AU2004200410B2

AU2004200410B2 - Sealing wrapper for food products, corresponding process and installation

Info

Publication number: AU2004200410B2
Application number: AU2004200410A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Sergio Mansuino
Original assignee: Soremartec SA
Current assignee: Soremartec SA
Priority date: 2003-05-13
Filing date: 2004-02-05
Publication date: 2009-10-29
Anticipated expiration: 2024-02-05
Also published as: HK1072232A1; RU2335440C2; KR20040098512A; EP1477423A1; CA2456709C; ATE320983T1; KR101074871B1; AU2004200410A1; US20040226267A1; PL367933A1; CA2456709A1; JP2004338804A; RU2004114588A; BRPI0402043B1; DE60304153T2; ES2259411T3; EP1477423B1; AR047395A1; CL43111B; BRPI0402043A

Description

1 The present invention relates to sealed wrappers (so-called "hermetic" wrappers) for foodstuffs, such as for example confectionery products. A reference herein to a patent document or other matter which is given as prior art is not to be taken as an admission that that document or matter 5 was, in Australia, known or that the information it contains was part of the common general knowledge as at the priority date of any of the claims. In the packaging of foodstuffs, it is necessary to take into account different requirements, first of all the need to ensure that the product will remain unaltered for as long a period as possible after packaging. 10 In order to achieve the above purpose, the Applicant is aware of, also for foodstuffs of small format (such as chocolates, sweets, pralines, etc.), wrapping of the products in sealed wrappers of the type commonly referred to as "flow-pack". This technique of wrapping envisages starting from a reel of sheet material, which is wrapped around the product in the longitudinal 15 direction by a forming device so as to form a continuous tubular intermediate piece of wrapping closed by a first longitudinal sealing line. The products to be wrapped advance in the tubular intermediate piece, and the ensemble thus obtained is subjected to the action of one or more closing stations. Here, the tubular intermediate piece is flattened, welded and cut in the areas of 20 separation between successive products so as to give rise to individual wrappers. An example of this technique as known to the Applicant is described in the document EP-A-0 957 043. Even if considerations of a functional nature (linked, for example, to the fact that the regions where the transverse end welds of the flow-pack wrapping 25 overlap the longitudinal welding or sealing line may constitute areas that are critical for the purposes of the seal) are left aside, the flow-pack wrapping Y:\BEH\71289pocifcallon Pages 080108 doc 2 appears unquestionably as a result of an industrial process. This wrapping thus proves far from suitable for use in the case of products (such as certain confectionery products) to which it is intended to associate a wrapping of a more traditional type, such as traditional wrapping for sweets, with the product 5 contained in a wrapping which has one or both of its ends twisted to form fantails (fantail twist-wrapping). The Applicant is aware of various processes already proposed that attempt to reproduce said traditional forms of wrapping. For example, the Applicant is aware of WO-A-02/22445, which 10 discloses individual lengths of an intermediate piece of a flow-pack wrapping type, wrapped around the product so as to form a tubular structure, undergoing squeezing in a radial direction so as to form areas of crinkling to some extent reminiscent of the fantail twist-wrapped ends of a wrapping for sweets of a traditional type. 15 The main drawback of this type of wrapping lies in the fact that the action of sealing with respect to the external environment should be carried out precisely in the areas subjected to radial compression. Tests show, however, that, even resorting to a wrapping material that can undergo at least partial melting in the areas subjected to radial compression, the degree of effective 20 sealing with respect to the external environment is rather modest. This fact is altogether understandable, given that, in the aforesaid areas, the wrapping material subjected to compression in a radial direction tends to form creases in a way that is altogether uncontrolled. As a result, creases or ridges are formed having a pattern that is altogether random, between which there may easily 25 remain open, or may open up after a short period time, paths of communication with the external environment. Y :BE\71289Spocftion Pags 0010 .doc 3 The Applicant is also aware of EP-A-0 591 742 and EP-A-0 790 184, which propose processes that aim to provide improved sealing with respect to the external environment; however, both of these documents disclose a wrapping using two elements of sheet material. 5 Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a wrapping capable of combining, with extreme structural simplicity, and consequently with extreme simplicity and economy of fabrication, excellent sealing qualities (hermetic sealing). Advantageously, the present invention can provide a wrapping that includes a single sheet element closed by a single welding or sealing line. 10 According to the present invention, there is provided a sealed wrapping for containing at least one food product, including: - a wrapping sheet with a bent part, which receives at least one product, and - a sealing line, which extends so as to close said wrapping sheet along a 15 path that surrounds said at least one product and has the ends located in a position corresponding to said bent part, - wherein said sheet of wrapping includes two lateral branches, which extend from said bent part on opposite sides of said at least one product, said sealing line extending so that it connects said