the same manner as the embodiment of Figure 1G, except based on
the container 200.
Figure 3A illustrates a front view of a stand up flexible container 300 having
a structural
support frame 340 that has an overall shape like a pyramid. In the embodiment
of Figure 3A, the
pyramid shape is based on a four-sided pyramid, however, in various
embodiments, the pyramid
shape can be based on a pyramid with a different number of sides. The support
frame 340 is formed
by structural support members disposed along the edges of the pyramid shape
and joined together at
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their ends. The structural support members define triangular shaped side
panels 380-1, 380-2, 380-3,
and 380-4, and a square shaped bottom panel (not shown). Each of the side
panels 380-1, 380-2,
380-3, and 380-4 is about flat, however in various embodiments, part, parts,
or about all, or
approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of any of the
side panels can be
approximately flat, substantially flat, nearly flat, or completely flat. The
container 300 includes a
dispenser 360, which is configured to dispense one or more fluent products
from one or more
product volumes disposed within the container 300. In the embodiment of Figure
3A, the dispenser
360 is disposed at the apex of the pyramid shape, however, in various
alternate embodiments, the
dispenser 360 can be disposed anywhere else on the top, sides, or bottom, of
the container 300.
Figure 3B illustrates a front view of the container 300 of Figure 3A,
including exemplary
additional/alternate locations for a dispenser (shown as phantom lines), any
of which can also apply
to any side of the container. Figure 3C illustrates a side view of the
container 300 of Figure 3A.
Figure 3D illustrates an isometric view of the container 300 of Figure 3A.
Figure 3E illustrates a perspective view of a container 300-1, which is an
alternative
embodiment of the stand up flexible container 300 of Figure 3A, including an
asymmetric structural
support frame 340-1, a first portion of the product volume 350-1b, a second
portion of the product
volume 350-1a, and a dispenser 360-1, configured in the same manner as the
embodiment of Figure
1E, except based on the container 300. Figure 3F illustrates a perspective
view of a container 300-2,
which is an alternative embodiment of the stand up flexible container 300 of
Figure 3A, including an
internal structural support frame 340-2, a product volume 350-2, and a
dispenser 360-2, configured
in the same manner as the embodiment of Figure 1F, except based on the
container 300. Figure 3G
illustrates a perspective view of a container 300-3, which is an alternative
embodiment of the stand
up flexible container 300 of Figure 3A, including an external structural
support frame 340-3, a non-
integral product volume 350-3 joined to and disposed within the frame 340-3,
and a dispenser 360-3,
configured in the same manner as the embodiment of Figure 1G, except based on
the container 300.
Figure 4A illustrates a front view of a stand up flexible container 400 having
a structural
support frame 440 that has an overall shape like a trigonal prism. In the
embodiment of Figure 4A,
the prism shape is based on a triangle. The support frame 440 is formed by
structural support
members disposed along the edges of the prism shape and joined together at
their ends. The
structural support members define a triangular shaped top panel 480-t,
rectangular shaped side
panels 480-1, 480-2, and 480-3, and a triangular shaped bottom panel (not
shown). Each of the side
panels 480-1, 480-2, and 480-3 is about flat, however in various embodiments,
part, parts, or about
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all, or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of the
side panels can be
approximately flat, substantially flat, nearly flat, or completely flat. The
container 400 includes a
dispenser 460, which is configured to dispense one or more fluent products
from one or more
product volumes disposed within the container 400. In the embodiment of Figure
4A, the dispenser
460 is disposed in the center of the top panel 480-t, however, in various
alternate embodiments, the
dispenser 460 can be disposed anywhere else on the top, sides, or bottom, of
the container 400.
Figure 4B illustrates a front view of the container 400 of Figure 4A,
including exemplary
additional/alternate locations for a dispenser (shown as phantom lines), any
of which can also apply
to any side of the container 400. Figure 4C illustrates a side view of the
container 400 of Figure 4A.
Figure 4D illustrates an isometric view of the container 400 of Figure 4A.
Figure 4E illustrates a perspective view of a container 400-1, which is an
alternative
embodiment of the stand up flexible container 400 of Figure 4A, including an
asymmetric structural
support frame 440-1, a first portion of the product volume 450-1b, a second
portion of the product
volume 450-1a, and a dispenser 460-1, configured in the same manner as the
embodiment of Figure
1E, except based on the container 400. Figure 4F illustrates a perspective
view of a container 400-2,
which is an alternative embodiment of the stand up flexible container 400 of
Figure 4A, including an
internal structural support frame 440-2, a product volume 450-2, and a
dispenser 460-2, configured
in the same manner as the embodiment of Figure 1F, except based on the
container 400. Figure 4G
illustrates a perspective view of a container 400-3, which is an alternative
embodiment of the stand
up flexible container 400 of Figure 4A, including an external structural
support frame 440-3, a non-
integral product volume 450-3 joined to and disposed within the frame 440-3,
and a dispenser 460-3,
configured in the same manner as the embodiment of Figure 1G, except based on
the container 400.
Figure 5A illustrates a front view of a stand up flexible container 500 having
a structural
support frame 540 that has an overall shape like a tetragonal prism. In the
embodiment of Figure
5A, the prism shape is based on a square. The support frame 540 is formed by
structural support
members disposed along the edges of the prism shape and joined together at
their ends. The
structural support members define a square shaped top panel 580-t, rectangular
shaped side panels
580-1, 580-2, 580-3, and 580-4, and a square shaped bottom panel (not shown).
Each of the side
panels 580-1, 580-2, 580-3, and 580-4 is about flat, however in various
embodiments, part, parts, or
about all, or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all
of any of the side panels can
be approximately flat, substantially flat, nearly flat, or completely flat.
The container 500 includes a
dispenser 560, which is configured to dispense one or more fluent products
from one or more
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product volumes disposed within the container 500. In the embodiment of Figure
5A, the dispenser
560 is disposed in the center of the top panel 580-t, however, in various
alternate embodiments, the
dispenser 560 can be disposed anywhere else on the top, sides, or bottom, of
the container 500.
Figure 5B illustrates a front view of the container 500 of Figure 5A,
including exemplary
additional/alternate locations for a dispenser (shown as phantom lines), any
of which can also apply
to any side of the container 500. Figure 5C illustrates a side view of the
container 500 of Figure 5A.
Figure 5D illustrates an isometric view of the container 500 of Figure 5A.
