BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is well known that consumers frequently associate certain snack foods and beverages with one another, and that consumers frequently consume snack foods and beverages in combination. For example, consumers might be inclined to eat peanuts when drinking beer, to eat popcorn when drinking soda pop, or to eat trail mix when drinking water.

To capitalize on this, the food and beverage industry has attempted to increase sales of both snack foods and beverages by tying sales of certain beverages to sales of snack food items that are often associated with those beverages. For example, the seller of popcorn might offer the popcorn purchaser a"cents-off"coupon that can be redeemed with the purchase of a bottle of soda pop, or the seller of bottled water might offer a coupon that can be redeemed with the purchase of a bag of trail mix.

Although this approach provides the beverage purchaser with an incentive to purchase the snack food item, or the snack food purchaser with an incentive to purchase the beverage, such an approach requires the purchaser to actually retrieve both the beverage and the snack food. The extra effort required to locate the additional item and then to carry it or place it into the shopping cart is often just enough to discourage the purchaser from making the additional purchase. Even if the beverage and the snack food are placed in reasonable proximity to each other, the consumer can still be dissuaded from buying both the snack food and the beverage by having to pick up and carry more than one item.

It would be advantageous, therefore, to manufacturers, packages, and merchandisers of snack foods and/or beverages if combined beverage/snack food products were available that entice the consumer to purchase both the snack food and the beverage, without requiring the consumer to select and carry separate items. Thus, there is a need in the art for combined beverage and snack food packages comprising a beverage container and a snack food hanging pouch. There is further a need in the art for apparatus and methods for manufacturing such snack food hanging pouches, as well as apparatus and methods for combining such snack food hanging packages and beverage containers.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention satisfies the aforementioned needs in the art by providing apparatus and methods for manufacturing snack food hanging pouches, and for combining beverage containers and snack food hanging pouches.

A combined beverage and snack food package according to the invention can include a beverage container, and a snack food hanging pouch that is suspended from the protrusion of the beverage container. The beverage container can be a bottle, for example, and the protrusion the neck of the bottle. A snack food hanging pouch according to the invention can include a pouch portion that is adapted to contain a snack food item, and a hanger portion that is attached to the pouch portion, having a hanging hole that is adapted to fit onto the protrusion of a beverage container. The pouch portion can be adapted to contain a loose snack food item or a packaged snack food item.

The snack food hanging pouch can include a first seal formed proximate a first end of the pouch portion, and a second seal formed proximate a second end of the pouch portion to contain the snack food item between the first seal and the second seal. A reinforcement seal can be formed around at least a portion of the hanging hole.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING Other features of the invention are further apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

FIG. 1 depicts a preferred embodiment of a snack food hanging pouch according to the invention.

FIGs. 2A and 2B depict alternate preferred embodiments of the hanger portion of a snack food hanging pouch according to the invention.

FIG. 3 depicts a preferred embodiments of combined beverage and snack food packages according to the invention.

FIGs. 4-7 depict apparatus according to the invention for manufacturing a snack food hanging pouch.

FIGs. 8A and 8B depict a preferred embodiment of a stripping and sealing assembly for manufacturing a snack food hanging pouch in accordance with the invention.

FIGs. 9A-9C depict preferred embodiments of a sealer/splitter head for manufacturing a snack food hanging pouch in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a snack food hanging pouch according to the invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a combined beverage and snack food package according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIG. 1 depicts a preferred embodiment of a snack food hanging pouch 100 according to the invention. As shown, the snack food hanging pouch 100 comprises a pouch portion 102 and a hanger portion 104. The pouch portion 102 is adapted to contain a snack food item 106. The snack food item 106 can be a loose snack food item or a packaged snack food item. Examples of loose snack food items include loose pretzels, nuts, trail mix, or popcorn (which can be popcorn kernels or already popped). Examples of packaged snack food items include bags of pretzels, nuts, trail mix, popcorn, or microwaveable popcorn.

The hanger portion 104 of the snack food hanging pouch 100 is attached to the pouch portion 102, and has a hanging hole 112 that is adapted to fit onto a protrusion of a beverage container (not shown in FIG. 1). Preferably, the beverage container is a bottle, such as a two-liter soft drink bottle, for example, and the protrusion is a neck of the bottle (see FIG. 3).

