Multi-compartment pouch with breakable inner compartment
View Patent ↗Provided is a multi-compartment pouch with a breakable or openable inner compartment used for mixing of two or more ingredients contained within the compartments without opening the pouch to the atmosphere. In one form, a two-compartment pouch includes a top compartment and a bottom compartment and an inner gusset separating the top compartment from the bottom compartment. The inner gusset includes an openable region and a fold line, and means for grasping and pulling apart the front and rear panels of the pouch to cause the openable region to open to allow for the combining of contents of the top compartment with contents of the bottom compartment without opening the pouch. Also provided are methods for making the multi-compartment pouch.
1. A two-compartment pouch comprising:
a top compartment and a bottom compartment,
an inner gusset separating the top compartment from the bottom compartment, wherein the inner gusset includes an openable region and a fold line, and
a means for grasping and pulling apart the front and rear panels of the pouch to cause the openable region to open to allow for the combining of contents of the top compartment with contents of the bottom compartment without opening the pouch, wherein the means for grasping and pulling apart the front and rear panels are two outer folds, and
a tack seal region located in the top compartment of the pouch above the fold line, wherein the tack seal region tack seals both sides of the inner gusset to the front and rear panels of the pouch at an intermediary position between the top of the “V” and the bottom of the “V” of the inner gusset, wherein the tack seal region facilitates the tearing of the one or more lines of perforations or scores in the weakened frangible region of the inner gusset,
wherein the openable region is a weakened frangible region including one or more lines of perforations or scores positioned at or adjacent to the fold line and wherein the openable region traverses the entire width of the inner gusset of the top compartment.
2. The pouch of claim 1 , wherein the top compartment is unsealed at the top of the pouch and the bottom compartment is unsealed at the bottom of the compartment to permit the sequential filling of the top compartment and the bottom compartment.
3. The pouch of claim 1 , wherein the top compartment and bottom compartments are unsealed along a common side edge of the pouch to permit the simultaneous filling of the top compartment and bottom compartment.
4. The pouch of claim 1 , further including contents sealed in the top compartment and the bottom compartment.
5. The pouch of claim 4 , wherein the contents of the top compartment and the contents of the bottom compartment are different.
6. The pouch of claim 1 , wherein the two outer folds further include two lines of perforations in each outer fold to form a pull tab in the each outer fold.
7. The pouch of claim 6 , wherein the lines of perforations in each outer fold are “L-shaped” with a hook at the end of each “L”.
8. The pouch of claim 1 , wherein the openable region includes a combination of two or more chosen from a line of perforations or scores, a peelable seal, a zipper assembly, and a hook and loop fastener assembly, wherein the combination is positioned at or adjacent to the fold line.
9. The pouch of claim 1 , wherein the tack seal region is in the shape of a dog-bone, a line, a square, a rectangle, a circle or a diamond.
10. The pouch of claim 1 , further including a means for removing/separating the top compartment from the bottom compartment.
11. The pouch of claim 10 , further including a means for reclosing the bottom compartment after it is removed/separated from the top compartment.
12. A multi-compartment pouch comprising:
two or more compartments,
one or more inner gussets separating each of the two or more compartments, wherein each inner gusset includes an openable region and a fold line, and
a means for grasping and pulling apart the front and rear panels of the pouch to cause the openable region at each inner gusset to open to allow for the combining of the contents of the two or more compartments without opening the pouch, wherein the means for grasping and pulling apart the front and rear panels are two outer folds, and
at least one tack seal region located in at least one compartment of the pouch above the fold line, wherein the tack seal region tack seals both sides of the inner gusset to the front and rear panels of the pouch at an intermediary position between the top of the “V” and the bottom of the “V” of the inner gusset, wherein the tack seal region facilitates the tearing of the one or more lines of perforations or scores in the weakened frangible region of the inner gusset,
wherein the openable region is a weakened frangible region including one or more lines of perforations or scores positioned at or adjacent to the fold line and wherein each openable region traverses the entire width of the two or more compartments.
13. The pouch of claim 12 , wherein the compartment at the top of the pouch is unsealed at the top and the compartment at the bottom of the pouch is unsealed at the bottom to permit the sequential filling of the top compartment and the bottom compartment.
14. The pouch of claim 12 , wherein each of the two or more compartments are unsealed along a common side edge of the pouch to permit the simultaneous filling of each of the two or more compartments.
15. The pouch of claim 12 , further including contents sealed in each of the two or more compartments.
16. The pouch of claim 15 , wherein the contents in each of the two or more compartments are different.
17. The pouch of claim 12 , wherein the outer folds further include two lines of perforations in each outer fold to form a pull tab in the each outer fold.
18. The pouch of claim 17 , wherein the lines of perforations in each outer fold are “L-shaped” with a hook at the end of each “L”.
19. The pouch of claim 12 , wherein at least one openable region includes a combination of two or more chosen from a line of perforations or scores, a peelable seal, a zipper assembly, and a hook and loop fastener assembly, wherein the combination is positioned at or adjacent to the fold line of the inner gusset.
20. The pouch of claim 12 , wherein the at least one tack seal region is in the shape of a dog-bone, a line, a square, a rectangle, a circle or a diamond.
21. The pouch of claim 12 , further including a means for removing/separating one compartment from one or more other compartments.
22. The pouch of claim 21 , further including a means for reclosing the one or more other compartments after they are removed/separated from the one compartment.