Flexible container with arcuate self-sealable spout

Claim 2

A container for fluids having a body and a spout extending generally arcuately from said body, said spout having congruent opposed walls of supple, imperforate material and being defined by laterally-spaced seams uniting said walls and disposing them in substantially face-to-face contact when said spout is empty, said seams including first, correspondingly-curved seam elements defining substantially eccentric arcs which extend divergently, at least from about an intermediate portion of the spout, generally toward said body, said container being dimensioned and configured to provide means for forming a releasable seal across said spout at said intermediate portion thereof, first sections of said opposed walls between said first seam elements being free of interconnection and being adapted to readily become distended by contained fluid, such distension causing said first wall sections to converge into sealing abutment with one another, with the center lines of said first wall sections adjacent said abutment forming an angle of less than about 60and with second sections of said opposed walls coextending from said abutment with the center lines thereof in general alignment with the center line of one of said first wall sections and at an angle to the center line of the other of said first wall sections, whereby said spout can be sealed without auxiliary means.

Claim 3

A container for fluids having a body and a spout extending generally arcuately from said body, said spout having congruent opposed walls of supple, imperforate material and being defined by laterally-spaced seams uniting said walls and disposing them in substantially face-to-face contact when said spout is empty, said seams including first, correspondingly-curved seam elements defining substantially eccentric arcs which extend divergently, at least from about an intermediate portion of the spout, generally toward said body, said container being dimensioned and configured to provide means for forming a releasable seal across said spout at said intermediate portion thereof, first sections of said opposed walls between said first seam elements being free of interconnection and being adapted to readily become distended by contained fluid, such distension causing said first wall sections to converge into sealing abutment with one another, with the center lines of said first wall sections adjacent said abutment forming an angle of less than about 60and with second sections of said opposed walls coextending from said abutment with the center lines thereof in general alignment with the center line of one of said first wall sections and at an angle to the center line of the other of said first wall sections, whereby said spout can be sealed without auxiliary means.

Claim 4

A container for fluids having a body and a spout extending generally arcuately from said body, said spout having congruent opposed walls of supple, imperforate material and being defined by laterally-spaced seams uniting said walls and disposing them in substantially face-to-face contact when said spout is empty, said seams including first, correspondingly-curved seam elements defining substantially eccentric arcs which extend divergently, at least from about an intermediate portion of the spout, generally toward said body, said container being dimensioned and configured to provide means for forming a releasable seal across said spout at said intermediate portion thereof, first sections of said opposed walls between said first seam elements being free of interconnection and being adapted to readily become distended by contained fluid, such distension causing said first wall sections to converge into sealing abutment with one another, with the center lines of said first wall sections adjacent said abutment forming an angle of less than about 60and with second sections of said opposed walls coextending from said abutment with the center lines thereof in general alignment with the center line of one of said first wall sections and at an angle to the center line of the other of said first wall sections, whereby said spout can be sealed without auxiliary means.

Claim 5

The container of claim 1 wherein said spout is configured with a continuous taper in the direction of discharge of contained fluid therefrom.

Claim 6

The container of claim 2 wherein said seams defining said spout are of smoothly curvilinear configuration.

Claim 7

The container of claim 3 wherein said curvilinear seams are about 0.02 to 0.1 inch in width and are located substantially at the lateral edges of said spout.

Claim 8

The container of claim 1 wherein the arc radii of said first seam elements are from about 1/4 to 12 inches in length.

Claim 9

The container of claim 5 wherein said arc radii are from about 1 to 6 inches in length.

Claim 10

The container of claim 5 wherein said first seam elements extend from said intermediate portion of said spout.

Claim 11

The container of claim 1 wherein said first wall sections adjacent said abutment form an angle of from about 15* to 45*.

Claim 12

The container of claim 1 wherein said dimensions and configurations thereof render said seal releasable in response to internal pressure of a higher magnitude than the seal-forming distension pressure of such contained fluid.

Claim 13

The container of claim 9 wherein said dimensions and configuration thereof cause the location of said abutment to proceed outwardly along said spout in response to progressively increased levels of internal pressure above said distension pressure, to ultimately overcome the seal and to thereby permit fluid contents to discharge from said container.

Claim 14

The container of claim 10 wherein said abutment location moves over a distance which is at least about half of the total length of said spout.

Claim 15

The container of claim 9 wherein said dimensions and configuration thereof render said seal self-restoring upon diminution of the internal pressure below said higher magnitude thereof.

