Flexible containers with puckered corners

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9914575-B2
Application number	US-201615094319-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2016
Priority date	Apr 10, 2015
Publication date	Mar 13, 2018
Grant date	Mar 13, 2018

Abstract

Flexible containers having with inflated elements with puckered corners.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hand-held disposable stand-up flexible container, configured for retail sale, wherein the container comprises:
a multiple dose product volume that directly contains a fluent product, wherein about all of the product volume is made from one or more films;
a structural support frame that supports the product volume, wherein the structural support frame includes a plurality of expanded structural support volumes, including a first expanded structural support volume, which:
is made from one or more films formed into a first leg of a folded gusset;
includes a portion that is substantially cylindrical with an overall lateral orientation, and a horizontal reference plane that intersects a longitudinally outermost portion of the first expanded structural support; and
includes a first end, having a first seal that is puckered, such that a first corner of the first seal is offset from the horizontal reference plane when the container is standing up.

2. The container of claim 1 , wherein the first corner of the first seal is offset from the horizontal reference plane by an offset distance of 1-10 millimeters (0.04-0.39 inches).

3. The container of claim 1 , wherein the first corner of the first seal is offset from the horizontal reference plane by an offset distance of 1-8 millimeters (0.04-0.31 inches).

4. The container of claim 1 , wherein the first corner of the first seal is offset from the horizontal reference plane by an offset distance of 2-6 millimeters (0.08-0.24 inches).

5. The container of claim 1 , wherein the first corner of the first seal is a right angle corner and an end edge of the first seal is angled away from the horizontal reference plane.

6. The container of claim 1 , wherein the first corner of the first seal is a right angle corner and an end edge of the first seal is angled away from the horizontal reference plane by an angle of 5-45 degrees.

7. The container of claim 1 , wherein the first corner of the first seal is a right angle corner and an end edge of the first seal is angled away from the horizontal reference plane by an angle of 10-30 degrees.

8. The container of claim 1 , wherein the first corner of the first seal protrudes from the first expanded structural support volume, by a protrusion distance of 0.0-3.0 millimeters (0-0.12 inches).

9. The container of claim 1 , wherein the first corner of the first seal protrudes from the first expanded structural support volume, by a protrusion distance of 0.5-2.0 millimeters (0-0.08 inches).

10. The container of claim 1 , wherein the first expanded structural support volume includes a second end, having a second seal that is puckered, such that a second corner of the second seal is offset from the horizontal reference plane when the container is standing up.

11. The container of claim 10 , wherein the second corner of the second seal is a right angle corner and an end edge of the second seal is angled away from the horizontal reference plane.

12. The container of claim 1 , wherein:
the first expanded structural support volume is a bottom structural support volume that contacts a horizontal support surface when the container is standing up; and
the horizontal support surface forms the horizontal reference plane.

13. The container of claim 12 , wherein the first expanded structural support volume is a front bottom structural support volume.

14. The container of claim 13 , wherein the structural support frame includes the plurality of expanded structural support volumes, which includes a second expanded structural support volume, which:
is made from one or more films formed into a second leg of the folded gusset;
is a back bottom structural support volume;
includes a portion that is substantially cylindrical with an overall lateral orientation;
includes two ends, wherein each end of the second expanded structural support volume has a seal that is puckered, such that a corner of the seal is offset from the horizontal support surface when the container is standing up.

15. The container of claim 14 , wherein each end of the second expanded structural support volume has a seal that is puckered, such that a right angle corner of the seal is angled away from the horizontal support surface.

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• You Jun
• Mcguire Kenneth Stephen
• Stanley Scott Kendyl

Classifications

• B05B11/026

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

• B65D75/525

  External rigid or semi-rigid supports · CPC title

• B65D75/5872

  Non-integral spouts · CPC title

• B65D75/52

  Details · CPC title

• B65D75/008 Primary

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