FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a storage spout housing an ingredient and used in packaging containers such as the well-known flexible pouch, for the distribution of liquid or powdered products. The storage spout houses liquids or powders that are added to the body of the pouch containing liquid or powder prior to consumption or use. The emptying of the storage spout ingredients into the general pouch involves either rupturing a barrier or pulling a barrier apart from a shoulder of the spout through the container wall.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

[0002] Spouts containing a sealing cap for food and beverage pouches are well known and vary in design. The most common spout unit consists of a screw cap, a spout neck and a shoulder. The flexible pouch is often sealed airtight to the shoulder by induction or other means.

[0003] The technology for manufacture of pouch containers is quite sophisticated, whereby a flexible material is folded into shape from a roll of product and filled with the liquid or powder of choice. Typically, a spout unit is then added to the flexible pouch and the flexible material is sealed against the spout complex, usually the shoulder. Sometimes, a spout unit is added and sealed to the pouch body prior to filling and the pouch is filled through a different location on the pouch before being sealed.

[0004] Liquids which require another component or a second component, such as a tablet or powder or another liquid, which is added to the liquid just prior to use, are growing in popularity. Special pouches are available that offer separate compartments within the pouch body itself that can store the two or more different components separately. The consumer at time of use mechanically perforates the isolated compartments within the pouch, so the constituents mix together. Such compartmentalisation within a flexible pouch have inherent difficulties such as rupturing due to mechanical forces being applied during packing and handling of the filled pouches and furthermore, are very porous to moisture and air ingress into dry powdered compartments, through the sealing lines between compartments. Such described drawbacks, may result in a reduction of the shelf life of the dry powders or liquids being stored.

[0005] It is preferable for the second component to be added immediately prior to consumption, especially when ingredients to be added are UV sensitive or do not have a long shelf life when mixed. Adding ingredients at the point of consumption also simplifies the production process and guarantees known activity in the case of perishable or live constituents.

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above-mentioned problems or provide the public with a useful alternative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] In a first aspect, the invention comprises a spout, cap and shoulder unit adapted to be sealingly attached to a flexible pouch, the shoulder including a barrier to confine a material inside the spout before use whereby in use the barrier is perforated allowing the material to mix with the contents of the pouch.

[0008] This spout unit is different to all other such pouch/spout units in that it is filled with either liquid or powder and further sealed across the shoulder bottom with a barrier material, to retain the stored materials in a safe, air tight and water tight separate compartment. This spout unit can then be attached to any pouch type.

[0009] The pouch body can hold a liquid or, have another filling point for a liquid. The mixing of the contents contained within the spout unit compartment and the contents contained in the pouch, can occur by several actions. These include: rupturing the physical separation barrier sealing off the base of the spout unit shoulder or, pealing this barrier off to create an opening. This can be achieved either by physically pushing through the flexible pouch wall after aiming the spout unit shoulder underside towards the flexible pouch wall. Or, pinching a tag on the barrier material between the flexible pouch walls and pulling the barrier away to create an opening.

[0010] The shape and dimensions of the spout unit void can be tailored to the required storage volume of liquid or powder required to be stored. It is preferable but not essential that when larger volumes of storage are required, the shoulder of the spout unit will be increased, as this can remain hidden within the pouch body.

[0011] A further embodiment is the attachment of accessories to the dual compartment pouch. Either after the screw cap from the spout unit has been removed, or, if a pouch spout is sealed by a barrier material instead of a cap and removed, accessories including a baby teat that is used to deliver liquid to babies or toddlers mouths through suction can be attached or, it could attach to a feeding system that supplies liquid elsewhere.

[0012] The contents of the pouch and spout unit can be sterilised by gamma radiation if required or filled by other sterilising methods or aseptic methods. The pouch, if required, can be microwaved after mixing, to heat the contents or, placed in hot solution to heat the contents. The pouch if required can be chilled after mixing, to reduce the temperature of the contents.

[0013] The spout may even contain a sieve to remove solid lumps or insoluble material as it is poured.

[0014] It should be noted that any one of the aspects mentioned above may include any of the features of any of the other aspects mentioned above and may include any of the features of any of the embodiments described below as appropriate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Preferred features, embodiments and variations of the invention may be discerned from the following Detailed Description which provides sufficient information for those skilled in the art to perform the invention. The Detailed Description is not to be regarded as limiting the scope of the preceding Summary of the Invention in any way. The Detailed Description will make reference to a number of drawings as follows.

[0016] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a spout unit filled with liquid or solids and sealed with a cap and a barrier material according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a spout unit attached to a common pouch;

[0018] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a spout unit attached to a liquid filled pouch.

[0019] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a spout unit attached to a pouch, having its sealing shoulder barrier ruptured by the application of pressure through the walls of the pouch.

[0020] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a spout unit releasing its contents into the pouch after the shoulder barrier has been either removed or ruptured.

[0021] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the pouch and mixing of the contents released from the spout unit into a liquid held within the pouch by physically shaking.

