Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02239006 1998-OS-28
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CONTAINER WTI~ti DISPENSING SPOUT AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME
~ FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to containers and in particular to a
container adapted to hold a fluid or liquid such as a beverage or the like.
The present
invention also relates to a method of forming fluid-filled containers from a
tube of
flexible material and to a method of forming a self supporting fluid-filled
container.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
to Containers to hold fluids or liquids such as beverages are well known
in the art. One such known beverage container, commonly referred to as a Tetra-
Pak~', includes a generally rectangular parallelepiped body formed from layers
of
laminated material. At the top of the body is a foil or plastic covered
aperture through
which a straw or the like may by pushed to allow an individual to drink the
contents
of the container. Although these containers are widely used, their design does
not
make them readily recyclable and after use, they are typically disposed of
through
landfill.
An alternative container design is disclosed in U.S. Patent No.
5,378,065 to Tobolka. The Tobolka container is formed of a unitary piece of
plastic
2o material folded and bonded at appropriate locations to define a body having
an
internal reservoir and an integrally formed spout in fluid communication with
the
internal reservoir. The spout extends upwardly from the body of the container
and
defines a straw to allow an individual to drink the contents of the container.
A
restriction in the container is positioned at the juncture between the body of
the
container and the spout to reduce the pressure of fluid flowing from the body
to the
spout. This gives the individual more control over the velocity of the out-
flowing
fluid.
Although this container is satisfactory, improved container designs are
continually being sought. It is therefore an object of the present invention
to provide a
3o novel container for fluids such as beverages or the like. It is also an
object of the
present invention to provide a novel method of forming fluid-filled containers
from a
tube of flexible material and to a method of forming a self supporting fluid-
filled
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2
container.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a
method of forming fluid-filled containers from a tube of flexible material,
said tube
being at least partially filled with fluid, said method comprising the step
of:
forming transverse, longitudinally spaced seals extending across said
tube below the fluid level within said tube to define the sides of a pair of
adjacent
containers, said seals being configured to define interlocking, alternately
oriented
containers having narrow spouts extending from wider bodies.
According another aspect of the present invention there is provided a
method of forming fluid-filled containers from an upright tube of flexible
material,
said method comprising the steps of:
delivering fluid to said tube to fill at least a portion of said tube; and
forming lower and then upper seals across said tube at vertically
spaced locations below the fluid level in said tube, to define interlocking,
alternately
oriented fluid-filled containers having narrow spouts extending from wider
main
bodies.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is
provided a method for forming fluid-filled containers from an upright tube
formed of
flexible material, said method comprising the steps of
delivering fluid to said tube to fill at least a portion of said tube; and
forming lower and then upper curved seals across said tube at
vertically spaced locations below the fluid level in said tube, said curved
seals being
mirror images of one another about a plane normal to the longitudinal axis of
said
tube and including upper and lower arm portions joined by bridges to define
interlocking, alternately oriented fluid-filled containers having generally
centrally
disposed narrow spouts extending from wider main bodies.
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According to still yet another aspect of the present invention there is
provided a method of forming fluid containers from an upright tube formed of
flexible
packaging material, said method comprising the steps of
providing a heat sealing mechanism having upper and lower curved
sealing bars;
delivering fluid to said tube to fill at least a portion of said tube;
forming first and second curved seals across said tube at vertically
spaced locations between which fluid is located to define a fluid filled
container, said
curved seals being mirror images of one another about a plane normal to the
longitudinal axis of the tube and defining opposite sides of a container
having a wide
main body and a narrow spout extending generally central from said main body,
a
lower one of said curved seals being formed across said tube prior to an upper
one of
said curved seals, each of said curved seals including a lower arm portion and
an
upper arm portion joined by a bridge; and
prior to formation of each of said seals, displacing fluid upwardly in
said tube.
The present invention provides advantages in that the design of the
containers is such that the containers can be formed from a tube of flexible
material
after the tube has been filled with liquid while minimizing material waste.
This is
achieved by forming interlocked, alternately oriented containers in the tube.
Also, the
containers can be made self supporting after having been filled with liquid.
The
present invention also provides advantages in that the constriction reduces
the
pressure of liquid flowing from the reservoir into the spout giving an
individual more
control over the velocity of out-flowing fluid while the gradual tapering of
the spout
ensures that the spout generally fully inflates as fluid flows along the
spout.
