AU2008209075A1

AU2008209075A1 - Package for bulk material

Info

Publication number: AU2008209075A1
Application number: AU2008209075A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Friedel Meyer; Wolfram Zoller
Original assignee: Mars Inc
Current assignee: Mars Inc
Priority date: 2007-01-22
Filing date: 2008-01-16
Publication date: 2008-07-31
Also published as: DE202007018253U1; WO2008089905A1; DE102007003226A1

Description

WO 2008/089905 PCT/EP2008/000295 1 Package for bulk material The present invention relates to a package for bulk material. Numerous packages for bulk material are known in the state of the art. They consist mainly of flexible or rigid materials, such as paper, paperboard, cardboard or plastic, in which corre sponding bulk material can be filled. The packages are sealed after filling and are then ready for despatch and/or sale. In order to remove bulk material from such a package, it has so far been necessary to open the package, preferably on the upper side thereof, such as by tearing it open, to grip the package and to tilt it in such a way that bulk material can pour out of the package. This involves diffi culties, because, for example when opening the package, too large an opening is made, which makes it difficult to meter the bulk material as desired. In addition, the packages filled with bulk material are usually quite heavy, so that it is not readily possible to lift them up and tilt them, which again means that it is difficult to fill a vessel in a targeted manner and to dis pense a desired amount of bulk material. The present invention is based on the problem of providing a package which overcomes the disadvantages of the state of the art. In particular, it is intended to provide a package which makes it possible to open the package easily and in particular to dispense bulk material easily and to meter it accurately when it is dispensed. The problem is solved by a package for bulk material with a pouring opening, to which a tu bular, flexible attachment is joined, which protrudes outwards and which, in the state in which it is supplied to the consumer, lies flat against the package in a folded configuration and/or is held within the package and can be unfolded before use into its tubular, flexible configuration. In this context, it is preferred that the bulk material comprises granules and/or powder.

WO 2008/089905 PCT/EP2008/000295 2 The package can preferably be made from flexible and/or rigid material, and the material can be selected from paper, paperboard, cardboard, plastic or composite materials. It is also proposed that the tubular attachment should be made of flexible plastics material, preferably polyethylene. It is particularly preferable that, in the state in which it is supplied to the consumer, the tubu lar attachment is sealed at its distal end, and it may be possible to open the tubular attachment in the region of the distal end by means of a perforated seam. It is most preferable that, in the state in which it is supplied to the consumer, the pouring opening should be covered by a removable label. It may also be proposed that the proximal end of the tubular attachment should be fixed to the package, preferably stuck, sealed or welded around the pouring opening on the inside of the package. In the state in which it is supplied to the consumer, the tubular attachment can be folded, roll ed up or pressed together. In one embodiment, the pouring opening is disposed in the lower region of the package, pref erably on a side wall close to the bottom of the package, particularly preferably at a height of less than a quarter of the total height of the package. In this context, it is preferable that the pouring opening should be disposed centrally on a side wall. It goes without saying that it may also be provided that the pouring opening is disposed to the left and right of the centre, such as in the respective corners of the side wall. The tubular attachment is preferably about 1 to 10 centimetres, preferably 3 to 7 centimetres, in diameter.

WO 2008/089905 PCT/EP2008/000295 3 It is also proposed that the package should comprise mounting means for mounting the un folded attachment to the package after use, where the mounting means can be an adhesive strip, glue or a Velcro fastener. Finally, in its unfolded configuration, the tubular attachment is preferably from 0 to 30 cm long, preferably I to 30 cm, more preferably 5 to 30 cm. Surprisingly, the present invention provides a package with which bulk material can be dis pensed from a package in a simple manner, permitting extremely accurate metering and tar geting accuracy when pouring the bulk material into a vessel. This is achieved by providing a tubular, flexible attachment which protrudes outwards, and which is preferably disposed in the lower region of the package, and through which the bulk material can be metered without great effort and dispensed accurately. In the state in which it is supplied to the consumer, the tubular attachment lies flat against the package in a folded configuration and/or is held within the package. The pouring opening, to which the tubular attachment is attached in the state in which it is supplied to the consumer, is preferably sealed by a label. After the label is re moved the consumer can unfold the tubular attachment in order to use the package and open the preferably sealed attachment, such as by tearing open a perforated seam at the distal end of the tubular attachment. After a desired amount of bulk material has been dispensed through the flexible tubular at tachment, it can be raised in such a way that it is not possible to dispense further bulk materi al. Any bulk material still contained in the tubular attachment is either still dispensed or re turned to the package. In order to store the package, the emptied tubular attachment can either be fixed to the outside of the package or folded together again, so as to prevent any more bulk material from being dispensed. The bulk material contained in the package of the invention can take a wide variety of forms. There may, for example, be powders or granules contained in the package, such as cat litter, dry food for pets, rice, etc.