Figure 5E illustrates a perspective view of a container 500-1, which is an
alternative
embodiment of the stand up flexible container 500 of Figure 5A, including an
asymmetric structural
support frame 540-1, a first portion of the product volume 550-1b, a second
portion of the product
volume 550-1a, and a dispenser 560-1, configured in the same manner as the
embodiment of Figure
1E, except based on the container 500. Figure 5F illustrates a perspective
view of a container 500-2,
which is an alternative embodiment of the stand up flexible container 500 of
Figure 5A, including an
internal structural support frame 540-2, a product volume 550-2, and a
dispenser 560-2, configured
in the same manner as the embodiment of Figure 1F, except based on the
container 500. Figure 5G
illustrates a perspective view of a container 500-3, which is an alternative
embodiment of the stand
up flexible container 500 of Figure 5A, including an external structural
support frame 540-3, a non-
integral product volume 550-3 joined to and disposed within the frame 540-3,
and a dispenser 560-3,
configured in the same manner as the embodiment of Figure 1G, except based on
the container 500.
Figure 6A illustrates a front view of a stand up flexible container 600 having
a structural
support frame 640 that has an overall shape like a pentagonal prism. In the
embodiment of Figure
6A, the prism shape is based on a pentagon. The support frame 640 is formed by
structural support
members disposed along the edges of the prism shape and joined together at
their ends. The
structural support members define a pentagon shaped top panel 680-t,
rectangular shaped side panels
680-1, 680-2, 680-3, 680-4, and 680-5, and a pentagon shaped bottom panel (not
shown). Each of
the side panels 680-1, 680-2, 680-3, 680-4, and 680-5 is about flat, however
in various
embodiments, part, parts, or about all, or approximately all, or substantially
all, or nearly all, or all of
any of the side panels can be approximately flat, substantially flat, nearly
flat, or completely flat.
The container 600 includes a dispenser 660, which is configured to dispense
one or more fluent
products from one or more product volumes disposed within the container 600.
In the embodiment
of Figure 6A, the dispenser 660 is disposed in the center of the top panel 680-
t, however, in various
alternate embodiments, the dispenser 660 can be disposed anywhere else on the
top, sides, or
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bottom, of the container 600. Figure 6B illustrates a front view of the
container 600 of Figure 6A,
including exemplary additional/alternate locations for a dispenser (shown as
phantom lines), any of
which can also apply to any side of the container 600. Figure 6C illustrates a
side view of the
container 600 of Figure 6A. Figure 6D illustrates an isometric view of the
container 600 of Figure
5 6A.
Figure 6E illustrates a perspective view of a container 600-1, which is an
alternative
embodiment of the stand up flexible container 600 of Figure 6A, including an
asymmetric structural
support frame 640-1, a first portion of the product volume 650-1b, a second
portion of the product
volume 650-1a, and a dispenser 660-1, configured in the same manner as the
embodiment of Figure
10 1E, except based on the container 600. Figure 6F illustrates a
perspective view of a container 600-2,
which is an alternative embodiment of the stand up flexible container 600 of
Figure 6A, including an
internal structural support frame 640-2, a product volume 650-2, and a
dispenser 660-2, configured
in the same manner as the embodiment of Figure 1F, except based on the
container 600. Figure 6G
illustrates a perspective view of a container 600-3, which is an alternative
embodiment of the stand
15 up flexible container 600 of Figure 6A, including an external structural
support frame 640-3, a non-
integral product volume 650-3 joined to and disposed within the frame 640-3,
and a dispenser 660-3,
configured in the same manner as the embodiment of Figure 1G, except based on
the container 600.
Figure 7A illustrates a front view of a stand up flexible container 700 having
a structural
support frame 740 that has an overall shape like a cone. The support frame 740
is formed by curved
20 structural support members disposed around the base of the cone and by
straight structural support
members extending linearly from the base to the apex, wherein the structural
support members are
joined together at their ends. The structural support members define curved
somewhat triangular
shaped side panels 780-1, 780-2, and 780-3, and a circular shaped bottom panel
(not shown). Each
of the side panels 780-1, 780-2, and 780-3, is curved, however in various
embodiments, part, parts,
25 or about all, or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all,
or all of any of the side panels
can be approximately flat, substantially flat, nearly flat, or completely
flat. The container 700
includes a dispenser 760, which is configured to dispense one or more fluent
products from one or
more product volumes disposed within the container 700. In the embodiment of
Figure 7A, the
dispenser 760 is disposed at the apex of the conical shape, however, in
various alternate
30 embodiments, the dispenser 760 can be disposed anywhere else on the top,
sides, or bottom, of the
container 700. Figure 7B illustrates a front view of the container 700 of
Figure 7A. Figure 7C
illustrates a side view of the container 700 of Figure 7A, including exemplary
additional/alternate
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locations for a dispenser (shown as phantom lines), any of which can also
apply to any side panel of
the container 700. Figure 7D illustrates an isometric view of the container
700 of Figure 7A.
Figure 7E illustrates a perspective view of a container 700-1, which is an
alternative
embodiment of the stand up flexible container 700 of Figure 7A, including an
asymmetric structural
support frame 740-1, a first portion of the product volume 750-1b, a second
portion of the product
volume 750-1a, and a dispenser 760-1, configured in the same manner as the
embodiment of Figure
1E, except based on the container 700. Figure 7F illustrates a perspective
view of a container 700-2,
which is an alternative embodiment of the stand up flexible container 700 of
Figure 7A, including an
internal structural support frame 740-2, a product volume 750-2, and a
dispenser 760-2, configured
in the same manner as the embodiment of Figure 1F, except based on the
container 700. Figure 7G
illustrates a perspective view of a container 700-3, which is an alternative
embodiment of the stand
up flexible container 700 of Figure 7A, including an external structural
support frame 740-3, a non-
integral product volume 750-3 joined to and disposed within the frame 740-3,
and a dispenser 760-3,
configured in the same manner as the embodiment of Figure 1G, except based on
the container 700.
Figure 8A illustrates a front view of a stand up flexible container 800 having
a structural
support frame 840 that has an overall shape like a cylinder. The support frame
840 is formed by
curved structural support members disposed around the top and bottom of the
cylinder and by
straight structural support members extending linearly from the top to the
bottom, wherein the
structural support members are joined together at their ends. The structural
support members define
a circular shaped top panel 880-t, curved somewhat rectangular shaped side
panels 880-1, 880-2,
880-3, and 880-4, and a circular shaped bottom panel (not shown). Each of the
side panels 880-1,
880-2, 880-3, and 880-4, is curved, however in various embodiments, part,
parts, or about all, or
approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of any of the
side panels can be
approximately flat, substantially flat, nearly flat, or completely flat. The
container 800 includes a
dispenser 860, which is configured to dispense one or more fluent products
from one or more
product volumes disposed within the container 800. In the embodiment of Figure
8A, the dispenser
860 is disposed in the center of the top panel 880-t, however, in various
alternate embodiments, the
dispenser 860 can be disposed anywhere else on the top, sides, or bottom, of
the container 800.
