US2893547A - Kit and packaging, mixing and dispensing means for mixture ingredients - Google Patents

Description

2,sss,547

July 7, 1959 R. P. EARL ET AL KIT AND PACKAGING, MIXING AND DISPENSING MEANS FOR MIXTURE INGREDIENTS Filed may 1, 1957 IIVVENTORS.

EARL

ROBERT EDWARD SOH [ER WELSH, JR.

ATTORNEYS r KIT AND PACKAGING, MIXING AND DISPENS- ING MEANS FOR MIXTURE INGREDIENTS Robert P. Ear], Ashland, and Edward Sohier Welch, Jr., 1 Framingham, Mass., assiguors to Fenwal Incorporated,

Ashland, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Q Application May 1, 1957, Serial No. 656,320

1.Claim. 01. 20647) This invention concerns methods and means for the unit or kit packaging of certain substances or component materials, readying them for mixing and dispensing in the field but keeping themsegregated for'storage, sale and transport. It aims to provide such kit or package having compactness, structural and manufacturing Sim-- plicity and low cost, together with requisite container strength and inertness to the contents, whereby ingredients may be isolated but instantly ready for mixing without spilling. The package and method of the invention aflord'm'aximum interim safety against premature rupture of breakage of or leakage at any portion of the kit, yet present the materials for mixture, dispensing and use as required. The invention is especially. adapted foriuse for certain cements, adhesives and coatings having an additive flowable component such as a curing agent, a catalyst or; other substance that over extended'periods is chemidaily incompatible-with the generality of known packaging materials other than glass.

1 In the drawings illustrating by way .of example certain.

embodiments of the invention:

Fig. lshows in plan'a kit in extended form as. for use or preparatory to packaging for shipment; i

, Fig. 2 is 'a similar view but with two main elements of the compartmental container superposed flatlwise in one packaging stage; 1 r

f/Figfl 3 is an end view of the kit of'Figs. 1' and 2 in the package condition wherein it is rolled upwith one compartment enclosing another; 1 a

fFig. 4 is an elevation of a complete package including the'kit of Figs. 1 to 3 in shipping condition; 1 r

'Fig. .5, corresponding to a central portion of Fig. 1,

shows another provision for sealing the pouch inlet;

Fig. 6, also corresponding to a central portion ofFig, 1, illustrates a modification with the pouch and auxiliary compartment directly coupled; and

Fig. 7, on a smaller scale, shows modified fragmentretaining means useful with any of the preceding forms of'the device;

Noting the drawings in more detail, the kitof the package .comprises 'a'distortably flexible pouch-5 of nonfrangible, preferably transparent. sheet material; This material is chosen for good tensile and general packaging strength, resistance to tearing or puncture, and to be flexible to substantial flaccidity. The wall material of the pouch also is chosen to be relatively inert chemically -to.

the generality of cements, cementitious resins, adhesives and coatings. selected from those commercially available, having reference' to the intended content. Various of the commercial synthetic plastic-sheet materials are suitable Among' these are vinyl polymers and copolymers, suitably stabilized and plasticized. Also under some. circum-.. stances polyethylene and polychlor'otrifluoroethylene are satisfactoryj for the stated purposes? p In any given instance the material is' 2. by a flattened tube of the sheet material or by s'up'erposing and heat sealing opposite edges of sheet sections to form a container body 6. At the ends or transverse margins the walls are adjoined flatwise and heat sealed together.

along transverse seals or closure zones 7 and 8. The content material M is filled into the pouch at one end or the other prior to scaling. Also attendant on the sealing, the pouch is provided, centrally of one end in the example, with a port 20 referred to later. port comprises a length of flexible tubing of a plastic composition scalable to that of the pouch and having one end inserted between the flatted pouch end walls at 8 and.

integrally heat sealed in place so as to communicate with the pouch interior. a

The kit further comprises another or auxiliary container element designated generally at 10 defining a compartment separate from that of the pouch 5. It is of generally tubular form and again of a non-frangible sheet material such as those mentioned, desirably transparent. As illustrated, it comprises a length of extruded plastic tubing fiatted at the ends and seal-closed by cross-sealing zones or end closures 11, 12. One end of the mentioned port tube 20 is inserted between the walls of one flatted end zone of the tube 10, as at the end 12, and integrally heat sealed in joined position. Within the tubular conthe tube 10. The outer end of this screen 13 is inserted.

between the flatted wall portions of the tube end seal 12 with the adjacent end of the tubing 20 inside the screen.

