| Flexible pouch with tear line -> Monitor Keywords |
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Flexible pouch with tear lineRelated Patent Categories: Flexible Bags, Bag Having Means To Facilitate Opening It By Severing Bag Material Or Bag Part (e.g., Tearing, Cutting, Piercing, Etc.), Line Of Weakness Delineates Substantially The Entire Tearing PathFlexible pouch with tear line description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070274615, Flexible pouch with tear line. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a national phase filing of PCT/EP2004/006642 filed Jun. 18, 2004 claiming priority to FR 0307489 filed Jun. 20, 2003. TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The present invention relates to a flexible pouch especially for packaging foodstuffs and having at least one line of preferential tearing. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] It is known to use flexible pouches for packaging moist foodstuffs, especially for animals. [0004] In particular, WO 98/29312 discloses such pouches. The pouches have two rectangular side walls secured by sealing along their edges. The pouches are sealed closed after filling. These side walls are made from films having a particular structure because of the treatments of sterilization by heating in a moist atmosphere and under pressure to which the pouches are subjected. Typically, such a film comprises a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) layer defining the outer layer of the pouch and a polypropylene (PP) layer defining the inner layer of the pouch and an aluminium layer sandwiched between the two previous layers. [0005] This type of pouch is difficult for the user to open without resorting to scissors or a knife, because of the mechanical strength of the films forming it. [0006] In order to make them easier to open, this document proposes producing one or two parallel lines of preferential tearing in each side wall of the pouch in the upper part of the pouch, the line(s) of preferential tearing of the first side wall being substantially superimposed with that (those) of the second side wall. The line(s) of preferential tearing of each side wall extend over virtually the entire width of the pouch. [0007] Because the side walls are preweakened along the lines of preferential tearing, the user may open the pouch with only his hands by tearing the pouch in the region of the lines of preferential tearing. The user initiates the tear from a side edge of the pouch, then continues tearing towards the other side edge. The tear propagates along the line of preferential tearing in each side wall when there is only one of them per side wall or along one of the two or between the two when there are two of them per side wall. Thus the lines of preferential tearing guide the tear up to the other side edge of the pouch. [0008] Where each side wall of the pouch has two parallel lines of preferential tearing, a notch is made in at least one side edge at a level between the two lines for the purpose of making it easier to initiate the tear through the lateral seal. [0009] In practice, the height of the upper seal on such a pouch is limited to save on a material. Further, the line(s) of preferential tearing are placed in an upper region of the pouch to allow the pouch to be opened from the top while avoiding accidentally spilling its contents while the pouch is being opened. However, the line(s) of preferential tearing is/are arranged at a certain distance from the top seal of the pouch to enable the user to grasp that part of the pouch extending above the lines of preferential tearing with his fingers when opening the pouch, this part then being detached from the pouch. [0010] Nevertheless, it sometimes happens that during the opening operation, the tear leaves the line of preferential tearing when there is only one per side wall or the zone defined by the two parallel lines of preferential tearing when there are two of them per side wall. The tear may then propagate towards the bottom of the pouch and there is a risk that the foodstuffs may be accidentally spilled during opening. [0011] Furthermore, before opening the pouch, the user is recommended to shake the pouch by holding it at the top so as to make any foodstuffs that may be present in the top of the pouch in the zone of the lines of preferential tearing go down. Alternatively or additionally, the user may also smooth the upper zone of the pouch between his fingers from the top downwards for the same purpose. Thus, the foodstuffs are found below the level of the lines of preferential tearing. Without carrying out this prior operation, it is not very probable that the tear for opening the pouch will propagate effectively along the lines of preferential tearing, due to the presence of foodstuff at the line of preferential tearing. Additionally, there is a danger of the user being spattered by the food content present at the lines of preferential tearing, even when opening is done correctly. These problems are particularly significant when the pouch contains moist foodstuffs--or other solid moist products--as they have a tendency to stay at the top of the pouch even if it is held vertically, unlike dry foodstuff or liquid. Nevertheless, this operation prior to opening the pouch may be felt to be tedious by the user. Moreover, it has been found that the user often forgets to carry out this prior operation before tearing the pouch for opening. [0012] EP-A-0,473,517 and EP-A-0,596,747 each disclose a pouch with lines of preferential tearing arranged similarly to those in the document above and having the same disadvantages. [0013] The aim of the invention is to at least partially reduce one and/or the other of these drawbacks. [0014] The invention particularly aims to provide improved guiding of the tear when the pouch is opened by the user. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0015] For this purpose, the present invention provides a flexible pouch comprising: [0016] two side walls rendered integral by at least a sealing line; and [0017] a line of preferential tearing provided in one of the two side walls, [0018] in which the line of preferential tearing extends along the sealing line, the distance between the line of preferential tearing and the sealing line being less than or equal to 10 mm. [0019] In preferred embodiments, the pouch can comprise one or more of the following features: [0020] the distance between the line of preferential tearing and the sealing line is less than or equal to 8 mm, preferably to 6 mm, more advantageously to 4 mm, even more advantageously to 2 mm, even to 1 mm. Continue reading about Flexible pouch with tear line... Full patent description for Flexible pouch with tear line Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Flexible pouch with tear line patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Flexible pouch with tear line or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Method for closing and sealing a woven polymeric bag Next Patent Application: Device for guiding two sub-assemblies of a motor vehicle which are displaceable in relation to one another, in particular of a motor vehicle seat, in a guide direction Industry Class: Flexible bags ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Flexible pouch with tear line patent info. 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