Figure 8B illustrates a front view of the container 800 of Figure 8A,
including exemplary
additional/alternate locations for a dispenser (shown as phantom lines), any
of which can also apply
to any side panel of the container 800. Figure 8C illustrates a side view of
the container 800 of
Figure 8A. Figure 8D illustrates an isometric view of the container 800 of
Figure 8A.
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Figure 8E illustrates a perspective view of a container 800-1, which is an
alternative
embodiment of the stand up flexible container 800 of Figure 8A, including an
asymmetric structural
support frame 840-1, a first portion of the product volume 850-1b, a second
portion of the product
volume 850-1a, and a dispenser 860-1, configured in the same manner as the
embodiment of Figure
1E, except based on the container 800. Figure 8F illustrates a perspective
view of a container 800-2,
which is an alternative embodiment of the stand up flexible container 800 of
Figure 8A, including an
internal structural support frame 840-2, a product volume 850-2, and a
dispenser 860-2, configured
in the same manner as the embodiment of Figure 1F, except based on the
container 800. Figure 8G
illustrates a perspective view of a container 800-3, which is an alternative
embodiment of the stand
up flexible container 800 of Figure 8A, including an external structural
support frame 840-3, a non-
integral product volume 850-3 joined to and disposed within the frame 840-3,
and a dispenser 860-3,
configured in the same manner as the embodiment of Figure 1G, except based on
the container 800.
In additional embodiments, any stand up flexible container with a structural
support frame, as
disclosed herein, can be configured to have an overall shape that corresponds
with any other known
three-dimensional shape, including any kind of polyhedron, any kind of
prismatoid, and any kind of
prism (including right prisms and uniform prisms).
Figure 9A illustrates a top view of an embodiment of a self-supporting
flexible container
900, having an overall shape like a square. Figure 9B illustrates an end view
of the flexible
container 900 of Figure 9A. The container 900 is resting on a horizontal
support surface 901.
In Figure 9B, a coordinate system 910, provides lines of reference for
referring to directions
in the figure. The coordinate system 910 is a three-dimensional Cartesian
coordinate system, with
an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis. The X-axis and the Z-axis are parallel with
the horizontal support
surface 901 and the Y-axis is perpendicular to the horizontal support surface
901.
Figure 9A also includes other lines of reference, for referring to directions
and locations with
respect to the container 100. A lateral centerline 911 runs parallel to the X-
axis. An XY plane at the
lateral centerline 911 separates the container 100 into a front half and a
back half. An XZ plane at
the lateral centerline 911 separates the container 100 into an upper half and
a lower half. A
longitudinal centerline 914 runs parallel to the Y-axis. A YZ plane at the
longitudinal centerline 914
separates the container 900 into a left half and a right half. A third
centerline 917 runs parallel to the
Z-axis. The lateral centerline 911, the longitudinal centerline 914, and the
third centerline 917 all
intersect at a center of the container 900. These terms for direction,
orientation, measurement, and
disposition, in the embodiment of Figures 9A-9B are the same as the like-
numbered terms in the
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embodiment of Figures 1A-1D.
The container 900 includes a top 904, a middle 906, and a bottom 908, the
front 902-1, the
back 902-2, and left and right sides 909. In the embodiment of Figures 9A-9B,
the upper half and
the lower half of the container are joined together at a seal 929, which
extends around the outer
periphery of the container 900. The bottom of the container 900 is configured
in the same way as
the top of the container 900.
The container 900 includes a structural support frame 940, a product volume
950, a dispenser
960, a top panel 980-t and a bottom panel (not shown). A portion of the top
panel 980-t is illustrated
as broken away, in order to show the product volume 950. The product volume
950 is configured to
contain one or more fluent products. The dispenser 960 allows the container
900 to dispense these
fluent product(s) from the product volume 950 through a flow channel 959 then
through the
dispenser 960, to the environment outside of the container 900. The structural
support frame 940
supports the mass of fluent product(s) in the product volume 950. The top
panel 980-t and the
bottom panel are relatively flat surfaces, overlaying the product volume 950,
and are suitable for
displaying any kind of indicia.
The structural support frame 940 is formed by a plurality of structural
support members. The
structural support frame 940 includes front structural support members 943-1
and 943-2,
intermediate structural support members 945-1, 945-2, 945-3, and 945-4, as
well as back structural
support members 947-1 and 947-2. Overall, each of the structural support
members in the container
900 is oriented horizontally. And, each of the structural support members in
the container 900 has a
cross-sectional area that is substantially uniform along its length, although
in various embodiments,
this cross-sectional area can vary.
Upper structural support members 943-1, 945-1, 945-2, and 947-1 are disposed
in an upper
part of the middle 906 and in the top 904, while lower structural support
members 943-2, 945-4,
945-3, and 947-2 are disposed in a lower part of the middle 906 and in the
bottom 908. The upper
structural support members 943-1, 945-1, 945-2, and 947-1 are disposed above
and adjacent to the
lower structural support members 943-2, 945-4, 945-3, and 947-2, respectively.
In various embodiments, adjacent upper and lower structural support members
can be in
contact with each other at one or more relatively smaller locations and/or at
one or more relatively
larger locations, along part, or parts, or about all, or approximately all, or
substantially all, or nearly
all, or all of their overall lengths, so long as there is a gap in the contact
for the flow channel 959,
between the structural support members 943-1 and 943-2. In the embodiment of
Figures 9A-9B, the
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upper and lower structural support members are not directly connected to each
other. However, in
various alternate embodiments, adjacent upper and lower structural support
members can be directly
connected and/or joined together along part, or parts, or about all, or
approximately all, or
substantially all, or nearly all, or all of their overall lengths.
The ends of structural support members 943-1, 945-2, 947-1, and 945-1 are
joined together to
form a top square that is outward from and surrounding the product volume 950,
and the ends of
structural support members 943-2, 945-3, 947-2, and 945-4 are also joined
together to form a bottom
square that is outward from and surrounding the product volume 950. In the
structural support frame
940, the ends of the structural support members, which are joined together,
are directly connected,
all around the periphery of their walls. However, in various alternative
embodiments, any of the
structural support members of the embodiment of Figures 9A-9B can be joined
together in any way
described herein or known in the art.
