Flexible Pouches for Goods on a Roll

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a flexible pouch containing goods on a roll. The flexible pouch comprises a first flexible side wall, a second flexible side wall, a third flexible side wall, and a fourth flexible side wall. Adjacent flexible side walls are attached to one another to define the flexible pouch. At least two rolls of goods are located within the flexible pouch. A gusseted bottom is provided in the flexible pouch, a seal extending across the flexible pouch securing the bottom end of the flexible pouch. A gusseted top may also be provided in the flexible pouch with a seal extending across the flexible pouch securing the top end of the flexible pouch.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a nonprovisional utility patent application claiming priority to provisional application Ser. No. 61/847,908 filed Jul. 18, 2013, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to improvements in the construction and configuration of a product container for goods, particularly goods on a roll such as trash bags provided in interleaved or perforated configurations.

2. Description of the Related Art

Product containers serve several functions in the retail marketplace. One important function of a product container can be to communicate information to a consumer about the product itself. Product containers can also provide a sealed, portable package for the product, ensuring that the product has not been tampered with or otherwise disturbed since packaging. In some cases, product containers also serve as a convenient, transportable package for the product, especially when handles are provided for carrying the product container.

Numerous other considerations are also taken into account when designing and selecting product containers for a particular product. Certain product containers may serve as a dispenser, enabling a consumer to store the product in the container and permitting dispensing of individual products or items when needed. Such dispensing containers are available in a variety of configurations depending on the specific product to be packaged. Additionally, merchandising and logistical concerns may also necessitate that the product container be capable of being easily stacked, or palletized, in a finite amount of space without crushing under the weight of the stacked product.

Product containers come in a myriad of shapes and sizes. Product containers are often comprised of a combination of various cardboard material, rigid plastic material, and flexible plastic wrap. The materials selected for constructing the product container, taking into the account the rigidity, toughness, and other properties of a particular grade of material selected, address the various needs described above in addition to other considerations. Additionally, product container selection and design requires that the foregoing needs be balanced while also attempting to minimize the cost and weight of the product container.

Flexible pouches are one type of product container that are particularly useful in certain contexts. Flexible pouches are particularly relevant to the present invention, by providing unique advantages in the context of rolled goods. Flexible pouches have been used extensively with bulk goods, particularly food products, as well as dispensing flat-folded products. For example, products such as cleaning wipes have been available in a flat-folded configuration sold in flexible pouches with a reclosable portion allowing access to the flat-folded cleaning wipes.

In view of the considerations discussed above, the invention disclosed herein is particularly advantageous when a pouch is used with products arranged in an interleaved or perforated roll configuration. One specific example of a roll of product that can be used as part of the present invention is one or more rolls of trash bags, particularly an interleaved roll of trash bags as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,048,224, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. In other instances, the individual trash bags are still partially joined, typically by perforations, when provided in the rolled configuration. In view of the foregoing, the present invention addresses some important considerations detailed above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a flexible pouch for products on a roll. Embodiments of the present invention involve a flexible pouch sealed along four corners extending parallel with the axis of the rolled products. In some embodiments, the bottom ends of the flexible pouches are gusseted, folded, and sealed to provide a substantially flat bottom. Similarly, in some embodiments, the top ends of the flexible pouches are gusseted, folded, and sealed to provide a substantially flat top panel. In some embodiments of the present invention, the top ends of the flexible pouches are gusseted and sealed and may optionally be provided with a handle to facilitate carrying of the flexible pouch.

It is contemplated that the present invention may be utilized in ways that are not fully described or set forth herein. The present invention is intended to encompass these additional uses. Therefore, the present invention should be given the broadest reasonable interpretation in view of the present disclosure and the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED DRAWINGS

A full and complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the detailed description of the present invention and certain embodiments when viewed with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings can be briefly described as follows.

