HAND-HELD SYSTEM FOR DISPENSING VISCOUS MATERIALS FROM A FLEXIBLE POUCH AND METHODS OF ACCOMPLISHING THE SAME

Abstract

A dispensing system and method dispensing flowable materials is disclosed. The system includes a hand-holdable dispensing gun, a holder assembly and a flexible pouch holding a flowable material for dispensing metered amounts of that material. The pouch includes an end portion, which is configured to be torn open to create a mouth for the pouch. The holder assembly includes a tubular member having an outlet including a valve. The tubular member has an open end through which the pouch can be introduced and then a piston cover can then be located in the tubular member to hold the pouch in place. The dispensing gun includes a piston to engage the piston cover and force it into engagement with the pouch to eject a metered amount of the flowable material out of the valve upon each actuation of a trigger of the dispensing gun.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This utility application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/974,542, filed on Apr. 3, 2014, entitled Hand-Held Systems For Dispensing Viscous Materials From A Flexible Pouch And Methods Of Accomplishing The Same. The entire disclosure of that provisional application is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to dispensing systems and more particularly for systems or dispensing flowable materials from a flexible pouch.

Some fast food businesses make use of a hand-held dispenser to dispense flowable viscous food products, such as condiments, to the fast food that they offer. The viscous food product, e.g., sour cream, is held within a paperboard tube that is inserted into what amounts to a “caulking gun” type of dispenser to dispense metered amounts of the product onto the food served. While such a caulking gun-paperboard tube dispensing system is generally suitable for its intended purpose, it is desired to replace the paperboard tube with a system which will reduce the packaging costs and the amount of used packaging waste.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,373 (Christine) discloses a portable dispensing system making use of a dispenser for receipt of a fitment-less pouch holding a flowable material, e.g., a condiment. The pouch includes a main body made of a flexible material and a discharge portion which is integral with the main body. The dispenser is in the form of a hollow body with two ends. A head is removably mounted on one end of the body and has an opening therethrough. A piston mechanism is removably mounted at the other end of the body. A valve mechanism for opening in response to pressure created by the piston mechanism is mounted on the head adjacent the opening. The valve mechanism includes a casing, a jaw slidably mounted on the casing for movement between an opened and closed position, and a spring mechanism urging the jaw to the closed position and yielding to pressure increases in the body. The discharge portion of the pouch is arranged to pass through the opening of the head of the dispenser for engagement with the jaw to dispense a metered amount of the flowable material.

Other dispensing systems making use of hand-held dispensers in which flexible pouches containing viscous materials, e.g., condiments, are disclosed in U.S. Patent. Nos. 5,323,931 (Robards, Jr. et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,572 (Lane, Jr. et al.)

While the above identified systems are generally suitable for their intended purposes, they are rather complex and expensive.

Thus, a need exists for a simple hand-holdable dispensing system which is simple in construction, easy to use and suitable for dispensing precise metered amounts of a viscous material, e.g., a condiment, from a flexible pouch upon each actuation of the dispenser's trigger and without dripping or oozing of the material from the pouch after each dispensing operation. Moreover, the system should be capable of enabling the ready opening of the pouch for the initial dispensing operation without any portion of the pouch becoming loose and entering the food being prepared. The subject invention addresses those needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of this invention is a system for dispensing metered amounts of a flowable material from a flexible pouch. The system comprises the flexible pouch, a holder assembly, and a dispensing gun. The pouch comprises a hollow body formed of a flexible sheet material having a pair of panels, each of which includes a pair of side edge portions, a front edge portion and a rear edge portion. The panels are juxtaposed over each other and secured together along their edges to form a hollow interior for the flowable material. The respective front edge portions of the two panels are secured together by a seal lines having legs extending at a predetermined angle to each other to form a tapering passageway therebetween. The pouch is configured to be opened by removing a portion of it along respective superimposed lines provided in the panels and intersecting the passageway to form a mouth for the pouch. The holder assembly comprises a tubular member having a sidewall extending about a hollow interior and front wall having an outlet nozzle. The tubular holder includes an open rear portion to expose the hollow interior thereof The pouch is configured for disposition within the tubular holder with the mouth of the pouch located at the outlet nozzle. The dispensing gun comprises a hollow chamber, a piston and an actuator for moving the piston. The tubular holder with the pouch therein is configured to be disposed in the hollow chamber of the dispensing gun, with the piston extending through the open rear end of the tubular holder to engage the pouch. Actuation of the actuator moves the piston into engagement with the pouch to force the flowable material out of the pouch through the mouth and the outlet nozzle to dispense a metered amount of a flowable material from the pouch.