In alternative embodiments of the structural support frame 940, adjacent
structural support
members can be combined into a single structural support member, wherein the
combined structural
support member can effectively substitute for the adjacent structural support
members, as their
functions and connections are described herein. In other alternative
embodiments of the structural
support frame 940, one or more additional structural support members can be
added to the structural
support members in the structural support frame 940, wherein the expanded
structural support frame
can effectively substitute for the structural support frame 940, as its
functions and connections are
described herein.
Figure 9C illustrates a perspective view of a container 900-1, which is an
alternative
embodiment of the self-supporting flexible container 900 of 9igure 1A,
including an asymmetric
structural support frame 940-1, a first portion of the product volume 950-1b,
a second portion of the
product volume 950-1a, and a dispenser 960-1. The embodiment of Figure 9C is
similar to the
embodiment of Figure 9A with like-numbered terms configured in the same way,
except that the
frame 940-1 extends around about half of the container 900-1, directly
supporting a first portion of
the product volume 950-1b, which is disposed inside of the frame 940-1, and
indirectly supporting a
second portion of the product volume 950-1a, which is disposed outside of the
frame 940-1. In
various embodiments, any self-supporting flexible container of the present
disclosure can be
modified in a similar way, such that: the frame extends around only part or
parts of the container,
and/or the frame is asymmetric with respect to one or more centerlines of the
container, and/or part
or parts of one or more product volumes of the container are disposed outside
of the frame, and/or
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part or parts of one or more product volumes of the container are indirectly
supported by the frame.
Figure 9D illustrates a perspective view of a container 900-2, which is an
alternative
embodiment of the self-supporting flexible container 900 of Figure 9A,
including an internal
structural support frame 940-2, a product volume 950-2, and a dispenser 960-2.
The embodiment of
5 Figure 9D is similar to the embodiment of Figure 9A with like-numbered
terms configured in the
same way, except that the frame 940-2 is internal to the product volume 950-2.
In various
embodiments, any self-supporting flexible container of the present disclosure
can be modified in a
similar way, such that: part, parts, or all of the frame (including part,
parts, or all of one or more of
any structural support members that form the frame) are about, approximately,
substantially, nearly,
10 or completely enclosed by one or more product volumes.
Figure 9E illustrates a perspective view of a container 900-3, which is an
alternative
embodiment of the stand up flexible container 900 of Figure 9A, including an
external structural
support frame 940-3, a product volume 950-3, and a dispenser 960-3. The
embodiment of Figure 9E
is similar to the embodiment of Figure 9A with like-numbered terms configured
in the same way,
15 except that the product volume 950-3 is not integrally connected to the
frame 940-3 (that is, not
simultaneously made from the same web of flexible materials), but rather the
product volume 950-3
is separately made and then joined to the frame 940-3. The product volume 950-
3 can be joined to
the frame in any convenient manner disclosed herein or known in the art. In
the embodiment of
Figure 9E, the product volume 950-3 is disposed within the frame 940-3, but
the product volume
20 950-3 has a reduced size and a somewhat different shape, when compared
with the product volume
950 of Figure 9A; however, these differences are made to illustrate the
relationship between the
product volume 950-3 and the frame 940-3, and are not required. In various
embodiments, any self-
supporting flexible container of the present disclosure can be modified in a
similar way, such that
one or more the product volumes are not integrally connected to the frame.
25 Figures 10A-11E illustrate embodiments of self-supporting flexible
containers (that are not
stand up containers) having various overall shapes. Any of the embodiments of
Figures 10A-11E
can be configured according to any of the embodiments disclosed herein,
including the embodiments
of Figures 9A-9E. Any of the elements (e.g. structural support frames,
structural support members,
panels, dispensers, etc.) of the embodiments of Figures 10A-11E, can be
configured according to any
30 of the embodiments disclosed herein. While each of the embodiments of
Figures 10A-11E
illustrates a container with one dispenser, in various embodiments, each
container can include
multiple dispensers, according to any embodiment described herein. Part,
parts, or about all, or
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approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of each of the
panels in the embodiments
of Figures 10A-11E is suitable to display any kind of indicia. Each of the top
and bottom panels in
the embodiments of Figures 10A-11E is configured to be a nonstructural panel,
overlaying product
volume(s) disposed within the flexible container, however, in various
embodiments, one or more of
any kind of decorative or structural element (such as a rib, protruding from
an outer surface) can be
joined to part, parts, or about all, or approximately all, or substantially
all, or nearly all, or all of any
of these panels. For clarity, not all structural details of these flexible
containers are shown in Figures
10A-11E, however any of the embodiments of Figures 10A-11E can be configured
to include any
structure or feature for flexible containers, disclosed herein.
Figure 10A illustrates a top view of an embodiment of a self-supporting
flexible container
1000 (that is not a stand up flexible container) having a product volume 1050
and an overall shape
like a triangle. However, in various embodiments, a self-supporting flexible
container can have an
overall shape like a polygon having any number of sides. The support frame
1040 is formed by
structural support members disposed along the edges of the triangular shape
and joined together at
their ends. The structural support members define a triangular shaped top
panel 1080-t, and a
triangular shaped bottom panel (not shown). The top panel 1080-t and the
bottom panel are about
flat, however in various embodiments, part, parts, or about all, or
approximately all, or substantially
all, or nearly all, or all of any of the side panels can be approximately
flat, substantially flat, nearly
flat, or completely flat. The container 1000 includes a dispenser 1060, which
is configured to
dispense one or more fluent products from one or more product volumes disposed
within the
container 1000. In the embodiment of Figure 10A, the dispenser 1060 is
disposed in the center of
the front, however, in various alternate embodiments, the dispenser 1060 can
be disposed anywhere
else on the top, sides, or bottom, of the container 1000. Figure 10A includes
exemplary
additional/alternate locations for a dispenser (shown as phantom lines).
Figure 10B illustrates an
end view of the flexible container 1000 of Figure 10B, resting on a horizontal
support surface 1001.
Figure 10C illustrates a perspective view of a container 1000-1, which is an
alternative
embodiment of the self-supporting flexible container 1000 of Figure 10A,
including an asymmetric
structural support frame 1040-1, a first portion of the product volume 1050-
1b, a second portion of
the product volume 1050-1a, and a dispenser 1060-1, configured in the same
manner as the
embodiment of Figure 9C, except based on the container 1000. Figure 10D
illustrates a perspective
view of a container 1000-2, which is an alternative embodiment of the self-
supporting flexible
container 1000 of Figure 10A, including an internal structural support frame
1040-2, a product
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volume 1050-2, and a dispenser 1060-2, configured in the same manner as the
embodiment of Figure
9D, except based on the container 1000. Figure 10E illustrates a perspective
view of a container
1000-3, which is an alternative embodiment of the self-supporting flexible
container 1000 of Figure
10A, including an external structural support frame 1040-3, a non-integral
product volume 1050-3
joined to and disposed within the frame 1040-3, and a dispenser 1060-3,
configured in the same
manner as the embodiment of Figure 9E, except based on the container 1000.
