Methods of adding expansion material to flexible containers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10640247-B2
Application number	US-201815953691-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2018
Priority date	Apr 27, 2017
Publication date	May 5, 2020
Grant date	May 5, 2020

Abstract

Methods of opening and adding expansion materials to containers made from flexible materials. The methods involve forming a partially completed container blank that may have four layers of flexible materials. The partially completed container blank may be opened by separating a portion of the first layer from a portion of the second layer by bending portions of the second, third, and fourth layers toward a first direction; and dosing the partially completed container blank, by adding an expansion material out of a dispenser and into a space disposed between a portion of the first layer and a portion of the second layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making disposable, flexible containers for fluent products, the method comprising:
forming a partially completed container blank that includes a flexible inner sheet and a flexible outer sheet, which together form a layered structure that includes:
a first layer, which is an outer layer of the layered structure, and is formed by a portion of the flexible outer sheet;
a second layer, which is an inner layer adjacent to and in contact with the first layer, and is formed by a portion of the flexible inner sheet;
a third layer, which is an inner layer, and is formed by a portion of the flexible inner sheet; and
a fourth layer, which is an outer layer of the layered structure, and is formed by a portion of the flexible outer sheet;

opening the partially completed container blank by separating a portion of the first layer from a portion of the second layer, wherein the opening includes:
bending portions of the second, third, and fourth layers toward a first direction; and

dosing the partially completed container blank, by adding an expansion material out of a dispenser and into a space disposed between a portion of the first layer and a portion of the second layer.

2. The method of claim 1 , including, during the bending, holding a portion of the first layer toward a second direction that is within 20 degrees of opposite to the first direction.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the second direction is within 10 degrees of opposite to the first direction.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the holding includes pulling on the first layer.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the pulling includes pulling on the first layer with a vacuum.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the pulling includes pulling on the first layer with a vacuum block.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the bending toward the first direction includes pushing on the second layer.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the bending toward the first direction includes pushing only on the second layer.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the bending toward the first direction includes pushing on the second layer with one or more mechanical projections.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the bending toward the first direction includes pushing on the second layer with one or more mechanical projections, each of which is inserted through an opening in the first layer.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the one or more mechanical projections are disposed within a vacuum block that is pulling on the first layer.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dosing includes moving the dispenser downward to a position between a top portion of the first layer and a top portion of the second layer.

13. The method of claim 12 , including, during the moving of the dispenser, blowing air toward edges of the layers in the layered structure.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the blowing includes blowing the air out of an opening of the dispenser.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the dosing includes adding the expansion material out of the opening and into the space.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein, the moving is during the bending.

17. The method of claim 16 , including moving the dispenser adjacent to one or more mechanical projections while they are pushing on the second layer.

18. The method of claim 16 , including moving the dispenser between a plurality of the mechanical projections while they are pushing on the second layer.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dosing includes dosing the partially completed container blank, by dispensing the one or more expansion materials from the dispenser, which is disposed above at least a portion of the space.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dispenser is an insulated tubular nozzle and the dosing includes dispensing the expansion material, which is a phase change material, out of the dispenser, in liquid form.

21. The method of claim 20 , including, before the dosing, pressing at least part of the first layer against at least part of the second layer, such that the space is partially closed off from the environment outside of the partially completed container blank.

22. The method of claim 20 , including, after the dosing, pressing at least part of the first layer against at least part of the second layer, such that the space is fully closed off from the environment outside of the partially completed container blank.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein, while the space is fully closed off, locally sealing a top portion of the first layer to a top portion of the second layer.

24. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the layered structure has an overall orientation; and
the first direction is within 20 degrees of perpendicular to the overall orientation.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the first direction is within 10 degrees of perpendicular to the overall orientation.

26. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first direction is toward a back of the blank.

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• Bourgeois Marc Richard
• You Jun
• Kolb Kunie
• Lester Joseph Craig
• Clare Benjamin Jacob

Classifications

• B65B31/006 Primary

  Adding fluids for preventing deformation of filled and closed containers or wrappers · CPC title

• B65B51/146

  Closing bags · CPC title

• B65B39/12

  movable towards or away from container or wrapper during filling or depositing · CPC title

• B65B39/007

  Guides or funnels for introducing articles into containers or wrappers · CPC title

• B65B43/26

  Opening or distending bags; Opening, erecting, or setting-up boxes, cartons, or carton blanks · CPC title