Process for the manufacture and delivery of small beverage pouches

#The present invention relates to fluid pouches and more particularly relates to pouches intended for small amounts of a beverage, such as syrups or concentrates, and a method for the delivery and the use of these pouches.

#Various types of plastic pouches have long been used in the beverage industry to deliver liquids such as syrups or concentrates for carbonated soft drinks, juices, sports drinks, and similar types of beverages. The most common design for the delivery and use of such beverages is a “bag-in-box” package. As the name implies, a bag-in-box package usually includes a pouch positioned within a corrugated box. The pouch is usually a single or a multi-ply thermoplastic bag with a spout and an internal dip strip. The pouch is formed with the internal dip strip and then filled with the beverage through the spout. The pouch generally holds about one (1) to about five (5) gallons with about five (5) gallons of syrup being a common size. A valve with an attached cap is then installed within the spout so as to seal the pouch. The pouch is then placed within the corrugated box. The box is sealed and shipped to the customer.

#Upon delivery of the package to the customer, the customer opens one end of the box and attaches a suction line from the dispensing equipment to the valve of the pouch. The pouch generally stays within the box during use. The box functions to support and protect the pouch while the beverage is being drained from the pouch. Likewise, the dip strip provides a liquid pathway within the pouch. The dip strip prevents the pouch from falling upon itself and cutting off access to the valve. Examples of known bag-in-box designs include commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,893,732; 4,998,990; and 5,147,071, all entitled “Collapsible Bag With Evacuation Pathway And Method For Making The Same”. The disclosures of these patents are incorporated herein by reference.

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pouch of the present invention.

#FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the pouch of the present invention.

#FIG. 3 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of the pouch of the present invention.

#Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals refer to like elements throughout the several views, FIG. 1 shows a pouch 100 of the present invention. The pouch 100 may be substantially rectangular in shape. The pouch 100 may be formed from two (2) opposing sheets of material, an upper wall 110 and a bottom wall 120. (The use of the terms “upper” and “lower” is meant as a description of the relative relationship of the walls as opposed to an actual physical position.)

#The walls 110, 120 of the pouch 100 may be made from a conventional thermoplastic material. Further, the walls 110, 120 may be a single ply or a multiple ply material. A preferred wall 110, 120 may have two plies of material, an inner ply and an outer ply. The inner ply may be a web of two (2) mil linear low density polyethylene (“LLDPE”) or similar materials. The outer ply may be a four (4) mil co-extrusion layer of LLDPE/nylon/LLDPE, with tie layers on each side of the nylon, or similar materials. The two (2) LLDPE layers are preferably about 1.4 mil, the nylon about 1.0 mil, and the tie layers about 0.1 mil. The pouch 100 may hold about one (1) to about three (3) liters or so of a beverage. The pouch 100 may be about six (6) to about fourteen (14) inches in length and about five (5) to about ten (10) inches in width. The pouch 100, however, may be manufactured in any convenient size or shape.

#The walls 110, 120 are sealed together in a conventional fashion such that the pouch 100 has a first edge 130, a second edge 140, a third edge 150, and a fourth edge 160. A heat seal 165 may be formed along the edges 130, 140, 150, 160. One of the walls 110, 120 has a hole 170 punched therein with a valve 180 positioned within the hole 170. The valve 180 is generally heat sealed into place within the wall 120, 130. The valve 180 is generally closed with a cap 190. A spout is generally not used herein.