Pouch manufacture and uses

• US 20040144065A1
• Filed: 10/08/2003
• Published: 07/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: David John Smith, Rhys Jones
• Original Assignee: David John Smith, Rhys Jones
• Inventors: Jones, Rhys, Smith, David John
• Application Number:
  US10/683,044
• Publication Number:
  US 20040144065A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 53/453
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 31/04 Evacuating, pressurising or gasifying filled containers or wrappers by means of nozzles through which air or other gas, e.g. an inert gas, is withdrawn or supplied
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 9/042 for fluent material
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/042 Water soluble or water disintegrable containers or substrates containing cleaning compositions or additives for cleaning compositions

Abstract

A vacuum-assisted process for making a fluid-containing water-soluble pouch. The pouches obtained according to the process of the invention have a reduce air content. The use of the pouches containing detergent composition for laundry and dishwashing is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A vacuum-assisted process for making a fluid-containing water-soluble pouch comprising the steps of:

a) placing a first sheet of elastic film material over a horizontal mould comprising a cavity and a flange;

b) drawing the film material into the cavity with vacuum assistance while maintaining the film under tension to form an open pouch;

f) filling the open pouch with a volume of fluid to define an effective fluid surface area A_f;

g) closing and sealing the open pouch with a second sheet of film material along one or more sealing lines, the region bounded by the sealing lines having an area A_s; and

h) releasing the vacuum applied to the pouch;

wherein the volume of fluid relative to that of said cavity and the position of said sealing lines relative to said flange are such that A_f and A_s are in a ratio of from about 1;

1.2;

to about 1;

5.

2. A process according to claim 1 wherein when said first sheet of said film material is maintained under tension according to step (b), said first sheet is subjected to a deformation of from about 20% to about 55%.

3. A process according to claim 1 wherein the dimensions of said first and said second sheet of said film material under static conditions differ less than about 10%.

4. A process according to claim 1 wherein said open pouch is filled to a height of about 2 mm below said flange of said mould.

5. A process according to claim 1 wherein said mould cavity has cylindrical geometry;

and wherein the region defined by said sealing lines has a parallelepiped geometry.

6. A process according to claim 1 wherein the footprint of the resulting pouch is rectangular or square.

7. A process according to claim 1 wherein said pouch comprises a plurality of sealing lines;

and wherein the sealing is performed by means of intermittent sealing.

8. A process according to claim 1 wherein said second sheet is subject to an anti-bowing step during the sealing of said pouch for purposes of reducing air entrainment.

9. A process according to claim 8 wherein said anti-bowing step is performed by one or more of the following means:

air means or weight means.

10. A process according to claim 1 wherein said fluid is selected from the group consisting of a liquid, gel, paste, and combinations thereof.

11. A fluid-containing water-soluble pouch made according to claim 1.

12. A pouch according to claim 11 further comprising one of the following:

a solid insert or a multitude of solid inserts.

13. A method of cleaning articles using a pouch made according to claim 11, wherein said method comprises the steps of:

a) providing said pouch; and

b) delivering said pouch to wash water.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein said pouch is a multi-compartment pouch.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein said wash water is from dishwashing processes.

16. A method according to claim 13, wherein after step (a) said method further comprises the step of placing said pouch in one or more of the following:

the detergent dispenser or in the interior of an automatic dishwashing machine.

17. A method according to claim 13, wherein said wash water is from laundry processes.

18. A method according to claim 13, wherein after step (a) said method further comprises the step of placing said pouch in one or more of the following:

the detergent dispenser or in the interior of a washing machine.

19. A horizontally-formed fluid-containing water-soluble pouch comprising a first and a second sheet sealed together and a base length to height ratio of from about 10:

1 to about 2;

1;

wherein both sheets of said pouch are under tension; and

wherein the volume of fluid and the volume of air contained in said pouch are in a ratio of from about 1.7;

1 to about 8;

1.

20. A horizontally-formed fluid-containing water-soluble pouch comprising a first and a second sheet sealed together and a base length to height ratio of from about 10:

1 to about 2;

1;

wherein said pouch is formed by a process comprising the step of subjecting said second sheet to an anti-bowing step during the sealing of said pouch for purposes of reducing air entrainment; and

wherein the volume of fluid and the volume of air contained in said pouch are in a ratio of from about 1.7;

1 to about 8;

1.