In accordance with one preferred embodiment of the system of this invention a valve is provided at the outlet nozzle.

In accordance with another preferred aspect of the system of this invention the panels include a pair of aligned notches with the superimposed lines extending between those notches to form tear lines, so that the pouch is configured to be torn along the tear lines.

Another aspect of this invention is a method for dispensing metered amounts of a flowable material from a flexible pouch. The method basically entails providing a flexible pouch comprising a hollow body formed of a flexible sheet material having a pair of panels secured together along their periphery, with one portion of the panels being forming a tapering passageway mouth to the interior of the package and with the interior being filled with a flowable material. A portion of the pouch is then removed along a line intersecting the tapering portion to form an open mouth of a desired size. The pouch can then be introduced into an open end of a tubular member of a holder assembly. The tubular member has a sidewall extending about a hollow interior, a front wall having an outlet nozzle, and an open end opposite the outlet nozzle. When so introduced the open mouth of the pouch is located at the outlet nozzle. The holder assembly is then ready to be introduced a hollow chamber of a dispensing gun. The dispensing gun includes a piston and an actuator for moving the piston. Operating the actuator causes the piston to apply pressure to the pouch to force the flowable material out of the pouch through the mouth and the outlet nozzle to dispense a metered amount of the flowable material from the pouch.

In accordance with one preferred aspect of the method of this invention the removal of a portion of the pouch along the line intersecting the tapering portion to form the open mouth of the desired size is accomplished by tearing the panels of the pouch along that line.

In accordance with another preferred aspect of the method of this invention the line intersecting the tapering portion of the pouch to form the open mouth of the desired size is located at a desired preselected distance from an end of said pouch to establish a desired size open mouth for said pouch.

In accordance with another preferred aspect of the method of this invention the holder assembly includes a valve located at the outlet nozzle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of one exemplary embodiment of a dispensing system constructed in accordance with this invention, that system basically comprising a flexible pouch containing a flowable product, a hollow tubular holder assembly in which the pouch is located, and a dispensing gun holding the holder assembly for dispensing a metered amount of the flowable material from the flexible pouch;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, vertical sectional view of a portion of the system shown in FIG. 1, namely, the tubular holder assembly and the flexible pouch;

FIG. 3 is an end view of a retaining member forming a portion of the holder assembly;

FIG. 4 is an end view of a valve member forming a portion of the holder assembly;

FIG. 5 is an end view of a hollow holder member forming a portion of the holder assembly;

FIG. 6 is an end view of a piston cover forming a portion of the holder assembly;

FIG. 7 is top plan view of one exemplary embodiment of a pouch constructed in accordance with this invention and forming a portion of the system shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is top plan view of another exemplary embodiment of a pouch constructed in accordance with this invention that can form a portion of the system shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the various figures of the drawing wherein like reference characters refer to like parts, there is shown at 20 in FIG. 1 one exemplary embodiment of a dispensing system constructed in accordance with this invention. The system 20 basically comprises a hand-holdable dispenser in the form of a dispensing gun 22, a flexible pouch 24 (FIG. 3) containing a viscous flowable product P and a holder assembly 26 for holding the pouch. The details of the dispensing gun 22 will be described later. Suffice it for now to state that it can be of conventional construction, such as that sold by Prince Castle. The gun includes a hollow chamber 28 configured to receive the holder assembly 26 with the flexible pouch 24 therein. The gun includes a movable piston 30 to engage the pouch within the holder and a trigger mechanism 32 to move the piston. The flexible pouch 24 is formed of flexible sheet material, which is sealed, as will be described shortly, to form a hollow interior in which the flowable viscous material P, e.g., a condiment, such as sour cream, is located.

In the exemplary preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the pouch includes a mouth, which is initially sealed closed, but is configured to be torn open. The pouch is configured to be disposed within the holding assembly and that combination disposed within the dispensing gun and with its mouth torn open to enable the flowable material to be dispensed in precisely metered amounts from the pouch through the mouth when the dispensing gun is operated, e.g., its trigger pulled.