Figure 11A illustrates a top view of an embodiment of a self-supporting
flexible container
1100 (that is not a stand up flexible container) having a product volume 1150
and an overall shape
like a circle. The support frame 1140 is formed by structural support members
disposed around the
circumference of the circular shape and joined together at their ends. The
structural support
members define a circular shaped top panel 1180-t, and a circular shaped
bottom panel (not shown).
The top panel 1180-t and the bottom panel are about flat, however in various
embodiments, part,
parts, or about all, or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly
all, or all of any of the side
panels can be approximately flat, substantially flat, nearly flat, or
completely flat. The container
1100 includes a dispenser 1160, which is configured to dispense one or more
fluent products from
one or more product volumes disposed within the container 1100. In the
embodiment of Figure 11A,
the dispenser 1160 is disposed in the center of the front, however, in various
alternate embodiments,
the dispenser 1160 can be disposed anywhere else on the top, sides, or bottom,
of the container 1100.
Figure 11A includes exemplary additional/alternate locations for a dispenser
(shown as phantom
lines). Figure 11B illustrates an end view of the flexible container 1100 of
Figure 10B, resting on a
horizontal support surface 1101.
Figure 11C illustrates a perspective view of a container 1100-1, which is an
alternative
embodiment of the self-supporting flexible container 1100 of Figure 11A,
including an asymmetric
structural support frame 1140-1, a first portion of the product volume 1150-
1b, a second portion of
the product volume 1150-1a, and a dispenser 1160-1, configured in the same
manner as the
embodiment of Figure 9C, except based on the container 1100. Figure 11D
illustrates a perspective
view of a container 1100-2, which is an alternative embodiment of the self-
supporting flexible
container 1100 of Figure 11A, including an internal structural support frame
1140-2, a product
volume 1150-2, and a dispenser 1160-2, configured in the same manner as the
embodiment of Figure
9D, except based on the container 1100. Figure 11E illustrates a perspective
view of a container
1100-3, which is an alternative embodiment of the self-supporting flexible
container 1100 of Figure
11A, including an external structural support frame 1140-3, a non-integral
product volume 1150-3
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joined to and disposed within the frame 1140-3, and a dispenser 1160-3,
configured in the same
manner as the embodiment of Figure 9E, except based on the container 1100.
In additional embodiments, any self-supporting container with a structural
support frame, as
disclosed herein, can be configured to have an overall shape that corresponds
with any other known
three-dimensional shape. For example, any self-supporting container with a
structural support
frame, as disclosed herein, can be configured to have an overall shape (when
observed from a top
view) that corresponds with a rectangle, a polygon (having any number of
sides), an oval, an ellipse,
a star, or any other shape, or combinations of any of these.
Figures 12A-14C illustrate various exemplary dispensers, which can be used
with the flexible
containers disclosed herein. Figure 12A illustrates an isometric view of push-
pull type dispenser
1260-a. Figure 12B illustrates an isometric view of dispenser with a flip-top
cap 1260-b. Figure
12C illustrates an isometric view of dispenser with a screw-on cap 1260-c.
Figure 12D illustrates an
isometric view of rotatable type dispenser 1260-d. Figure 12E illustrates an
isometric view of nozzle
type dispenser with a cap 1260-d. Figure 13A illustrates an isometric view of
straw dispenser 1360-
a. Figure 13B illustrates an isometric view of straw dispenser with a lid 1360-
b. Figure 13C
illustrates an isometric view of flip up straw dispenser 1360-c. Figure 13D
illustrates an isometric
view of straw dispenser with bite valve 1360-d. Figure 14A illustrates an
isometric view of pump
type dispenser 1460-a, which can, in various embodiments be a foaming pump
type dispenser.
Figure 14B illustrates an isometric view of pump spray type dispenser 1460-b.
Figure 14C
illustrates an isometric view of trigger spray type dispenser 1460-c.
Figure 15 illustrates another embodiment of a stand up flexible container
1500. The
container 1500 is substantially similar to the flexible container 100
described above and has the
same components referenced by common reference numbers. The container 1500
includes, in
relevant part, a pair of sides 1509, a structural support frame 1540, a
product volume 1550, a
dispenser 1560, a front panel 1580-1, a rear panel (not shown), and a base
structure 1590. The
structural support frame 1540 is similar to the structural support frame 140
of the container 100. As
such, the structural support frame 1540 is formed by a plurality of structural
support members,
including middle structural support members 1546-1 and 1546-2. The product
volume 1550 is
configured to contain one or more fluent products. The dispenser 1560 allows
the container 1500 to
dispense the fluent product(s) from the product volume 1500, through the
dispenser 1560, and to the
environment outside of the container 1500. Unlike the dispenser 160, which is
disposed on or at a
top portion of the container 100, the dispenser 1560 is disposed on or at a
bottom of the container
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1500.
The flexible containers described herein (e.g., the containers described in
connection with
Figures 1-11 and 15) are configured to be "Easy to Empty." In other words, the
flexible containers
described herein are configured such that a user (e.g., a consumer) of the
flexible containers can
easily and quickly evacuate a desired amount of fluent product(s) from the
flexible containers. This
is, in general, due to the resiliency of the containers. Specifically, these
flexible containers have a
resiliently deformable product volume. The product volume has an undeformed
state and a first
interior volume. The product volume is deformable to a deformed state in which
the product volume
is reduced to a second interior volume less than the first interior volume.
The dispenser in fluid
communication with the product volume can, in turn, dispense at least some of
the fluent product(s)
from the product volume. Beneficially, the product volume is configured to be
fully restored to the
undeformed state (i.e., the product volume does not suffer from a loss of
shape) after the desired
amount of fluent product(s) has been evacuated from the flexible container.
Specifically, the product
volume is configured to be self restoring, such that following the evacuation
of the desired amount
of fluent product(s) from the flexible container, the product volume can
automatically restore itself
to the undeformed state. This resiliency provides benefits of: maintaining
standup during the course
of usage, maintaining similar appearance during usage (container does not
collapse or crumple), easy
dispensing of product, maintaining stability to tipping over during the course
of usage.
