FOUR SIDED PILLOW PACKAGING FOR GRANOLA PRODUCT
A package can be used to provide a food product to a consumer. The packaging can include a four sided pillow package, wherein the package can include a laminate including at least one plastic layer and a layer of rice paper. A four sided ultrasonic seal can also be designed into the packaging to render it water proof, a machine creating the four sided ultrasonic seal utilizing a variety of films of varying composition or thickness.
This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/827,032 filed May 24, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis disclosure is related to packaging utilized in a retail product, such as including but not limited to a loose fill granola product or other solid, semi-solid, viscous or liquid product. The packaging in particular includes a multi-sided pillow package construction, such as which can include any dual plastic ply which can be secured or ultrasonically welded in any desired fashion and which can be of a hands free or free standing construction.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure. Accordingly, such statements are not intended to constitute an admission of prior art.
Granola is a cereal product including grains and other ingredients. Granola frequently includes rolled oats, honey, nuts, and ingredients providing a desired flavor. Granola products are frequently pressed into a bar shape.
Food products can be individually packed for consumption by consumers. Snack products like granola bars and candy bars can be wrapped in a foil or plastic wrapper. A known method to create such a wrapper includes utilizing a single piece of material, wrapping the material around the product, aligning the wrapper so that a printed label defines a front side of the product, and sealing the two sides of the wrapper along a back side of the product. The seal along the back side of the product results in a flap running down the length of the back side of the product. The wrapper is additionally sealed at each end of the bar product. The resulting packaging provides a product with a front side that can include images and logos that can be used to market and decorate the product, making the product more appealing to the consumers. However, the back side of the product including the wrapper seal running the length of the product is less presentable. Manufacturers frequently use this back side of the product as undesirable space on the packaging, listing information required by regulation, printing expiration date information, bar codes, and other similar perfunctory information. The consumer, making a decision whether or not to purchase the product, is presented with one front side of marketable decorative print, whereas the back side of the product cannot include a full side of marketable decorative print. A manufacturer must choose whether to fit small amounts of decorative print around the wrapper seal or simply to write off the opportunity to market to the consumer on the back of the product.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA package can be used to provide a food product to a consumer. The packaging can include a four sided pillow package, wherein the package can include a laminate including at least one plastic layer and a layer of rice paper. Other features include a four sided ultrasonic seal which can also be designed into the packaging to render it water proof, with an associated ultrasonic film machine creating the four sided ultrasonic seal utilizing a variety of films of varying composition or thickness.
One or more embodiments will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring now to the drawings, wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating certain exemplary embodiments only and not for the purpose of limiting the same,
Without limitation, the packaging can include any suitable dimensions not limited in one instance to a range of 1-4″ width. From a functionality standpoint, separate from marketing or artwork considerations, and in order to comfortably fit in a user's hand during one handed and tilted consumption, the selected width of the packaging can preferably be in the 1-4″ width range (such as 2.5″ in one non-limiting instance).
Additional considerations for sizing the width of the packaging in this range include accomplishing a clean tear across the packaging width, thereby making it easy for the product contained therein to be poured evenly. It is also desired that the tear line maintain a generally planar dimension relative to the bottom of the package, as a vertical tear often results in unintended spillage of the contents and of not pouring correctly or making a perfect circle when applying pressure on the sides (such as each being 5 mil in thickness in one non-limiting instance).
Marketing images are printed on the front side 11 of package 10. The marketing design of the illustrated package 10 is exemplary and not intended to be a limiting example of marketing that can be printed on a three sided pillow package. A primary product logo 32 is predominantly displayed at a top location upon package 10 such that it is the first thing that a consumer sees of the product. Images are illustrated stopping some distance from the edge of the packaging. However, in another embodiment, the images can go completely to the side edges of the packaging.
Logo 32 is contained within region 33 which is located below features 50a and 50b, such that line 51 is entirely above region 33 and the logo 32 contained therein. Other packaging methods that result in a flap running the length of the back side of the product frequently include serrated, stamp sealed edges at either end of the packaging. These serrated edges are normal to the center of the packaging and the marketing printed thereupon. These serrated edges provide an easy starting point for a consumer to open such packaging. However, such a tear line starting at one end of the packaging tends to propagate down the length of the packaging, frequently causing the tear line to go immediately through the primary marketing material of the packaging, thereby violating and destroying the marketing value of the packaging as soon as the packaging is open. Package 10, instead, by locating tear features away from marketing material on the front of the package and with resulting line 51 along which the packaging is most likely to open being above primary logo 32, the marketing value of the package remains intact even after the product is opened. Additionally, marketing and product description information 34, 37, 38, and 40 can be arranged. According to one embodiment, a color coded bar 36 can be posted on a central banner 30 to convey a particular flavor or variety of product to the consumer.
Packaging that includes a fold along the back side of the product is typically made of a foil or thin plastic material. Rolls of material are fed into a machine which mechanically wraps the product and ultrasonically seals the packaging along the fold and at each end. Manipulation of the product, wrapping the product, creating the fold, etc. are optimally accomplished with a very pliable packaging material. A four sided pillow package does not include the wrapping operation of the product, nor is the packaging required to make sharp bends as are required in forming the fold along the back side of the package. As a result, a wider variety of materials can be used to create a four sided pillow package. For example, a thicket gage plastic material can be used. Such a thicker gage enables the packaging to have visual effects not possible in super thin packaging, such as a semi-clear or translucent package permitting the consumer to see the product within the package. Package 10 includes exemplary regions 54a and 54b wherein, when a transparent or translucent material is utilized. Further, the thicker gage plastic can have a weightier feel for the consumer, conveying a more substantial product image to the customer than the thin packaging can convey.