WO 2008/089905 PCT/EP2008/000295 4 Other features and advantages of the package of the invention will become clear from the de tailed description of an embodiment of the invention, with reference to the enclosed Figures, in which Figure 1 shows a package in accordance with the invention, in the state in which it is supplied to the consumer, with a label; Figure 2 shows the package of Figure 1 in accordance with the invention, without a label; Figure 3 shows the package with the unfolded tube and with the distal end sealed; Figure 4 shows the package with the tube opened, via which bulk material is dispensed; Figure 5 shows the package with the tube after the dispensing of bulk material has finished; and Figure 6 shows the package after the bulk material has been completely dispensed from an emptied tubular attachment joined thereto. Figure 1 shows a package 1 in accordance with the invention, in the state in which it is sup plied to the consumer, in which a pouring opening 2 (see Figure 2) is covered with a label 3, which can easily be removed from the package or simply torn open. Figure 2 shows the package 1 according to Figure 1, in which the label 3 has been removed and the pouring opening 2 can now be recognised, to or in which a tubular, flexible attach ment 4 is disposed in a folded configuration. In its folded configuration, this tubular attach ment 4 can, for example, be folded together, rolled up or pressed together WO 2008/089905 PCT/EP2008/000295 5 In order to use the package 1 of the invention, the tubular attachment 4 is unfolded, as is shown in Figure 3. The tubular attachment 4, in the state in which it is supplied to the con sumer, has a sealed distal end 5 which can easily be opened by the consumer. The distal end 5 can preferably have a perforated seam, at which it can be opened with no difficulty by tearing. The distal end 5 of the tubular attachment 4 can, however, also be simply cut open with scis sors, as is shown in Figure 3. After the distal end 5 has been opened, bulk material 6 can be dispensed from the package in a simple and metered manner via the tubular attachment 4, as is shown in Figure 4. If the package 1 is not supposed to be completely emptied, but instead only part of the bulk material 6 is supposed to be dispensed in a metered fashion, the tubular attachment 4 can be raised in order to finish dispensing, so that continued dispensing is terminated. Raising in this way has the further effect that any bulk material 6 still present in the tubular attachment 4 can be returned to the package 1, so that the tubular attachment 4 is finally free of any bulk mate rial 6. This is shown in Figure 5. Finally, the emptied tubular attachment 4 can, for example, be attached to the outside of the package 1 in its unfolded form, such as by means of an adhesive label 7, as is shown in Figure 6. It is conceivable that the label 3 has adhesive properties and can be employed to fix the tu bular attachment 4 after use. On the other hand, it is also possible that the tubular attachment 4 is folded together again and placed in the exit aperture 2, in order to prevent more bulk ma terial 6 from being dispensed. The package 1 can then be stored ready to be used again. The features of the invention disclosed in the above description, in the claims and in the draw ings can be essential to implementing the invention in its various embodiments both individu ally and in any combination.

Claims

1. A package (1) for bulk material (6), with a pouring opening (2), to which a tubular, flexible attachment (4) is joined, which protrudes outwards and which, in the state in which it is supplied to the consumer, lies flat against the package (1) in a folded con figuration and/or is held within the package (1) and can be unfolded before use into its tubular, flexible configuration.

2. The package as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the bulk material (6) com prises granules and/or powder.

3. The package as claimed in either of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the package (1) is made from flexible and/or rigid material.

4. The package as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that the material is selected from paper, paperboard, cardboard, plastic or composite materials.

5. The package as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the tubu lar attachment (4) is made of flexible plastics material, preferably polyethylene, paper or a paper/plastic laminate.

6. The package as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterised in that, in the state in which it is supplied to the consumer, the tubular attachment (4) is sealed at its distal end (5).

7. The package as claimed in claim 6, characterised in that the tubular attachment (4) can be opened in the region of the distal end (5) by means of a perforated seam.

8. The package as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterised in that, in the state in which it is supplied to the consumer, the pouring opening (2) is covered by a removable label (3). WO 2008/089905 PCT/EP2008/000295 7

9. The package as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the proxi mal end of the tubular attachment (4) is fixed to the package (1), preferably stuck, sealed or welded around the pouring opening (2) on the inside of the package (1).

10. The package as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterised in that, in the state in which it is supplied to the consumer, the tubular attachment (4) is folded, roll ed up or pressed together.

11. The package as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the pour ing opening (2) is disposed in the lower region of the package (1), preferably on a side wall close to the bottom of the package, particularly preferably at a height of less than a quarter of the total height of the package (1).

12. The package as claimed in claim 11, characterised in that the pouring opening (2) is disposed centrally on a side wall.

13. The package as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the tubu lar attachment (4) is about 1 to 10 centimetres, preferably 3 to 7 centimetres, in diame ter.

14. The package as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the pack age (1) comprises mounting means for mounting the unfolded attachment to the pack age after use.

15. The package as claimed in claim 14, characterised in that the mounting means is an adhesive strip, glue or a Velcro fastener.

16. The package as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the tubu lar attachment (4) is from 0 to 30 cm long, preferably 1 to 30 cm, more preferably 5 to 30 cm, in its unfolded configuration.