Unit dose articles and package therefor

Abstract

A flexible sealed bag and method of making thereof; the flexible bag containing a plurality of at least partially water soluble unit dose articles comprises a front panel, a back panel and a bottom panel. The front panel and the back panel may be marginally joined together along at least two opposed edges to be in a confronting relationship to form the closed bag. The front and back panels are joined at the top of the bag by a frangible seal. The bottom panel is intermediate to the front panel and back panel, and is joined to each of them. The first panel comprises at least one transparent window and at least one opaque portion. The articles are distributed from the bottom of the bag to a height therein, providing an empty space above the height of the articles, whereby the transparent window intercepts the articles and the empty space.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A flexible sealed bag containing a plurality of at least partially water soluble unit dose articles, said bag comprising:
 a front panel and a back panel marginally joined thereto along at least two opposed edges to be in a confronting relationship to form a closed bag, said front panel and said back panel being joined at the top by a frangible seal;   a bottom panel intermediate said front panel and said back panel, and joined to each of said front panel and back panel;   wherein said front panel comprises at least one transparent window and at least one opaque portion, and said articles are distributed from the bottom of said bag to a height therein, providing an empty space above the height of said articles, whereby said transparent window of said front panel intercepts said articles and said empty space.   
     
     
         2 . The flexible bag containing a plurality of articles according to  claim 1 , wherein said articles are of substantially equal size and shape. 
     
     
         3 . The flexible bag containing a plurality of articles according to  claim 2 , wherein said articles comprise unit doses of a liquid laundry composition. 
     
     
         4 . The flexible bag containing a plurality of articles according to  claim 1 , wherein said bag comprises a polymeric film throughout, and said front panel of said bag is generally rectangularly shaped and comprises spaced apart side edges defining a width there between, said side edges of said front panel being heat sealed to corresponding side edges of said back panel. 
     
     
         5 . The flexible bag containing a plurality of articles according to  claim 4 , wherein said at least one transparent window has a variable width. 
     
     
         6 . The flexible bag containing a plurality of articles according to  claim 5 , wherein said window diverges to become wider as the bottom of said bag is approached. 
     
     
         7 . The flexible bag containing a plurality of articles according to  claim 5 , wherein said window diverges to have a maximum width at the height of said articles in said bag. 
     
     
         8 . The flexible bag containing a plurality of articles according to  claim 6 , wherein said window has a major axis, said major axis being diagonally oriented relative to said rectangularly shaped front panel. 
     
     
         9 . A flexible sealed bag containing a plurality of unit dose articles, said bag comprising:
 a front panel and a back panel marginally joined thereto along at least two opposed edges to be in a confronting relationship and form a closed bag, said front panel and said back panel being joined at the top by a frangible seal, said unit dose articles being distributed from the bottom of said bag to a height therein;   a bottom panel intermediate said front panel and said back panel, said bottom panel being joined to each of said front panel and said back panel;
 wherein said front panel comprises at least one transparent window and at least one opaque portion, and, providing an empty space above the height of said articles, said articles having a pincushion shape with a major dimension along one side; 
 whereby said transparent window of said front panel intercepts said articles and said empty space, said transparent window having a width taken in the horizontal direction, said width being greater than said major dimension of said articles. 
   
     
     
         10 . The flexible closed bag containing a plurality of unit dose articles according to  claim 9 , comprising a plurality of vertically disposed windows, with at least one window being below the height of said articles. 
     
     
         11 . The flexible sealed bag containing a plurality of unit dose articles according to  claim 9 , wherein said window is diagonally oriented and monotonically increases in width as the bottom of said bag is approached. 
     
     
         12 . The flexible sealed bag containing a plurality of unit dose articles according to  claim 10 , wherein said window intercepts the bottom of said bag, said window having a width greater at the bottom of said bag than said major dimension of said articles. 
     
     
         13 . The flexible sealed bag containing a plurality of unit dose articles according to  claim 9 , wherein said articles comprise a plurality of different sizes, said major dimension of said articles corresponding to the major dimension of the largest size of said articles. 
     
     
         14 . The flexible sealed bag containing a plurality of unit dose articles according to  claim 9  wherein said bottom of said bag has at least one gusset therein. 
     
     
         15 . The flexible sealed bag containing a plurality of unit dose articles according to  claim 14  wherein said bottom of said bag is transparent. 
     
     
         16 . The flexible sealed bag containing a plurality of unit dose articles according to  claim 15  wherein said front panel has a first thickness and said bottom panel has a second thickness, said thickness of said bottom panel being different from said thickness of said front panel. 
     
     
         17 . The flexible sealed bag containing a plurality of unit dose articles according to  claim 9  wherein said front panel has a surface area and said opaque portion of said front panel comprises at least about 20% percent of said surface area. 
     
     
         18 . The flexible sealed bag containing a plurality of unit dose articles according to  claim 9  wherein said transparent window comprises indicia. 
     
     
         19 . A method of providing a flexible sealed bag containing a plurality of unit dose articles, said method comprising the steps of:
 (a) providing an open flexible bag comprising:
 a front panel and a back panel marginally joined thereto along at least two opposed edges to be in a confronting relationship to form a closed bag, said front panel and said back panel being joined at the top by a frangible seal; 
 a bottom panel intermediate said front panel and said back panel, and joined to each of said front panel and back panel; 
 wherein said front panel comprises at least one transparent window and at least one opaque portion; 
   (b) filling said bag with a plurality of at least partially water soluble unit dose articles such that said articles are distributed from the bottom of said bag to a height therein;   (c) providing an empty space above the height of said articles, whereby said transparent window of said front panel intercepts said articles and said empty space; and.   (d) sealing said bag.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising the step of displaying said flexible sealed bag for purchase by a consumer at a point of purchase.