Preferably, the pouch portion 102 of the snack food hanging pouch 100 is made of a polymeric material, such as plastic, for example. Preferably, the polymeric material is transparent, so that the consumer can see the snack food item 106 contained within the pouch portion 102, though it may be desirable to use colored or printed material to further enhance the marketing appeal of the pouch 100. It should be understood, however, that the pouch portion 102 could be made of paper, cardboard, foil, or any other suitable material.

Snack food items, such as potato chips, corn chips, and popcorn, for example, are frequently highly sensitive to oxygen and moisture and tend to become stale rapidly if exposed to room air for even a relatively short period of time. Consequently, it is preferred that such snack food items are packaged in bags that are manufactured from a flexible film material having inherent moisture-and oxygen-barrier properties. Examples of suitable materials include waxed paper, metal foil, thermoplastic film, and the like. Such bags can be contained in the pouch portion 102 of the snack food hanging pouch 100. Alternatively or additionally, the snack food hanging pouch 100 (or at least the pouch portion 102) can be made of such a material.

Frequently, snack food packages are constructed from a laminate film having a plurality of layers. While the respective layers may have a variety of properties, at least one layer is typically selected so as to provide each of the needed moisture and oxygen barrier properties. Again, the snack food item can be packaged in a bag made of such a laminate film, and the bags contained in the pouch portion 102 of the snack food hanging pouch.

Alternatively or additionally, the snack food hanging pouch 100 (or at least the pouch portion 102) can be made of such a laminate film.

In a preferred embodiment, the hanger portion 104 of the snack food hanging pouch 100 is also made of a polymeric material, such as plastic, for example. As with the pouch portion 102, the hanger portion 104 can be made of a transparent polymeric material, or it can be made of colored or printed material to further enhance the marketing appeal of the pouch 100. Generally, it is preferred that the hanger portion 104 is made of the same material as the pouch portion 102. More preferably, the hanger portion 104 is integrally formed with the pouch portion 102. For example, as described in detail below in connection with FIGs. 4-7, the snack food hanging pouch 100 can be formed from a sheet of polymeric material. It should be understood, however, that the hanger portion 104 could be made of paper, cardboard, foil, or any other suitable material.

Preferably, the snack food hanging pouch 100 includes a first (or bottom) seal 110 formed proximate a first end (or bottom) 111 of the pouch portion 102. A second (or top) seal 108 can be formed proximate a second end (or top) 109 of the pouch portion 102 to contain the snack food item 106 between the first seal 110 and the second seal 108. The snack food hanging pouch 100 can also include a reinforcement seal 114 formed around at least a portion of the hanging hole 112. The reinforcement seal 114 helps to ensure that the snack food hanging pouch 100 does not break away from the beverage container from which it is suspended. The snack food hanging pouch 100 can also include a closure seal 118 formed proximate at least a portion of a perimeter 116 of the hanger portion 104. The closure seal 118 enhances the appeal of the hanging pouch 100 by sealing the flaps 117 that can be formed when the hanger portion is formed from, for example, a tubular sheet of polymeric material. It is anticipated that such flaps 117 will tend to curl in the absence of a closure seal 118, and thereby adversely affect the marketing appeal of the product.

As shown in FIG. 1, the hanger portion 104 can have a generally semi-circular overall shape. That is, the hanger portion perimeter 116 can be generally semi-circular.

FIGs. 2A and 2B depict alternate preferred embodiments of a hanger portion 104 of a snack food hanging pouch 100 according to the invention. As shown in FIG. 2A, the hanger portion 104 can have a generally rectangular overall shape. That is, the hanger portion perimeter 116 can be generally rectangular. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 2B, the hanger portion can have a generally triangular overall shape. That is, the hanger portion perimeter 116 can be generally triangular. Preferably, in an embodiment wherein the hanger portion perimeter 116 is generally triangular, the hanger portion 104 can have a rounded end 120, as shown in FIG. 2B.

