Abstract: Package having a flexible inner sheet having a first surface and a second surface. The package has an article reservoir for accepting an article to be shipped. The expansion chambers can be inflated or otherwise expanded to provide structure to the package and to protect the article in the article reservoir. The inner sheet of the package includes a shrinkable material that can be activated to immobilize articles disposed in the article reservoir.

Abstract: A shipping package having a flexible inner sheet having a first surface and a second surface. The package has an article reservoir for accepting an article to be shipped and one or more expansion chambers. The expansion chambers can be inflated or otherwise expanded to provide structure to the package and to protect the article in the article reservoir.

Abstract: A container blank having an article handling feature for handling the container blank as well as the flexible packages made therefrom during manufacture, and method of making flexible packages using such a feature are described herein. Also described herein is an array of flexible packages containing a common article handling feature provided by such a method.

Abstract: Method for making blow molded articles having a predetermined feature incorporated into the wall provided by variations in the thickness of the wall of the article corresponding to a predetermined pattern etched into the preform from which the article was formed.

Abstract: A container including a longitudinal overlapping seam extending from an end seam and a mold part line extending from the closed end of the container to the open end of the container. The container wall consists of a one-piece thermoplastic substrate.

Abstract: A package having a flexible inner sheet having a first surface and a second surface. The package has an article reservoir for accepting an article to be shipped. The expansion chambers can be inflated or otherwise expanded to provide structure to the package and to protect the article in the article reservoir. The package also includes an external wrap surrounding at least a portion of the package to provide a relatively planar outwardly-facing surface.

Abstract: An inflation feature for a shipping package, an inflation rig assembly for inflating a shipping package, and a method of inflating a shipping package. The method includes providing an inflation feature and an inflation rig assembly with corresponding alignment features, positioning the inflation feature of a shipping package, in an uninflated state, on to the inflation rig assembly in a first position, moving the inflation rig assembly to a second position, such that the shipping package is in fluid communication with an expansion material source, and inflating the shipping package to an inflated state.

Abstract: Method of making a blow molded article from a preform including: a) providing a preform of a thermoplastic material having a plurality of effect structures each having an effect surface having a normal with an orientation, the preform having a body with one or more walls and an opening, wherein at least a portion of the one or more walls of the preform has a three-dimensional pattern of cavities and/or protrusions thereon; and b) blow molding the preform to form a blow molded article, wherein the step of blow molding the preform changes the orientation of the normal of at least some of the effect surfaces of the effect structures to create a visual effect in at least one wall of the blow molded article.

Abstract: Method of making a blow molded article from a preform including: a) providing a preform of a thermoplastic material having a plurality of effect structures each having an effect surface having a normal with an orientation, the preform having a body with one or more walls and an opening, wherein at least a portion of the one or more walls of the preform has a three-dimensional pattern of cavities and/or protrusions thereon; and b) blow molding the preform to form a blow molded article, wherein the step of blow molding the preform changes the orientation of the normal of at least some of the effect surfaces of the effect structures to create a visual effect in at least one wall of the blow molded article.

Abstract: A shipping package and method of making a shipping package having a flexible inner sheet having a first surface and a second surface. The method includes providing one or more sheets of flexible material, joining the sheet(s) to form an article reservoir for accepting an article to be shipped, one or more expansion chambers, and an article retrieval feature. The expansion chambers can be inflated or otherwise expanded to provide structure to the package and to protect the article in the article reservoir.

Abstract: A method for performing a task in registration with a discrete seal in at least one material is described herein. The method involves simultaneously forming a discrete seal and a fiducial/eye mark in the at least one material. The method includes providing a detection device; providing a unit operation mechanism; and performing an operation on the material(s) in registration with the discrete seal. The task performed in registration with the discrete seal is based upon the location of the eye mark that was simultaneously formed with the discrete seal. A method of making flexible containers using cutting to form the outer periphery of the packages is described herein. Also described herein are flexible containers and container blanks made by such a method.

Abstract: Methods of making flexible containers that include structural support frames, including methods for sealing such containers.

Abstract: Non-durable self-supporting flexible containers with easily variable sizing. Line ups of flexible containers have similar sizes, shapes, and constructions, but hold differing amounts of fluent product at unexpected fill heights.

Abstract: A flexible package having first, second, and third flexible material layers, with the second flexible material layer being disposed between the first and third flexible material layers; a product receiving chamber having a product receiving chamber outer circumference defined by the first flexible material layer; a plurality of spaced first seals disposed around a package circumference, the first seals sealing the first, second and third flexible material layers together; a plurality of spaced second seals disposed around the product receiving chamber outer circumference, the second seals sealing the second and third flexible material layers together; a plurality of inner expansion chambers, each one of the plurality of chambers being defined between adjacent ones of the first seals; and a plurality of outer expansion chambers, each one of the plurality of chambers being defined between a second seal and an immediately adjacent first seal.

Abstract: In methods of making disposable, flexible containers for fluent products, methods of sealing the flexible containers when such containers include expansion materials, are disclosed. The methods include forming a partially completed container blank that has layers of flexible materials. The layered structure includes a first space for a fluent product, and a second space for an expansion material. The methods of sealing the flexible containers include adding an expansion material into the second space and pressing parts of at least some of the layers together to close off the second space.

Abstract: A container formed of a common one-piece multilayer thermoplastic substrate. The container wall has an outer layer and an adjacent underlying layer. And the underlying layer has a colorant visible through the outer layer. The colorant in the underlying layer can be one or more pigments and or one or more dyes.

Abstract: A container formed of a common one-piece thermoplastic substrate. The container has an overlapping seam having an overlap magnitude. At a location that is five times the overlap magnitude away from the overlapping seam, the container wall has a container wall Opacity less than about 50%. At a corresponding position along the overlapping sea, the overlapping seam has a seam Opacity that is less than 200% of the container wall Opacity.

Abstract: Method of making a blow molded article from a preform including: a) providing a preform of a thermoplastic material having a plurality of effect structures each having an effect surface having a normal with an orientation, the preform having a body with one or more walls and an opening, wherein at least a portion of the one or more walls of the preform has a three-dimensional pattern of cavities and/or protrusions thereon; and b) blow molding the preform to form a blow molded article, wherein the step of blow molding the preform changes the orientation of the normal of at least some of the effect surfaces of the effect structures to create a visual effect in at least one wall of the blow molded article.

Abstract: Method for making blow molded articles having a predetermined feature incorporated into the wall provided by variations in the thickness of the wall of the article corresponding to a predetermined pattern etched into the preform from which the article was formed.

Abstract: Blow molded articles having a predetermined feature incorporated into the wall provided by variations in the thickness of the wall of the article corresponding to a predetermined pattern etched into the perform from which the article was formed. Also, etched performs for making blow molded articles and methods for making such performs and articles.