# US 10,549,873 B2 · Bend-open package and method for manufacturing bend-open package > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,549,873 B2 - Document ID: US10549873B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/933,908 - Filed: 2018-03-23 - Published: 2018-07-26 - Granted: 2020-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2016-08-03 - Assignees: Future Labo Co, Ltd. - Applicants: Future Labo Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Tadashi Hashimoto; Hisashi Hashimoto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10549873B2 ## CPC - B65B 47/04: by application of mechanical pressure - B65D 75/585: {the tear-lines being broken by deformation or bending} - B65B 9/04: one or both webs being formed with pockets for the reception of the articles, or of the quantities of material - B65B 61/18: for making package-opening or unpacking elements - B65D 75/368: {the compartments being interconnected, e.g. by small channels} - B65D 83/00: Containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents (dispensing means incorporated in closures B65D47/00) - B65B 9/042: {for fluent material} - B65B: MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING (bundling and pressing devices for cigars A24C1/44; devices for tensioning and securing binders adapted to be supported by the article or articles to be bound B25B25/00; applying closure members to bottles, jars or similar containers B67B1/00-B67B6/00; concurrent cleaning, filling and closing of bottles B67C7/00; emptying bottles, jars, cans, casks, barrels or similar containers B67C9/00) - B65D: CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES ## Abstract A bend-open package includes a sealant without unsealing an opening until the package is bent to a predetermined bend angle or less to prevent leakage of the content in a package body. A method for manufacturing the bend-open package includes preparing a sheet member for a bend-open package, including in sequence, (a) forming cuts in the surface of a sheet base, and (b) press-bonding sealants press-cut from a sealant base to the surface of the sheet base to cover the cuts. The steps include embedding a periphery of the sealant in the surface of the sheet member by a predetermined depth, and forming a protrusion having a height smaller than a thickness of the sealant protruding outwardly from the surface of the sheet member along the entire periphery of the sealant. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A bend-open package, comprising: a package body configured to store content, the package body being at least partially a flat member including a bend portion that is bendable for being folded into two; a sealant press-bonded to a surface of the flat member to cover an opening in the bend portion, the sealant being configured to rupture and open in accordance with bending of the bend portion, the sealant having a periphery embedded in and press-bonded to the surface of the flat member; and a protrusion located on the surface of the flat member along an edge included in the periphery, the protrusion protruding outwardly from the surface of the flat member and having a height smaller than a thickness of the sealant and smaller than a height of the sealant. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The bend-open package according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion extends along an entire periphery of the sealant. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The bend-open package according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion has a height that is gradually greater from a periphery of the flat member toward the periphery of the sealant. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The bend-open package according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion protruding outwardly from the surface of the flat member has a height of at least substantially 50% of the thickness of the sealant. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The bend-open package according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the sealant includes a plurality of microscopic depressions and a plurality of projections. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The bend-open package according to claim 1, wherein the periphery of the sealant includes at least a pair of facing edges embedded in and press-bonded to the surface of the flat member in a thickness direction. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The bend-open package according to claim 1, wherein the sealant has an entire periphery embedded in and press-bonded to the surface of the flat member in a thickness direction. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The bend-open package according to claim 1, wherein an edge included in the periphery of the sealant or an entire periphery of the sealant is embedded in and press-bonded to the surface of the flat member to have an embedded portion having a depth gradually increasing from a middle of the sealant toward an outer periphery of the sealant. ### Claim 9 A method for manufacturing a bend-open package including a package body configured to store content, the package body being at least partially a flat member including a bend portion that is bendable for being folded into two, and a sealant press-bonded to a surface of the flat member to cover an opening in the bend portion, the sealant being configured to rupture and open in accordance with bending of the bend portion, the method comprising in sequence: forming a plurality of openings in a surface of a flat member strip at predetermined intervals in a longitudinal direction of the strip; press-cutting, with a sealant press-cutting unit, a sealant member strip into sealants each sized and shaped to cover one of the openings, and press-bonding the sealant that has been press-cut from the sealant member strip to the surface of the flat member to cover the opening; and press-bonding a periphery of the sealant embedded in the surface of the flat member with the sealant press-cutting unit, and forming a protrusion on the surface of the flat member along an edge of the sealant, the protrusion having a height smaller than a thickness of the sealant and smaller than a height of the sealant. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method for manufacturing a bend-open package according to claim 9, wherein the protrusion extends along an entire periphery of the sealant. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method for manufacturing a bend-open package according to claim 9, wherein the protrusion has a height that is gradually greater from a periphery of the flat member toward the periphery of the sealant. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method for manufacturing a bend-open package according to claim 9, wherein the protrusion protruding outwardly from the surface of the flat member has a height of at least substantially 50% of the thickness of the sealant. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The method for manufacturing a bend-open package according to claim 9, wherein the sealant press-cutting unit includes a sealant pressing part configured to press the sealant toward the surface of the flat member in a thickness direction with the sealant overlaid on the flat member to cover the opening. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method for manufacturing a bend-open package according to claim 13, wherein the sealant pressing part includes a roughening section configured to form a plurality of microscopic depressions and a plurality of projections on the surface of the sealant. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method for manufacturing a bend-open package according to claim 14, wherein the roughening section is included in an area of the sealant pressing part corresponding to the opening in the flat member. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method for manufacturing a bend-open package according to claim 13, wherein the sealant pressing part includes, on a pressing end periphery thereof, a press-cutting section configured to press-cut the sealant member into sealants each sized and shaped to cover the opening, and the press-cutting section is configured to embed at least a pair of facing edges included in the periphery of the sealant into the surface of the flat member in the thickness direction. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method for manufacturing a bend-open package according to claim 16, wherein the press-cutting section has a cutting edge protruding in a direction in which the edges of the sealant are embedded in the surface of the flat member, and the cutting edge has a predetermined embedding angle causing an embedding depth of the edges of the sealant to gradually increase from a middle of the sealant toward an outer periphery of the sealant. ### Claim 18 A bend-open package, comprising: a package body configured to store content, the package body being at least partially a flat member including a bend portion that is bendable for being folded into two; a sealant press-bonded to a surface of the flat member to cover an opening in the bend portion, the sealant being configured to rupture and open in accordance with bending of the bend portion, the sealant having a periphery with at least a pair of facing edges embedded in and press-bonded to the surface of the flat member in a thickness direction of the flat member; and a protrusion located on the surface of the flat member along the edges of the sealant, the protrusion protruding outwardly from the edges of the sealant embedded in the flat member. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The bend-open package according to claim 18, wherein the protrusion on the flat member has a height that is 0.5 or more times a thickness of the sealant. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The bend-open package according to claim 18, wherein the protrusion on the flat member has a width that is once or more times the thickness of the sealant. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The bend-open package according to claim 18, wherein the protrusion on the flat member is raised from a surface of the sealant press-bonded to the flat member. ### Claim 22 (depends on 18) The bend-open package according to claim 18, wherein the sealant has a protrusion protruding outwardly from the surface of the sealant, and the protrusion on the sealant is located inside the edges of the sealant embedded in the flat member and extends along the protrusion on the flat member. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The bend-open package according to claim 22, wherein the protrusion on the sealant is higher than the protrusion on the flat member. ### Claim 24 (depends on 18) The bend-open package according to claim 18, wherein the edges of the sealant embedded in the flat member in the thickness direction have an embedding depth that is 0.5 or more times the thickness of the sealant. ### Claim 25 (depends on 18) The bend-open package according to claim 18, wherein the protrusion on the flat member covers the edges of the sealant embedded in the flat member. ### Claim 26 A method for manufacturing a bend-open package including a package body configured to store content, the package body being at least partially a flat member including a bend portion that is bendable for being folded into two, and a sealant press-bonded to a surface of the flat member to cover an opening in the bend portion, the sealant being configured to rupture and open in accordance with bending of the bend portion, the method comprising in sequence: forming a plurality of openings in a surface of a flat member strip at predetermined intervals in a longitudinal direction of the strip; press-cutting, with a sealant press-cutting unit, a sealant member strip into sealants each sized and shaped to cover one of the openings, and press-bonding the sealant that has been press-cut from the sealant member strip to the surface of the flat member to cover the opening; and press-bonding a periphery of the sealant embedded in the surface of the flat member in a thickness direction, and forming a protrusion on the surface of the flat member along an edge of the sealant embedded in the flat member, the protrusion protruding outwardly from the edge of the sealant. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The method for manufacturing a bend-open package according to claim 26, wherein the sealant press-cutting unit includes a press-cutting roll rotatable in a direction allowing the flat member and the sealant member to be fed in a feeding direction. ### Claim 28 (depends on 26) The method for manufacturing a bend-open package according to claim 26, wherein the protrusion on the flat member has a height that is 0.5 or more times a thickness of the sealant. ### Claim 29 (depends on 26) The method for manufacturing a bend-open package according to claim 26, wherein the edge of the sealant embedded in the flat member in the thickness direction has an embedding depth that is 0.5 or more times the thickness of the sealant.