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4
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described more
fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: ,
Figure 1 a is a perspective view of an embodiment of a self supporting
container for fluids in accordance with the present invention; '
Figure lb is a cross-sectional view in side elevation of the container of
Figure 1 a;
Figure lc is an enlarged view of a portion of Figure lb indicated to by
arrow 1 c;
io Figure ld is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of a
container showing an alternative spout restriction;
Figure 1 a is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of a container
showing yet another alternative spout restriction;
Figure 2 is a side elevational view of an apparatus for forming and
i5 filling a tube with fluid and then partitioning the tube to form fluid-
filled containers
which when made self supporting will be of the type illustrated in Figure la;
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view in side elevation of another
embodiment of an apparatus for forming and filling a tube and then
partitioning the
tube to form fluid-filled containers which when made self supporting will be
of the
2o type illustrated in Figure 1 a;
Figures 4a, 4b and 4c are perspective views showing the steps
performed to make the container of Figure 1 a self supporting;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a self
supporting container for fluids in accordance with the present invention;
25 Figure 6 is a side elevational view of yet another embodiment of an
apparatus for forming and filling a tube with fluid and then partitioning the
tube to
form fluid-filled containers which when made self supporting will be of the
type '
illustrated in Figure 5;
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view in side elevation of yet another
3o embodiment of a container for liquids in accordance with the present
invention; and
Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view in side elevation of another
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embodiment of a liquid-filled container in accordance with the present
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to Figures la and lb, an embodiment of a self
5 supporting container for fluids or liquids such as beverages or the like is
shown and is
generally indicated by reference numeral 10. The container 10 is formed of any
suitable generally light weight, flexible material. For example, the container
I O may
be formed from any suitable plastic material such as for example,
polyethylene,
polypropylene or polyvinylchloride or alternatively laminated and%or co-
extruded
mufti-layer films. If desired, the plastic material may be coated with a leak
inhibiting
material such as for example Si02. Alternatively, the container 10 may be
formed of
other material such as aluminium foil or an aluminium sprayed fiim.
In the preferred embodiment, the container 10 is formed from a sheet
of plastic film (either coated or uncoated) which has been folded and bonded
at
appropriate locations. As can be seen, container 10 has a hollow, generally
rectangular main body 12 defining an internal reservoir 14 for holding fluid.
The
main body I2 has a generally rectangular base 16, generally upright sidewalls
18
about the periphery of the base I6 and shoulders 20 extending upwardly from
the
sidewalk 18. A spout 30 is integrally formed with the body 12 and extends
upwardly
from the shoulder 20, centrally of the container 10. The spout 30 has an
internal
passage 32 which is in fluid communication with the reservoir 14.
A tearing mechanism 40 is formed in the spout 30 adjacent the distal
end of the spout (see Figure lc). The tearing mechanism 40 includes a slit 42
and a
pin-hole 44 formed in a seam 45 running the length of the container. The slit
42 and
pin-hole 44 are slightly spaced apart and are aligned to define a tear Iine 46
across
which a tear in the spout 30 is to be made to open the container 10 as shown
by the
dotted line in Figure lb.
A restricted area in the spout 30 is defined by a pair of opposed
projections 34 formed on the internal wall 30a of the spout. The projections
34 are
3o positioned at the juncture between the spout 30 and the shoulder 20. The
spout, above
the projections, gradually tapers inwardly towards its distal end. The
projections 34
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are shaped so that the diameter A of the passage 32 at the projections 34 is
less than
the diameter B of the passage just downstream of the projections 34. The
diameter C
of the internal passage 32 at the tear line 46 may be greater than or less
than or equal ,
to the diameter A.
In the case of non-viscous fluids, it is preferred that the diameter A is '
approximately equal to between about one-third (1/3} to about one-half (1/2)
of the
diameter B and that the diameter C is approximately ten percent ( 10%) larger
than the
diameter A. In the case of viscous fluids or in cases where accurate delivery
of the
fluid is desired, it is desirable to dimension the spout 30 so that the
diameter C is less
to than or equal to the diameter A. In this case, fluid will travel along the
spout 30 with
relatively higher velocity but due to the small volume of fluid in the spout
as a result
of the projections 34, the desired controlled fluid flow exiting the spout is
achieved.
