Flexible bags – Compartmented
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-28
2003-11-04
Sipos, John (Department: 3721)
Flexible bags
Compartmented
C053S415000, C053S451000, C053S474000, C206S495000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06641306
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to flexible packages, and the method for making same. More particularly, the present invention relates to flexible packages, and the method for making the same that contain a separate pouch. The invention allows for use of flexible packages with a pouch that can be filled with materials that will be kept separate from a main portion of the package.
2. Description of Related Art
Vertical form, fill, and seal packaging machines are commonly used in the snack food industry for forming, filling, and sealing bags of chips and other like products. Such packaging machines take a packaging film from a sheet roll and forms the film into a vertical tube around a product delivery cylinder. The vertical tube is vertically sealed along its length to form a back seal. The machine applies a pair of heat-sealing jaws or facings against the tube to form a transverse seal. This transverse seal acts as the top seal on the bag below and the bottom seal on the package being filled and formed above. The product to be packaged, such as potato chips, is dropped through the product delivery cylinder and formed tube and is held within the tube above the bottom transverse seal. After the package has been filled, the film tube is pushed downward to draw out another package length. A transverse seal is formed above the product, thus sealing it within the film tube and forming a package of product. The package below said transverse seal is separated from the rest of the film tube by cutting across the sealed area.
The packaging film used in such process is typically a composite polymer material produced by a film converter. For example, one prior art composite film used for packaging potato chips and like products is illustrated in
FIG. 1
a
, which is a schematic of a cross-section of the film illustrating each individual substantive layer.
FIG. 1
a
shows an inside, or product side, layer
16
which typically comprises metalized oriented polypropylene (“OPP”) or metalized polyethylene terephtalate (“PET”). This is followed by a laminate layer
14
, typically a polyethylene extrusion, and an ink or graphics layer
12
. The ink layer
12
is typically used for the presentation of graphics that can be viewed through a transparent outside layer
10
, which layer
10
is typically OPP or PET.
The prior art film composition shown in
FIG. 1
a
is ideally suited for use on vertical form and fill machines for the packaging of food products. The metalized inside layer
16
, which is usually metalized with a thin layer of aluminum, provides excellent barrier properties. The use of OPP or PET for the outside layer
10
and the inside layer
16
further makes it possible to heat seal any surface of the film to any other surface in forming either the transverse seals or back seal of a package.
Typical back seals formed using the film composition shown in
FIG. 1
a
are illustrated in
FIGS. 2 and 3
.
FIG. 2
is a schematic of a “lap seal” embodiment of a back seal being formed on a tube of film.
FIG. 3
illustrates a “fin seal” embodiment of a back seal being formed on a tube of film.
With reference to
FIG. 2
, a portion of the inside metalized layer
26
is mated with a portion of the outside layer
20
in the area indicated by the arrows to form a lap seal. The seal in this area is accomplished by applying heat and pressure to the film in such area. The lap seal design shown in
FIG. 2
insures that the product to be placed inside the formed package will be protected from the ink layer by the metalized inside layer
26
.
The fin seal variation shown in
FIG. 3
also provides that the product to be placed in the formed package will be protected from the ink layer by the metalized inside layer
36
. Again, the outside layer
30
does not contact any product. In the embodiment shown in
FIG. 3
, however, the inside layer
36
is folded over and then sealed on itself in the area indicated by the arrows. Again, this seal is accomplished by the application of heat and pressure to the film in the area illustrated.
As noted, a benefit of both the prior art fin seal and lap seal design is the containment of the product in the package by a barrier layer (the metalized inside layer) that keeps ink and solvent levels in the package to a minimum. Ink and solvent levels in fatty food packages are frequently regulated to insure product safety. It may be desirable, however, to provide a graphics capability inside a package. This would allow for promotional information or coupons to be maintained inside the package and only accessible after the consumer has opened the package. For example, a promotional prize campaign could be offered with the prize announcements being maintained inside the package. Likewise, coupons offering product rebate rewards, promotional prize points, or discounts on products could be maintained within the sealed package.
One prior art method used to provide a graphics capability inside the package involves the use of a paper insert dropped with the product into the package during filling. When the consumer opens the package, the paper insert can be removed for viewing and use. This method has several drawbacks, however. The reliability of placing a single paper insert in each bag (by dropping the paper with a weighed amount of product) is a major consideration, particularly in small packages. A capacity issue is raised by the need to rent inserters to be used during the filling process. Foreign matter detectors are also frequently set off by the detection of the paper insert within the bag. The insertion of a piece of paper can raise the solvent level in the package beyond acceptable levels. All of the above greatly adds to the expense of each single package.
Another approach to providing graphics within the bag would involve the application of the graphics directly to the inside metalized layer
16
shown in
FIG. 1
a
. The application of such graphics can be accomplished using an inkjet printer. However, this method likewise raises a capacity issue, since present technology converters produce packaging film at a speed of 1500 to 2000 feet per minute, while the capacity of present inkjet printer heads is approximately 300 feet per minute. Additional modification to converters must be made in order to keep the inkjet printing in register with the graphics formed by the ink layer
12
. All of the above considerations again add to the cost of the package. In addition, the United States Food & Drug Administration does not presently allow for the use of an ink-carrying layer that comes into contact with a fatty food.
Another prior art approach to this issue is illustrated in
FIG. 1
b
, which is again a schematic cross-section of a packaging film. As with the embodiment shown in
FIG. 1
a
, the embodiment shown in
FIG. 1
b
comprises an outside OPP layer
10
followed by an ink layer
12
, a laminate layer
14
, and a metalized OPP or PET layer
16
. However, an additional laminate layer
14
′ is applied to the metalized layer
16
so that an additional ink layer
12
′ and OPP or PET layer
10
′ can be used as the new inside layer
10
′. The use of the ink layers
12
,
12
′ as the second to last layer on both the outside and inside of the package allows for a full graphics capability on both the outside and the inside of the film. The additional film, however, adds approximately sixty percent (60%) to the cost of the material when compared with the embodiment shown in
FIG. 1
a
. Overall capacity is also cut in half, since the film must be run through a typical converter twice. Further, since the material is 60% thicker, it cannot be run on a vertical form and fill machine at speeds as high as that used to make packages out of the embodiment shown in
FIG. 1
a
. This is because longer dwell times must be used to form all the seals involved. As with the inkjet printer solution, the embodiment shown in
FIG. 2
a
also requires additional efforts to keep the inside graphics and outside graphics in regi
Knoerzer Anthony Robert
Kohl Garrett William
Tucker Steven Kenneth
Cahoon Colin P.
Carstens Yee & Cahoon, L.L.P.
Recot Inc.
Sipos John
LandOfFree
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