One exemplary embodiment of a pouch constructed in accordance with this invention is shown in FIG. 7 and basically comprises a hollow body formed of a pair of panels 34 of a flexible sheet material, e.g., film. In the embodiment shown the panels are each of rectangular shape and each is of the same size. The panels are superimposed over each other and are secured together by various seal lines. The seal lines can be produced utilizing any conventional sealing or bonding technique, e.g., heat sealing, ultrasonic sealing, adhesives, etc. In the exemplary embodiment shown a sheet of flexible material is folded in half at a fold line 36 to form the two superimposed panels 34, with the panels being secured together at the fold line 36. The opposite side edge of the two superimposed panels is secured together by side edge seal 38. The panels are also secured together along their back edge by a back edge seal 40 and are secured together along their back edge by a generally V-shaped front edge seal 42. The seal 42 includes a pair of legs, each of which intersects a respective side edge of the pouch. Together the seal 42 forms a tapering passageway which tapers from the interior of the package toward the front edge. As will be described in detail later, the tapering passageway is configured to be torn, cut or otherwise severed to form an open mouth for the pouch. Before describing that action it should be noted that the legs forming the seal 42 need not be linear. For example, they can be arcuate, so that the tapering passageway can be in the form of a concave arc of a circle, a concave arc of an oval, or any other shape, so long as the passageway tapers towards an end (e.g., the front edge) of the pouch.

In accordance with one exemplary preferred aspect of this invention the two superimposed panels 34 are configured to be torn across the width thereof at the location of the tapering V-shaped seal line 42 to form the mouth of the pouch. To that end, each of the panels includes a notch 44 in its side edge. The two notches 44 define the opposite ends of a weakened tear line 46 in each of the panels 34. Those tear lines are superimposed on each other and serve as the line along which the panels can be torn to create an open mouth of the pouch. The weakened tear line in each panel can be formed by laser scoring. Alternatively, the material forming the panels can be made of a film with good directional tear properties, such as a PE/PA/PE coextrusion so that the panels will tear in the desired direction when a tear is started from the notch at either end of the tear line.

It should be point out at this juncture that the pouch need not be constructed as just described to be torn open along the tear line. Thus, if desired the pouch can be constructed to be cut or severed along the superimposed tear line, such as by use of a knife or scissors. In such a case the notches can be eliminated and the material making up the panels along the tear line need not be weakened. Thus, the tear line in effect become a “cut” line.

In any case, the superimposed tear or cut lines are located a desired distance from the front edge of the superimposed panels so that when the panels are torn or cut along the tear/cut line a mouth of a desired width is formed in the package. The location of the tear/cut line with respect to the front edge of the pouch will thus establish the width (size) of the pouch's mouth.

In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 7 two possible widths of the mouth of the pouch are shown by use of two tear lines 46 and 46′ established by the aligned notches 44 and 44′, respectively. It should be understood that the actual package will only include one aligned pair of notches and one associated superimposed tear line, with that tear line being located in any position that intersects the V-shaped seal line 42 to establish a particular size mouth for the pouch. For example, if the tear line 46 is located closer to the front edge of the pouch, like shown in FIG. 7, the width of the mouth of the pouch when the panels are torn along that tear line will be that shown and designated by the arrow A. If the tear line 46′ is located further from the front edge of the pouch the width of the mouth of the pouch when the panels are torn along that tear line will larger as shown and designated by the arrow B. It should thus be apparent to those skilled in the art that by using a seal line forming a tapering passageway having a predetermined angle between the legs of that seal line, one can establish a particular size mouth of the pouch by appropriately positioning of the tear line so that it intersects the tapering passageway formed by the seal line 42 at a position to form the desired width mouth. This feature is of considerable importance to tailor the pouch's mouth to the size, e.g., diameter, of the outlet nozzle of the holding assembly.

Another way of enabling one to establish a desired size mouth for the pouch in lieu of changing the position of the tear line with respect to the pouch's front edge is to keep the tear line in one position but change the angle of the tapering passageway (the V-shaped front edge seal in the exemplary embodiment). This alternative arrangement is shown in FIG. 8, where it can be seen that the notches 44 and superimposed tear line 46 established thereby is in the same position as the left-most tear line 44 in FIG. 7 to create a pouch with the larger size mouth B as shown therein. By changing the shape of the V-shaped seal line, so that the angle included by its legs is a smaller angle (such as shown by the phantom lines in FIG. 8), the resulting mouth will be of the smaller size mouth A.