Figures 16A-16D will now be used to more specifically illustrate the "Easy to
Empty"
characteristics of the flexible containers described herein. In Figures 16A-
16D, the flexible
container 1500 is referenced, but it will be appreciated that the other
containers described herein can
have similar characteristics.
Figure 16A depicts the flexible container 1500 when the product volume 1550 is
filled with a
fluent product and no dispensing force is applied to the product volume 1550.
In other words, the
product volume 1550 shown in Figure 16A is in an undeformed state and has a
first interior volume
containing the fluent product. When the product volume 1550 is in the
undeformed state, the
container 1500 has an initial weight. When empty, the container 1500, by
itself, can, for example,
have an initial weight of between 1 to 100. In one example, the container 1500
has a weight of 10.7
g. In another example, the container 1500 has a weight of 11.4 g.
Figure 16B depicts a dispensing force F being applied to the container 1500.
In this example,
the dispensing force F is applied to a portion of the structural support frame
1540, and, more
particularly, to opposing structural support members (e.g., structural support
members 1546-1, 1546-
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2) of the container 1500. In other examples, the dispensing force F can be
applied directly to one or
more portions of the product volume 1550 (e.g., one or more walls of the
product volume 1550) or to
one or more other locations on or of the container 1500 (e.g., a top portion
of the container 1500, a
bottom portion of the container 1500).
5
In direct response to or as a result of the application of the dispensing
force F, the product
volume 1550 is resiliently deformable to the deformed state shown in FIG. 16C
and, in the process,
the dispenser 1560 can dispense at least a portion of the fluent product from
the product volume
1550. In contrast to known rigid containers, wherein a significant percentage
of the dispensing force
can be needed to first deform the rigid walls of the container, substantially
all (e.g., approximately
10
90% to approximately 100%) of the dispensing force F applied to the
container 1500 is utilized to
deform or reduce the product volume 1550 and, in turn, dispense the fluent
product from the product
volume 1550. As such, the magnitude of the dispensing force F applied to the
container 1500 may
be less, in some cases significantly less, than the dispensing force required
to be applied to known
rigid containers. Beneficially, this may also result in a much more direct
correlation between the
15
amount of fluent product dispensed and the magnitude of the dispensing force
F and can lead to
consumer preference over a rigid container. Moreover, in known rigid
containers, significant delays,
at least from the user's perspective, may exist between the time at which the
dispensing force is
applied and the time at which fluent product is dispensed in direct response
to the application of the
dispensing force. These delays may occur because, for example, the walls must
first be deformed
20
and/or gravity is relied on. Unlike these known rigid containers, the fluent
product contained in the
container 1500 can be dispensed in direct response to the application of the
dispensing force F.
When the product volume 1550 is in the deformed state, the product volume 1550
has a
second internal volume less than the first interior volume (which the product
volume 1550 has when
the product volume 1550 is in the undeformed state), and the dispenser 1560
can dispense at least a
25
portion of the fluent product from the product volume 1550. Depending upon
the duration for which
the dispensing force F is applied and/or the magnitude of the applied
dispensing force F, the second
internal volume can be 10% less, 20% less, 30% less, 40% less, 50% less, 60%
less, 70% less, 80%
less, 90% less, 95% less, nearly 100% less, substantially 100% less, or some
other percentage less
than the first internal volume.
30
As shown in FIG. 16C, when the product volume 1550 is in the deformed state,
the opposing
structural support members (e.g., structural support members 1546-1, 1546-2)
and opposing portions
of the product volume 1550 are displaced closer to one another. In the example
shown in FIG. 16C,
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opposing walls 1548-1, 1548-2 defined, at least in part, by the structural
support members 1546-1,
1546-2, respectively, can contact one another. In other examples, different
portions of the container
1500 can contact one another, or portions of the container 1500 need not
contact one another when
the product volume 1550 is in the deformed state.
As the dispenser 1560 dispenses the fluent product from the container 1500,
the weight of the
container 1500 can decrease in a substantially proportional manner. This is
because a bulk of the
weight of the container 1500 is attributable the fluent product, rather than
the structure of the
container 1500 itself. This is contrary to known rigid containers, wherein a
bulk of the weight of the
rigid container can be attributable to the rigid container itself, such that
the weight of these rigid
containers does not decrease in a substantially proportional manner as the
rigid container dispenses
fluent product.
In some embodiments, the container 1500 can also include one or more release
coatings
disposed on one or more interior portions of the product volume 1550 to
facilitate the timely
evacuation of the fluent product from the product volume 1550. The release
coatings can, for
example, be a material that is hydrophobic, omni-phobic, oleophobic, or
otherwise repels fluent
product(s) such as a "lotus leaf' surface with structures of the size that
trap air pockets and limit
liquid contact, a liquid impregnated surface such as are known in the art,
surface modifications with
fluorinated or silicon containing polymers or small molecules that limit
wetting, powders or
particles, oils, lubricating fluids and combinations of these. US Patent
Application Publication No.
20040037961, US Patent No. 6247603, US Patent Application Publication No.
20080283483, US
Patent Application Publication No. 201330032316, and International Patent
Application Publication
No. W02012100100, which disclose non-wetting coatings, are, for reference,
hereby incorporated
herein in their entirety. The nonwetting coatings may be present as an
additive in the flexible
material that blooms to the surface, or as a coating that is applied in any
manner such as spray
coating or printing.
When the dispensing force F is released (i.e., no longer applied to the
container 1500), the
product volume 1550 can be substantially fully restored, by the self resilient
nature of the product
volume 1550, to the undeformed state, and, thus, its previous volume (i.e.,
the first internal volume).
In other words, when the dispensing force F is released, the product volume
1550 can substantially
recover its original shape (original volume). The product volume 1550 is
generally at least 95%
recoverable (i.e., fully recoverable up to a reduction of 95% of its original
volume). When, for
example, the product volume 1550 is deformed and reduced to a second internal
volume that is 50%
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less than the first internal volume, the product volume 1550 can return to
substantially 100% of the
first internal volume when the dispensing force F is released. When, as
another example, the
product volume 1550 is deformed and reduced to a second internal volume that
is 90% less than the
first internal volume, the product volume 1550 can return to substantially
100% of the first internal
volume when the dispensing force F is released. In other examples, the product
volume 1550 can be
deformed and reduced to a greater or lesser extent and return to substantially
100% of the first
internal volume when the dispensing force F is released.