Thus in the heat-sealing operation-at 12 the container;

tube 10, the screen 13 and the tubing 20 are integrally joined and sealed, with said tubing communicating with the interior of the tubular screen 13 and through it with the main chamber or compartment of the container.

tube'10. The inner end of the screen 13 is closed as by flatting and heat sealing prior to installation in tube 10.-

Within the invention the screening function maybe variously accomplished, as by fibrous, woven or other filter means in the connective tubing 20 of Fig. 1 or 20a of Fig. 5, cemented in, heat-sealed in or held by friction figurationf In the 'example shown it is somewhat elon;

gate and of generally rectangular form, such as provided against the tubing'wall, a further alternative-being illus-;

trated in Fig. 7 to be described.

Structurally the tube 10 or auxiliary compartment of. the kit is of a commercial plastic substance selected to The selected'semi-rigid or semi-flexible character the wall of tube 10 afiiords it the capacity to be compressibly stressed and to return to initial unstressed shape. The term semirigid with reference to the wall of tube 10 between the end seals 11, 12 thereof connotes a limited flexilibity and, an elasticity or resilience affording the tube capacity for squeezure and return to shape in a pumping action;

on release of the external pressure;

whereby flowable content material in the tube 10 may be forcibly passed into the pouch 5 and air from the lattermay be actively vented to the tube 10 by relief from the pouch 5 on release of external compressive .force on the tube and return thereof to unstressed shape.

Positioned within the tube 10 is a frangible element" 15 constituting a chemically inert barrier between the. compartment of pouch 5 and allowable, content ,Ma- In the illustrated example such barrier comprises a glass ampoule.15fof, a diameter for reception in the tube 10, into which it "is within the compartment of tube 10.

l atented July 7,

As shown, such.

inserted, conveniently at the end remote from the screen, prior to final sealing of the tube thereat. The glass ampoule 15 includes at one end a reduced portion or tip 16, facilitating the filling and sealing process and also facilitating fracture at the desired time, as under a sharp deliberate blow or a plied lateral bending stress.

As packaged the frangible ampoule 15 serves as a barrier segregating a flowable additive substance Ma in the ampoule from the content of the pouch 5. The generality of such additive substances for which the present kit is especially adapted are chemically incompatible with most if not all known commercial plastic materials. Hence the frangible barrier, namely the ampoule 15 in the illustrated example, is made of glass as a material conveniently combining the desired inertness with frangibility.

By way of one specific example of content material M for the kit, the pouch may be loaded with a single-use quantity, as for example 200 grams or thereabouts, of the main mass or body material of a resinous cement known commercially as Shell EPON VIII. This is an epoxy resin, thixotropic in nature and highly viscous or of minimum fioWability at ordinary ambient temperatures. It has been described as having the consistency of fibre-filled wheel-bearing grease and the stickiness of wet shellac. It requires to be mixed with a curing agent to render it hardenable in use as a cement, adhesive or crack filler. Such cement is employed for repairs in the field to metal and other parts of vehicles and mechanical equipment.

It has been proposed to make such cement available to field repairmen by storing the EPON VIII resin in one screw-cap type glass jar and the curing agent in a similar separate jar, with the contents proportioned so that by pouring the content of the curing agent jar into the resin jar the field man could mix them to obtain an activated adhesive. But it was found nearly impossible to mix the resin, and especially thixotropic resins, and the curing agent by stirring. There was the further problem of getting the mixture from the glass jar and onto the work. Despite care in the mixing, the adhesive varied in strength due to inadequate mixing under which some portions receive an excess of curing agent and others a shortage. Also frequently some of the curing agent was spilled attendant on pouring, throwing the mixture out of proportion. Because the appropriate curing agent for EPON VIII is highly caustic and physiologically irritating even in vapor form the described handling presented a health hazard. The use of glass jars also entailed the disadvantages of substantial volume, weight and liability to breakage in handling and shipment.

Another proposed packaging system was along the line of the flexible capsule for coloring agent as sometimes supplied with oleomargarine, such capsule to contain the curing agent and to be burstable by external pressure through the container of the epoxy resin. As a result of'extensive investigation of available commercial plastics for the formation of a flexible burstable or otherwise frangible capsule capable of being sealed, none was found suitably resistant to chemical attack by the curing agent. Applicants accordingly turned to development of the segregated but communicable two-compartment kit of the invention by which the stated packaging, mixing and dispensing problems are solved, at the same time obviating any difficulty as to glass fragments being introduced into the resin or into the container thereof With liability of puncturing the latter in the process of mixing.