[0022] Figure 7 is showing a consumer drinking from the pouch directly through the spout.

[0023] Figure 8 illustrates the sealing of the spout by a barrier other than a cap and the requirements in removing this barrier prior to attaching a specialised teat cap that can make the pouch suitable for use as a baby drinking pouch.

[0024] Figure 9 illustrates the use of the baby drinking pouch which contains a teat attachment, to feed a baby.

[0025] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of a specialised teat cap that can attach to a storage pouch containing an attachment apparatus, teat and protective cover; and

[0026] Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of the spout of Figure 10 attached to a pouch.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and the following description to refer to the same and like parts. Dimensions of certain parts shown in the drawings may have been modified and/or exaggerated for the purposes of clarity or illustration.

[0028] Referring to Figures 1 to 7 there is illustrated a spout unit 10 having a spout 12 and a shoulder 14. The spout 12 is which is sealed at the top with a cap 16 and at the bottom of the shoulder 14 with a barrier material 18. This allows cavity 20 within the spout unit 10 to be filled with material 22 that may be solid or liquid. It may also if required, provide the stored material, an air and moisture free environment. The cavity 20 within the spout unit 10 can include a wider excavated shoulder to optimise the use of the spout unit or the whole spout unit can be as large as required to store the volume of liquid or powder required.

[0029] The spout unit 10 is sealingly attached to a flexible pouch 24 on a comer end extending between top and side walls 26 and 28 respectively. However it may equally well be positioned on the top or side walls (not shown).

[0030] Within the flexible pouch there may be stored a liquid 30 (as illustrated in Figure 3), however, it may also be a solid, powder or paste. Thus whilst the above embodiment describes a food, it may equally well be used for other applications, such as a glue, where the components need to be combined just before use.

[0031] The contents or material 22 of the spout unit 10 can be integrated by either forcing a rupture in the barrier 18 beneath the spout unit 10, or the barrier may be equally removed to drop the contents by pinching a tag included on the barrier material 18 through the flexible walls of the pouch (not shown). The removal of the barrier is not limited by these preferred methods of removal.

[0032] The pouch may be any size or shape, free standing or not, provided the barrier 18 may be opened by some means externally or through the pouch 24.

[0033] The opening that is currently illustrated being directly below the cap 16 in the shoulder 14 may if required, be on the side of the shoulder of the spout unit and sealed with barrier material (not shown).

[0034] In an alternative embodiment illustrated in Figure 8 the filled spout unit 10 may also be sealed by replacing the cap 16 with a tamper evident barrier 32 that can be pierced or pulled off to create an opening. The tamper evident barrier 32 is removed after the contents of the spout unit are mixed with the pouch.

[0035] After removal of the tamper evident barrier 32, an accessory may be attached to the spout 12. Such accessories include but are not limited to a teat 34 for feeding a baby as illustrated in Figures 9 to 11.

[0036] Figure 8 teaches the use of a specialised teat attachment to the spout whilst the teat attachment can be seen in Figure 10. Although a typical design is given for the teat and its attachment, the design can be changed to optimise the functionality of attachment and functionality of the teat for use in baby milk or other liquid delivery to young children and babies. Activation of the teat attachment requires that the barrier 32 across the spout 12 be removed or pierced to achieve liquid flow.

[0037] The teat, if required can be disposable and contain a protective cover 36.

Alternatively, a non-disposable teat can be used.

[0038] The pouch itself may also contain a second bag filling spout and seal that could be used to fill the pouch with liquid just prior to consumer use. The preferred embodiment is for the pouch to contain water or other liquids so that these liquids can be treated, and a hygienic product is produced for consumers.

[0039] The contents of the pouch and spout unit may also be decontaminated within the pouch or spout unit using radiation.

[0040] The contents of the spout unit and pouch can also be filled using aseptic filling or, adding additives or processing aids that will decontaminate the pouch material and contents within the packaged environment after sealing. Once the contents of the spout unit and pouch are integrated together, they can be mechanically mixed to optimise the distribution of solids within the liquid. The pouch once activated and mixed, may be either microwaved, placed in boiling water or chilled depending on the required outcome. The pouch contents after activation can be consumed directly from the spout unit, or emptied into a secondary container for use or consumption.

[0041] The spout unit (not shown), may also contain a filtering system that will remove course particles that do not dissolve completely when added to a liquid. This filtering system would be preferentially located just under the cap on the spout located externally.

[0042] LIST OF COMPONENTS

Spout unit 10

Spout 12

Shoulder 14

Cap 16

B arrier material 18

Cavity 20

Material 22

Flexible pouch 24

Top wall 26

Side wall 28

Liquid 30

Tamper evident barrier 32

Teat 34

Cover 36

[0043] Further advantages and improvements may very well be made to the present invention without deviating from its scope. Although the invention has been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope and spirit of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus. Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in this field.

[0044] In the present specification and claims (if any), the word "comprising" and its derivatives including "comprises" and "comprise" include each of the stated integers but does not exclude the inclusion of one or more further integers.