BEVERAGE CONTAINER

Abstract

A beverage container and method for making the same is disclosed. The beverage container may include a flexible stand-up pouch consisting essentially of polyester and polyethylene. The pouch may have two wall panels with a corner section cut out to form a slanted edge. A push-pull fitment may be disposed within the pouch to extend from the slanted edge thereof.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation of copending patent application, Ser. No. 10/752,631, filed Jan. 7, 2004, entitled “BEVERAGE CONTAINER,” the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present disclosure relates generally to beverage containers, and more particularly to a collapsible beverage pouch with a push-pull fitment.

2. Background

Flexible containers made from paperboard or metal foil are often used to package various beverages for retail distribution. These flexible containers are often packaged with a separate straw wrapped in cellophane and secured to the outside of the container. The straw may be removed by the consumer and used to puncture a sealed spout as the straw is inserted into the container. Once the straw is inserted, the consumer may withdraw the beverage from the container.

The use of a straw secured to a beverage container has numerous drawbacks. Packaging a straw together with the container can be costly and inefficient, requiring not only an additional manufacturing step to make the straw and cellophane wrap, but yet another manufacturing step to wrap the straw with the cellophane and secure it to the container. When the consumer uses the straw, the cellophane wrap is discarded, resulting in waste. The insertion of the straw through the sealed spout into the container can also be difficult, and often results in the beverage squirting up through the spout. If the entire beverage is not consumed, then it will go to waste for there is no easy way to reseal the spout once it is punctured. Moreover, the straw is prone to dislodge from the container before use, making the consumption of the beverage very difficult, if not impossible.

Accordingly, there is a need for a beverage container that is commercially viable to produce for retail distribution. The beverage container should not require the use of a straw to consume the beverage and should have a mechanism to reseal the container in the event that the beverage is not completely consumed.

SUMMARY

In one aspect of the present invention, a beverage container includes a flexible stand-up pouch consisting essentially of polyester and polyethylene. The pouch includes two wall panels with a corner section cut out to form a slanted edge. A push-pull fitment extends from the slanted edge of the pouch.

In another aspect of the present invention, a beverage container includes a flexible stand-up pouch consisting essentially of polyester and polyethylene. The pouch includes a base, and two wall panels joined to the base, with the wall panels being peripherally sealed to one another along two opposing lateral edges and a top edge so as to define an interior region suitable for containing a beverage. The top edge includes a slanted edge portion with a push-pull fitment extending therefrom.

In another aspect of the present invention, a beverage container includes a flexible stand-up pouch consisting essentially of polyester and polyethylene. The pouch includes first and second lateral edges and a top edge having first and second portions, the first portion being substantially perpendicular to the first lateral edge, and the second portion extending from the first portion to the second lateral edge so as to form an obtuse angle between the first and second portions and an obtuse angle between the second portion and the second lateral edge. A push-pull fitment extends from the second portion of the top edge.

It is understood that other embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein various embodiments of the invention are shown and described by way of illustration. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments and its several details are capable of modification in various other respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a beverage container with a flexible stand-up pouch;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic vertical section of a flexible stand-up pouch with a base in the collapsed position;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of a flexible stand-up pouch with a base in the collapsed position;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a flexible stand-up pouch with a base in the expanded position;

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-section view of a push-pull fitment in the closed position with portions broken away;

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-section view of a push-pull fitment in the open position with portions broken away; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a horizontal in-line machine that may be used to form, seal and fill a beverage container in an automated fashion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the present invention may be practiced. Each embodiment described in this disclosure is provided merely as an example or illustration of the present invention, and should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a beverage container having a flexible stand-up pouch 102. The pouch may be constructed with two wall panels 104 with a corner section cut out at the top of the pouch 102 to form a slanted edge 106. A push-pull fitment 108 extending from the slanted edge 106 may be used by the consumer to dispense the beverage from the pouch 102. The term “push-pull fitment” means a fitment having a cap that moves up and down a stem to open and close the fitment. By way of example, a cap 110 shown in FIG. 1 may be “pulled” up the stem 112 to open the fitment 108 and “pushed” down the stem 112 to close the fitment 108.

In at least one embodiment of the beverage container, the push-pull fitment 108 may be formed with a tamper-evident seal. This may be achieved during the manufacturing process by heat-sealing the bottom portion of the cap 110 to the stem 112 with the fitment 104 in the closed position. The tamper-evident seal may be broken by the consumer by simply twisting the cap 110.

The physical dimensions of the pouch 102 may vary depending on manufacturing preferences and the particular application. For retail distribution of beverage drinks, commercial viability may best be served with a small, lightweight construction. By way of example, the wall panels 104 may have a lateral height of 160 mm and a horizontal length of 110 mm. The slanted edge 106 may be formed at 45° angle for easy consumption of the beverage from the pouch 102 through the push-pull fitment 108.

