AU2007100915A4 - Packaging improvements for coffee - Google Patents

Description

19/09 2007 16:59 FAX COLLISON CO IP AUST CANBERRA a007/070

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AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 P/00/009 Regulation 3.2

ORIGINAL

INNOVATION PATENT SPECIFICATION FOR AN INVENTION

ENTITLED

Invention Title: Name of Applicant: Address for Service: PACKAGING IMPROVEMENTS FOR COFFEE ALTURA COFFEE PTY LTD COLLISON CO. 117 King William Street, Adelaide, S.A. 5000 COMS ID No: ARCS-161649 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:42 Date 2007-09-19 18/09 2007 16:59 FAX COLLISON CO IP AUST CANBERRA ]008/070 2 0 TECHNICAL

FIELD

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V) The present invention relates to a point of sale packaging arrangement for coffee.

VI BACKGROUND ART In this specification, unless the contrary is expressly stated, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference Sor discussion is not to be construed as an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge: or known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned.

It is a challenge for the manufacturers and producers of packaged products sold in supermarkets in particular, to ensure that their product is packaged in packaging that will stand out on a shelf and thereby catch the eye of consumers.

For instance, there are many brands of coffee sold alongside one another on supermarket shelves. Having packaging that catches the eye of the consumer and draws their attention to a particular product is a distinct advantage.

It is an object of the present invention therefore to provide a point of sale packaging for coffee that is distinctive, or at the least provides a useful altemative to known point of sale packaging for coffee.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present Invention is disclosed.

COMS ID No: ARCS-161649 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:42 Date 2007-09-19 18/03 2007 1G:59 FAX COLLISON 8 CO IP AUST CANBERRA a009/070 3 For the purpose of this specification the word "comprising" means "including Sbut not limited to", and the word 'comprises' has a corresponding meaning.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION In one form of this invention there is proposed a packaging arrangement for coffee, wherein the packaging includes an outermost burlap bag that is Ssurrounding a vacuum packed portion of coffee.

In a further lorm, the invention may be said to reside in a burlap bag that is sized and adapted to envelope a vacuum packed portion of coffee for display in point of sale applications.

Burlap, also known as sack cloth or hessian cloth, is a dense woven fabric which is usually made of jute and allied vegetable fibers.

Burlap is often used to make packaging, such as sacks and bags to ship goods, including raw coffee beans. It is breathable and thus resists condensation and associated spoilage issues of its contents, and is durable enough to withstand rough handling in transit. Such Burlap sacks are unsuitable for point of sale applications however, due to their size, but also because this material is not airtight.

Once coffee beans have been roasted and/or ground, it is desirable to package them in airtight packaging so as to preserve freshness. For point of sale applications then, coffee is generally sold in evacuated, airtight bags or containers.

One method used to effectively, hermetically package coffee is to vacuum pack the coffee in a pouch made from a metallised/PET laminate. Using this technique, ground coffee can be packaged into a perfectly formed block or brick, which is able to stand unassisted on its end for point of sale applications. This brick however is not what one would call an 'organic' shape, COMS ID No: ARCS-161649 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:42 Date 2007-09-19 18/09 2007 16:59 FAX COLLISON CO 1 IP AUST CANBERRA I010/070 4 o moreover, t is a technique used by a great many coffee makers, so it is Ssomewhat lacking in distinctiveness.

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Preferably then, the burlap bag is sized and adapted to envelope a rectangular block of vacuum-packed ground coffee.

Preferably, 'he coffee is vacuum packed in a pouch made from a metallised/PET laminate.

In and of itself this rectangular block of vacuum packed ground coffee lacks Saesthetic appeal and distinctiveness, but when it is positioned inside of a burlap bag of this type, aesthetic appeal is considerably improved. Moreover, the block supports the bag and gives it shape, so that he bag is caused to stand uprigrit.

Preferably, the bag includes a bottom wall and four sidewalls defining together a rectilinear shape having an opening.

Preferably, the bottom wall of the bag is rectilinear in cross-section.

Preferably, the bottom wall of the bag is rectangular in cross-section.

Preferably, the dimensions of the bottom wall is such that this has a width and length which are each less than the height of each respective side wall, so that the overall slape is a tall and slender one.

Preferably, at least a pair of opposing side walls are adapted to be secured one to the other by releasable closure means positioned at or toward the inside of the opening to the bag.

Preferably, the releasable closure means are patches of hook and loop fastener material.

COMS ID No: ARCS-161649 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:42 Date 2007-09-19 13/03 2007 17:00 FAX COLLISON CO IP AUST CANBERRA 1a011/070 0 Preferably, at least a pair of opposing sidewalls has a label affixed to an outer Ssurface thereof.

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0_ Preferably, one set of sidewalls is wider than the other, Preferably, :he burlap bag has dimensions of approximately 210mm in height, 100mm in width, and 60mm in depth.

SPreferably, the rectangular block of vacuum packed ground coffee has o dimensions of approximately 135mm in height, 80mm in width, and 40mm in C depth.