After the dispensing force F has been released, the product volume 1550 can be
substantially
fully restored to the undeformed state shown in FIG. 16D. The restoring force
for accomplishing
this restoration can be generated or provided in any number of ways. The
container 1500 can, for
example, be configured to permit air to enter the product volume 1550,
through, for example, the
dispenser 1560, some other dispenser (e.g., one or more of the dispensers
described above), a vent,
or a valve, after the dispensing force F has been released. The structural
support frame 1540 can, in
turn, provide the restoring force needed to restore the product volume 1550 to
its undeformed state.
Specifically, the one or more structural support members (e.g., structural
support members 1546-1,
1546-2) can act to force the product volume 1550 back to the undeformed state.
In other examples, a
resilient material and/or one or more spring elements can be disposed within
the product volume
1550 to restore the product volume 1550 back to the undeformed state. These
resilient materials
could include, for example, a sponge, a foam, or rigid spring elements.
The deformation and restoration described above in connection with FIGS. 16A-
16D can
happen any number of times while the fluent product is evacuated from the
product volume 1550, all
while the product volume 1550 substantially maintains its original shape.
Stated another way, the
container 1500 can be self-reversibly deformed numerous times throughout use
as the fluent product
level decreases and even after the product volume is fully empty.
To demonstrate that the flexible containers described herein are "Easy to
Empty," the
following test method was performed in connection with a 500 ml KROGER water
bottle, a 355
ml bottle of HERBAL ESSENCE shampoo, a 500 ml DASANI water bottle, a 591 ml
DASANI water bottle, a first flexible container constructed in accordance
with the present
disclosure ("Flexible Container #1"), and a second flexible container
constructed in accordance with
the present disclosure ("Flexible Container #2"): (1) Each container was 100%
filled with water
while open to the atmosphere, (2) each container was then emptied and the
volume of water
previously contained therein was measured volumetrically, then (3) the
container was refilled 100%
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with water and left open to the atmosphere, (4) While holding the opening of
the container at the
highest vertical position and parallel to the ground, such that no liquid
escaped due to gravity, about
1% of the total original volume of water in each container was squeezed out
into a large basin, and
the water squeezed out was measured volumetrically, (5) the squeezing force
was removed from
each container and each container was allowed 1 minute to recover to its
original volume while open
to the atmosphere, (6) next, an additional 1% of the total amount of water
initially in each container
was squeezed out, (7) steps 4-6 were repeated until the container no longer
recovered to its original
volume (i.e. the container was irreversibly dented or deformed) and the amount
of reversible
squeezes was recorded. Finally, the container was squeezed by manual force to
reduce the product
volume to the smallest possible value. The maximum evacuation of liquid water
was then recorded.
Using this test method, the results listed in the following table were
obtained.
Container Weight Initial Reversible Max. Recoverable Max
Recoverable
(g) Volume Squeeze Volume Volume Evacuation
Volume per
(m1) Out Squeeze (vol %) (vol %)
Weight
Volume Out (vol
% / g)
(m1) Possible
(m1)
KROGER 8g 519m1 105m1 473m1 20% 91% 3%
500 ml
HERBAL 30g 375m1 235m1 235m1 63% 63% 2%
ESSENCE
355 ml
DASANI 14g 531m1 215m1 465m1 40% 88% 3%
500 ml
DASANI 22 g 599 ml 270 ml 495 ml 45% 83% 2%
591 ml
Flexible 11.4g 330m1 325m1 325m1 98% 98% 9%
Container
#1
Flexible 10.7 g 425 ml 405 ml 405 ml 95% 95% 9%
Container
#2
In the table, the reversible squeeze out volume refers to the amount of water
that could be
squeezed out before the container no longer popped back into shape by itself
(i.e., the maximum
amount of deformation at which the container was still self-restoring), which
is also known as the
recoverable volume herein. The maximum squeeze out volume possible refers to
the maximum
amount of water that could be squeezed out by applying a manual force to the
container. The
maximum evacuation percentage is the maximum squeeze out possible volume
divided by the initial
volume, multiplied by 100. The recoverable volume percentage maximum
evacuation percentage,
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and recoverable volume per weight of the container were all then calculated
based on these values.
As the table indicates, the two flexible containers had a significantly higher
recoverable volume than
the other known containers. In other words, the two flexible containers had a
much greater ability to
recover their original volumes. The two flexible containers also had a higher
maximum evacuation
percentage than the other known containers. In other words, more water was
evacuated from the two
flexible containers than the other known containers. Specifically, greater
than about 95%of the
water originally contained in the flexible containers was evacuated from these
containers, a far
greater percentage than seen with any of the known containers. As such, more
water was evacuated
from the containers (the containers were thus easier to empty), while at the
same time the flexible
containers exhibited a significantly greater ability to recover their original
shapes. It is understood
that this test method is only a proxy for containers that are easy to empty
that dispense from different
geometries, different dispensing means, and with different fluids, but the
test method demonstrated
here illustrates that the containers described herein are measurably easier to
empty than conventional
containers.
Part, parts, or all of any of the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined
with part,
parts, or all of other embodiments known in the art of flexible containers,
including those described
below.
