Pouch for a Food Product

The subject matter of this application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/109,842, filed 2023 Feb. 14, now U.S. Pat. No. 12,312,143, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/910,070, filed 2020 Jun. 24, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,577,899, and Switzerland Patent Application No. 00867/19, filed on 2019 Jun. 28, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

Pouches or bags for food products are known. The bags in the food packaging industry have to fulfill various tasks such as to keep the contents fresh and safe. Bags are made from various materials, mostly made from plastic and come in various sizes. On the one hand, products should be nicely designed so that those appear appealing to customers, but on the other hand, the products should be useful and functional. There are various designs and forms for food products. Most common bags are rectangular-shaped and include a front layer and a back layer wherein the front layer and the back layer are interconnected. Some have a wider base; others are identical at the top and bottom.

Pyramid-shaped tea bags are known and widely used. Such triangular pyramid shaped filter bags usually contain leaf teas and infusions. The pyramidal tea bags provide more room and thus enough space for the teas to fully unfold their flavor.

Tetrahedral packages or containers are used to include fluids such as milk or cream. GB865476A discloses a tetrahedron-shaped package of thin flexible material filled with liquid or fluent material. The package has a sealing fin extending along one edge of the tetrahedron, wherein adjacent to one of the corners of the tetrahedron package the sealing fin is provided with a transverse slit or notch extending across the major part of the width of the fin, from and inclined to the edge of the fin, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis or median line of an apex of the package corner, whereby to facilitate tearing off of the end portion of the fin and the corner of the package adjacent thereto, and thus to form an open pouring aperture in the corner of the package, of substantially circular shape. The aperture is intentionally small as the package is for liquids.

In GB865475A improvements in and relating to sealed packages are described. Disclosed is a tetrahedron-shaped package with a rip-cord or zip-string that extends inside the package, wherein each end of the cord or string is and embedded in, and sealed off by, a sealing fin of the material forming the package. The cord or string is pre-treated to prevent escape of packaged materials therethrough by a “wicking” action. An additional rip-cord or zip-string is needed within this package.

There is a general need for advancements in this field of technology.

A tetrahedral-shaped pouch can be opened by tearing from a cut in a first lateral sealing edge and along a longitudinal sealing substantially perpendicular to the first lateral sealing edge to conveniently access non-liquid food contents, such as seeds, nuts, or cereal. During a production and/or packaging process, the longitudinal edge sections of an elongated sheet of packaging material can be brought together, overlapped, and sealed to form an elongated or continuous tube of packaging material extending along a longitudinal axis. The overlapped and sealed edge sections are referred to herein as the longitudinal sealing. Individual pouches can be formed by heat sealing the tube across a lateral axis a predetermined length from a previously cut edge of the tube. The tube can be cut laterally across its width adjacent the heat seal to form one lateral sealing edge of a resulting pouch. Product can be introduced into the pouch before, during or after the lateral cutting that forms the pouch. The previously cut edge opposite the one lateral sealing edge is then also heat sealed along an orthogonal to both the one lateral sealing edge and the longitudinal axis of the tube to form another lateral sealing edge of a roughly tetrahedral-shaped pouch.

When forming the pouch, the longitudinal sealing can be positioned in a predetermined location along a length of a first of the lateral sealing edges. A short longitudinal cut can be made into but not all the way through the first lateral sealing edge, adjacent where the longitudinal sealing is positioned on the first lateral sealing edge. When opening the pouch, by initiating a tear starting at the cut, the packaging material will tear along, but not cross the longitudinal sealing, since the longitudinal sealing is formed from an overlapped and doubly thick section of packaging material. The pouch will therefore open, on at least one side of the tetrahedron, along a predictable tear line following the longitudinal sealing, to form a bowl-shaped receptacle from which the contained food product can be conveniently accessed.

A pouch for a food product can include a side wall comprising a tubular section of material that has been formed by bringing together, overlapping and sealing together longitudinal edge sections of a sheet of packaging material to form a longitudinal sealing; a first sealing edge extending laterally across a first flattened and cut end section of the tubular section of material and arranged substantially orthogonally to the longitudinal sealing; a second sealing edge extending laterally across a second flattened and cut end section of the tubular section of material opposite the first flattened and cut end section of the tubular section of material, the second sealing edge arranged substantially orthogonally to the first sealing edge and to the longitudinal sealing; a notch in the first sealing edge adjacent the longitudinal sealing; and a tear area for generating an opening starting from the notch in the first sealing edge and having one border extending substantially along the longitudinal sealing.