The kit of Fig. 3 further comprises means for closing olf the pouch port 20 after release of the additive substance Mafrom tube This may be a clip or clamp 22 having an elongate taper slot 23 including an enlargement 24. The clip straddles the port tube 20 and by sliding it from one position to the other as indicated in dotted line in Fig. 1, notingalso Fig. 2, the tubing port maybe opened or compressively closed as desired.

In the example of Fig. 5 the tubing 20a communicating between the plural compartments is of a length to accommodate a loose throw knot 26 provided in assembling the kit parts. After introduction of the additive substance Ma from tube 10* into the pouch 5 sealing closure of the latter is effected by pulling the tubing 22a taut so as to tighten the knot.

In packaging for shipment, the kit having the compartments of poudh 5 and tube 10 appropriately loaded with the content ingredients M and Ma, as in Fig. l, is folded upon itself transversely of the transfer tubing 20. The tube 10 is laid centrally upon the pouch 5, with its ends adjacent the ends of the pouch. The latter is then rolled up about the tube 10, into a compact, generally cylindrical mass as shown endwise in Fig. 3. The rolled-up kit may be secured in this position preferably by inserting it endwise into a rigid mailing tube of the screw-on cap or other type, as represented at 30, Figs. 3 and 4.

In the use of the kit, as for a cementing repair job in the field, it is removed from the overall container 30 of the package. On then striking the tube 10 a sharp blow, the internal glass ampoule 15 is fractured, releasing the flowable additive substance such as the described cuning agent, Ma. Upon holding the kit in vertical extension, with the pouch lowermost, the curing agent flows into the latter. The filter or screen 13 prevents passage of particles of broken glass. To facilitate a counterflow of air from pouch 5 to the tube 10 and to accelerate flow of the curing agent the tube 10 is manually squeezed and released several times with a pumping action. When substantially all the curing agent has passed into the pouch 5 the clip 22 is shifted from open to closing position on the tubing 20 to seal off the commingled contents of the pouch 5. The connective tubing 20 may then be severed at some point between the clip 22 and the tube 10 and the latter discarded, making the pouch 5 separately available for manipulation. Similarly, with reference to the form of Fig. 5, the tubing 22a may be cut off beyond the pouch 5 after tightening the knot.

By reason of the flexibility and tensile strength of the Wall material of the pouch 5, the pouch and its contents may be kneaded to any extent necessary to bring the commingled curing agent Ma and the resin M to a homogeneous consistency. The transparency of the walls of pouch 5 facilitates a visual determination of homogeneity because the mixed resin and curing agent has a different color than the resin alone. The resin thus activated may readily be dispensed and applied to a point of use by cutting 01f a corner of the pouch 5, as indicated by the dotted line C on Fig. 1, and squeezing out the contents at the dispensing exit thus provided.

In the modified kit structure of Fig. 6 the list and second compartments 10 and 5 have the constituent Wall materials directly coupled without external connective tubing. In this example the tube 10 has one flatted end lapped either externally or internally, preferably the latter, with the adjoined end wall of the pouch 5, attendant on heat sealing, as indicated at 10a, 10a. The fusant sealing is accomplished in a manner to leave a flow port 20x communicating between the two compartments, including if desired a short semi-rigid or rigid tubular insert defining a passage. The intercommunieating port 20x may be of a diameter for ready flow of the additive from chamber 10 to the pouch Without pumping assistance, in which case the chamber or tube -10 need not be semi-rigid. Flexible mesh screening means may be installed in or across the port 20x and fixed in place by the same chamber-uniting sealing action. The glass barrier element or ampoule (not shown in Fig. 6) may be as in Figs. 1 to 5 or Fig. 7.