In this particular embodiment, the projections 34 have interior surfaces
34a which generally define arcs of a circle although it should be apparent to
those of
skill in the art that alternative shapes can be selected depending on the
fluid-flow
control that is desired. For example, Figures ld and Ie show alternative
projection
configurations. As can be seen, the interior surfaces 34a' of the projections
in Figure
1 d are generally "pear-shaped" and curve sharply below the diameter A and
gradually
above the diameter A. In Figure le, the interior surfaces 34a' of the
projections 34'
2o curve gradually below the diameter A and more sharply above the diameter A.
These
latter two projection configurations provide a delay before fluid exits the
spout 30' if
pressure is applied to the container body when the spout is open.
Before use, the spout 30 is typically deflated and the reservoir 14 holds
all of the fluid in the container 10. The spout 30 which acts as a straw may
be folded
over one of the sidewalls I 8 and attached to it with a small amount of
adhesive.
When it is desired to open the container I0, if the spout 30 is attached to a
sidewall
I8, it must be released from the sidewall by breaking the adhesive bond. To
open the
container 10 once the spout 30 has been released from the sidewall 18 if
necessary,
the distal end oFthe spout 30 is torn along the tear Line 46. Tearing of the
distal end of
3o spout 30 in this manner is facilitated by the slit 42. The pin-hole 44
helps to direct the
line of tearing when the tear is started via the slit 42.
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After this has been done, when it is desired to dispense fluid from the
reservoir 14 and pressure is applied to the body 12, the fluid in the
reservoir flows into
the passage 32 of the spout 30. The restricted area defined by the projections
34
represents a pressure increase zone while the area of the passage just
downstream of
the projections 34 represents a pressure drop zone. Fluid exiting the
reservoir 14 and
passing through the restricted area into the low pressure zone exits the
container 10
with a pressure drop as compared to the pressure at the restricted area
thereby giving
an individual more control over the velocity of out-flowing fluid. The inward
taper of
the spout 30 towards its open distal end results in an increase in pressure as
fluid
io flows along the spout 30 after passing through the restricted area. This
increase in
pressure helps to ensure that the spout 30 substantially fully inflates as
fluid flows
along the spout.
Referring now to Figure 2, an apparatus to create and fill containers 10
from a plastic sheet 50 is shown and is generally indicated to by reference
numeral 52.
The apparatus 52 folds the sheet and seals the sheet along heat seal Line 56
to form a
tube 58. The tube 58 is delivered around a fluid delivery conduit 54. Below
the fluid
delivery conduit 54 is a heat sealing machine. In this embodiment, the heat
sealing
machine includes a pair of vertically spaced heat sealing bars 59 configured
to form
transverse heat seals 60 in the tube 58 which define opposed sides of a
container 10,
and the opposed projection 34 within the container spout 30. Associated with
each
heat sealing bar 59 is a fluid displacement mechanism 62.
Initially, the heat sealing machine forms a heat seal 60 at the bottom of
the tube 58. Fluid to be held in the containers 10 is delivered to the tube 58
by the
fluid delivery conduit 54. As the tube 58 fills with fluid, the tube 58 is
advanced
towards the heat sealing machine so that successive heat seals 60 can be
formed
transversely across the tube 58. When the fluid-filled tube 58 reaches the
heat sealing
' machine, the fluid level in the tube is above the heat sealing bars 59 so
that the
containers 10 when formed will be completely filled with fluid and void of air
or other
gasses thereby extending the product life.
3o When the heat sealing machine is operated, the fluid displacement
mechanism 62 associated with the downstream heat sealing bar 59 is brought
into
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contact with the tube 58 to displace fluid in the tube 58. At this stage, the
downstream
heat sealing bar 59 is brought into contact with the tube S8 to form a
transverse heat
seal 60. Following this and shortly thereafter, the fluid displacement
mechanism 62
associated with the upstream heat sealing bar S9 is brought into contact with
the tube
58 to displace fluid in the tube 58. Shortly after this, the upstream heat
sealing bar 59
is brought into contact with the tube 58 to form a transverse heat seal 60 and
thereby
define the sides of a pair of fluid-filled containers 10. Thus, the fluid
displacement
mechanisms 62 and the heat sealing bars 59 are operated in succession in a
downstream to upstream direction. The fluid displacement mechanisms 62
displace
1o sufficient fluid so that after the containers 10 have been formed there is
sufficient
room to pinch the sides of the containers to make the containers self
supporting (as
will be described) and also so that the fluid level in the containers fills
only the
reservoir 14 creating a vacuum in the spout 30 causing it to deflate. This
allows the
spouts 30 to be folded over the bodies 12 and attached to the sidewalk 18.