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 depicts a front elevation view of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 depicts a side elevation view of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 depicts a top elevation view of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 depicts a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 depicts a front elevation view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 depicts a side elevation view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 depicts a top elevation view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 depicts a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 depicts a front elevation view of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 depicts a side elevation view of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 depicts a top elevation view of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 depicts a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 depicts a front elevation view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 depicts a side elevation view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 depicts a top elevation view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure illustrates several embodiments of the present invention. However, it is not intended to provide an illustration or encompass all embodiments contemplated by the present invention. In view of the disclosure of the present invention contained herein, a person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that innumerable modifications and insubstantial changes may be incorporated or otherwise included within the present invention without diverging from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is understood that the present invention is not limited to those embodiments disclosed herein.

Looking at FIG. 1, a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention is depicted. FIG. 2 depicts an elevation view from the front of the first embodiment, while FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 depict side and top views, respectively. Specifically, the first embodiment of the present invention is a flexible pouch 100 preferably containing two goods on a roll. For illustrative purposes, in certain embodiments of the present invention, the two rolls of goods are rolls of trash bags. In some embodiments, each roll of trash bags may comprise a plurality of trash bags which are individually separated and wound into an interleaved roll. In other embodiments, the roll of trash bags may comprise a plurality of trash bags which are attached to adjacent trash bags by perforations, the series of trash bags wound into a continuous roll.

In the first embodiment, like other embodiments, the flexible pouch 100 may be a quad-seal flexible pouch, wherein corner seal 102, corner seal 104, corner seal 106, and corner seal 108 (hidden in the various view) define the outer, vertical corners of the flexible pouch. In between corner seal 102 and corner seal 104 is side panel 114 while side panel 116 (hidden from view) is between corner seal 106 and corner seal 108. The front panel 110 is between corner seal 104 and corner seal 106 while back panel 112 is between corner seal 102 and corner seal 108. In the depicted embodiment, the flexible pouch 100 has a perforated tear-out portion 120 located in the middle of front panel 110.

The perforated tear-out portion 120 can be removed from the front panel, partially or in whole, to allow access to the roll of goods disposed within the flexible pouch 100. In this specific depicted embodiment, the centrally located perforated tear-out portion 120 allows for easy access to both rolls of goods within the flexible pouch 100. Additionally, the size of the tear-out portion must be sufficient to allow for flexible rolled goods, such as trash bags, to dispense easily out of the opening.

A perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention is depicted in FIG. 5. FIG. 6, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8 provide a front, side, and top elevation view, respectively, of this second embodiment. In this embodiment, the flexible pouch 200 is identical to the previously described first embodiment except the second embodiment lacks a perforated tear-out portion 120. Instead, a perforated flap 230 is provided. The perforated flap 230 is perforated on three sides, but connected to the front panel along corner seal 104. In some embodiments, the perforated flap 230 can also be provided with a sticker 232 that can serve several different functions. In some embodiments, the sticker 232 may be a resealable sticker that is provided with a permanent adhesive in the area of the perforated flap 230 but has an adhesive that allows the sticker to be removed and reattached to the remainder of the front panel 110 that is not part of the perforated flap 230. The perforated flap 230 can thus be opened to allow access to the rolls of goods contained within the flexible pouch 200, while the sticker 232, if resealable, may allow the perforated flap 230 to be maintained in a substantially closed position when not accessing the goods within the flexible pouch 200.

A perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention is depicted in FIG. 9. FIG. 10, FIG. 11, and FIG. 12 provide a front, side, and top elevation view, respectively, of this third embodiment. In this embodiment, the flexible pouch 300 is identical to the previously described first embodiment except that the top end of the flexible pouch 300 is not sealed down to be substantially flat. Instead, the top end of the flexible pouch 300 is gusseted and sealed to provide an upward extending fin 330 in the flexible pouch 300. Moreover, in some embodiments, the flexible fin 330 may have a handle cut-out 332 to allow easy carrying of the flexible pouch 300.

A perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention is depicted in FIG. 13. FIG. 14, FIG. 15, and FIG. 16 provide a front, side, and top elevation view, respectively, of this fourth embodiment. In this embodiment, the flexible pouch 400 is identical to the previously described second embodiment except that the top end of the flexible pouch 400 is not sealed down to be substantially flat. Instead, the top end of the flexible pouch 400 is gusseted and sealed to provide an upward extending fin 330 in the flexible pouch 400. Moreover, in some embodiments, the flexible fin 330 may have a handle cut-out 332 to allow easy carrying of the flexible pouch 400.

It is emphasized that the specific embodiments depicted herein are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Indeed, it is contemplated that any number of different embodiments may be utilized without diverging from the spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A flexible pouch containing goods on a roll comprising:

a flexible pouch comprising: a first flexible side wall, a second flexible side wall, a third flexible side wall, and a fourth flexible side wall, each of the respective flexible side walls having a first vertical side edge, a second vertical side edge, a top edge and a bottom edge, the first flexible side wall sealed to the second flexible wall wherein the second vertical side edge of the first flexible side wall is coterminous with a first vertical side edge of the second flexible side wall, the second flexible side wall sealed to the third flexible wall wherein the second vertical side edge of the second flexible side wall is coterminous with a first vertical side edge of the third flexible side wall, the third flexible side wall sealed to the fourth flexible wall wherein the second vertical side edge of the third flexible side wall is coterminous with a first vertical side edge of the fourth flexible side wall, and the fourth flexible side wall sealed to the first flexible wall wherein the second vertical side edge of the second flexible side wall is coterminous with a first vertical side edge of the third flexible side wall,

a first roll of goods and a second roll of goods, the first roll of goods and the second roll of goods located within the flexible pouch,

the flexible pouch further comprising: a gusseted top above the first and second roll of goods, wherein an upper seal extends across the flexible pouch sealing together the first flexible side wall, the second flexible side wall, the third flexible side wall, and the fourth flexible side wall, and a gusseted bottom below the first and second roll of goods, wherein a lower seal extends across the flexible pouch sealing together the first flexible side wall, the second flexible side wall, the third flexible side wall, and the fourth flexible side wall.

2. The flexible pouch of claim 1 further comprising:

the gusseted bottom of the flexible pouch is flattened wherein a distal end of the gusseted bottom is bonded to one of the flexible side walls to provide a substantially flat bottom surface of the flexible pouch.

3. The flexible pouch of claim 2 further comprising:

the gusseted top of the flexible pouch is flattened wherein a distal end of the gusseted top is bonded to one of the flexible side walls to provide a substantially flat top surface of the flexible pouch.

4. The flexible pouch of claim 1 further comprising:

the gusseted top of the flexible pouch is flattened and a handle is provided in the gusseted top of the flexible pouch.

5. The flexible pouch of claim 1 further comprising:

a series of perforations provided in a first flexible side wall, the series of perforations defining a detachable access flap, wherein the first and second rolls of goods are accessible through an access hole created when the detachable access flap is separated along the series of perforations.

6. The flexible pouch of claim 5 further comprising:

the detachable access flap is substantially trapezoidal, the series of perforations extending along a first, second, and third side of the substantially trapezoidal detachable access flap such that a fourth side of the substantially trapezoidal detachable access flap remains hingedly connected to the flexible pouch.

7. The flexible pouch of claim 6 further comprising:

a adhesive sticker provided at a distal end of the detachable access flap, the adhesive sticker spanning the detachable access flap and a remainder of the first flexible side wall, the adhesive sticker having a permanent adhesive bond to the detachable access flap and a removable adhesive bond to the remainder of the first flexible side wall, such that the removable adhesive bond can be reattached to the remainder of the first flexible side wall after removal.

8. The flexible pouch of claim 5 further comprising:

the detachable access flap is defined by the series of perforations in the first flexible side wall such that the detachable access flap may be permanently removed.

9. The flexible pouch of claim 1 further comprising:

the first roll of goods is an interleaved roll of trash bags, and

the second roll of goods is an interleaved roll of trash bags.

10. The flexible pouch of claim 1 further comprising:

the first roll of goods is a perforated roll of trash bags, and

the second roll of goods is a perforated roll of trash bags.