Attention will now be directed to FIGS. 1-6 where the details of the holder assembly 26 will now be described. To that end the holder assembly basically comprises a hollow tubular member 48 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 5), a retainer member 50 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3), a valve member 50 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 4), and a piston cap or cover 54 (FIGS. 2 and 6). The tubular member 48 can be formed of any suitable material, e.g., polypropylene, and has a cylindrical sidewall 56 and a slightly tapering end wall 58 terminating in a tubular extension or outlet nozzle 60 having a central passageway 63 extending therethrough. The opposite end of the sidewall 56 is open at 64 to provide access to the hollow interior 66 of the tubular member.

The retainer member 50 is a cap-like member that also can be formed of any suitable material, e.g., polypropylene, and having an end wall with a central opening 68 and a peripheral sidewall 70. The sidewall of the retainer member is disposed on the outlet nozzle 60 of the tubular member so that the retainer member can hold the valve member in place at the open free end of the outlet nozzle.

The valve member 52 is a simple shut-off device in the form of planar disk formed of any suitable resilient elastomeric material, e.g., silicone or thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). It includes at least one openable slit therein. In the exemplary embodiment the at least one slit is a cross-cut 72 and is located in the center portion of the disk. This construction is similar to the prior art shut-off valves used in the prior art paper-board tube dispensers discussed above. When the valve member 52 is mounted on the outlet nozzle 60 of the hollow tubular member its cross-cut 72 is in alignment with the passageway 62 through the outlet nozzle. The opening 68 in the end wall of the retainer member 50 exposes the cross-cut 72 of the valve member when the valve member is held in place by the retainer member. To that end, and preferably, the outlet 60 nozzle of the tubular member is externally threaded and the sidewall 70 of the retainer member is internally threaded to ensure that the retainer member once placed on the outlet nozzle to hold the valve member in place remains secured to the outlet nozzle.

As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 6, the piston cap 54 is a generally disk shaped member that can also be formed of any suitable material, e.g., polypropylene, and has a short flanged peripheral sidewall 74. The internal diameter of the peripheral sidewall of the piston cap is of a sufficient size to accommodate the piston 30 of the dispensing gun 22.

Turning now back to FIG. 1 the details of the dispensing gun 22 will be described. As mentioned above that gun may be like the prior art dispensing gun produced by Prince-Castle, or any other suitable dispensing gun. To that end, it includes a hollow body 76 in the form of half a cylinder having a front wall 78 including a central opening 80 and a rear wall 82. A handle 84 is located at and secured to the rear wall. The trigger 32 is pivotably connected to the handle and is coupled to a conventional mechanism (not shown) for moving the piston each time the trigger is actuated. To that end, the trigger is configured to be pulled backward, by squeezing the trigger and handle together, whereupon the piston 30 is moved toward the front wall 78 of the dispensing gun by one increment each time the trigger is squeezed.

The method of using the system 20 will now be described. To that end a filled pouch 24 is preferably placed on a flat surface with the angled sealed end of the pouch facing upward to tap the bottom of the pouch against that surface and thereby press excess flowable material out of the upper section of the pouch. The upper section of the pouch can then be folded along the centerline of the pouch to superimpose the two tear notches over each other. The pouch is then torn open along the superimposed tear lines from the tear notches to the center. This action will create a mouth that is any desired size, e.g., approximately 75% to 80% of the pouch width, depending upon the position of the tear notches or the angle of the front edge V-shaped seal line. The open (mouth) end of the pouch can then be inserted through the open end 64 of the tubular member 48 and positioned so that its mouth is within or at least in communication with the passageway 62 in the outlet nozzle 60. The retainer member 50 with the elastomeric valve disk 52 therein is then screwed onto the threads of the outlet nozzle 60 of the tubular member to secure the valve in place. The piston cover 54 is then placed in the open end 64 of the tubular member 48 to enclose the filled pouch in the hollow interior 66 thereof. This completes the assembly of the components of the holder assembly with the pouch therein. The holder assembly with the pouch therein is then placed within the chamber 28 in the dispensing gun like shown in FIG. 1. In this position, the outlet nozzle 60 of the holder assembly 26 extends through the opening 80 in the end wall 78 of the dispensing gun, with the piston 30 of the dispensing gun confronting the piston cover 54.