When sized in this fashion, the bag accepts the block with an easy sliding fit, which is not so loose that the block can shift position relative to the bag.

Preferably, both the releasable closure means and the labels are fixed to the wider pair of sidewalls.

In a further form, the invention may be said to reside in a method for packaging coffee, the method including the steps of grinding the coffee, vacuum packing the ground coffee in a pouch made from a metallised/PET laminate so that this has the shape of a block, and then placing this vacuum packed portion in a burlap bag that is sized and adapted to envelope the same.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a better understanding of this invention it will now be described with respect to the preferred embodiment which shall be described herein with the assistance of illustrations, wherein; Figure 1 is a perspective view of the burlap bag with its opening opened, in readiness to accept a block of vacuum-packed coffee; COMS ID No: ARCS-161649 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:42 Date 2007-09-19 19/09 2007 17:00 FAX COLLISO CO 1 IP AUST CANBERRA R012/070 6 0 Figures 2 through 5 are top, front, side and bottom views respectively, of the Sburlap bag in Figure 1; SFigure 6 is a perspective view of the burlap bag in Figure 1, with its opening closed; _t 5 Figures 7 through 10 are top, front, side and bottom views respectively, of the S burlap bag in Figure 1, with its opening closed; and Figure 11 is a perspective view of a bag having labels affixed to a pair of sides Sthereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the illustrations, and in particular to Figure 1, where there is illustrated an open burlap bag 1, which is in readiness to accept a rectangular block of vacuum packed ground coffee 2 therein.

The bag has a bottom wall 4 and four sidewalls 6, 8, 10 and 12, which are externally stitched together along their respective intersecting edges so as to define together a rectilinear shape having an uppermost opening 14.

When opened to its fullest extent, the opening 14 is sized so as be rectangular in shape, its dimensions being slightly greater than those of the block of coffee 2, so that the coffee block 2 may be easily placed in, and removed from, the burlap bag 1.

The bottom wall 4 of the bag is rectangular in cross-section, the dimensions of the bottom wall being such that this has a width and length which are each slightly greater that the base dimensions of the block of coffee 2. The side walls 6, 8, 10 and 12 are somewhat taller than the height of the block 2, this thereby allowing the opening 14 to the bag to be pinched together for closing.

COMS ID No: ARCS-161649 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:42 Date 2007-09-19 19/09 2007 17.00 FAX COLLISON CO 0 IP AUST CANBERRA Z 013/070 7 0 One set of side walls 6 and 8 is wider than the other set 10 and 12, this wider gpair of side walls being adapted to be secured one to the other by patches of C hook 20 and loop 22 fastener positioned at the inside of the opening 14 to the bag 1.

In use then, the opening 14 to the bag is closed by pinching the opposing wider pair of side walls 6 and 8 together so that the patches of hook and loop fastener respectively come into contact and hold the opening 14 to the bag Sclosed, as best illustrated in Figure 6.

(c Referring now to Figure 11, where the bag 100 has affixed to each of the outer surfaces of the wider pair of bag sidewalls 102 and 104 a label 106, to which promotional indicia such as get-up and trade marks may be applied. Such labels 106 are optional however, as such promotional indicia may be printed directly onto the bag if preferred.

In use in a point of sale application then, the burlap bag 1 and the vacuum packed coffee 2 enveloped therein, will stand with one of the wider of the side walls facing forward, so that the label 106 is prominently displayed.

The fact that raw coffee is transported in burlap bags or sacks is sure to be understood by at least some consumers, and for these people, seeing coffee sold in a small burlap bag 1 in a supermarket will, in their minds, create a connection or association with freshness i.e. that the product contained therein is fresh.

It is considered that packaging coffee in this fashion will attract the attention of consumers, who will be drawn to the packaging and the coffee therein in preference tc. competing products which mat be located nearby.

Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognised that departures can be made within the scope of the invention, which is not to COMS ID No: ARCS-161649 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:42 Date 2007-09-19 19/08 2007 17:00 FAX COLLISON CO IP AUST CANBERRA I2014/070 8

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0' be limited to the details described herein but is to be accorded the full scope Sof the appended claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and Cj apparatus.

0 -i COMS ID No: ARCS-161649 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:42 Date 2007-09-19

Claims (5)

1. A packaging arrangement for coffee, including an outermost burlap bag that is surrounding a vacuum packed portion of coffee.

S2. The packaging arrangement as in claim 1, wherein the portion of coffee o 5 is ground aid vacuum packed into a pouch made from a metallised/PET 0laminate so as to have the shape of a block. 0

3. The packaging arrangement as in either one of the preceding claims, wherein the bag includes a bottom wall of rectangular shape and four sidewalls of rectangular shape, defining together a bag of rectilinear shape having an uppermost opening.

4. The packaging arrangement as in claim 3, wherein at least a pair of opposing side walls are adapted to be secured one to the other by releasable closure means positioned at or toward the inside of the opening to the bag so that the bag may be closed around the vacuum packed portion of coffee.

5. A packaging arrangement for coffee, as described in the specification, with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying representations. COMS ID No: ARCS-161649 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:42 Date 2007-09-19