Flexible enclosure having a seal and method and system for making the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12404077-B2
Application number	US-202117186076-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2021
Priority date	Mar 2, 2020
Publication date	Sep 2, 2025
Grant date	Sep 2, 2025

Abstract

Flexible enclosure includes a front wall and a back wall that oppose each other and a side wall that joins the front and back walls. The front wall, the back wall, and the side wall are discrete sections. The front wall and the back wall are attached to opposite edges of the side wall. The side wall is configured to have a slit between top and bottom wall portions of the side wall. The flexible enclosure also includes a resealer extending between the front and back walls along the bottom wall portion of the side wall. The bottom wall portion is separable from the top wall portion along the slit. The bottom wall portion is configured to flex outwardly and away from the top wall portion and form a spout of the flexible enclosure. The resealer is configured to close the spout.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flexible enclosure comprising:
a front wall and a back wall that oppose each other and a side wall that joins the front and back walls, wherein the front wall, the back wall, and the side wall are discrete sections, the front wall and the back wall being attached to opposite side edges of the side wall, the side wall having a slit between top edges and bottom edges of the front wall and the back wall to define a top wall portion of the side wall between the slit and the top edges of the front wall and the back wall and to define a bottom wall portion of the side wall between the slit and the bottom edges of the front wall and the back wall; and
a resealer extending between the front and back walls along the bottom wall portion of the side wall, wherein the bottom wall portion is separable from the top wall portion along the slit, the bottom wall portion configured to flex outwardly and away from the top wall portion and form a spout of the flexible enclosure, the resealer configured to close the spout;
wherein the bottom wall portion is configured to flex outwardly and away from the top wall portion to form the spout and the resealer is configured to close the spout while the bottom wall portion is outwardly flexed away from the top wall portion,
wherein the side wall is a first side wall and the flexible enclosure includes a second side wall that is also a discrete section with respect to the front wall, the back wall, and the first side wall, the front wall and the back wall being attached to opposite edges of the second side wall, the first and second side walls opposing each other,
wherein the resealer is one of four resealers, each of the resealers extending along a respective one of the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, and the back wall.

2. The flexible enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the side wall is configured to have a line of weakness, the slit being formed when the line of weakness is broken.

3. The flexible enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the side wall is a gusseted side wall.

4. The flexible enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the resealer includes a self-mating strip extending between the front and back walls along an interior surface of the side wall.

5. The flexible enclosure of claim 4 , wherein the self-mating strip has opposite crushed ends and each edge of the side wall has one of the crushed ends.

6. The flexible enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the resealer includes first and second segments that are configured to mate with one another to close the spout.

7. The flexible enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the resealer is a first resealer and the second side wall has a second resealer that extends between the front and back walls, the second side wall configured to have a slit between top and bottom wall portions of the second side wall, wherein the second resealer extends between the front and back walls along the bottom wall portion of the second side wall, wherein the bottom wall portion of the second side wall is separable from the top wall portion along the slit, the bottom wall portion of the second side wall being configured to flex outwardly and away from the top wall portion, the resealer of the second side wall configured to close the second side wall.

8. The flexible enclosure of claim 7 , wherein the front and back walls have respective slits and respective resealers and wherein the slits of the first and second side walls and the front and back walls enable a user to remove a top of the flexible enclosure to provide an open-ended enclosure having an open top, the resealers of the first and second side walls and the front and back walls enabling a user to close the open top of the open-ended enclosure.

9. The flexible enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the top wall portion remains in a stationary position when the spout is in an open position and when the spout is in a closed position.

10. The flexible enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the resealer is configured to close the spout while the top wall portion is positioned inwardly of the resealer.

11. A flexible enclosure comprising:
a front wall and a back wall that oppose each other and a first side wall that joins the front and back walls, wherein the front wall, the back wall, and the first side wall are discrete sections, the front wall and back wall being attached to opposite side edges of the first side wall, the first side wall having a first slit between top edges and bottom edges of the front wall and the back wall to define a top wall portion of the side wall between the first slit and the top edges of the front wall and the back wall and to define a bottom wall portion of the first side wall between the slit and the bottom edges of the front wall and the back wall;
a first resealer extending between the front and back walls along the bottom wall portion of the first side wall, wherein the bottom wall portion is separable from the top wall portion along the first slit, the bottom wall portion configured to flex outwardly and away from the top wall portion and form a spout of the flexible enclosure, the first resealer configured to close the spout;
wherein the bottom wall portion is configured to flex outwardly and away from the top wall portion to form the spout and the first resealer is configured to close the spout while the bottom wall portion is outwardly flexed away from the top wall portion; and
a second side wall that is also a discrete section with respect to the front wall, the back wall, and the first side wall, the front wall and the back wall being attached to opposite edges of the second side wall, the first and second side walls opposing each other, the second side wall having a second resealer that extends between the front and back walls, the second side wall configured to have a second slit between top and bottom wall portions of the second side wall, wherein the second resealer extends between the front and back walls along the bottom wall portion of the second side wall, wherein the bottom wall portion of the second side wall is separable from the top wall portion along the second slit, the bottom wall portion of the second side wall being configured to flex outwardly and away from the top wall portion, the second resealer of the second side wall configured to close the second side wall.

12. The flexible enclosure of claim 11 , wherein the first side wall is configured to have a line of weakness, the first slit being formed when the line of weakness is broken.

13. The flexible enclosure of claim 11 , wherein the first side wall is a gusseted side wall.

14. The flexible enclosure of claim 11 , wherein the first resealer includes a self-mating strip extending between the front and back walls along an interior surface of the first side wall.

15. The flexible enclosure of claim 14 , wherein the self-mating strip has opposite crushed ends and each edge of the first side wall has one of the crushed ends.

16. The flexible enclosure of claim 11 , wherein the first resealer includes first and second segments that are configured to mate with one another to close the spout.

17. The flexible enclosure of claim 11 , wherein the front and back walls have respective third slits and respective third resealers and wherein the first and second slits of the first and second side walls and the third slits of the front and back walls enable a user to remove a top of the flexible enclosure to provide an open-ended enclosure having an open top, the first and second resealers of the first and second side walls and the front and back walls enabling a user to close the open

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Matthews Dave
• Nysted Matt

Classifications

• B65D75/5861

  Spouts (B65D75/5811, B65D75/5822 take precedence) · CPC title

• B65D75/5827

  Tear-lines provided in a wall portion (B65D75/5805, B65D75/5816 take precedence) · CPC title

• B65D31/10 Primary

  with gusseted sides · CPC title

• B31B2155/002

  by joining superimposed webs, e.g. with separate bottom webs · CPC title

• B31B2160/20

  with structural provision for thickness of contents · CPC title