The pouch can be pyramidal shaped and asymmetric. The pouch after opening can form a bowl-shaped receptacle that provides access to the food product. The longitudinal sealing can be folded away from the tear area. The longitudinal sealing can be arranged asymmetrically. The longitudinal sealing can extend between the first sealing edge and the second sealing edge, the longitudinal sealing being substantially near to a pouch side edge. The pouch can be tetrahedral shaped. The notch can be arranged near the longitudinal sealing and can extend approximately one third into an area extending from the first sealing edge. The notch can be arranged opposite of the longitudinal sealing towards a longitudinal middle of the first sealing edge. The tear area can extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal sealing. The pouch can further include a force insertion area substantially near to an apex at a side of the first sealing edge where the longitudinal sealing intersects.

In between the first sealing edge and the second sealing edge, the tear area can extend along a line to generate a tear edge substantially near and along the longitudinal sealing. The side wall can include a material that is multi-layered and heat sealable. The side wall can be formed at least in part of aluminum. The opening can be substantially in a shape of an isosceles triangle. The opening can run from the first sealing edge to substantially an inner part of the second sealing edge. The opening can run slightly oblique from the first sealing edge being vertically arranged to the second sealing edge being horizontally arranged when the pouch is placed on a horizontal plane. The opening can be configured to release approximately one half of a side length of the second sealing edge. The pouch after opening can include a tear-off part with a substantially rectangular shape and a triangular end.

A method for producing pyramidal shaped pouches for receiving a food product can include: providing a quadrilateral base of a multi-layered heat sealable material and forming a tube from the material; sealing along a longitudinal direction where the material overlaps to form a longitudinal sealing; sealing across the tube to generate a first sealing edge, the first sealing edge being a first sealing edge for both of two adjacent pouches; sealing across the tube to generate a second sealing edge substantially orthogonally to the first sealing edge, the second sealing edge being a second sealing edge for one of the two pouches; sealing across the tube to generate a third sealing edge substantially orthogonally to the first sealing edge, the third sealing edge being a second sealing edge for another of the two pouches; creating a notch in the first sealing edge adjacent the longitudinal sealing to form a tear area for generating an opening on each of the two adjacent pouches, the tear area extending substantially along the longitudinal sealing; and cutting laterally along the first sealing edge to separate the two adjacent pouches.

A pouch for a food product includes a side wall comprising a tubular section of heat-sealable laminate material having a tear characteristic; a first sealing edge extending laterally across a first flattened and cut end section of the tubular section of material; a second sealing edge extending laterally across a second flattened and cut end section of the tubular section of material opposite the first flattened and cut end section of the tubular section of material, the second sealing edge arranged substantially orthogonally to the first sealing edge; a notch in and running substantially perpendicular to the first sealing edge to facilitate tearing the pouch starting at the first sealing edge and along two lower tear edges in the side wall to form, based on the tear characteristic and a position of the notch within the first sealing edge, a substantially triangular tear area in the side wall having an apex at the first sealing edge and a base extending along a resulting fold extending between an end of each lower tear edge in the side wall, the tearing of the pouch generating a tear off part including a portion of the side wall and a portion of the first sealing edge adjacent the notch, the tear off portion having a substantially triangular tear area with an apex at the notch in the first sealing edge and extending along two upper tear edges in the side wall to meet the base extending along the resulting fold, the upper and lower tear edges being complimentary and formed by tearing the pouch.

The pouch after opening can form a bowl-shaped receptacle that provides access to the food product. The pouch can be tetrahedral shaped. The side wall can include a material that is multi-layered and heat sealable. The side wall can include aluminum. The tear area can be substantially in a shape of an isosceles triangle. The tear area can run from the first sealing edge to substantially an inner part of the second sealing edge. The tear area can run slightly oblique from the first sealing edge being vertically arranged to the second sealing edge being horizontally arranged when the pouch is placed on a horizontal plane. The tear area can release approximately one half of a side length of the second sealing edge. The tear off part can be substantially tetrahedral in shape.

The tubular section of heat-sealable laminate material can be formed by bringing together, overlapping and sealing together longitudinal edge sections of a sheet of packaging material to form a longitudinal sealing; the first sealing edge can be arranged substantially orthogonally to the longitudinal sealing; the second sealing edge can be arranged substantially orthogonally to the longitudinal sealing; and the notch in the first sealing edge can be adjacent the longitudinal sealing.

