US 10,501,241 B2Granted

Mounting portion for a spout

AssigneeSilgan White Cap LLC

InventorGary Berge

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A spout includes a mounting portion to which a pouch of a container assembly is sealed. The exterior of the mounting portion is defined by a smooth, non-angled surface free of edges or sharp transition portions, and is defined along its height by a generally sinusoidal, wave-like pattern formed by alternating peaks and troughs. The exterior of the mounting portion is structured such that the ratio of the length of the portion of the mounting portion exterior surface extending between adjacent peaks to the height between adjacent peaks is minimized to no more than 10%, and more preferably no more than 5%. By minimizing this ratio, the amount that a pouch will stretch if it is pushed into the cavities formed between adjacent peaks of the mounting portion (e.g. during an HPP process) is minimized, thereby preventing damage to the pouch and/or attachment between the pouch and spout.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A spout for attachment to a flexible pouch comprising:

a cylindrical tube surrounding a central channel, the tube having an inlet end and an outlet end;
a mounting portion located along a lower portion of the tube, the mounting portion comprising:
first and second walls, each of the first and second walls having an interior surface, an exterior surface, a first vertical edge and a second vertical edge, the first and second walls attached to one another along their first and second vertical edges;
and
an opening defined between the interior surfaces of the first and second walls, the opening being in fluid communication with the inlet end of the tube so that contents of a pouch may be accessed from outside of the pouch through the central channel and the opening;
wherein the exterior surfaces of each of the first and second walls define a curvilinear wave-like pattern formed of alternating peaks and troughs, the pattern of each of the first and second exterior surfaces extending along a height of the mounting portion from bottom ends of the first and second walls to top ends of the first and second walls, wherein at least one of the pouch and the mounting portion include one or more vents that allows for fluid communication between the outside environment and the interior of at least one or more cavities that are formed between adjacent peaks.

3 more elements

A pouch and spout assembly comprising:

a pouch defining an interior in which contents may be stored;
a spout having:
a flow channel that fluidly connects the interior of the pouch with a location outside the pouch;
a mounting portion formed about the flow channel, the mounting portion comprising a generally vertically extending wall having an inner surface and an exterior surface, the inner surface of the wall defining an opening that is in fluid communication with the flow channel and the interior of the pouch;
one or more mounting structures extending radially outwards from and spaced along a height of the exterior surface of the wall, an inner surface of the pouch being sealed to the spout along the mounting structures to form a fluid-tight interface;
and
one or more cavities formed between adjacent mounting structures, each cavity being bounded in its entirety by the inner surface of the portion of the pouch extending between the adjacent mounting structures and the portion of the exterior surface of the wall extending between the adjacent mounting structures;
wherein the arrangement of the mounting structures along the exterior surface of the wall prevents the portion of the pouch extending between adjacent mounting structures to stretch any more than 10% relative to the original length of the portion of the pouch when the pouch is forced radially inwards from an initial location towards the exterior surface of the wall;
and
wherein at least one of the pouch and the mounting portion include one or more vents that allows for fluid communication between the outside environment and the interior of at least one of the one or more cavities.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/866,408Filed 9 Jan 2018 · continuation
Priority: 19 Jan 2017
Published: US 2018/0201415 A119 Jul 2018
Granted: 10 Dec 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

B65D 47/122
Having removable closures: threaded caps
B65D 41/3428
With flexible tabs, or elements rotated from a non-engaging to an engaging position, formed on the tamper element or in the closure skirt: the…
B65D 75/008
Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g.…:…
B65D 75/5883
Non-integral spouts: connected to the package at the sealed junction of two package walls

Family

PCT/US2017/014123Parent of this continuation · filed 19 Jan 2017
US 2018/0201415 A1Pre-grant publication · published 19 Jul 2018
US 10,501,241 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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