lateral branches, and 20 - wherein the wrapping further includes at least one end part having a fantail formation, wherein said sealing line extends along a path free from cusps. According to the present invention, there is also provided a process for sealed wrapping of food products, including the operations of: - forming a wrapping sheet with a bent part, 25 - setting said at least one product in said bent part, and - forming a sealing line, which extends so as to close said wrapping sheet along a path that surrounds said at least one product and has the ends located in a position corresponding to said bent part, the process further including the operations of: 30 - forming in said sheet of wrapping two lateral branches which extend from said bent part on opposite sides of said at least one food product, - forming said sealing line so that it connects said lateral branches, and W:\sharon\Dan-elSped 200\712689 12ag spc amendmonts eling wrappor.doc 4 - further including the operation of forming in said wrapping at least one end part having a fantail formation, further including the operation of forming said sealing line along a path free from cusps. 5 According to the present invention, there is further provided a plant for sealed wrapping of food products, including: - a forming device for forming a wrapping sheet with a bent part, - a loading station for setting said at least one food product in said bent part, and 10 - a sealing station configured for forming a sealing line, which extends so as to close said wrapping sheet along a path that surrounds said at least one food product and has the ends located in a position corresponding to said bent part, - wherein said forming device is configured for forming, in said sheet of wrapping, two lateral branches, which extend from said bent part on opposite sides of 15 said at least one food product, and wherein said sealing station is configured for forming said sealing line so that it connects said lateral branches, - wherein the plant further includes a shaping station for forming, in said wrapping, at least one end part having a fantail formation, wherein said sealing station is configured for forming said sealing line along a path free from cusps. 20 The term "wrapping sheet" is here understood to indicate any sheet material capable of isolating the product in an effective way from the external environment. Furthermore, the term path which "surrounds" the food product is here understood to indicate a path which extends around the product (a path preferably having a generally arched, i.e C-shaped pattern), usually resulting in quite a tight 25 relationship of wrapping, thus capable of producing a wrapping of the product that is as adherent as possible, this being a result that can be favoured by possible actions of smoothing, brushing or other operations. The invention will now be described, purely by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the annexed drawings: in which: 30 Figures 1 to 5 illustrate successive steps of a process designed to provide a wrapping according to the invention; and Figure 6 is a side elevation of the corresponding plant. W:\shaon\aneSped 2009D712889 12aug spec end-ments eating wrpp.doc 4a The exemplary embodiment illustrated in what follows relates to the production of a wrapping for a food or food product 1 consisting, for example, of a confectionery product, such as a chocolate, a sweet, a praline, etc, of various shapes. In particular, this may be a product provided with a coating, such as for 5 example a coating of ground hazelnuts, grated coconut, grated meringues, etc. In any case, neither the dimensions, nor the shape, nor again the nature and/or specific characteristics of the product (single or composite) constitute an element of limitation of the present invention. The product 1 is designed to be wrapped in a wrapping constituted by a single 10 sheet element 2 of a laminar wrapping material of the type widely used for the wrapping of confectionery products. W:\shan\Daie\Spoo 2009\712689 12aug sped amendmets seling wapper.doc -5 This is consequently a sheet material capable of isolating the product effectively from the external environment. It may be, for example, a sheet of aluminium foil and/or plastic material. The material in 5 question may be a "combined" material, i.e.,. a material which comprises at least one first layer, designed to constitute the outer part in the finished wrapping, and a second layer, designed to constitute the inner part in the finished wrapping, and which presents, for 10 example, characteristics of heat-sealability. A typical example of combined material of this nature is a material consisting of an outer foil made of aluminium coated on the 'internal surface with a plastic material, such as polyethylene. 15 It will be appreciated in any case that the solution described herein is not in any way limited to a particular choice of the sheet wrapping material, nor to the adoption of particular technical procedures of closing/sealing of the wrapping material itself. 20 In the exemplary embodiment illustrated herein (which, it is once again emphasized, is purely an example), it is assumed that the process starts from an element of sheet material 2 having, for example, the form of a square or approximately square sheet with a 25 side of a few centimetres in length. As will emerge more clearly from what follows, the said individual element of wrapping may in fact be defined by a portion or length of a continuous sheet material, which is reeled off a reel and subjected to 30 segmentation so as to form individual elements of wrapping. On the element of wrapping 2 represented by Figure 1 there is then laid, in an approximately central position, the product or article 1 to be wrapped.

