SELF-STANDING POUCH

Abstract

A self-standing pouch is provided. The pouch includes a pouch body and a flap. The flap is disposed beneath the pouch body. The flap may be folded so as to form a generally planar surface disposed at the bottom of the pouch. The planar surface is operable to support the pouch in a generally upright manner. The pouch may include a fitment and a pair of gussets. The fitment may be disposed at the top of the pouch, or on a portion of the pouch body. The fitment is operable to provide access to the pouch contents. The gussets help the pouch expand during pouch filling operations and as contents of the flap are displaced into the pouch body when the flap is folded to form the planar surface.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 61/407,272 filed on Oct. 27, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Flexible pouches are currently known and used. Flexible pouches may conveniently store products such as beverages and other liquids. Further, flexible pouches are portable and may be easily handled with one hand. Flexible pouches may include gussets disposed along the sides to help the pouch expand and hold more liquids. Some currently known flexible pouches are self-standing, meaning the pouches are configured to hold themselves in a generally upright manner.

Current self-standing pouches are commonly configured with a plurality of seams formed along the bottom edges of the pouch. The seams form a wall having a distal edge. The distal edge is spaced apart from the bottom surface of the pouch so as to hold the pouch in a substantially upright position, as shown in FIG. 1.

The formation of such a self-standing pouch, more particularly, the seams on the bottom edges, requires additional tooling and a dedicated sheet formed along the bottom portion of the pouch. Thus in the mass assembly of such pouches, self-standing pouches require the addition of an extra tool piece. The extra tool piece increases manufacturing costs.

Furthermore, sealing the bottom portion of the pouch to form the wall is an extra step in the manufacturing process. This increases the manufacturing time and costs of the self-standing pouch. Thus, it remains desirable to have a self-standing flexible pouch wherein the added cost and time of forming the bottom wall are not necessary.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses a self-standing pouch. The pouch includes a pouch body and a flap. The flap is disposed beneath the pouch body. The flap may be folded so as to form a generally planar surface disposed at the bottom of the pouch. The planar surface is operable to support the pouch in a generally upright manner.

The pouch may include a fitment and a pair of gussets. The fitment may be disposed at the top of the pouch, or on a portion of the pouch body. The fitment is operable to provide access to the pouch contents. The gussets help the pouch expand during pouch filling operations and as contents of the flap are displaced into the pouch body when the flap is folded to form the planar surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

A better understanding of the present invention will be had upon reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art self-standing pouch;

FIG. 2 is a frontal view of the self-standing pouch of the present invention;

FIG. 2a is an illustration of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is side view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view of FIG. 3 showing the flap partially folded;

FIG. 5 is a view of FIG. 4 showing the flap folded over so as to form a relatively planar surface for supporting the pouch in a substantially upright manner;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the self standing pouch showing the flap partially folded;

FIG. 7 is view of FIG. 6 showing the flap folded over; and

FIG. 8 is a view of FIG. 7 showing and the flap attached to the pouch body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference now to FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5 an embodiment of a self-standing pouch 10 is provided. The pouch 10 may be formed from a sheet 12 of pliable material such as treated polymer or aluminum foil. Respective the sheet 12 is formed into a pouch 10 having a pouch body portion 14, and a flap portion 16. The flap portion 16 may include an adhesive portion 18 operable to secure the flap portion 16 to the pouch body portion 14.

An edge of the pouch 10 may be left unsealed so as to form an opening 22 and a fitment 24 may be mounted within the opening 22 and sealed thereto so as to allow the user to access the contents of the pouch 10. It should be appreciated the fitment 24 may be mounted to other locations on the pouch 10, such as the outer surface of the pouch body 14.

With reference now to FIGS. 2a, and 6-8, a second preferred embodiment of the pouch 10 is provided. In the second preferred embodiment, the pouch 10 includes gussets 26 at opposing sides. The gussets 26 allow the pouch 10 to expand during filling operations. The folded sheet 12 of pliable material may then be sealed so as to form a pouch 10 having side edges 28, a bottom edge 30, and a top edge 32. The pouch 10 may further include a pouch body portion 14 and a flap portion 16. The folded sheet 12 may be sealed such that the flap portion 16 of the pouch 10 is tapered.

The remaining sheet 12 of pliable material may then be simply trimmed from the pouch 10. Any sealing method for forming the edges 28, 30, 32, 34 of the pouch 10 may be used herein, illustratively including heat, ultrasonic, or a combination of the two.

The pouch 10 may be formed by a pair of symmetrical sheets 12 and includes a pair of side sheets 26, as shown in FIG. 2a. Each of the side sheets 26 includes a fold 36 so as to form a gusset 26. One gusset 26 is disposed on one side of the pouch body portion 19, and the other gusset 26 is disposed on the other side of the pouch body portion 14. With reference now to FIGS. 3-8, a view of the side of the pouch 10 is provided. Each side of the pouch 10 is symmetrical to the other side. Thus, an explanation of one side is applicable to explain the structure of the opposing side.

The pouch 10 includes a pouch body portion 14 and a flap portion 16. The side edges 28 of the sheets 12 are sealed together to form the pouch body portion 14. Each side of the pouch 10 is sealed to respective opposing edges 28, 30, 32, 34 of the side sheets 26 to form gussets 26 on each side of the pouch 10. The side sheet 26 is made of like material, meaning a material similar to the front and rear sheets 12 of the pouch body portion 14. In general, the side sheets 26 extend between the front and rear sheets 12. Each of the side sheets 26 includes a fold 36 running generally between the top portion and the bottom portion of the pouch body portion 14. Thus, as liquids are introduced into the pouch body portion 19, the gusset 26 allows the back sheet 12 and front sheet 12 to expand away from each other thus facilitating filling operations.