The lightweight construction of the beverage container may be achieved by selecting the appropriate material. By way of example, the pouch 102 may be formed from a polyester, polyethylene laminate. The polyethylene layer may provide a heat-sealable interior lining for the pouch 102. Because the polyester does not shrink during the heat-sealing process, various aesthetic features and written materials may be printed on the polyester layer before the pouch 102 is constructed without experiencing distortion during the heat-sealing process. The thickness of the polyester film may be about 12 microns and the thickness of the polyethylene may be about 90 microns. Other material thicknesses may be used where appropriate.

The pouch 102 may be constructed with a collapsible base joined to the two wall panels 104. FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic vertical section of a pouch with the base collapsed, and FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the same pouch with the base collapsed. In the collapsed form, the base may be formed with a gusset panel 202 interposed and folded inwardly between the two wall panels 104. Each section of the gusset panel 202a and 202b may be joined to one of the panel walls 104 with a “bottom” seal 204 and two oblique seals 206. For the purposes of this disclosure, the “bottom” of the pouch will refer to the base portion of the pouch 102 regardless of the orientation of the pouch. The gusset panel construction allows the base to be expanded to support the pouch 102 in a standing or upright position with a generally elliptical unsealed area 208 inward of the bottom and oblique seals 204 and 206 as shown in FIG. 4. An example of this type of gusset panel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,380,646, entitled Container of Plastic Material and Method of Producing the Same, the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Referring to FIGS. 2-4, the two wall panels 104 may be fastened to one another by lateral seals 210 so as to define an interior region suitable for containing the beverage. An opening at the “top” of the wall panels 104 establishes communication between the pouch interior region and the exterior of the pouch. The opening may be adapted to receive the push-pull fitment along the slanted edge 106. For the purposes of this disclosure, the “top” of the pouch will refer to the edge of the pouch 102 having the fitment regardless of the orientation of the pouch. Once the push-pull fitment is secured between the two wall panels 104, the pouch 102 may be filled with a beverage through the top, and then the two wall panels 104 may be fastened together with a top seal 212.

An example of a push-pull fitment 108 is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a partial cross-section view of the fitment in the closed position with portions broken away, and FIG. 6 is a partial cross-section view of the fitment in the open position with portions broken away. The fitment 108 may be molded from a polymeric material, such as high density polyethylene, which is suitable to be sealed between the two wall panels. The fitment 108 may include a body 502 and a cap 504.

The body 502 may be formed with a hollow base 506 having generally a canoe-shaped configuration with an open bottom 510, a top deck 512, and two side walls 514 converging at two opposing ends. Each side wall 514 may have a series of spaced ribs 516 which may be heat sealed to a corresponding wall panel of the pouch.

The body 502 may also include the stem 112, which may be a hollow annular body positioned on the top deck 512 and aligned with the base 506 so as to form a dispensing passage that extends through the fitment 108. The stem 112 may include a bottom flange 520 and an annular channel 524 bound by an upper flange 526 and a bottom portion 522 of the stem 112. A closure plug 528 extending above the stem 112 may be anchored to the interior portion of the stem 112 with a number of circumferentially spaced upwardly and angularly extending legs 529.

The cap 504 may be formed with a hollow annular wall 530 and a top portion 532 with a central opening 534. The interior portion of the annular wall 530 may include an inward annular flange 536. An interior annular ring 538 may extend downward from the top portion 532 of the cap 504. The ring 540 in combination with the upper portion of the interior annular wall 530 form an annular channel adapted to receive the stem 112.

The cap 504 may be positioned on the body 502 of the fitment 104 so that the annular flange 536 extending inward from the interior of the annular wall 530 of the cap 504 slideably engages the annular channel 524 of the stem 112. The fitment 108 may be closed by moving the cap 504 down the stem 112 of the fitment 108 until the annular flange 536 extending inward from the interior of the annular wall 530 of the cap hits the bottom portion 522 of the stem 112, thus forcing the closure plug 528 into the central opening 534 of the cap 504 as shown in FIG. 5. With the closure plug 528 lodged into the central opening 534 of the cap 504, the beverage in the interior pouch region is completely sealed off from the exterior of the pouch. The bottom portion 522 of the stem 112 acts as a stopper limiting the downward movement of the cap 504 on the stem 112.

The fitment may be opened by moving the cap 504 up the stem 112 until the annular flange 536 extending inward from the annular wall 530 of the cap 504 hits the upper flange 526 of the stem 112, thus removing the closure plug 528 from the central opening 534 of the cap 504 and establishing communication between the pouch interior region and the exterior of the pouch through the central opening 534 of the cap 504 at the end of the dispensing passage. The fitment in the opened position is shown in FIG. 6. The upper flange 526 acts as a stopper limiting the upward movement of the cap 504 on the stem 112.

The collapsible beverage pouch may be fabricated in any number of ways, including manually or through an automated process. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a horizontal in-line machine 702 that may be used to form, seal, and fill the pouch in an automated fashion.

The horizontal in-line machine 702 may be configured to continuously feed flat sheets of pouch material into a pouch forming plough 710 from a single roll of the pouch material 706. The forming plough 710 may be used to form the gusset panel and then fold the sheet lengthwise.