-6 In the drawings, the said product is represented in the form of a body having a parallelepipedal shape; however, it will be understood that the product 1 may be of any shape. 5 In a further step of the process of formation of the wrapping, the, element -of \ sheet material 2 is wrapped around the product 1 so as to form: - a bent part 20, which in effect receives within it the product 1; and 10 - two lateral branches 21, which extend from the bent part 20 and are laid on the opposite faces of the *product 1 (top and bottom faces in the orientation illustrated herein). From an examination of Figure 3, it may readily be is appreciated that the' sheet of wrapping is wrapped around the product 1 in such a way as to form a sort of pocket or envelope in which the lateral branches 21 conserve a substantially plane orientation, whatever the shape of the product 1. 20 In practice, the two lateral branches 21 are substantially parallel to one another, separated by a distance substantially corresponding to the thickness or height of the product 1. In yet a further subsequent step of the process, 25 as is represented in Figure 4, the two lateral branches 21 are connected to one another by a sealing line .3. The sealing line 3 connects the two branches of the sheet of wrapping according to a path that surrounds the foodstuff product 1. It is therefore in 30 general a path having an overall arched, i.e., C-shaped pattern, with the ends located in a position corresponding to the bent part 20, the said bent part evidently already performing an action of sealed reception of the product 1, without any need to form 35 lines of connection.