Embodiments of the present disclosure can use any and all embodiments of
materials,
structures, and/or features for flexible containers, as well as any and all
methods of making and/or
using such flexible containers, as disclosed in the following patent
applications: (1) US non-
provisional application 13/888,679 filed May 7, 2013, entitled "Flexible
Containers" and published
as US20130292353 (applicant's case 12464M); (2) US non-provisional application
13/888,721 filed
May 7, 2013, entitled "Flexible Containers" and published as U520130292395
(applicant's case
12464M2); (3) US non-provisional application 13/888,963 filed May 7, 2013,
entitled "Flexible
Containers" published as U520130292415 (applicant's case 12465M); (4) US non-
provisional
application 13/888,756 May 7, 2013, entitled "Flexible Containers Having a
Decoration Panel"
published as U520130292287 (applicant's case 12559M); (5) US non-provisional
application
13/957,158 filed August 1, 2013, entitled "Methods of Making Flexible
Containers" published as
U520140033654 (applicant's case 12559M); and (6) US non-provisional
application 13/957,187
filed August 1, 2013, entitled "Methods of Making Flexible Containers"
published as
U520140033655 (applicant's case 12579M2); (7) US non-provisional application
13/889,000 filed
May 7, 2013, entitled "Flexible Containers with Multiple Product Volumes"
published as
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US20130292413 (applicant's case 12785M); (8) US non-provisional application
13/889,061 filed
May 7, 2013, entitled "Flexible Materials for Flexible Containers" published
as US20130337244
(applicant's case 12786M); (9) US non-provisional application 13/889,090 filed
May 7, 2013,
entitled "Flexible Materials for Flexible Containers" published as
US20130294711 (applicant's case
5 12786M2); (10) US provisional application 61/861,100 filed August 1,
2013, entitled "Disposable
Flexible Containers having Surface Elements" (applicant's case 13016P); (11)
US provisional
application 61/861,106 filed August 1, 2013, entitled "Flexible Containers
having Improved Seam
and Methods of Making the Same" (applicant's case 13017P); (12) US provisional
application
61/861,118 filed August 1, 2013, entitled "Methods of Forming a Flexible
Container" (applicant's
10 case 13018P); (13) US provisional application 61/861,129 filed August 1,
2013, entitled
"Enhancements to Tactile Interaction with Film Walled Packaging Having Air
Filled Structural
Support Volumes" (applicant's case 13019P); (14) Chinese patent application
CN2013/085045 filed
October 11, 2013, entitled "Flexible Containers Having a Squeeze Panel"
(applicant's case 13036);
(15) Chinese patent application CN2013/085065 filed October 11, 2013, entitled
"Stable Flexible
15 Containers" (applicant's case 13037); (16) US provisional application
61/900,450 filed November 6,
2013, entitled "Flexible Containers and Methods of Forming the Same"
(applicant's case 13126P);
(17) US provisional application 61/900,488 filed November 6, 2013, entitled
"Easy to Empty
Flexible Containers" (applicant's case 13127P); (18) US provisional
application 61/900,501 filed
November 6, 2013, entitled "Containers Having a Product Volume and a Stand-Off
Structure
20 Coupled Thereto" (applicant's case 13128P); (19) US provisional
application 61/900,508 filed
November 6, 2013, entitled "Flexible Containers Having Flexible Valves"
(applicant's case
13129P); (20) US provisional application 61/900,514 filed November 6, 2013,
entitled "Flexible
Containers with Vent Systems" (applicant's case 13130P); (21) US provisional
application
61/900,765 filed November 6, 2013, entitled "Flexible Containers for use with
Short Shelf-Life
25 Products and Methods for Accelerating Distribution of Flexible
Containers" (applicant's case
13131P); (22) US provisional application 61/900,794 filed November 6, 2013,
entitled "Flexible
Containers and Methods of Forming the Same" (applicant's case 13132P); (23) US
provisional
application 61/900,805 filed November 6, 2013, entitled "Flexible Containers
and Methods of
Making the Same" (applicant's case 13133P); (24) US provisional application
61/900,810 filed
30 November 6, 2013, entitled "Flexible Containers and Methods of Making
the Same" (applicant's
case 13134P); each of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Embodiments of the present disclosure can use any and all embodiments of
materials,
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structures, and/or features for flexible containers, as well as any and all
methods of making and/or
using such flexible containers, as disclosed in the following patent
documents: US patent 5,137,154,
filed October 29, 1991, entitled "Food bag structure having pressurized
compartments" in the name
of Cohen, granted August 11, 1992; PCT international patent application WO
96/01775 filed July 5,
1995, published January 26, 1995, entitled "Packaging Pouch with Stiffening
Air Channels" in the
name of Prats (applicant Danapak Holding A/S); PCT international patent
application WO 98/01354
filed July 8, 1997, published January 15, 1998, entitled "A Packaging
Container and a Method of its
Manufacture" in the name of Naslund; US patent 5,960,975 filed March 19, 1997,
entitled
"Packaging material web for a self-supporting packaging container wall, and
packaging containers
made from the web" in the name of Lennartsson (applicant Tetra Laval), granted
October 5, 1999;
US patent 6,244,466 filed July 8, 1997, entitled "Packaging Container and a
Method of its
Manufacture" in the name of Naslund, granted June 12, 2001; PCT international
patent application
WO 02/085729 filed April 19, 2002, published October 31, 2002, entitled
"Container" in the name
of Rosen (applicant Eco Lean Research and Development A/S); Japanese patent
JP4736364 filed
July 20, 2004, published July 27, 2011, entitled "Independent Sack" in the
name of Masaki
(applicant Toppan Printing); PCT international patent application
W02005/063589 filed November
3, 2004, published 14 July 2005, entitled "Container of Flexible Material" in
the name of Figols
Gamiz (applicant Volpak, S.A.); German patent application DE202005016704 Ul
filed January 17,
2005, entitled "Closed bag for receiving liquids, bulk material or objects
comprises a bag wall with
taut filled cushions or bulges which reinforce the wall to stabilize it" in
the name of Heukamp
(applicant Menshen), laid open as publication DE102005002301; Japanese patent
application
2008JP-0024845 filed February 5, 2008, entitled "Self-standing Bag" in the
name of Shinya
(applicant Toppan Printing), laid open as publication JP2009184690; US patent
application
10/312,176 filed April 19, 2002, entitled "Container" in the name of Rosen,
published as
U520040035865; US patent 7,585,528 filed December 16, 2002, entitled "Package
having an
inflated frame" in the name of Ferri, et al., granted on September 8, 2009; US
patent application
12/794286 filed June 4, 2010, entitled "Flexible to Rigid Packaging Article
and Method of Use and
Manufacture" in the name of Helou (applicant, published as U520100308062; US
patent 8,540,094
filed June 21, 2010, entitled "Collapsible Bottle, Method Of Manufacturing a
Blank For Such Bottle
and Beverage-Filled Bottle Dispensing System" in the name of Reidl, granted on
September 24,
2013; and PCT international patent application WO 2013/124201 filed February
14, 2013, published
August 29, 2013, entitled "Pouch and Method of Manufacturing the Same" in the
name of Rizzi
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(applicant Cryovac, Inc.); each of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Part, parts, or all of any of the embodiments disclosed herein also can be
combined with part,
parts, or all of other embodiments known in the art of containers for fluent
products, so long as those
embodiments can be applied to flexible containers, as disclosed herein. For
example, in various
embodiments, a flexible container can include a vertically oriented
transparent strip, disposed on a
portion of the container that overlays the product volume, and configured to
show the level of the
fluent product in the product volume.
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".
Every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or related patent
or patent
publication, is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety unless
expressly excluded or
otherwise limited. The citation of any document is not an admission that it is
prior art with respect
to any document disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in any
combination with any other
reference or references, teaches, suggests or discloses any such embodiment.
Further, 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 have been illustrated and described herein, it
should be
understood that various other changes and modifications may be made without
departing from the
spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, although various
aspects of the claimed
subject matter have been described herein, such aspects need not be utilized
in combination. It is
therefore intended that the appended claims cover all such changes and
modifications that are within
the scope of the claimed subject matter.