The longitudinal sealing can be folded away from the tear area. The longitudinal sealing can be arranged asymmetrically. the longitudinal sealing can extend between the first sealing edge and the second sealing edge, the longitudinal sealing being substantially near to a pouch side edge. The notch can be arranged near the longitudinal sealing and can extend approximately one third into an area extending from the first sealing edge. The notch can be arranged opposite of the longitudinal sealing towards a longitudinal middle of the first sealing edge. The tear area can extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal sealing.

The pouch can further include a force insertion area substantially near to an apex at a side of the first sealing edge where the longitudinal sealing intersects.

In between the first sealing edge and the second sealing edge, the tear area can extend along a line to generate a tear edge substantially near and along the longitudinal sealing.

A method for producing pyramidal shaped pouches and filling them with a food product can include: providing a multi-layered heat sealable material on a reel; unwinding the material via rolls; forming a tube from the material via a forming shoulder and a metallic forming tube on which the material is wrapped; sealing along a longitudinal direction where the material overlaps to form a longitudinal sealing; sealing across the tube to generate a first sealing edge and forming an opening, the first sealing edge being a first sealing edge for both of two adjacent pouches; filling via the metallic forming tube the food product in the opening; sealing across the tube to close the opening and generate a second sealing edge substantially orthogonally to the first sealing edge, the second sealing edge being a second sealing edge for one of the two pouches; sealing across the tube to generate a third sealing edge substantially orthogonally to the first sealing edge after filling in the food product, the third sealing edge being a second sealing edge for another of the two pouches; creating a notch in the first sealing edge adjacent the longitudinal sealing to form a tear area for generating an opening on each of the two adjacent pouches, the tear area extending substantially along the longitudinal sealing; and cutting laterally along the first sealing edge to separate the two adjacent pouches, each filled with the food product.

The sealing across the tube can be performed in a sequential pattern by jaw pairs through opening and closing. The jaw pairs can be formed by two opposite metallic jaws. The sealing across the tube can be performed by cross-sealing through the jaw pairs positioned underneath the metallic forming tube. The jaw pairs can be metallic and electrically heated.

The method can further include lowering the material by one pouch length after sealing and filling in the food product. Each pouch can be moved via a fixed chute to a conveyor belt.

A packaging machine for producing pyramidal shaped pouches and filling them with a food product can include means for performing the steps of the above method.

The packaging machine can include a metallic forming tube around which the heat sealable material can be wrapped.

The packaging machine can include a cross-sealing system that is formed of four electrically heated metallic jaws positioned in a rhombus like arrangement. The four electrically heated metallic jaws can be positioned underneath the metallic forming tube. Two of the four electrically heated metallic jaws can form a pair of two opposite metallic jaws each pair adapted to open and close in a sequential pattern.

The packaging machine can include a fixed chute on which the final pouches fall and are transferred out of the machine. The packaging machine can include a conveyor belt that transports the final pouches to a packing station.

shows a tetrahedral or pyramidal shaped pouchformed from a tube of packaging material and suitable for a food product. During a production and/or packaging process, the longitudinal edge sections of an elongated sheet of packaging material can be brought together, overlapped, and sealed to form an elongated or continuous tube of packaging material extending along a longitudinal axis. The overlapped and sealed edge sections can be referred to as a longitudinal sealing or a seam. The three-dimensional pouchcan include a first sealing edgeand a second sealing edgewhich can be arranged substantially orthogonally to each other to form the pouchfrom the tube of packaging material. The pouchhas a tear area,extending substantially along a longitudinal sealingfor generating an opening(shown in). The first sealing edgeis arranged in a vertical direction whereas the second sealing edgeis in a horizontal direction, both are substantially perpendicular to each other. The vertical sealing at the first sealing edgehas a defined width that forms a vertical fin to keep the pouchclosed. The horizontal sealing at the second sealing edgehas also a defined width that forms a horizontal fin to keep the pouchclosed on the other side. The fins on both sides have preferably the same or an identical width. The tear open element comprises a notchthat is formed within the first sealing edge, i.e. into the vertical fin. The notchis basically a cut or slit that is generated during the production process of the pouch. The notchforms a recess that extends preferably orthogonally into the material of the pouch.

