Flexible Pouch with Asymmetric Opening Perimeter
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flexible pouches for food products face challenges in accessibility due to narrow openings, especially when the product level decreases, leading to instability and difficulty in extracting contents, particularly for powdered products, while also incurring higher production and transportation costs with irregular shapes.
Innovation Solution
A flexible pouch design with a larger opening perimeter than the bottom, achieved by varying the width of lateral welding lines, allowing for a conical or funnel shape, which maintains stability and reduces material usage, incorporating a kit with a container adapted to receive the pouch in both closed and open positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the opening of the pouch is made larger to improve accessibility, then the accessibility to content is improved, but the stability of the pouch when standing upright deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The pouch employs an asymmetric design where the opening perimeter is intentionally made larger than the bottom perimeter. This asymmetric configuration allows the pouch to have a wider opening for better accessibility while maintaining stability through the specific geometric relationship between the opening and bottom perimeters, enabling the pouch to stand upright independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from traditional vertical pouches where opening perimeter equals bottom perimeter to a three-dimensional configuration where the opening perimeter is deliberately made larger than the bottom perimeter. This dimensional change creates a conical or frustoconical shape that simultaneously achieves both wider accessibility and upright stability.
2Ease of operation
If irregular shapes are used to provide wider opening, then the accessibility is improved, but the production costs and manufacturing constraints increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention achieves the wider opening by changing the perimeter parameter relationship between the opening and bottom of the pouch, rather than adopting complex irregular shapes. This parameter change approach maintains compatibility with standard Vertical Form-Fill-Seal manufacturing processes while achieving the desired accessibility improvement.
3Ease of operation
If the opening is made larger to improve accessibility, then the accessibility is improved, but the quantity of materials needed increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pouch utilizes flexible film material that can be efficiently formed into a configuration where the opening perimeter is larger than the bottom perimeter. This flexible shell approach allows the creation of a conical or frustoconical shape that provides wider accessibility without requiring proportionally more material, as the extra material is optimized through the geometric configuration rather than adding excess material.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2C2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The present invention relates to a flexible pouch (1) having a wider opening (2) allowing to get a better access of the content of the pouch (1). The perimeter (a) of the opening (2) of the flexible pouch (1) is greater than the perimeter (b) of its bottom (3). At least one of the lateral folding lines (5) of the flexible pouch (1) comprises a welding line (6) of a width (w). A part or all of the lateral welding lines (6) of the flexible pouch (1) have a width (w) which is not constant along its length. The invention also relates to a kit-of-part comprising the flexible pouch (1) according to the invention and a container (14) adapted to receive said flexible pouch (1).