Once the sheet is formed, the horizontal in-line machine 702 may perform a number of steps to seal and separate the sheets into individual pouches. A bottom seal unit 712 may be used to provide the bottom and oblique seals by pressing the pouch material together in each section of the gusset panel using hot iron bars or other similar device that binds the polyethylene interior lining together. A side seal unit 714 following the bottom seal unit 712 may be used to provide the lateral seals by pressing the pouch together with hot iron bars or similar device that extends the height of the wall panels and base of the pouch. A cutting unit 716 may follow the side seal unit 714 to cut the sheet into individual pouches. The cutting unit 716 may be implemented with a pair of vertically spaced scissors or blades. In at least one embodiment, the side seal unit 712 and the cutting unit 714 may be integrated so that both operations may be performed in a single step. Either way, the cut pouches may be fed into a cooling unit 718 to cure the heat seals.

Once the pouches are separated and sealed, a fitment may be fixed to each pouch. A corner cutting unit 720 may be used to remove a corner from each pouch. The corner cutting unit 720 may be implemented with a blade angled at 450 or other suitable angle. Once the corner of the pouch is removed, the pouch may be fed to a suction cup 722 to open the pouch before the fitment is attached by the fitment insertion unit 724. A fitment feeder unit 726 may be positioned above the fitment insertion unit 724. The fitment feeder unit 726 may include a container 728 which ejects fitments onto a track 730. The track 730 may be used to guide the fitment from the container 728 to the pouch so as to align the base of the fitment with the cut-away corner section of the pouch between the two wall panel. Once the fitment is aligned, the pouch may be forwarded to a fitment welding unit 732. The fitment welding unit 732 may use two heated iron bars to press the two wall panels of the pouch against opposing sides of the fitment base. The fitment welding unit 732 may also be used to heat seal the bottom of the cap 110 to the stem 112 to provide a tamper-evident fitment.

Once the fitment is fixed to the pouch, the horizontal in-line machine 702 may be used to fill the pouch. A blowing cone 734, following the fitment welding unit 732, may be used to open the top of the pouch before being fed to a filling station 736. The filling station 736 may be used to fill the pouch with a beverage.

Once the pouch is filled, it is ready to be completely sealed. The filled pouch may be fed to a stretching unit 738, which may be used to elongate the pouch and drive the air out of the pouch before being fed to a top seal unit 740. The top seal unit 740 may be used to heat seal the top of the pouch using a pair of hot horizontal iron bars applied to the top of the opposing wall panels. The finished product may then be deposited on an outlet conveyer unit 742.

The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A beverage container, comprising:

a flexible stand-up pouch consisting essentially of polyester and polyethylene, the pouch having two wall panels with a corner section cut out to form a slanted edge; and

a push-pull fitment extending from the slanted edge of the pouch.

2. The beverage container of claim 1 wherein the push-pull fitment comprises a tamper-evident fitment.

3. The beverage container of claim 2 wherein the tamper-evident fitment comprises a stem and a cap heat-sealed to the stem.

4. The beverage container of claim 1 further comprising a collapsible base joined to the wall panels.

5. The beverage container of claim 4 wherein the collapsible base is integral with the wall panels.

6. The beverage container of claim 4 wherein the collapsible base comprises a flexible gusset panel, the gusset panel being interposed and folded inwardly between the wall panels when the base is collapsed, the gusset panel being joined to the wall panels with a plurality of seals to form a generally elliptical unsealed area inward of the seals when the base is expanded.

7. A beverage container, comprising:

a flexible stand-up pouch consisting essentially polyester and polyethylene, the pouch having a base, and two wall panels joined to the base, the wall panels being peripherally sealed to one another along two opposing lateral edges and a top edge so as to define an interior region suitable for containing a beverage, the top edge having a slanted edge portion; and

a push-pull fitment extending from the slanted edge portion of the top edge.

8. The beverage container of claim 7 wherein the push-pull fitment comprises a tamper-evident fitment.

9. The beverage container of claim 8 wherein the tamper-evident fitment comprises a stem and a cap heat-sealed to the stem.

10. The beverage container of claim 7 wherein the base is collapsible.

11. The beverage container of claim 10 wherein the collapsible base is integral with the wall panels.

12. The beverage container of claim 10 wherein the collapsible base comprises a flexible gusset panel, the gusset panel being interposed and folded inwardly between the wall panels when the base is collapsed, the gusset panel being joined to the wall panels with a plurality of seals to form a generally elliptical unsealed area inward of the seals when the base is expanded.

13. A beverage container, comprising:

a flexible stand-up pouch consisting essentially of polyester and polyethylene, the pouch having first and second lateral edges and a top edge having first and second portions, the first portion being substantially perpendicular to the first lateral edge, and the second portion extending from the first portion to the second lateral edge so as to form an obtuse angle between the first and second portions and an obtuse angle between the second portion and the second lateral edge; and

a push-pull fitment extending from the second portion of the dispensing edge.

14. The beverage container of claim 13 wherein the push-pull fitment comprises a tamper-evident fitment.

15. The beverage container of claim 14 wherein the tamper-evident fitment comprises a body and a cap heat-sealed to the body.

16. The beverage container of claim 13 further comprising a collapsible base.