Flexible containers with product dispensing visibility

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10017300-B2
Application number	US-201615094293-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2016
Priority date	Apr 10, 2015
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

Flexible containers with product dispensing visibility. The containers may include: a multiple dose product volume; a structural support frame that supports the product volume in a stand-up orientation; a dispenser; and a flow channel in fluid communication with the product volume and the dispenser. The flow channel may be made from flexible materials forming a sealed leg of a gusset. Fluent product may flow from the product volume, through the flow channel, and out the dispenser when the container is externally compressed. The sealed leg of the gusset has a first side and a second side. The first side of the sealed leg of the gusset has opaque decoration that overlays substantially all of the flow channel, and the second side of the sealed leg of the gusset has one or more non-opaque portions that overlay the flow channel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hand-held disposable stand-up flexible container, configured for retail sale, wherein the container has a top, and comprises:
a multiple dose product volume that directly contains a fluent product, wherein the wall of the product volume is made from one or more flexible materials;
a structural support frame formed of one or more structural support members that each includes a structural support volume, wherein the structural support frame supports the product volume in a stand-up orientation, and wherein about all of the structural support frame is made from said one or more flexible materials;
a dispenser, which is an opening that dispenses the fluent product; and
a flow channel in fluid communication with the product volume and the dispenser, wherein about all of the flow channel is made from said one or more flexible materials forming a sealed leg of a gusset wherein the sealed leg of the gusset is disposed on a top of the container to form a top gusset;
wherein the container dispenses the fluent product from the product volume, through the flow channel, and out the dispenser, when the container is externally compressed;
wherein the flexible materials forming the sealed leg of the gusset has a first side with a first major surface and a second side with a second major surface, wherein the first side of the sealed leg of the gusset has opaque decoration that overlays substantially all of the flow channel, and wherein the second side of the sealed leg of the gusset has one or more non-opaque portions that overlay the flow channel and wherein one of the structural support members comprises a top structural support member that is formed in a folded leg of the top gusset, wherein the top structural support member is disposed in the top of the container and in front, and the top structural support member is adjacent to a sealed leg of the top gusset that includes the flow channel and the dispenser.

2. The container of claim 1 , wherein an entire second side of the sealed leg of the gusset is translucent.

3. The container of claim 1 , wherein an entire second side of the sealed leg of the gusset is transparent.

4. The container of claim 1 , wherein the one or more non-opaque portions are one or more transparent portions.

5. The container of claim 4 , wherein the one or more transparent portions overlay substantially all of the flow channel.

6. The container of claim 4 , wherein a transparent portion overlays a distal end of the flow channel, adjacent to the dispenser.

7. The container of claim 4 , wherein a transparent portion overlays a laterally central portion of the flow channel.

8. The container of claim 1 , wherein the second side of the sealed leg of the gusset has one or more visual dispensing windows that overlay portions of the flow channel adjacent to the dispenser.

9. The container of claim 1 , wherein the second side of the sealed leg of the gusset has a plurality of visual dispensing windows that overlay portions of the flow channel adjacent to the dispenser.

10. The container of claim 1 , wherein the second side of the sealed leg of the gusset has a plurality of visual dispensing windows that overlay portions of the flow channel from the dispenser to the product volume.

11. The container of claim 1 , wherein the second side of the sealed leg of the gusset has an elongated visual dispensing window that extends inward from the dispenser.

12. The container of claim 11 , wherein, for at least a portion of the elongated visual dispensing window, the window has a progressively wider width as the window extends inward.

13. The container of claim 1 , wherein the second side of the sealed leg of the gusset has an elongated visual dispensing window that extends inward from the dispenser to the product volume.

14. The container of claim 1 , wherein the first side of the sealed leg of the gusset is a front side of the leg of the sealed gusset, and wherein the second side of the sealed leg of the gusset is a back side of the sealed gusset.

15. The container of claim 1 , wherein the opaque decoration extends over a top portion of a front panel of the container, from the leg of the sealed gusset to a lower extent of a top back structural support volume.

16. The container of claim 1 , wherein the sealed leg of the gusset is disposed adjacent to a folded leg of the gusset of the container, wherein substantially all of the folded leg of the gusset is made from the one or more flexible materials, and wherein the opaque decoration overlays substantially all of the structural support frame, except for one or more transparent portions of the folded leg of the gusset.

17. The container of claim 16 , including an opacity transitioning decoration portion disposed between at least a portion of the opaque decoration and at least a portion of the one or more transparent portions.

18. The container of claim 1 , wherein the sealed leg of the gusset is disposed adjacent to a folded leg of the gusset of the container, wherein substantially all of the folded leg of the gusset is made from the one or more flexible materials, and wherein the opaque decoration overlays substantially all of the structural support frame, except for substantially all of the folded leg of the gusset.

19. The container of claim 1 , wherein the sealed leg of the gusset is disposed adjacent to a folded leg of the gusset of the container, wherein substantially all of the folded leg of the gusset is made from the one or more flexible materials, and wherein the opaque decoration overlays substantially all of the structural support frame, except for a distal portion of the folded leg of the gusset.

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• Mcguire Kenneth Stephen
• Arent Lee Mathew
• Stanley Scott Kendyl
• Berg Jr Charles John

Classifications

• B05B11/026

  Membranes separating the content remaining in the container from the atmospheric air to compensate underpressure inside the container · CPC title

• B65D35/24 Primary

  with auxiliary devices · CPC title

• B65D75/008 Primary

  Standing pouches, i.e. "Standbeutel" · CPC title

• B65D35/10 Primary

  made by uniting or interconnecting two or more components · CPC title

• B65D75/525

  External rigid or semi-rigid supports · CPC title