Disposable seal and lock foil beverage pouch and the operating machinery to manufacture such product

Abstract

A fillable, sealable, disposable container for storing, transporting and consuming a liquid, such as an individual beverage serving; the container having opposed front and a back walls, joined along their opposed sides, each wall also having an upper portion, defining an opening for filling the container, and a lower portion, connecting the lower portions of the front and back walls, for stabilizing the container for filling, and a sealable fluid-tight liquid retaining seal about said opening, for sealing the upper portion of the front and back walls, and means for creating a hole in the front wall of the container, for extracting the liquid.

1 . A fillable, sealable, disposable container for a liquid, comprising: 
 1) opposed front and a back walls comprising fluid impervious material, each wall having an upper portion, opposed side edges, and a lower portion; said walls joined along the opposed side edges, and;    2) a bottom stabilizing surface, comprising a connecting lower wall, connecting the lower portions of the front and back walls; and    3) a liquid receiving opening between the upper portions of the front and back walls; and    4) a sealable fluid-tight liquid retaining seal about said opening, for sealing the upper portion of the front and back walls, to retain the liquid portion in the container; and;    5) means for creating a straw hole in the front wall of the container, beneath the liquid retaining seal in the upper portion of the front wall, for extracting the liquid through the straw hole;    said liquid receiving opening maintaining an effective pouring diameter, while the container is supported on its bottom stabilizing surface.    
   
   
       2 . A fillable, sealable, disposable container for a liquid, as in  claim 1 , wherein the sealable fluid-tight liquid retaining seal is a mating channel closure.  
   
   
       3 . A fillable, sealable, disposable container for a liquid, as in  claim 2 , further comprising a protective secondary seal, comprising an adhesive sealing line on the outside surface of the upper portion of the front wall, for attaching the outer surface the front wall to itself, by folding the upper portions of the front and back walls onto the front wall and securing the fold with an adhesive seal.  
   
   
       4 . A fillable, sealable, disposable container for a liquid, as in  claim 1 , wherein the sealable fluid-tight liquid retaining seal is an adhesive sealing line on the inside surface of the upper portion of at least one of the front wall and the back wall.  
   
   
       5 . A fillable, sealable, disposable container for a liquid, as in  claim 4 , further comprising a protective secondary seal, comprising an adhesive sealing line on the outside surface of the upper portion of the front wall, for attaching the outer surface the front wall to itself, by folding the upper portions of the front and back walls onto the front wall and securing the fold with an adhesive seal.  
   
   
       6 . A fillable, sealable, disposable container for a liquid, as in  claim 1 , wherein the bottom surface comprises a two-legged gusset between the front and back walls, one portion of the gusset being sealed to the lower portion of the front wall, and another portion of the gusset being sealed to the lower portion of the back wall, along their side edges.  
   
   
       7 . A fillable, sealable, disposable container for a liquid, as in  claim 1 , wherein the bottom surface comprises a pleat between the front and back walls, sealed to the lower portion of the front and back walls, along their side edges.  
   
   
       8 . A fillable, sealable, disposable container for a liquid, as in  claim 1 , wherein the means for creating a hole in the front wall of the container comprises an area of weakening in the front wall, below the retaining means.  
   
   
       9 . A fillable, sealable, disposable container for a liquid, as in  claim 1 , wherein the means for creating a hole in the front-wall of the container comprises an opening in the front wall, below the retaining means, and a removable tab forming a fluid-tight seal over the hole.  
   
   
       10 . A fillable, sealable, disposable container for a liquid, as in  claim 1 , wherein the bottom surface is an ovate blank.  
   
   
       11 . A fillable, sealable, disposable container for a liquid, as in  claim 1 , wherein the back wall comprises a transparent fluid impervious material.  
   
   
       12 . A fillable, sealable, disposable container for a liquid, as in  claim 11 , further comprising a fill line in the transparent fluid impervious material.  
   