Thick gage plastic sealed along four edges can apply a force upon the product contained within. Wherein thick gage plastic or other thick gage or rigid materials are utilized, a loose or granular product can be included in the packaging. Any force applied to a granular product by the packaging simply rearranges the product without damaging the product. Products formed into rigid bars, bars coated with chocolate, or other rigid products might be damaged or lose an original appearance if placed in a three sided pillow package constructed of a thick gage material.
A number of materials are envisioned for use in the disclosed packaging. According to one embodiment of a method to construct a polymer based wrapper, typical bag construction can be made using various plastic films laminated together using adhesives or coextruded using a molten polyethylene. The material must be food grade material. The material must be able to be sealed/joined along the edges of the packaging. The material must be able to accept marketing and other printing upon the outside surface of the packaging. One exemplary material that can be used for the packaging includes rice paper. According to one embodiment, a very thin layer of rice paper can be used between layers of plastic films, wherein the rice paper provides an appearance and texture to the packaging. At least one layer of plastic film can be used between the rice paper and the food product to maintain the water-proof properties of the packaging, avoiding any moisture from the product in reaching and discoloring the rice paper. In one embodiment of rice paper, the rice paper cannot act as a barrier, so at least one layer of barrier material must be used in combination with the rice paper. In one embodiment, the rice paper can be used as an outside layer of the packaging. In another embodiment, at least one layer of plastic film can used between the rice paper and the exterior surface of the packaging, for example, to facilitate effective printing upon the exterior of the packaging. In one embodiment, a layer of transparent or nearly transparent 12 micron polypropylene can be used as an external or outside layer for ease of printing on the packaging. In one embodiment printing is performed on the inside of the polypropylene layer, the polypropylene layer is laminated to the rice paper layer, and the ink of the printing is therefore protected between the two layers and is visible to the outside of the packaging through the polypropylene layer. According to one embodiment, the rice paper can include cut-out sections, for example, permitting transparent windows through a portion of the packaging where the rice paper is not present, while continuing to present the rice paper visual properties in the rest of the packaging. Such a cut-out section can be created by utilizing a custom die cut tool to create the rice paper in the appropriate dimensions.
Such other features can additionally include a four sided ultra-sonic sealing of any suitable composition or thickness of film layers formed into a four sided package, such further utilizing an associated ultrasonic film machine which can be incorporated into an assembly line and process for creating a pillow packaging as described herein. Such an assembly and process can, without limitation, include an assembly for producing a four sided pillow package (such as exhibiting a total thickness of 4 mils) and which includes the provision of a pair of roller fed plastic sheet stock along with a vertically supported forming template about which opposing lengths of the sheet stock are positioned, at which point initial heat sealing of the top and sides is accomplished.
The manufacturing process then causes the package to be reoriented with the open bottom facing upwardly, following which your proprietary funnel design fills the three enclosed side defining interior with a volume of loose fill material (e.g. granola, powder, liquids, etc.). The remaining fourth side (open bottom) is then heat sealed closed to complete the assembly and to create a free standing packaging which allows for single handed emptying of in-filled contents without the incidence of collapse of the packaging material.
As previously described, the packaging and related assembly and forming processes is not limited to loose fill materials such as granola, and can be configured to package and retain the freshness of a variety of different edible and non-edible goods not limited to liquids, other solids, etc. The disclosure has described certain preferred embodiments and modifications of those embodiments.
Additional features associated with the manufacturing process and assembly for ultrasonic forming the package, in-filling the material and sealing can include each of the following enumerated steps:
Positioning the flexible material (pouch material) on a roll with the (non-print or printed) impressions on left and right side of the flexible material;
Winding the flexible material into the machine;
Forming the flexible material into a pouch or whatever type of packaging that is required for the application;
Ultrasonically sealing the pouch on the left, right and bottom of the pouch with ultrasonic sealing jaws;
Moving the pouch into position for filling with the product by the use of either volumetric or weight process;
Once the pouch is filled, ultrasonically sealing it along the top with the fourth and final seal;
Transferring the completed pouch through a metal detector on the single row conveyor and then go through inkjet for Mfg code, etc.
Further modifications and alterations may occur to others upon reading and understanding the specification. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this disclosure, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A package for use in providing a food product to a consumer, the device comprising:
- a four sided pillow package of ultrasonically sealable material.
2. A package for use in providing a food product to a consumer, the device comprising:
- a four sided pillow package, wherein the package includes a gold colored flourish image surrounding a portrait image.
3. A package for use in providing a food product to a consumer, the device comprising:
- a four sided pillow package, wherein the package comprises a marketing image and two tear features, such that if the package is torn between the two tear features the marketing image is not torn.
4. The package of claim 1, wherein the package is formed by ultrasonic welding of the material.
Type: Application
Filed: May 27, 2014
Publication Date: Nov 27, 2014
Inventor: RANI BOOKVICH (Ann Arbor, MI)
Application Number: 14/287,914
International Classification: B65D 85/00 (20060101); B65D 33/00 (20060101);