With reference again to FIG. 2a, the sheets 12 are shown having corresponding side edges 28 of similar length and a top side extending between respective side edges 28 so as to defined the width of the pouch body portion 14. A portion of the respective top edges 32 are sealed together. The remaining portion of respective top edges 32 is left unsealed so as to provide an opening 22 for accommodating a fitment 24.

The flap portion 16 of each sheet 12 is integrally formed to the pouch body portion 14 and is disposed at the bottom of the pouch body portion 14, i.e. spaced apart and opposite the top edges 32. The flap portion 16 includes flap edges 34 and a bottom edge 30. The respective flap edges 34 are angled relative to the side edges 28 of the pouch body portion 14 so as to form a generally tapered flap portion 16.

Preferably, the flap portion 16 is tapered such that the bottom end is narrower in width than the top end. The flap portion 16 facilitates the displacement of liquids into the pouch body portion 14 when the flap portion 16 is folded onto the pouch body portion 14. Specifically, the bottom edge 30 of the flap portion 16 is less than or equal to half the width of the pouch 10 top edge 32 of the pouch 10. Thus, the flap portion 16 narrows as the flap portion 16 extends away from the top end of the pouch 10. The flap portion 16 is sealed together so as to completely enclose the pouch 10. However, it is anticipated that the bottom edge 30 may be wider than the top edge 32 in instances where the pouch body portion 14 may accommodate the liquid held in the flap portion 16.

With reference now to FIG. 3 the flap is shown aligned along a first axis, as indicated by line 3-3. The side gussets 26 have been expanded indicating that the pouch body portion 14 is filled with a liquid. More particularly, the tapered end portion of the flap portion 16 is also expanded as the weight of the liquid settles within the flap portion 16.

With reference now to FIG. 4, the flap portion 16 is shown partially folded over so as to be displaced from the first axis. As illustrated by the drawing, the flap displaces the liquid relatively upwards and further into the pouch body portion 14, causing the gussets 26 to further expand. With reference now to FIG. 5, the flap is shown completely folded over so as to form a planar surface disposed at the bottom of the pouch 10. The planar surface supports the pouch body portion 14 in a substantially upright manner. The flap may be sealed to the pouch 10 so as to maintain the formation of the planar surface. For instance, the distal end of the flap may be attached to one of either the front or back walls of the pouch 10.

Though the flap portion 16 is shown as having linear side edges 28 extending from the pouch body portion 14, it is anticipated that the side edges 28 of the flap portion 16 may have an arcuate shape or such that the flap portion 16 narrows as it proceeds away from the top end of the pouch 10. It is also shown in the drawings that the flap portion 16 is integrally formed with the front sheet 12 and the back sheet 12 and that the front sheet 12 and the back sheet 12 are symmetrical to each other so as to form the pouch body portion 14.

The flap portion 16 may be fixed to the pouch body portion 14 using any method currently known in the art to include an adhesive, ultrasonic welding, or heat sealing. Preferably the flap portion 16 is sealed using tape 38 so as to allow a user to adjust the dimensions of the bottom surface based upon the content of the pouch 10. Alternatively, an adhesive portion 18 may be formed on the outer surface of the flap portion 16. The adhesive portion 18 operable to hold a portion of the flap portion 16 against a portion of the pouch 10 body

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings and may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims

1. A pouch formed from a sheet of pliable material and operable to hold itself in an upright manner, the pouch configured to hold a liquid, the pouch comprising:

a pouch body portion configured to hold the liquid;

a flap portion integrally formed to the body portion and configured to hold a portion of the liquid; the flap portion may be folded so as to form a generally planar surface, wherein liquid in the flap portion is displaced into the pouch body portion, the generally planar surface operable to support the pouch in a generally upright manner.

2. The pouch body as set forth in claim 1, wherein the distal end of the flap portion is narrower than the pouch body portion so as to be tapered.

3. The pouch body as set forth in claim 1, further including a pair of gussets, one of the pair of gussets formed on one side of the pouch body, and the other of the pair of gussets formed on the other side of the pouch body.

4. The pouch body as set forth in claim 1, wherein the flap portion includes an adhesive portion formed on the outer surface of the flap portion, the adhesive portion operable to hold a portion of the flap portion against a portion of the pouch body.

5. The pouch body as set forth in claim 1, further including tape operable to hold a portion of the flap portion against a portion of the pouch body.

6. The pouch body as set forth in claim 1, further including a fitment mounted to the pouch body, the fitment providing access to the contents of the pouch.

7. A pouch configured to hold itself in an upright manner, the pouch comprising:

a pair of sheets of pliable material, each of the pair of sheets of pliable material having side edges, a pouch body portion and a flap portion, the side edges of respective sheets seal to each other so as to form a pouch body and a flap, the flap operable to be folded onto a portion of the pouch body so as to define a generally planar surface at the base of the pouch body, the planar surface operable to support the pouch in an upright manner.

8. The pouch as set forth in claim 7, wherein the pair of sheets of pliable material is one selected from the group consisting of treated polymer or aluminum foil.

9. The pouch body as set forth in claim 7, wherein the distal end of the flap is narrower than the pouch body so as to be tapered.

10. The pouch body as set forth in claim 7, further including a pair of gussets, one of the pair of gussets formed on one side of the pouch body, and the other of the pair of gussets formed on the other side of the pouch body.

11. The pouch body as set forth in claim 7, wherein the flap includes an adhesive portion formed on the outer surface of the flap portion, the adhesive portion operable to hold a portion of the flap portion against a portion of the pouch body.

12. The pouch body as set forth in claim 7, further including tape operable to hold a portion of the flap portion against a portion of the pouch body.

13. The pouch body as set forth in claim 7, further including a fitment mounted to the pouch body, the fitment providing access to the contents of the pouch.