FIG. 3 depicts a preferred embodiment of a combined beverage and snack food package 300 according to the invention. As shown, the package 300 comprises a beverage container 302 and a snack food hanging pouch 100. The beverage container 302 includes a protrusion 304. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the beverage container 302 is a bottle and the protrusion 304 is a neck of the bottle. The snack food hanging pouch 100 contains a snack food item 106, and is suspended from the protrusion 304 of the beverage container 302. Preferably, as described above, the snack food hanging pouch 100 includes a hanging hole 112 via which the snack food hanging pouch 100 is suspended from the protrusion 304 of the beverage container 302. The beverage container can include a label 310 and the snack food item can include a label 107.

A typical soft drink bottle, as depicted in FIG. 3, has a crown, closure, or cap 306, which is typically crimped over the neck 304 of the bottle 302. The neck 304 of a soft drink bottle, such as a two-liter soft drink bottle, for example, typically includes an annular bead portion 308 that extends radially outward from the neck of the bottle along the perimeter thereof. Preferably, the hanging hole 112 is sized and shaped such that it is stretched slightly as it is fitted over the cap 306. After the hanging hole 112 has been fitted over the cap 306, the hanging hole 112 returns to its original shape (due to the elastic"memoly"of the material from which it is made), and thus fits snugly onto the neck 304 of the bottle 302. The pouch 100 can be made to rest on the annular bead portion 308, or to be fitted over the annular bead 308 to rest on the shoulder 309 of the bottle 302.

It should be understood that the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3 is merely an exemplary, preferred embodiment, and that a snack food hanging pouch 100 according to the invention can be adapted to be suspended from any beverage container having a suitable protrusion. For example, a snack food hanging pouch according to the invention can be suspended from the neck of a beer, water, or pop bottle, for example, or from the spout or spigot of a dispenser container, such as a 5-liter water container that has a spigot for dispensing the water contained therein. The combined package 300 can then be offered for sale as a single product or stock keeping unit (SKU), and labeled with a single product identifier, such as a universal product code (UPC).

FIGs. 4 through 7 depict apparatus according to the invention for manufacturing a snack food hanging pouch 100. As shown, FIGs. 4 through 7 depict a film drive unit 10 of a packaging machine 11. The packaging machine 11 has a shaft 12 that receives a roll 13 of plastic film. The film 14 is delivered to a former 15, which wraps the film 14 about a longitudinal axis, z, so as to form tubular pouch material 16. The tubular pouch material can be moved via a pair of rollers 17 and 18.

A delivery hopper 19 is located above the former 15. The snack food item, which can be either a loose snack food item or a packaged snack food item, is delivered through an end 19e of the delivery hopper 19 into the tubular pouch material 16.

The tubular pouch material 16, after passing the rollers 17 and 18 enters a pouch forming assembly (see FIGs. 8A, 8B), which can be contained in a housing 30, as shown. The pouch forming assembly, which is described below in connection with FIGs. 8A and 8B, forms discrete snack food hanging pouches 100 in accordance with the invention.

The rollers 17 and 18 can be mounted on supports 31 and 32 which, in turn, can be mounted on linkages 33 and 34. Linkages 33 and 34 can be pivotally mounted at their joint 35 so that the rollers 17 and 18 can be adjusted in their spacing from each other. Preferably, the rollers 17 and 18 are mounted on supports 31 and 32 so as to be rotatable about generally parallel axes xl and X2. Extending downwardly from within the former 15 is a back seal bar 36 which co-operates with the roller 18 to join the longitudinal edge portions 14e of the film strip 14 to form the tubular pouch material 16. In a preferred embodiment, the longitudinal edge portions 14e can be heat sealed.

Other examples of packing machines that can be adapted for use in manufacturing a snack food hanging pouch according to the invention are described in U. S.

Patents Nos. 3, 850, 780, 4,663, 917,4, 128,985, 4,288, 965,4, 910,943, 5,125, 217,5, 366,130, 5,463, 850,5, 537,798, 5,551, 206, and 5,622, 033. In essence each of these packaging machines receives a strip of plastic film that is pulled passed a former so as to form a tube.

The edges of the strip are sealed together, and product is delivered to the interior of the tube through the former. A sealing head engages the tube and forms discrete bags, which are then severed from the remainder of the tube. Typically, closing bars and/or stripping bars can be employed to aid the packaging process.

