Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Packaged or wrapped product – Packaging structure cooperating with food generated gas
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-31
2001-08-14
Garbe, Stephen P. (Department: 3727)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Packaged or wrapped product
Packaging structure cooperating with food generated gas
C383S103000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06274181
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally concerns flexible bags, bag arrangements or pouches that include a gas vent or gas filter arrangement. In particular, the invention concerns an arrangement which in operation: can be closed and sealed about an object or objects contained within the bag arrangement; and, from which certain types of gas build-up in the pouch arrangement interior can be readily released, in a preferred manner. Preferred applications concern such arrangements including means for opening and resealing, during use. The invention also concerns methods for preparing such bag arrangements, and methods of use.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A variety of items are marketed enclosed within flexible bags or bag constructions. Among other things, such constructions can generally operate to: protect the enclosed item(s); retain a plurality of items in close association with one another; facilitate storage and handling; facilitate access to a portion of a stored quantity; and/or to inhibit contamination (and maintain freshness) of stored material. A variety of bag designs have been used, for such purposes.
In some instances, items stored within the bag construction are not completely stable, after the construction is sealed closed. For example, at a food processing/packaging plant materials such as coffee beans may be packaged (sealed) within such bag constructions, while hot. As materials such as coffee beans cool, gases are given off. These gases will expand the flexible bag construction taut, and eventually rupture it, unless vented.
To maintain integrity of the bag construction under such circumstances, vented bag arrangements have been developed. A frequently used general type of construction is one which involves an aperture or pore in a side wall of the bag construction, which is covered by a porous filter. As gas pressures build up within the sealed bag arrangement, the gases can pass outwardly through the vented pore and filter, to reestablish equilibrium of pressure between the interior and exterior of the bag. One commercially available filter for such use is the Bosch filter available from Robert Bosch Corporation. This filter arrangement generally comprises a piece of porous polymer material including portions having adhesive thereon, selectively positionable over a pore in the bag.
Conventional vented flexible bag arrangements for containing materials such as coffee have not been completely satisfactory in function. Reasons for this include the following: such constructions have not, in general, been conveniently constructed for ease of opening and resealing; the position of the vent or filter has not been completely desirable for maintenance of integrity during shelf life and use; and, the position of gas vents or filters in such arrangements have not been fully satisfactory with respect to potential interference with the operation thereof by material received within the bag, during use.
A better understanding of conventional arrangements can be obtained from consideration of the conventional arrangement illustrated in
FIGS. 1 and 2
. In
FIG. 1
there is depicted, in perspective, a conventional, vented, flexible bag arrangement
1
having material
2
(such as coffee beans
3
) stored therein. Arrangement
1
has first and second closed ends
5
and
6
and opposite sides
7
and
8
. End
6
is preferably relatively permanently closed, by staples, adhesive or the like. End
5
is also closed (at the packaging plant) by means such as staples and/or adhesive; however it is opened (by the consumer or user) for access to an interior, to remove coffee
3
therefrom. In use, end
5
is reclosed by rolling that end of the bag up, and clipping, clamping, taping or otherwise securing the rolled up end in a tightly coiled configuration. As arrangement
1
is further depleted of its contents, during further use, end
5
is further rolled and compressed toward end
6
. Reasons why this type of closure has been preferred include the fact that to maintain material
2
within arrangement
1
as fresh as reasonably possible, it is generally desirable to leave as little air in the arrangement
1
, during storage, as easily manageable.
Still referring to
FIG. 1
, on an upper surface
10
of arrangement
1
a vent system or arrangement
15
is positioned. Vent arrangement
15
comprises a porous polymer filter arrangement or member
16
positioned over a pore
17
. Pore
17
extends through surface
10
, into fluid flow communication with an interior
18
of arrangement
1
. Gas pressure build-up within arrangement
1
, then, is vented by passage of the gases through porous filter member
16
. The filter member
16
is selected, however, so that solid particles and the like do not pass there through. Thus, the contents of the bag do not leak outwardly. Also, preferably member
16
is selected so that it acts as a barrier to microorganism and moisture passage into the bag
1
, to maintain freshness.
In a typical use, arrangement
1
is constructed with one open end (for example end
5
) and is filled with material
2
to be stored, while material
2
is still in a hot state. The open end (end
5
in the example) is then sealed closed, and as the material cools, gases are given off. The gases build up pressure within arrangement
1
and are vented through pore
17
and filter member
16
.
When the arrangement is ultimately obtained by a consumer, end
5
is opened, as necessary, for removal of material stored therein. As described above, end
5
is reclosed by collapsing, folding or rolling it toward end
6
, and is maintained closed by means such as a retainer, clamp or tape. This practice is repeated, until the contents are completely used.
Typical operation of the arrangement
1
as just described, involves at least two potential problems. First, as end
5
is reopened and reclosed during use by the consumer, eventually the consumer will collapse or roll end past vented arrangement
15
. This poses little problem with respect to the required operation of vent arrangement
15
, since its purpose will generally have been served prior to the consumer even obtaining the arrangement. However, a potential problem is nevertheless presented. In particular, vent arrangement
15
represents a portion of the overall construction
1
in which, as a result of the pore
17
and the filter member
16
, a site of potential failure is presented. For example, in general, conventional arrangements utilized as a filter member
16
, are not as flexible as materials used as the side walls, i.e. surface
10
, of typical bag constructions
1
. If the vent arrangement
15
resists coiling or collapse during the folding/rolling process involving end
5
, the vent arrangement
15
or the construction
1
may tear or rupture, leading to a failure in the integrity of a side wall of arrangement
1
. Thus, inconvenient spills, etc., may occur. Further, loss of freshness, due to loss of integrity of the closed system, may result. Similar problems would occur if instead of rupture, separation of the filter member
16
from the construction
1
occurred.
Another potential problem is presented from the location of arrangement
15
. In particular, its position is such that when arrangement
1
is filled during packaging, solid material is present within arrangement
1
, directly adjacent vent arrangement
15
. Such solid material may interfere with free flow of gases through the vent arrangement
15
. For example, prior to cooling and releasing of gases, small particles (i.e. dust) within the stored material
2
may block pore
17
and/or filter
16
, so that when the gases are released from the stored material, they are not as readily vented from the bag arrangement
1
.
Another potential problem with the arrangement of
FIG. 1
is that it is not especially convenient for the consumer to use, from the point of view of opening and reclosing. For some consumers it may be inconvenient to perform the ritual of rolling the end
5
of arrangement
1
, between uses, and finding a method of maintai
Bell Gary M.
Richison Cecil
Garbe Stephen P.
Kapak Corporation
Merchant & Gould P.C.
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