Claim 16

The container of claim 1 wherein said container additionally includes fluid contents therewithin and is completely closed, to thereby provide an integral package.

Claim 17

The container of claim 13 wherein said spout has a fused closure portion adjacent its outer end, said closure portion being removable to provide a discharge opening for said spout.

Claim 18

A container having congruant opposed walls of supple, imperforate material having at least one bond uniting said walls and disposing them in face-to-face contact when said container is empty, said opposed congruant walls providing integral walls of a body for containing fluids and of a spout extending generally arcuately from said body, said spout being defined by laterally-spaced seams provided by said bond and including first, correspondingly curved seam elements defining substantially eccentric arcs which extend divergently, at least from about an intermediate portion of said spout, generally towards said body, said container being dimensioned and configured to provide means for forming a releasable seal across said spout at said intermediate portion thereof, first sections of said opposed walls between said first seam elements being free of interconnection and being adapted to readily become distended by contained fluid, such distension causing said first wall sections to converge into sealing abutment with one another, with the center lines of said first wall sections adjacent said abutment forming an angle of less than about 60and with second sections of said opposed walls coextending from said abutment, with the center lines thereof in general alignment with the center line with one of said first wall sections and at an angle to the center line of the other of said first wall sections, whereby said spout can be sealed without auxiliary sealing means.

Claim 19

A container having congruant opposed walls of supple, imperforate material having at least one bond uniting said walls and disposing them in face-to-face contact when said container is empty, said opposed congruant walls providing integral walls of a body for containing fluids and of a spout extending generally arcuately from said body, said spout being defined by laterally-spaced seams provided by said bond and including first, correspondingly curved seam elements defining substantially eccentric arcs which extend divergently, at least from about an intermediate portion of said spout, generally towards said body, said container being dimensioned and configured to provide means for forming a releasable seal across said spout at said intermediate portion thereof, first sections of said opposed walls between said first seam elements being free of interconnection and being adapted to readily become distended by contained fluid, such distension causing said first wall sections to converge into sealing abutment with one another, with the center lines of said first wall sections adjacent said abutment forming an angle of less than about 60and with second sections of said opposed walls coextending from said abutment, with the center lines thereof in general alignment with the center line with one of said first wall sections and at an angle to the center line of the other of said first wall sections, whereby said spout can be sealed without auxiliary sealing means.

Claim 20

The container of claim 15 wherein said walls are comprised of synthetic resinous thermoplastic material.

Claim 21

The container of claim 16 wherein said bond is a relatively narrow heat seal located substantially at the edge of said container.

Claim 22

The container of claim 16 wherein each of said walls comprises a laminate containing at least two distinct materials.

Claim 23

The container of claim 18 wherein at least one of said materials is selected from the group consisting of metal foils, paper and molecularly oriented plastics.

Claim 24

The container of claim 15 wherein said body has, in a flat disposition, a generally rectilinear edge extending thereacross at a location remote from said spout, said edge being of a length that is less than the width of said walls of said body at a location spaced a short distance therefrom, intermediate portions of said body walls lying between Said edge and said location being narrower than said body walls at said location so that, when said container is placed in an upright position with said edge disposed thereunder on a support surface, the outer margins of said intermediate wall portions tend to fold inwardly of said body, in turn permiting distension of said wall portions therebetween under the weight of fluid contents, thereby providing an extended base area for supporting said container in a relatively stable, upright position.

Claim 25

The container of claim 20 wherein said intermediate wall portions are defined by generally slanting seam portions extending outwardly from the ends of said rectilinear edge.

Claim 26

The container of claim 21 wherein the upper sections of said seam portions are convexly curved to avoid relatively sharp corners thereat, thereby enhancing the level of stability of support for said container.

Claim 27

The container of claim 15 wherein said body is of elongate configuration, and wherein said spout is located adjacent one end thereof.

Claim 28

The container of claim 23 wherein said body is configured to provide means for supporting said container on an underlying surface with the longitudinal axis of said body extending generally horizontally, said spout being configured to extend in a generally upward direction from said body with said container so supported.

Claim 29

The container of claim 24 additionally including a plural-phase liquid mixture contained therewithin.

Claim 30

The container of claim 15 wherein said spout has a tapered channel leading to the outlet orifice thereof, said channel being defined by a generally rectilinear seam element slanting from adjacent one edge of said spout toward the other edge thereof.