It should be understood that the rollers 17 and 18 described above are merely one example of how the tubular pouch material can be moved through a packaging machine.

The film can be pulled through the packaging machine by a variety of methods. For example, a vacuum could be to the rollers to draw the pouch material into frictional contact with the rollers. The machine can be provided with a pair of co-operating belts, as described in a number of the above patent specifications, to which a vacuum may or may not be delivered.

The film is drawn into contact with the driven belts to thereby pull the film through the machine. The belts can be made to pass around rollers that are driven by electric motors that have suitable control characteristics, such as stepping, servo, computer controlled motors, or the like.

The packaging machine can be provided with vibration members which engage the sides of the tube and cause the sides of the tube to vibrate transverse of the longitudinal direction of movement of tube to cause the snack food item being packaged to move towards the bottom of the pouch being formed. This is to reduce the volume that the snack food item occupies within the pouch portion of the snack food hanging pouch, and to reduce the possibility that the snack food item will be engaged by the closing bars and/or the sealing heads.

FIGs. 8A and 8B depict a preferred embodiment of a pouch forming assembly 50 for manufacturing a snack food hanging pouch 100 in accordance with the invention.

Preferably, the assembly 50 operates in a rotary manner and, accordingly, can operate on a continuous basis. As described above, the packaging machine 11 can include a delivery hopper 19 that delivers the snack food item 106 to the interior of a tubular pouch material 16.

The pouch forming assembly 50 severs discrete pouches 100 from the pouch material 16.

Preferably, the assembly 50 includes two opposing sealer/splitter heads 54, each of which is mounted on a respective arm 55 that is fixed to a respective shaft 56. The shafts 56 can be rotatably driven in opposite directions, with the same angular velocity. Each head 54 can be pivotally mounted on the end of the respective arm 55, as well as being movable longitudinally of the respective arm 55.

The sequence of operation of the above described assembly 50 is as follows.

As the tubular pouch material 16 is driven past the delivery hopper 19, the snack food item 106 is delivered to the interior of the tubular pouch material 16. The heads 54 engage the pouch material 16 to sealingly close the material 16 at one or more locations. For example, as shown in FIG. 8A, the heads 54 can engage the material 16 to form one or more seals to contain the snack food item within a pouch portion of the snack food hanging pouch, and sever the pouch 100 from the remainder of the material 16. Once the pouch 100 has been formed, and is allowed to fall freely from the assembly 50, the arms 55 rotate to the position shown in FIG. 8B. Thereafter the heads 54 are forced into engagement with the pouch material 16 so as to bring the pouch material 16 together for stripping and sealing.

Preferably, the heads 54 are moved toward each other and are moved in the direction of movement of the material 16 at a velocity greater than the velocity of the material 16.

Accordingly, the heads 54 will cause stripping of the pouch material 16 to thereby reduce the volume occupied by the snack food item 106 within the pouch portion 102. Upon the heads 54 reaching a predetermined position, the pouch material 16 can be sealed and severed from the remainder of the pouch material 16 so that a completed snack food hanging pouch 100 is formed.

FIGs. 9A-9C depict preferred embodiments of a sealer/splitter heads for manufacturing snack food hanging pouches according to the invention that have hanger portions shaped as shown in FIGs. 2A, 1, and 2C, respectively. FIG. 9A depicts a head 54 having a first seal former 71, which forms the first (or bottom) seal 110 of the pouch portion 102 of the subsequent snack food hanging pouch 100'. A second seal former 72 forms the second (or top) seal 108 of the pouch portion 102 of the current hanging pouch 100. Thus, the pouch portion 102 of the current hanging pouch 100 is formed between the second seal 108 and the first seal 110 (which would have been formed on the current hanging pouch 100 during the previous rotation of the heads 54).

A first cutter 73 severs the current hanging pouch 100 from the remainder of the tubular pouch material 16. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9A, the first cutter 73 also forms a generally rectangular perimeter 116 of the hanger portion 104 (as depicted in FIG.

2A). A hole cutter 74 forms the hanging hole 112. A hole sealer 75 forms a reinforcement seal 114 around the hanging hole 112. A perimeter sealer 76 forms a closure seal 118 along the perimeter 116 of the hanger portion 104.