The system is now ready to dispense a metered amount of the flowable material P from the pouch. To that end, the trigger 32 of the dispensing gun 22 can be actuated (squeezed) to cause the piston to advance into engagement with the piston cover 54. Further actuation of the trigger will move (increment) the piston cover further inward into the interior 66 of the tubular member, thereby squeezing the interposed filled pouch, whereupon the flowable material P will be ejected out of the pouch's mouth, through the passageway 62 of the outlet nozzle 60 and into engagement with the valve member 52. This action will cause the portions of the valve disk contiguous with the cross-cut 72 to flex outward to thereby open the valve, whereupon a metered amount of the flowable material will be ejected out of the opening 68 in the retainer member. Once this has occurred the portions of the valve disk contiguous with the cross-cut 72 will flex back to their original position, i.e., being coplanar, to close the valve and prevent any flowable material from dripping out. This action can be repeated to dispense further metered amounts of the flowable material from the pouch until the pouch is empty.

As should be appreciated by those skilled in the art no additional mechanism, such as a duck-bill valve or other component, is provided in the dispensing gun to cut off the flow of the flowable material through the mouth of the pouch, since such an additional mechanism is unnecessary, i.e., each pull of the trigger ejects a precise metered amount of the viscous material through the nozzle and its associated valve member, without any subsequent oozing or leakage. Accordingly, any dispensing gun suitable for use in the system of this invention can be simple in construction and easy to keep clean.

Once the pouch has been emptied of its contents by repeated actuations of the trigger, the holder assembly with the empty pouch therein can be removed from the dispenser gun by moving the piston back to its fully retracted position and orienting the holder assembly so that it can be withdrawn from the dispensing gun. If it is desired to reuse the holder assembly it can be prepared for reuse by removing the piston cover to provide access to the empty pouch within the hollow member. The pouch can then be removed and discarded and the remainder of the holder assembly disassembled, cleaned and then reassembled for reuse with a new filled pouch.

It should be pointed out at this juncture that the dispensing gun, the holding assembly and the pouch can be of any particular size, depending upon the product to be dispensed. For example, a dispensing gun 22 constructed as set forth above can accommodate a 1.69 lb. pouch filled with sour cream. Such a combination can be configured to expel (dispense) approximately 0.25 to 0.5 ounce of product per trigger pull. While any conventional sheet material can be used for the pouch, that material must be strong enough to resist the application of pressure during the dispensing process, it must be flexible enough to fill out the gun's internal volume. Thus, pouches in accordance with this invention can be fabricated of any suitable flexible packaging film material, in single or multiple plies.

In one exemplary embodiment of this invention the two panels 34 of the pouch are formed of a 3.5 MIL polyethylene/PA/polyethylene COEX film, with each panel being 5.6 inch wide by 10.25 inch in length. The V-shaped seal 42 intersects the side seal 38 and the folded edge 36 approximately 1.25 inch from the front edge of the pouch, with the notches 44 being located approximately 1 inch from the front edge of the pouch. The seal lines 38 and 42 are each approximately 6 mm wide.

It must be pointed out at this juncture that the pouch and the holding assembly can be constructed differently than the exemplary embodiments shown and described heretofore. For example, the pouch need not be of rectangular shape, nor be of the size and/or material(s) as described above. The V-shaped end seal which serves to form the mouth not be V-shaped, so long as it includes leg sections which extend at an angle to each other to form a tapering passageway. Thus, the end seal could be semi-circular, oval or any other shape. Moreover, the means for forming the mouth at the tapering passageway portion of the pouch need not be in the form of a tear line, e.g., the pouch may be constructed so that it can be cut or severed, e.g., by a knife or scissors, along a line intersecting the tapering passageway to establish the desired size mouth. Further still, while it is preferred that the holder assembly include a valve, use of such a component is not mandatory. If, however, use of a valve is desired, and it is desired that the holder assembly not include the valve, the flexible package may be constructed to include some type of valve at the location of its mouth. Lastly, while the use of a piston cover is preferred to help enclose the pouch within the tubular member of the holder assembly, such an arrangement is not mandatory and the piston cover can be eliminated, if desired.

Other changes and modifications to the structure and arrangement of the components making up the system of this invention and the method of dispensing metered amounts of flowable materials in accordance with this invention are also contemplated.

Without further elaboration the foregoing will so fully illustrate my invention that others may, by applying current or future knowledge, adopt the same for use under various conditions of service.

