Flexible Pouch Mouth Insert for Heat-Sealed Spout Connections

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Solution Overview

Problem

Rigid spouts in flexible pouches are costly, heavy, and difficult to heat seal, often requiring different materials, which complicates production and recycling.

Innovation Solution

A flexible mouth insert for a flexible pouch that can be made from the same material as the pouch body, allowing efficient heat sealing and reducing material and shipping costs, while enabling compact storage and packaging.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If a rigid spout is used to provide strong connection to attachments, then the connection strength is improved, but the weight and material cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection strengthVSAvoidspout weight

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies this principle by replacing the traditional rigid spout with a flexible mouth insert made from thin flexible material. The mouth insert maintains sufficient connection strength through its flexible nature while significantly reducing weight and material usage compared to rigid spouts.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

2Strength

If a rigid spout is used to provide strong connection to attachments, then the connection strength is improved, but the material cost and shipping cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection strengthVSAvoidmaterial quantity

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The flexible mouth insert is constructed from thin flexible material that requires significantly less material quantity compared to rigid spouts. This reduces both material cost and shipping cost while maintaining adequate connection strength through the flexible material's inherent properties.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

3Stability of the object's composition

If the spout is made from a different material than the pouch body to provide desired rigidity, then the rigidity is improved, but the heat sealing difficulty increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespout rigidityVSAvoidheat sealing ease

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies this principle by making the mouth insert from the same flexible material as the pouch body. This homogeneity ensures that both components have the same melting temperature and material properties, making heat sealing simple and effective without the difficulties associated with bonding different materials.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #33Homogeneity

4Ease of manufacture

If the spout is made from the same material as the pouch body to ease heat sealing, then the heat sealing ease is improved, but the desired rigidity is not achieved

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat sealing easeVSAvoidspout rigidity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent resolves this contradiction by using flexible material for the mouth insert, accepting that rigidity is not required at the mouth insert level. The flexible material provides ease of heat sealing while the overall pouch structure maintains necessary structural integrity. The mouth insert's flexibility actually benefits the sealing process while eliminating the need for rigid construction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

5Reliability

If a rigid spout is used to provide strong connection, then the connection reliability is improved, but the complexity of production and recycling increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection reliabilityVSAvoidproduction complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The mouth insert is made from the same material as the pouch body, creating a homogeneous structure that simplifies both production and recycling processes. The identical material properties allow for straightforward manufacturing and enable efficient recycling by eliminating the need to separate different materials, while maintaining connection reliability through the flexible material's inherent properties.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #33Homogeneity

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The flexible mouth insert reduces material and shipping costs, facilitates easier recycling, and provides a strong, reliable connection to attachments like spouts and pumps, while maintaining efficient filling and dispensing capabilities.

Implementation Method 1

The mouth insert is heat sealed in place to form a mouth of the flexible pouch

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectHeat sealing:

Data Source

PatentEP4173991B1Flexible mouth insert for pouch

Publication Date: 2025.12.03 OP HYGIENE IP GMBH

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AI summary

A mouth insert (10) for a flexible pouch (76). The flexible pouch (76) comprises a film (80) that defines an internal compartment (94) of the flexible pouch (76). The mouth insert (10) is sealed between a first portion (86) of the film (80) and a second portion (88) of the film (80) to define a mouth (78) of the flexible pouch (76). The mouth insert (10) defines a passageway (16) that extends along an axis (18) from an axially outer end (20) of the mouth insert (10) to an axially inner end (22) of the mouth insert (10). The passageway (16) extends from the internal compartment (94) of the flexible pouch (76), at the axially inner end (22) of the mouth insert (10), to an external environment (96), at the axially outer end (20) of the mouth insert (10). The mouth insert (10) is flexible and extends from 0 mm to 5 mm axially outwardly from the film (80).