Once the
heat seals 60 have been formed in the tube S8, the apparatus 52 advances the
tube to
allow the next pair of containers 10 to be formed.
In Figure 2, the dashed lines 6f represent the configuration of the heat
seals to be formed as the tube 58 advances towards the heat sealing machine.
If the
flexible material used to form the tube 58 is thin, the heat seals 60 may be
formed
using heat sealing bars which not only heat seal the tube 58 to define the
sides of a
pair of adjacent containers 10 but which also cut the tube 58 so that each
fluid-filled
container separates from the bottom of tube S8 as it is formed. The weight of
the
fluid-filled container of course assists the separation process. However, if
the flexible
material used to form the tube 58 is thick and/or is laminated, it is
preferred that the
heat sealing and cutting stages be performed' in a two-step process. In this
case, it is
preferred that heat sealing bars be used to form the heat seals 60 and that a
die-cut
operation be used to cut along the heat seals 60 to separate the containers
from the
tube 58. The heat sealing bars must of course be selected to form heat seals
which are
thick enough to accommodate the die-cutting operation without compromising the
3o integrity of the heat seals 60.
In order to minimize waste during formation of the containers 10 from
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the tube 58, the heat seals 60 are configured such that the relative lengths
of the spout
30 and body 12 of each container 10 are made equal and so that successive
containers
are interlocked and alternatively oriented in opposite directions. The heat
seals are
also configured so that the containers are tapered with the taper of the
bodies being
selected to correspond to the taper of the spouts. The taper of the bodies
allows the
sidewalls of the body to take a more upright orientation when the containers
are made
to be self supporting as will be described.
Although the apparatus 52 is shown forming the heat seal 56 so that the
heat seal traverses the containers 10 intermediate their ends after they have
been
l0 formed, the apparatus can of course form the heat seal 56 so that it
extends along the
tube 58 adjacent the ends of the heat seals 60. In this case, the heat seal 56
will
extend along the base of every other container and along the distal end of
spout of the
other containers.
To make the containers 10 self supporting after the containers have
been filled with fluid and separated from the tube 58, opposed sidewalls 18 of
the
container 10 are pushed inwardly and the bottom corners 70 of the body 12 are
flattened and pinched to form flattened triangular portions 72. Heat seals 74
are then
formed along the pinch lines and the triangular portions 72 are separated from
the
body along the heat seals 74 to create the rectangular base 16. Figures 4a to
4c best
2o illustrate the above described steps. The outwardly tapering sides of the
body 12
which exist after the fluid-filled container has been separated from the tube
58 and the
room created in the container due to the displacement of fluid, allow the
container 10
to be made self supporting while ensuring that the sidewalls 18 of the body 12
are
generally upright. If desired, the triangular portions 72 need not be removed
from the
body 12 but instead may be folded about the heat seals 74 to overlie the base
16 or
sidewalls 18 and may be attached to the base or sidewalk by adhesive or other
suitable means. The slit 42 and pin-hole 44 can be formed in the seam 45
either
before or after the container is made self supporting.
Because the containers are formed by transverse heat seals across the
3o tube 58 after the tube has been filled with fluid, the present method of
forming a fluid-
filled container is particularly suited to aseptic packaging.
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Although the process for creating the containers has been described as
using heat sealing bars to seal and either the heat sealing bars or a die-cut
operation to
separate a pair of containers from the end of the tube 58 as they are formed,
those of
skill in the art will appreciate that a heat sealing machine having multiple
pairs of heat
5 sealing bars may be used to form successive heat seals across the tube 58 to
partition
the end of the tube into a string of containers, each f lied with fluid.
Figure 3 shows
an apparatus 52' including two pairs of heat sealing bars 59' and four fluid
displacement mechanisms 62', each of which is associated with one of the heat
sealing
bars. When the fluid displacement mechanisms and heat sealing bars are
operated in
10 succession, four containers 10 are formed in the tube 58. In this case, as
the
containers 10 are formed and filled with fluid, they can be separated by the
heat
sealing bars or via a die-cutting operation. In the above cases, once the
multiple
containers have been formed, the tube 58' is advanced by an indexing mechanism
so
that another string of containers can be formed.
i5 Alternatively, if desired, the string of containers can be kept intact and
perforations can be formed along the heat seals 60' to allow the containers to
be
removed from the string at any desired time. In this case, the string of
containers will
typically be packaged and sold as a single unit.