7 In order to form the sealing line 3 it is possible to resort to a wide variety of techniques extensively adopted in the packaging industry, in particular for the packaging of foodstuffs. Consequently, the sealing line 3 may be made - for example - by means 5 of hot-sealing, cold-sealing, sealing with or without weld material, ultrasound welding, laser welding or, possibly, by means of a mere action of embossing. As regards the path of the sealing line 3, albeit preserving the general enveloping pattern in regard to the product 1, it is possible to adopt different choices. 10 The tests currently conducted by the present applicant indicate as preferential the choice of a path with a substantially continuous arched pattern, consequently without any cusps and/or any overlapping of ridges or creases of wrapping material (i.e., without the overlapping of more than two layers of wrapping material). Areas of this type could result, for example, from the 15 connection of two contiguous rectilinear stretches and could lie at the basis of phenomena of concentration of states of coercion that might weaken the seal of the sealing line. As further finishing operation, the wrapping presented in Figure 4 is completed by forming one or two fantail, twist-wrapped parts 4 so as to bestow 20 on the wrapping as a whole the typical appearance of a wrapping for sweets. This result may be obtained (in a known way) by subjecting to twisting the longitudinal end or ends of the wrapping, or else resorting to other methodologies aimed at obtaining a fantail twist. It will be appreciated that the formation of said fantail twist-wrapped 25 parts does not adversely affect the characteristics of sealing of the sealing line 3. This is, in fact, obtained by connecting the two lateral branches 21 of the Y:BEF7128O\Spcifallon Pages 080108 doc 8 sheet wrapping material 2 whilst these are kept in a condition of substantial planarity. The connection between the two branches 21 is therefore extremely intimate and continuous, and consequently such as to withstand, without 5 weakening, any possible subsequent deformations of the wrapping. Now passing to an examination of the diagram of the plant of Figure 6, the reference number 10 designates a unreeling assembly from which is reeled off the sheet material that is to constitute the wrapping 2. Starting from the unreeling device 10 (which is of a known type), the 10 sheet material 2 is fed towards a forming assembly 12 designed to bestow on the sheet material the general U-like shape comprising the bent part 20 and the lateral branches 21 (see Figure 3). Also the forming device 12 may be considered in itself as an element of a known type. It is in fact obtainable according to the criteria widely used for 15 making forming devices which, in packaging machines of a flow-pack type, close the sheet material according to a general tubular pattern. Whilst the tubular wrapping formed in flow-pack machines (or in the solution described in WO-A-02/22445) is characterized typically in that it is closed by a longitudinal sealing line and in that it has a substantially circular 20 cross-sectional profile, the corresponding intermediate piece obtained in the plant of Figure 6 is instead open (see once again Figure 3), in the sense that the two lateral branches Y:\BE71268\SpociMcdion Pages 080108.doc 21 are not connected to one another in a position corresponding to their distal margins. Once again, the intermediate piece represented by Figure 3 presents a general U-shaped development, with 5 the two lateral branches 21 maintained in a substantially flattened condition. As has already been said previously, this fact is important for achieving a continuous and intimate connection, provided by means of the sealing line 3, which lies at the base of the io characteristics of sealing of the final wrapping. Feed of the products 1 to be wrapped in the direction of the area where the forming device 12 operates is ensured by a conveyor 14 consisting, for example, of a motor-driven belt conveyor of the type 15 widely used in plants for packaging foodstuffs. The said conveyor 14 co-operates with the forming device 12 so as to cause the products 1 to be inserted in the wrapping material folded to form a U shape at regular distances apart, thus creating a loading 20 station designated as a whole by 16. Fed, in said conditions, by,a further conveyor (of which usually the intermediate piece of wrapping material constitutes an active element, since it transports with it the products 1 located therein), the 25 products are carried into a position corresponding to a closing station 18, which makes the sealing line 3 and segments the ribbon of wrapping material in the areas left free by the products so as to give rise to distinct wrappers. 30 According to a structure in itself known, the closing station 18 may be of the type with vertical reciprocating movement and thus comprise a base or anvil part 18a, as well as an active mobile element 18b, which moves vertically and is lowered periodically 35 onto the anvil part 18a, thus creating the sealing line -10 3 and carrying out cutting of the individual wrappers. For the above purpose, the base part 18a and/or the active element 18b usually present surface indentations that define the path of the sealing line 3. The base 5 part 18a and/or the active element 18b may have associated thereto heating elements and/or ultrasound generators (not specifically illustrated but of a known type) when the sealing technology adopted involves the application of heat and/or ultrasound. 10 Advantageously (and also here according to criteria in themselves known), the closing station 18 may be built so as to carry out, in addition to the vertical movement that leads the base part 18a and the active element 18b to close against one another with 15 the interposition of the wrappers, also a movement of "tracking" of the advance of the wrappers. The said tracking movement causes the action of formation of the sealing line 3 to come about in. conditions of practically no relative movement. 20 The fixed anvil part 18a may present a top surface that is at least slightly hollowed so as to ensure that the sealing line 3 (made with the wrapping comprised between the parts 18a and 18b closed against one another) will be obtainable in conditions of 25 perfect symmetry. Usually, the sealing unit 18 carries associated thereto cutting elements (not specifically illustrated, but of a known type) aimed at causing the continuous ribbon of sheet material 2 to be divided after or 30 concomitantly with the formation of the sealing line 3 so as to give rise to individual wrappers, such as the wrapping designated by C in Figure 6. The reference number 20 designates a shaping station, in which one or both of the longitudinal ends 35 of the wrapping C are subjected to a further treatment 11 (for example twisting) so as to form the fantail parts 4 of Figure 5. The wrappers thus completed are gathered in a gathering station 22 in view of the subsequent further packaging. It will therefore be understood that, without prejudice to the principle of 5 the invention, the details of implementation and the embodiments may vary, even to a major extent, with respect to what is described and illustrated purely by way of non-limiting example, without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined by the claims that follow. YABEK7128MSpedficeAion Pages 080108.doc

Claims

1. A sealed wrapping for containing at least one food product, including: 5 - a wrapping sheet with a bent part, which receives at least one product, and - a sealing line, which extends so as to close said wrapping sheet along a path that surrounds said at least one product and has the ends located in a position corresponding to said bent part, 10 - wherein said sheet of wrapping includes two lateral branches, which extend from said bent part on opposite sides of said at least one product, said sealing line extending so that it connects said lateral branches, and - wherein the wrapping further includes at least one end part having a fantail formation, wherein said sealing line extends along a path free from cusps. 15

2. The wrapping according to Claim 1, wherein said wrapping sheet is constituted by a material that can undergo sealing with a technique chosen from the group including: hot-sealing, cold-sealing, sealing with weld material, sealing without weld material, ultrasound welding, laser welding and embossing. 20

3. The wrapping according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein, in a position corresponding to said sealing line, the wrapping is constituted by sheet material subjected to an operation chosen from the group including: hot-sealing, cold-sealing, sealing with weld material, sealing without weld material, ultrasound welding, laser 25 welding and embossing.