As shown in FIGs. 9B and 9C, the head 54 can include a perimeter cutter 78 that cuts the perimeter 116 of the hanger portion 104. FIG. 9B depicts a head 54 having a perimeter cutter 78 that forms a generally semi-circular perimeter 116 of the hanger portion 104 (as depicted in FIG. 1). FIG. 9C depicts a head 54 having the perimeter cutter 78 that forms a generally triangular perimeter 116 of the hanger portion 104 (as depicted in FIG. 2B). <BR> <BR> <P>Scrap material, i. e. , those portions of the pouch material 16 that is not used to form part of a hanging pouch, can be allowed to fall into a bin, or the like, where it can be collected for reuse, recycling or disposal.

It should be understood that the configuration of sealers and cutters can be varied in any number of ways to manufacture a snack food hanging pouch having any desired shape, and having any desired number or configuration of seals.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a method 400 for manufacturing a snack food hanging pouch according to the invention. At step 402, a tubular sheet of packaging material, having a longitudinal axis, is provided. Apparatus and methods for providing such a tubular sheet of packaging material are described above. Preferably, the tubular sheet of packaging material is formed from a flat sheet of packaging material, such as a polymeric film that can be provided as a roll of film. At step 404, a first seal is formed across the tubular sheet, transverse to the longitudinal axis. A snack food item is inserted into the tubular sheet, proximate the first seal, at step 406. At step 408, a second seal is formed across the tubular sheet, transverse to the longitudinal axis, such that the snack food item is contained between the first seal and the second seal. The first seal and the second seal define a pouch portion of the snack food hanging pouch. Thus, a pouch portion of the snack food hanging pouch can be formed, wherein the pouch portion contains the snack food item.

At step 410, the tubular sheet is severed, transverse to the longitudinal axis, proximate the first seal, to form a first end of the snack food hanging pouch. At step 412, a hanger portion of the snack food hanging pouch is formed proximate the second seal. The hanger portion is formed such that it includes a hanging hole via which the snack food hanging pouch can be suspended from a protrusion of a beverage container. Thus, a hanger portion of the snack food hanging pouch can be formed, wherein the hanger portion is attached to the pouch portion and has a hanging hole that is adapted to fit onto a protrusion of a beverage container.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a method'500 for manufacturing a combined beverage and snack food package according to the invention. At step 502, a snack food hanging pouch, such as described in detail above, that contains a snack food item is provided.

Snack food hanging pouches can be manufactured as described above, and allowed to collect in a bin or fall one-by-one onto a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt can deliver the snack <BR> food hanging pouches to a"combining location,"i. e. , a location where snack food hanging pouches are combined with beverage containers to form a combined package according to the invention. Similarly, a bin containing a number of snack food hanging pouches can be wheeled to the combining location. Alternatively, the snack food hanging pouches can be crated and shipped to a remote combining location, i. e. , a location other than the location where the hanging pouches are manufactured where the pouches are combined with beverage containers. Examples of such a remote combining location include another plant where the beverage containers are manufacturer or filled, or a point of sale, such as a supermarket, for example.

At step 504, a beverage container having a protrusion is provided. Beverage containers can be conveyed to the combining location in a line, such as might be found at a bottling plant, or they can be crated and shipped to the combining location.

At step 506, the snack food hanging pouch and the beverage container are combined to form a combined beverage and snack food package according to the invention.

Preferably, the snack food hanging pouch is suspended from the protrusion of the beverage container. This can be done at the point of sale (e. g., at the supermarket), or manually at another combining location. For example, the beverage containers can be conveyed to the combining location in a line, and an operator can suspend a hanging pouch from each container as it passes. Alternatively, the process can be automated. That is, machinery can be used to suspend the hanging pouches from the beverage containers.

The combined packages can then be boxed, shipped, and shelved (or otherwise displayed for sale).

Thus, there have been described apparatus and methods for manufacturing snack food hanging pouches, and for combining beverage containers and snack food hanging pouches. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous changes and modifications can be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention, and that such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is intended, therefore, that the appended claims cover all such equivalent variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.