Flexible bags – Wall details – Reinforced
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-26
2001-05-15
Garbe, Stephen P. (Department: 3721)
Flexible bags
Wall details
Reinforced
C220S009100, C383S033000, C383S104000, C383S122000, C383S093000, C383S094000, C493S218000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06231237
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is related to a container having a rectangular base and it concerns also a method for manufacturing same. By using the term “container” it is referred to a container manufactured of sheets or films of flexible material formed into a suitable shape useful for containing unitary items, powdered or granulated material or liquids.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Containers with which the present invention is concerned are a practical and cheap way for packing goods and are thus very common in the food industry although not restricted to that field. The major advantages of containers are that they are easy to manufacture, cheap and are usually suitable for holding a variety of products. Such containers require minimal space in storage and are easily disposed of.
The most used form of container is the so-called “pouch” which is a sheet of material, e.g. paper, cardboard, plastic or a laminate formed into the shape of a bag or sack.
In some cases pouches are integrally formed with a base. However, such pouches are not self-standing and they require the internal pressure of their contents for stability. Furthermore, such pouches are usually oval and are thus less stable and also require more storage space. Still another drawback is that the structure of such products is not firm and thus they may collapse when they are not completely full.
In the present description and claims, the terms “heat weldable material” or “heat weldable surface” are used for determining layers of plastic material, e.g. polyethylene, polypropylene, etc. which, upon heating melt and may then be adhered to other such layers by a process which hereinafter in the specification will be referred to as “welding”. The term “heat weldable” is also referred to in the art as “heat sealable”.
Typical containers are made of a single sheet folded into a container's shape with overlapping portions which are then glued or welded to one another. Such containers are usually not suitable for containing liquids and do not have a rigid structure whereby they collapse when their contents are partially withdrawn. Furthermore, containers manufactured according to the heretofore known methods are usually restricted to pouch or prismatic box-like containers.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved container and a process for manufacturing same in which the above-referred to disadvantages are substantially reduced or overcome.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided a container made essentially of one or more film sheets, the container having a bottom base and walls extending upwardly therefrom; the base being essentially rectangular and defining front, rear and two side sections of the walls; the base being made of a film with both of its faces being heat weldable and the walls being made of a film having at least an inner heat weldable face; the container being constructed from a pouch having a front, rear and bottom sheet; the bottom sheet of the pouch being folded along a midline thereof with flaps extending downwards from the fold line and each of the two bottom edges of the flaps being welded to or integral with one bottom edge of either the front or the rear sheet, lateral edges of the front and rear sheet being welded to one another with the two bottom portions of the welded edges sandwiching both lateral edges of the bottom folded sheet; for construction of the container, a central portion of the bottom sheet is unfolded such that the unfolded portion has an essentially rectangular shape thus forming said base, with central parts of the bottom edges of the bottom sheet forming the front and rear edges of the base and with peripheral portions of the bottom sheet forming two overlapping triangular portions with the bottom edges thereof defining the two side edges of the rectangular base, thereby forming the container's front and rear wall sections extending from said front and rear edges and side walls extending from said side edges with the welded edges of the two sheets being at about the midline of the side walls; the structure being fixed by welding the two overlapping triangular portions to one another or by welding a peripheral triangular portion of the two overlapping ones to a juxtaposed inner face of the side sheets.
According to one embodiment of the present invention the bottom base and the walls are produced of an integral film sheet having both faces thereof heat weldable.
In order to impart rigidity to the container according to the present invention, one or more reinforcement elements made of or coated with a heat weldable material is welded to the bottom face of the rectangular base and welded thereto. The reinforcement element may be constructed of several segments or may be a uniform frame, welded to the inner face of the walls adjacent their top or bottom edges.
A reinforcement element welded to the top may have a shape and size corresponding to that of the rectangular base whereby a rectangular box-like container is obtained. Alternatively, the reinforcement element may be of any other shape or size. If the reinforcement element is a rectangle larger than the base then a truncated square pyramid is acquired, suitable for stacking such containers within one another.
According to still another embodiment of the present invention, stiff elongate ribs made of or coated with a heat weldable material are welded along the internal walls of the container so as to impart rigidity thereto. Alternatively, the stiff ribs are formed integrally with one or more reinforcing elements. Said stiff ribs may have different shapes so that when they are welded to the walls the container obtains a shape corresponding to that of said ribs.
The present invention further provides a process for the manufacture of a container, the container having an essentially rectangular base with walls, consisting of a front, rear and two side sections extending upwardly therefrom, the base being made of a film with both of its faces being heat weldable and the walls being made of a film having at least an inner heat weldable face; the process comprises:
(a) preparing a pouch having a front, rear and bottom sheet, the bottom sheet being folded along a midline thereof with the flaps extending downwards from the fold line and the two bottom edges of the flaps being each welded to or integral with a bottom edge of either the front or the rear sheet, lateral edges of the front and rear sheet being welded to one another with their bottom portions sandwiching both lateral edges of the bottom sheet;
(b) unfolding a central portion of the bottom sheet such that the unfolded portion assumes a rectangular shape and each of the two peripheral portions form two overlapping triangular portions;
(c) welding the two overlapping triangular portions to one another or welding a peripheral triangular portion of the two with juxtaposed inner face of a juxtaposed sheet.
Another aspect of the present invention concerns continuous processes for preparing pouches useful in continuous manufacture of containers according to the invention.
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Atifon Ltd.
Garbe Stephen P.
Nath Gary M.
Nath & Associates PLLC
Novick Harold L.
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