In the example of said Fig. 7 there is provided, either in lieu of or in addition to screening as illustrated in .5 to prevent fracture into pieces small enough to pass in the pouch 5. Such means as indicated at 15x in Fig. 7 may comprise a woven or other mesh sleeve enclosing the ampoule or fibrous material adhesively coated on or incorporated with it, minimizing minute shattering but permitting escape of the ampoule content on deliberate fracture.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the invention novelly provides means for packaging, plasticly activating and dispensing plastic resins and such cements, adhesives, coatings and like materials requiring an additive substance in preparation for use. In the illustrated examples two compartments of the containing kit, as those of the tube 10 and pouch 5, are hermetically sealed one from the other by a frangible glass barrier adapted for deliberate fracture without opening either compartment to the outside of the container. This enables the segregated content of the first or glass-sealed compart ment to be transferred to the other compartment, that of the pouch 5, without loss or leakage. In the second or final compartment the mixed ingredients are unencumbered by remains of the first compartment, the filter or screening preventing passage of broken glass while the sealing means for the second compartment or pouch permits it to be conveniently severed from the rest of the kit, in the example of Figs. 1 to 5. Both compartments preferably being transparent, it is easy to ascertain by visual observation when the additive content has been transferred to the final compartment, herein the pouch 5, while the transfer may be accelerated by the described manual pumping as enabled by the semi-rigid character of the first compartment or tube 10 when such capacity is provided.

Since the additive content of whatever nature is segregated by and sealed in the inert glass device 15 the additive content may be chemically incompatible with all the plastic components of the container kit. In this con nection it will be understood that although the additive, whether a Icuring agent, a catalyst or other substance to be mixed, may be chemically incompatible with the semirigid tube 10 and the pouch 5 under contact therewith for any extended length of time, such as in storage, any contact of the additive during the described release and passage into the pouch 5 and into the resin content thereof is so brief that no harmful effects result. A further contributing advantage in the kit and package of the invention is the capacity of the smaller compartment, such as the tube 10, to be folded within and fully surrounded by the other compartment or pouch whereby the latter and its content amply cushion and protect the glass barrier or ampoule 15 against premature breakage.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the disclosed kit provides means for practicing the novel packaging and dispensing method which comprises the main steps of enclosing mixture substances in individual but communicating flexible-wall compartments, segregating one substance by a glass barrier in a first compartment, subsequently fracturing the barrier and flowing the segregated substance to another compartment, restraining passage of barrier fragments to such other compartment, and effecting mixture of the substances by kneading through the wall of such other compartment. Other method features include promoting flow by pressurepumping a semi-rigid wall of the first compartment, also visually determining completion of appropriate mixture by observation through the compartment walls, and dis- 6 pensing by pressure externally applied to the mixing compartment wall after cut-forming a restricted outlet; also the cushioning enclosure of the frangible-barrier compartment in the mixture compartment folded about it for storage and transport.

It will be understood that our invention, either as to means or method, is not limited to the exemplary embodiments or steps herein illustrated or described and We set forth its scope in our following claim:

A shipping, mixing and dispensing package of a thixotropic epoxy resinous mass to be adhesively and hardcurably activated in situ by a chemically active fluid additive curing agent to ready the mass for cementing purposes, said package comprising a tough and distortably flexible transparent plastic pouch having a marginal zone of sealing, a mass of such resinous substance in the pouch, a rigid frangible chemically inert transparent glass ampoule apart from said pouch, an activating volume of chemically active additive fluid curing agent segregated in the ampoule, a separate tough semi-rigid flexible and resilient transparent plastic tubular container enclosing the ampoule and being seal closed at the ends, said container having the capacity for deformation and return to shape under application and release of external compressive force, flexible transparent plastic tubular wall means of internal diameter substantially less than the parallel dimensions of the tubular container and of the pouch and extending through one sealed end of the container and through an opposite portion of the marginal seal zone of the pouch so as to provide a communicating flow passage between the container and the pouch, and a mesh screen element in the container between the ampoule and the adjacent end of said passage, whereby the glass ampoule is protected and the resinous mass and the curing agent are kept inactively segregated for shipment yet readied for dispensing as an admixed adhesive self-curing coating at the point of use upon deliberate fracture of the ampoule by application of force on and through the container wall to release the additive fluid and whereby under application of external pressure upon said container the released fluid is forcibly flowed through the communicating passage and into the pouch for distribution throughout the resinous mass by kneading of the latter under flexure manipulation of the pouch wall prior to exitporting thereof and whereby on release of such external pressure on the container air is relieved from the pouch, the wall means of the connecting flow passage between the container and the pouch being of a length to enable the ampoule container to be folded over onto and disposed centrally along and upon the pouch and then side portions of the pouch to be folded enclosantly about the ampoule container for cushioning thereof in shipment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,125,318 Salfisbeng Aug. 2, 1938 2,469,204 Peters May 3, 1949 2,576,834 Hensgen Nov. 27, 1951 2,600,216 Denison June 10, 1952 2,605,896 Rohdin Aug. 5, 1952 2,702,034 Walter Feb. 15, 1955 2,714,974 Sawyer Aug. 9, 1955

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