Water-soluble pouches

Abstract

A multi-compartment pouch is formed from two water soluble substrates, wherein the pouch is substantially symmetrical about a weld line between the two substrates.

1 .- 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A multi-compartment pouch formed from two water soluble substrates, wherein the pouch is substantially symmetrical about a weld line between the two substrates. 
     
     
         17 . The pouch of  claim 16 , wherein the pouch comprises at least two compartments wherein each compartment is formed between the same two substrates. 
     
     
         18 . The pouch of  claim 17 , wherein the compartments contain different products. 
     
     
         19 . The pouch of  claim 17 , wherein the pouch comprises three or more compartments. 
     
     
         20 . The pouch of  claim 17 , wherein the compartments are disposed within the pouch such that they provide at least one of resistance to planar distortion or that any bending axis arbitrarily laid across the pouch cuts through the body of at least one compartment. 
     
     
         21 . The pouch of  claim 17 , further comprising at least one of a perimetric compartment or a divided perimetric compartment. 
     
     
         22 . The pouch of  claim 17 , wherein at least one compartment is filled with at least one of a flowable composition, a solid composition, or more than one composition; and
 wherein the compositions are mutually compatible and not antagonistic to each other.   
     
     
         23 . The pouch of  claim 16 , wherein one of the water soluble substrates is a top lidding web and the other water soluble substrate is a base web; and
 wherein the top lidding web is thinner than the base web.   
     
     
         24 . The pouch of  claim 23 , wherein the top lidding web has a thickness of between 30% and 90% of that of the base web. 
     
     
         25 . The pouch of  claim 23 , wherein the top lidding web has a thickness of between 50% and 75% of that of the base web. 
     
     
         26 . The pouch of  claim 16 , wherein each compartment is filled to at least 80% of the available volume. 
     
     
         27 . The pouch of  claim 16 , wherein each compartment is filled to at least 90% of the available volume. 
     
     
         28 . The pouch of  claim 16 , wherein the pouch is sealed to a second closed multi-compartment pouch to form a combined pouch. 
     
     
         29 . The pouch of  claim 16 , wherein the pouch is sealed to a second open multi-compartment pouch to form a combined pouch. 
     
     
         30 . A method of making a multi-compartment pouch from two water soluble substrates including a base web and a top lidding web, the method comprising:
 providing a former having a plurality of multi-compartment pouch forming cavities in a peripheral surface of the former;   drawing the base web into the cavities to form a plurality of pockets within each pouch;   filling one or more pockets with at least one product;   closing the pockets in the base web with the top lidding web to form a plurality of sealed multi-compartment pouches; and   separating the sealed multi-compartment pouches from the combined base web and top lidding web;   wherein the top lidding web is thinner than the base web such that, as the base web retracts or shrinks back after the pouch has left the former, the pressure generated within the pouch causes the top lidding web to distend to a greater extent than the contraction of the base web, thereby increasing the internal volume of the pouch sufficiently to form a multi-compartment pouch substantially symmetrical about the weld line between the two substrates.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the top lidding web has a thickness of between 30% and 90% of that of the base web. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the top lidding web has a thickness of between 50% and 75% of that of the base web. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein each pocket of the multi-compartment pouch is filled with at least one product. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the former is configured such that at least one open pocket of a pouch is formed and filled before at least one other open pocket of the pouch is formed and filled; and
 wherein the pouch closed by sealing with a lidding web once all open pockets have been filled.   
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein a second pouch is affixed to the multi-compartment water-soluble pouch to form a combined pouch.