Although the containers 10 have been described as having spouts and
2o bodies of equal length, the shape of the containers and the relative
lengths of the
bodies and spouts can of course be changed, although this will result in
wasted
material during the container formation process.
Referring now to Figures 5 and 6, another embodiment of a self
supporting container 10' and method of making the same is shown. In this
25 embodiment, the body i2' of the container more closely resembles a
rectangular
parallelepiped than that of the previous embodiment. This of course, allows
the
containers to be more closely packed and therefore requires less packaging and
shelf
space.
To achieve this body design, during formation of the heat seals, the
3o taper along the length of the spout 30' and the body 12' is removed. The
taper within
the spout 30' and the projections 34' at the junction between the body and
spout are
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11
formed in a secondary heat sealing operation as illustrated by the dotted
Iines in
Figure 6. To make the container 10' self supporting and to avoid inwardly
tapering
sidewalls, opposed sides of the body at their tops and bottoms are pushed
inwardly
and the corners of the sidewalls at the tops and bottoms are flattened and
pinched to
form triangular portions. Heat seals are then formed along the pinch lines and
the
triangular portions are either removed from the body or folded over and
adhered to the
sidewalls and/or base of the body. In this case the fluid displacement
mechanisms
displace sufficient fluid to provide room in the body 12' to accommodate these
steps.
Referring now to Figure 7, yet another embodiment of a container for
l0 fluids is shown and is generally indicated by reference numeral 110. In
this
embodiment, like reference numerals will be used to indicate like components
with a
"100" added for clarity. In this embodiment, the restricted area in the
passage I32 of
the spout 130 is defined by an obstruction 134. The obstruction defines a pair
of fluid
flow paths 135 on opposite sides of the obstruction. The obstruction 134
resembles an
inverted wing when viewed in bottom plan. Unlike the previous embodiment, the
passage 132 has a generally constant diameter downstream of the obstruction
134.
Similar to the previous embodiment, when it is desired to dispense
fluid from the reservoir 114 after the distal end of the spout 130 has been
torn opened,
pressure is applied to the body 112 causing fluid to flow from the reservoir
into the
2o spout 130. As fluid exits the reservoir 114, the fluid enters an increased
pressure zone
as it travels along flow paths 135. As the fluid passes by the obstruction, it
immediately enters a low pressure zone to provide out-flowing fluid velocity
control.
The configuration of the obstruction 134 is such that drag is created
immediately
downstream of the obstruction. As a result, the drag helps to inflate the
spout 130
obviating the need for the spout to be inwardly tapered.
Referring now to Figure 8 still yet another embodiment of a fluid-filled
container is shown and is generally indicated to by reference numeral 210. In
this
embodiment Iike reference numerals will be used to indicate like components
with a
"200" added for clarity. Container 2I0 is very similar to that of Figure 1 a
except that
during formation of the container, the spout 230 is generally triangular and
comes to a
point at its distal end. Near the distal end of the spout, a heat seal 300 is
formed in the
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12
spout and projects partially into the internal passage 232. The heat seal 300
and seam
245 accommodate a slit 242 and a pin-hole 244 to facilitate tearing of the
spout 230
along tear line 250.
As one of skill in the art will appreciate, the present invention provides
S advantages in that by reducing the pressure of fluid in the spout after it
exits the
reservoir, better out-flowing fluid velocity control is achieved while
ensuring that the
spout substantially fully inflates. It has been found that in the container
disclosed in
Applicant's U.S. Patent No. 5,378,065, in some instances, the spout does not
inflate
when fluid passes through the restricted area into the spout. In this case,
liquid entering
the spout from the reservoir follows a path having a diameter basically the
same as that
of the restricted area. When this occurs, the desired pressure drop at the
downstream
side of the restriction does not occur.
The present invention also provides advantages in that by forming
alternatively oriented, interlocked containers in a tube, fluid-filled
containers can be
formed with virtually no wasted material.
Although the container 10 has been described as being self supporting, it
should be appreciated that the containers need not be made self supporting. In
this
instance, the sides of the container need not be tapered. Also, although the
heat sealing
bars have been described as being configured to define the projections 34, it
should be
apparent that these projections 34 can be formed in a secondary heat sealing
operation.
Furthermore, those of skill in the art will appreciate that other suitable
processes to form
the seals across the tube can be used and are well within the scope of the
present
invention. It should also be realized that variations and modifications may be
made to
the present invention without departing from the scope thereof as defined by
the
appended claims.