Claims

1. A system for dispensing metered amounts of a flowable material from a flexible pouch, said system comprising the flexible pouch, a holder assembly, and a dispensing gun, said pouch comprising a hollow body formed of a flexible sheet material having a pair of panels, each of which includes a pair of side edge portions, a front edge portion and a rear edge portion, said panels being superimposed over each other and secured together along their edges to form a hollow interior for the flowable material, with respective front edge portions of said two panels being secured together by a seal lines having legs extending at a predetermined angle to each other to form a tapering passageway therebetween, said pouch being configured to be opened by removing a portion of said pouch along respective superimposed lines provided in said panels and intersecting said passageway to form a mouth for said pouch, said holder assembly comprising a tubular member having a cylindrical sidewall extending about a hollow interior and front wall having an outlet nozzle, said tubular holder including an open rear portion to expose said hollow interior, said pouch being configured for disposition within said tubular holder with said mouth of said pouch located at said outlet nozzle, said dispensing gun comprising a hollow chamber, a piston and an actuator for moving said piston, said tubular holder with the pouch therein being configured to be disposed in said hollow chamber of said dispensing gun, with said piston extending through said open rear end of said tubular holder to engage said pouch, said actuator being configured to move said piston into engagement with said pouch to force the flowable material out of said pouch through said mouth and said outlet nozzle to dispensing a metered amount of the flowable material from said pouch.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said holder assembly comprises a valve member.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said valve member comprises an elastomeric material disk having at least one slit therein.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein said holder assembly additionally comprises a retainer member for holding said valve member in place on said outlet of said tubular member.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein said holder assembly additionally comprises a retainer member for holding said valve member in place on said outlet of said tubular member.

6. The system of claim 1 additionally comprising a piston cap for disposition within said open rear portion of said tubular member to enclose said pouch therein.

7. The system of claim 4 additionally comprising a piston cap for disposition within said open rear portion of said tubular member to enclose said pouch therein.

8. The system of claim 5 additionally comprising a piston cap for disposition within said open rear portion of said tubular member to enclose said pouch therein.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said tubular member is formed of polypropylene.

10. The system of claim 4 wherein said tubular member and said retainer member are each formed of polypropylene.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein said tubular member, said retainer member, and said piston cover are each formed of polypropylene.

12. The system of claim 2 wherein said elastomeric disk is formed of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE).

13. The system of claim 1 wherein said panels include a pair of aligned notches and wherein said superimposed lines extend between said notches to form tear lines, with said pouch being configured to be torn along said tear lines.

14. The system of claim 2 wherein said panels include a pair of aligned notches and wherein said superimposed lines extend between said notches to form tear lines, with said pouch being configured to be torn along said tear lines.

15. The system of claim 3 wherein said panels include a pair of aligned notches and wherein said superimposed lines extend between said notches to form tear lines, with said pouch being configured to be torn along said tear lines.

16. A method for dispensing metered amounts of a flowable material from a flexible pouch, said method comprising;

a) providing a flexible pouch comprising a hollow body formed of a flexible sheet material having a pair of panels secured together along their periphery and with one portion of the panels being forming a tapering passageway mouth to the interior of the package, said interior being filled with a flowable material;

b) removing a portion of the pouch along a line intersecting the tapering portion to form an open mouth of a desired size;

c) introducing said pouch into an open end of a tubular member of a holder assembly, said tubular member having a cylindrical sidewall extending about a hollow interior, a front wall having an outlet nozzle, and an open end opposite said outlet nozzle, whereupon said open mouth of said pouch is located at said outlet nozzle;

d) introducing said holder assembly into a dispensing gun comprising a hollow chamber, a piston and an actuator for moving said piston; and

e) operating said actuator to cause said piston apply pressure to said pouch to force the flowable material out of said pouch through said mouth and said outlet nozzle to dispense a metered amount of the flowable material from said pouch.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said removing a portion of the pouch along a line intersecting the tapering portion to form an open mouth of a desired size is accomplished by tearing said panels of said pouch along said line.

18. The method of claim 16 and wherein said line is located at a desired preselected distance from an end of said pouch to establish a desired size open mouth for said pouch.

19. The method of claim 17 and wherein said line is located at a desired preselected distance from an end of said pouch to establish a desired size open mouth for said pouch.

20. The method of claim 16 additionally comprising providing a valve at said outlet nozzle of said tubular member.