4. The wrapping according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said sealing line extends along a path free from areas of overlapping of ridges or creases of wrapping material. 30

5. The wrapping according to Claim 1, wherein at least in a position corresponding to said sealing line, said lateral branches are substantially free from creases or ridges. W:\sharo ieASpec 200O712681 spec amendments sealing mapper doc 14

6. The wrapping according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said sealing line extends according to a generally arched path.

7. A process for sealed wrapping of food products, including the operations of: 5 - forming a wrapping sheet with a bent part, - setting said at least one product in said bent part, and - forming a sealing line, which extends so as to close said wrapping sheet along a path that surrounds said at least one product and has the ends located in a position corresponding to said bent part, the process further including the operations 10 of: - forming in said sheet of wrapping two lateral branches which extend from said bent part on opposite sides of said at least one food product, and - forming said sealing line so that it connects said lateral branches, - further including the operation of forming in said wrapping at least one 15 end part having a fantail formation. - further including the operation of forming said sealing line along a path free from cusps.

8. The process according to claim 7 further including the operation of making said 20 wrapping sheet with a material that can undergo sealing with a technique chosen from the group including: hot-sealing, cold-sealing, sealing with weld material, sealing without weld material, ultrasound welding, laser welding and embossing.

9. The process according to claim 7 and 8 further including the operation of 25 making said sealing line by means of an operation chosen from the group including: hot-sealing, cold-sealing, sealing with weld material, sealing without weld material, ultrasound welding, laser welding and embossing.

10. The process according to any one of Claims 7 to 9, further including the 30 operation of forming said sealing line along a path free from areas of overlapping of ridges or creases of wrapping material. W \ an\DioaSpcd 2009712689 12aug spec amendments salIng wapper.doc 15

11. The process according to Claim 7, further including the operation of keeping said lateral branches substantially free from creases or ridges at least in a position corresponding to said sealing line. 5 12. The process according to any one of the preceding claims 7 to 11, further including the operation of forming said sealing line according to a generally arched path.

13. A plant for sealed wrapping of food products, including: 10 - a forming device for forming a wrapping sheet with a bent part, - a loading station for setting said at least one food product in said bent part, and - a sealing station configured for forming a sealing line, which extends so as to close said wrapping sheet along a path that surrounds said at least one food 15 product and has the ends located in a position corresponding to said bent part, - wherein said forming device is configured for forming, in said sheet of wrapping, two lateral branches, which extend from said bent part on opposite sides of said at least one food product, and wherein said sealing station is configured for forming said sealing line so that it connects said lateral branches,

20- wherein the plant further includes a shaping station for forming, in said wrapping, at least one end part having a fantail formation, wherein said sealing station is configured for forming said sealing line along a path free from cusps. 14. The plant according to Claim 13, wherein said sealing station is a station 25 operating according to a technique chosen from the group including: hot-sealing, cold sealing, sealing with weld material, sealing without weld material, ultrasound welding, laser welding and embossing. 15. The plant according to any one of Claims 13 to 14 wherein said sealing station 30 is configured for keeping said lateral branches substantially free from creases or ridges at least in a position corresponding to said sealing line. W:shan\aie\Spec 2009\71289 12aug sped amondments sealing wrappewdoc 16 16. The plant according to any one of Claims 13 to 15, wherein said sealing station is configured for keeping said lateral branches substantially free from creases or ridges at least in a position corresponding to said sealing line. 5 17. The plant according to any one of the preceding claims 13 to 16, wherein said sealing station is configured for forming said sealing line according to a generally arched path. 18. The plant according to any one of the embodiments substantially as herein 10 described. 19. A process according to any one of the embodiments substantially as herein described and illustrated in Figures 1 to 5. 15 20. A plant according to any one of the embodiments substantially as herein described and illustrated in Figure 6. W:\saron\DanieASpec 2009\712689 12aug spec endments seeing wrapperdoc