The slit or notchextends approximately one third from the first sealing edgeinto the vertical fin. The notchprovides a direction into which tensile forces act when opening the pouch. The notchmight run deeper into the material, i.e. the vertical sealing, to provide more or better guidance.

The notchcan be arranged near or adjacent the longitudinal sealing, i.e. where the pouchis sealed or welted. The material is here “folded right over left” and thus is thicker than in other parts. The notchcan be advantageously arranged opposite of the longitudinal sealingtowards the longitudinal middle of the first sealing edge.

The pouchcan be produced from a material that is multi-layered and heat sealable. The material can be printable on the outside and may have instructions printed thereon for a consumer to indicate how to open the pouchproperly. This flexible material can include aluminum to guarantee a certain stiffness and/or gas impermeability so as to keep the contents fresh. Common plastic pouches would not fulfill that requirement as such a material would be too soft. On the other hand, the use of tetra pack materials would be too tight.

The longitudinal sealingcan extend from the first sealing edgeto the second sealing edge. The longitudinal sealingcan be substantially close to, adjacent or near to a pouch side edge. The longitudinal sealingneed not be centered to ensure opening of the pouchthrough guidance starting from the tear notchand going straight along the tear edgenear the sealingslightly inclined to the bottom of the pouch, i.e. to the second sealing edge.

Along one of its sides, the tear area,can extend substantially parallel to and along the longitudinal sealing.

In between the first sealing edgeand the second sealing edgethe tear area,extends as tear edgealong a virtual line (dashed line in) near where the pouch is sealed. As the material is thicker along the longitudinal sealing, the tear edgewill not run into the thicker part and is thus guided along the longitudinal sealing.

The pouchcan include a force insertion areasubstantially near to an apexat the side of the first sealing edgewhere the longitudinal sealingintersects. This is one holding area for the consumer whereas the other holding area for opening the pouchis intuitive or direct near the notchon the other side.

The opening(shown in) that is to be created though tensile or pulling forces runs from the first sealing edgealong the tear edgeto substantially an inner part′ of the second sealing edge, i.e. the horizontal fin. The openingcan be stopped before reaching the inner part′ so that for example only have of the openingis released. Any size of openingcan be generated by applying appropriate forces or by mechanical means such as thickened material at a location where a stop is desired.

illustrates some geometrical aspects of the pouch. The pyramidal shaped pouchis arranged or placed horizontally, e.g. on a plane, table or the like (not shown).

The pouchcan include at the bottom a first triangular plane, on one side a second triangular planeand on the other side a third triangular plane, and an inclined fourth triangular planerunning from the top of the vertically oriented first sealing edgeto the horizontally oriented second sealing edge. All planes,,,merge into each other without forming strict edges. There is a smooth fading from one plane into another plane. In other words, the triangular planes form isosceles triangle-shaped supporting side walls with smooth transitions. The first sealing edgeis shown as a substantially vertical sealing whereas the second sealing edgeforms a substantially horizontal sealing. The pouchcan have the shape of a stretched tetrahedron or polyhedron with four triangular stretched side walls. The triangular planes,,,form basically the side walls.

The pouchcan be created in production from a quadrilateral base area or material formed to a cylinder or tube that is sealed along the longitudinal sealing. Theoretically, one open side of the cylinder is then closed to the first sealing edgeand the other open side is closed to the second sealing edge. The first sealing edgeand the second sealing edgeare arranged substantially at right angles to each other.

shows a schematic representation of another pyramidal shaped pouchthat basically is mirrored. The pouchis closed, filled with the food product, and placed on a horizontal plane before opening. The pouchcomprises here the first sealing edgeon the right-hand side and the second sealing edgeon the left-hand side. The first sealing edgeis vertically and the second sealing edgehorizontally arranged. The first sealing edgeand the second sealing edgeare arranged substantially orthogonally to each other to form in between the pouchthat contains the food product. The pouchhas the tear area,that extends along the longitudinal sealing. The force insertion areais here on the right-hand side substantially near to the apexat the side of the first sealing edge, where also the longitudinal sealingintersects. As will be shown in, after two pouches, the production process repeats, which means that pouchesare produced where for the first pouch the longitudinal sealingis on one side whereas for the second pouch the longitudinal sealingis on the other side.

The notchprovides the direction or guidance to which an end user applies tensile or pulling forces when opening the pouch. Advantageously, the notchis arranged near where the pouchis sealed or welted along the longitudinal sealingbetween the first sealing edgeand the second sealing edge.

