Flexible, stackable container and method and system for manufacturing the same

• US 10,232,969 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2013
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PrimaPak, LLC
• Original Assignee: PrimaPak, LLC
• Inventors: Sanfilippo, John E., Sanfilippo, James J., Skaggs, Jeanne M., Speer, Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): Tecco, Andrew M
• Application Number:
  US14/145,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20140109522A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,904 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B31B 50/26 Folding sheets, blanks or webs
• CPC Class Codes: B31B 50/62 by adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B31B 50/81 Forming or attaching accessories, e.g. opening devices, closures or tear strings
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 1/02 Machines characterised by the incorporation of means for making the containers or receptacles from flat, folded, or tubular webs of flexible sheet material B65B9/00
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 2220/18 the primary packaging being bags the subsequent secondary packaging being rigid containers, e.g. cardboard box
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 3/02 Machines characterised by the incorporation of means for making the containers or receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 43/10 by folding the material
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/022 for making bags
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 61/182 by applying tear-strips or tear-tapes
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 61/186 by applying or incorporating rigid fittings, e.g. discharge spouts
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 9/08 in a web folded and sealed transversely to form pockets which are subsequently filled and then closed by sealing
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 9/20 the webs being formed into tubes in situ around the filling nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 21/0209 stackable or joined together one-upon-the-other in the upright or upside-down position B65D21/0234, B65D21/0235 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2575/586 with means for reclosing
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/746 Spouts formed separately from the container
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 75/008 Standing pouches, i.e. "Standbeutel"
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 75/5877 connected to a planar surface of the package wall

Abstract

A flexible, stackable container for storing a quantity of a product may include a sealed package formed from a single sheet of film and retaining the quantity of the product disposed therein, and a lid fitment attached to a first side of the package. The first side of the package may have an outer first surface of the film and outwardly extending first corner seals formed in the film at the edges of the first side and surrounding the first side of the package. The package may also have a second side disposed opposite the first side and outwardly extending second corner seals formed in the film at the edges of the second side and surrounding the second side of the package.

Claims

1. A packaging machine for manufacturing flexible, stackable, sealed packages, each flexible, stackable, sealed package being formed from a single sheet of film, the sheet of film having a leading edge and a trailing edge relative to a direction of a transport path through the packaging machine, the packaging machine comprising:

a forming tube;

a forming shoulder disposed upstream of the forming tube to form the sheet around the forming tube such that oppositely disposed lateral edges of the sheet are adjacent to each other, the formed sheet of film defining oppositely disposed first and second panels and oppositely disposed third and fourth panels,

an edge seal station positioned downstream of the forming shoulder, the edge seal station forming an edge seal at adjacent lateral edges of the sheet;

a corner seal station positioned downstream of the forming shoulder, the corner seal station forming at least one corner seal in the sheet of film at the corners of the forming tube by forming folds in the sheet parallel to one or more corners of the forming tube defining the first or second panel of the package, each fold bringing an inner surface of the corresponding portion of the first or second panel into contact with a corresponding portion of an inner surface of the adjacent side of the package, with contacting inner surfaces being sealed to form the at least one corner seal, such that the at least one corner seal extends outwardly substantially perpendicularly from the first or second panel;

a sealing station comprising seal bars oriented transverse to the transport path and configured to actuate transverse to the transport path to engage the sheet of film proximate the leading edge and seal the film proximate the leading edge to form a leading seal; and

a flap station positioned downstream of the sealing station and having at least one engagement bar that is configured to move transverse to the transport path to fold the leading seal towards the outer surface of a side panel of the package and attach the leading seal to the outer surface of the side panel, wherein the leading seal extends from a first edge adjacent the outer surface of the side panel to an oppositely disposed second edge disposed downstream of the first edge in the transport path and defining an outer periphery edge of the leading seal and the leading seal is folded such that the fold is formed at the first edge and all or substantially all of the leading seal remains disposed perpendicular to the transport path.

2. The package machine of claim 1, wherein the sheet of film is provided on a web of film comprising a plurality of sheets of film, the web of film having oppositely disposed lateral edges, and a trailing edge of a downstream sheet of film corresponds to a leading edge of an upstream sheet of film.

3. The packaging machine of claim 2, further comprising at least one guide roll for feeding the web of film from a film roll into the transport path.

4. The packaging machine of claim 2, wherein the sealing station engages and seals the leading edge of one sheet of film and the corresponding trailing edge of the downstream sheet of film to form a combined leading and trailing seal.

5. The packaging machine of claim 4, wherein the flap station further comprises a separation element for separating the combined leading and trailing seal, separation element comprises a knife blade.

6. The packaging machine of claim 5, wherein the knife blade is provided in the at least one engagement bar of the flap station.

7. The packaging machine of claim 1, wherein after transport of the sheet of film after forming the leading seal, the sealing station engages the trailing edge of the sheet of film, and seals the film proximate the trailing edge to form the trailing seal, and wherein after sealing the leading seal to the outer surface the sheet of film moves in the transport path and the engagement bars of the flap sealing station engages the trailing seal and at least one engagement bar moves transverse to the transport path to fold the trailing seal towards the outer surface of the package and attaches the trailing seal to the outer surface.

8. The packaging machine of claim 1, further comprising a second sealing station comprising engagement bars oriented parallel to the leading seal of the sheet, wherein the engagement bars engage the trailing edge of the sheet of film and seal the film proximate the trailing edge to form a trailing seal.

9. The packaging machine of claim 1, wherein the seal station further comprises first and second tuck bars that are configured to actuate in a direction transverse to the transport path to engage a portion of the sheet of film and tuck the portion of the sheet of film inward.

10. The packaging machine of claim 4, wherein the sealing station further comprises a separation element for separating the combined leading and trailing seal.