   
       13 . A method of manufacturing a fillable, sealable, disposable container comprising: 
 a) providing a sheet of fluid impervious material, comprising an inner surface and an outer surface; a length and a width, said width comprising the height of the front and back walls, and the connecting bottom wall, and, in any order,    b) reverse folding the sheet on the center line of the bottom connecting wall, and forward folding the sheet at the line between the front wall and the bottom connecting wall, and forward folding the sheet at the line between the back wall and the bottom connecting wall, to form a pleat in the bottom connecting wall, bringing the inside surfaces of the front and back walls together, and aligning the side edges of the front wall and the back wall;    c) providing a liquid retaining seal on the inside surface of the front wall and the back wall;    d) heat sealing the side edges of the pleat to the side edges of front and back walls;    e) heat sealing the side edges of the front and back walls; and    f) creating a means for making a straw hole in the front wall, below the liquid retaining seal; to access the contained liquid.    
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13  where step c) further comprises providing an edging sheet of fluid impervious material, comprising a liquid retaining seal, and securing the edging along the width edges of the sheet.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 13  where step f) comprises heat sealing the side edges of the pleat to each other to form a two-legged gusset.  
   
   
       16 . A fillable, sealable, disposable container for a liquid, comprising: 
 1) opposed front and a back walls comprising fluid impervious material, each wall having an upper edge, opposed side edges, and a lower portion; said walls joined along the opposed side edges and the upper edges, and;    2) a liquid receiving opening in the upper portion of the front wall, defined by the edges of a mating channel closure, which when closed creates a fluid-tight liquid retaining seal; and    3) a bottom, stabilizing surface, connecting the lower portions of the front and back walls; and    4) means for creating a straw hole in the front wall, beneath the upper portion of the front wall, for extracting the liquid through the hole;    said liquid receiving opening maintaining an effective pouring diameter, while the container is supported on its bottom surface.    
   
   
       17 . A fillable, sealable, disposable container for a liquid, as in  claim 14 , wherein the bottom surface comprising a gusset between the front and back walls, one portion of the gusset being sealed to the lower portion of the front wall, and another portion of the gusset being sealed to the lower portion of the back wall, along their side edges.  
   
   
       18 . A fillable, sealable, disposable container for a liquid, as in  claim 16 , wherein the bottom surface comprising a pleat between the front and back walls, sealed to the lower portion of the front and back walls, along their side edges.  
   
   
       19 . A fillable, sealable, disposable container for a liquid, as in  claim 16 , further comprising a protective secondary seal, comprising an adhesive sealing line on the outside surface of the upper portion of the front wall, for attaching the outer surface the front wall to itself about a fold in the upper portions of the front and back walls.  
   
   
       20 . A fillable, sealable, disposable container for a liquid, as in  claim 16 , further comprising at least one score line traversing the bottom channel of the mating channel closure.  
   
   
       21 . A fillable, sealable, disposable container for a liquid, as in  claim 16 , further comprising at least one score line traversing the bottom channel of the mating channel closure, and corresponding score lines in the bottom channel of the mating channel closure.  
   
   
       22 . A method of manufacturing a fillable, sealable, disposable container comprising: 
 a) providing a sheet of fluid impervious material, comprising an inner surface and an outer surface; a length and a width, said width comprising the height of the front and back walls, and the connecting bottom wall, and, in any order,    b) reverse folding the sheet on the center line of the bottom connecting wall, and forward folding the sheet at the line between the front wall and the bottom connecting wall, and forward folding the sheet at the line between the back wall and the bottom connecting wall, to form a pleat in the bottom connecting wall bringing the inside surfaces of the front and back walls together, and aligning the side edges of the front wall and the back wall;    c) providing a liquid retaining seal on the upper portion of the front wall;    d) heat sealing the side edges of the pleat to the side edges of front and back walls;    e) heat sealing the side edges of the front and back walls; and    f) creating a means for making a straw hole in the front wall, below the liquid retaining seal; to access the contained liquid.    
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22 , where step f) comprises heat sealing the side edges of the pleat to each other to form a two-legged gusset.