An embodiment of the pouchmay have the following dimensions. The first sealing edgeis about 100 mm and the second sealing edgeis 100 mm in length too. Each sealing at the vertical and horizontal edges,has a width of about 15 mm that can also be referred to as fin having a rectangular area of 100 mm by 15 mm. The fin can have a wavelike structure that is created during the sealing process or wrinkle welding. Small rills running along the longitudinal direction of each sealing edge,can form the wavelike structure. The outer side of each edge,can be serrated. This is from the manufacturing process and the cutting to individual pouches. From the vertex corner at the first sealing edgeof the pyramidal shaped pouchto another vertex corner at the second sealing edgethe length is about 190 mm. From the inner part of each sealing edge,the length is about 160 mm.

The first triangular plane, the second triangular plane, the third triangular plane, and the fourth triangular planemerge into each other without defined edges to form the pouch. Each triangular stretched face or triangular plane,,,forms an isosceles triangle-shaped supporting side wall. Each side wall of the pouchis substantially an isosceles triangle with two sides, each of about 160 mm, and the remaining side of about 100 mm.

Such pouchwould have a filling weight of about 60-70 grams and a volume of approximately 340-380 ccm. The size of the pouchcan vary. Thus, pouchescan be smaller or larger. Also, other geometries might be possible as the invention is not limited to pyramidal shaped pouches. The pyramidal shaped pouch can have one or more apexes or corners where one or more are beveled or broken off.

The described pouchwith some attachment means could serve as a holder or support for a smartphone or smartphone like device. Adhesive pieces or tapes may be provided to fix the smartphone to the pouchin an inclined position to enable best use and visibility. Also, once opened and emptied of their contents, instead of being discarded, used pouches can also be used as birthday party hats for small caged animals such as pet hamsters.

shows one embodiment after opening with a triangular openingand a tear-off part′. The triangular openingruns inclined along the tear edgefrom the upper part of the vertically oriented first sealing edgeto the inner side′ of the horizontally oriented second sealing edge. The tear-off part′ can be swung out or opened up to the left-hand side but left attached near the inner side′. It is also possible to open the pouchpartly or half way. The triangular openingreleases approximately half of the side length of the second sealing edge. The food product is now released and ready for use.

The pouchforms a bowl-shaped receptacle that provides easy access to the food product, preferably snacks such as sunflower seeds or roasted sunflower seeds. The opened pouchcan be positioned on a plane or table for display of the food product, which is ready for consumption.

illustrate how a user can open the pouchto access the food product inside.shows the user grasping the first sealing edgewith opposite hands on opposite sides of the notchto initiate a tear open of the pouch.shows the user pulling the tear off part′ away from the pouch body as the pouch tears along the longitudinal sealingon one side of the triangular openingand symmetrically on another side of the triangular opening.shows the user holding the opened pouchshowing the contents inside.

When opening the pyramidal shaped pouchto release the food product, a tensile or pulling force is applied to the tear area,(shown in) in the direction from the first sealing edgeto the second sealing edgethereby opening the pouchalong the tear edgenear the longitudinal sealing. The longitudinal sealingcan be configured to pull away with the tear-off part′.

To open the pouch, the sealing edgeis grasped by the fingers in the holding areas and near the notch, and is torn-off from the first sealing edgetowards to the second sealing edgeon the other side. This opens the pouchalong the tear edgeproper and due to the force symmetry, the tear on both sides will be nearly identical. The pouchafter opening includes the tear-off element′ with a substantially rectangular shape and a triangular end. The tear-off part′ remains attached to the pouch.

The pouchcan be opened while positioned on a table or holding in the hands. The first sealing edgeis then vertical while the second sealing edgeis horizontally and nearly parallel to the table.

A preferred way to open the pouchis to hold the first sealing edgehorizontally at the top while the second sealing edgeis at the bottom. In other words, the tip of the second triangular planeor triangle-shaped supporting side wall is at the bottom. The fingers hold the pouchnear the tear notchand apply an opposing tractive force. While applying the force the pouchopens along the tear edgeguided by the longitudinal sealing. The pouchis then slightly pivoted to one side such that no content falls out. After swiveling the pouch less than 90° the horizontal first sealing edgeis then nearly vertical, but slightly inclined. The pouchis then opened and can be placed with its triangular base area on a horizontal plane, like a table or the like. Alternatively, the opened pouchmight be held in one's hand.