CA3004828A1

CA3004828A1 - Thin-walled container and method for manufacturing thereof

Info

Publication number: CA3004828A1
Application number: CA3004828A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Christophe Halter
Original assignee: Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd
Current assignee: Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd
Priority date: 2018-05-14
Filing date: 2018-05-14
Publication date: 2019-11-14

Abstract

A thin-walled container and methods for manufacturing the thin-walled container are disclosed. The method includes molding a body having a bottom wall and a side wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall. The method further includes encapsulating a barrier layer within the bottom wall and the side wall. The barrier layer includes a leading end and a trailing end. The method further includes punching the bottom wall to form an opening such that the trailing end of the barrier layer lies beyond a periphery of the opening. The method also includes applying a membrane to the bottom wall and concealing the opening such that a portion of the membrane overlaps with the trailing end of the barrier layer.

Description

THIN-WALLED CONTAINER AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THEREOF
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates, in general, to containers and, more specifically relates to, a thin-walled container and methods for manufacturing the thin-walled container.
BACKGROUND
With increase in need for storing edible contents, containers of various shapes and sizes are being used by consumers. Among all edible contents, commonly and widely used are the beverages, such as coffee and tea. Typically, coffee vending machines are configured to receive thin-walled containers, generally known as coffee capsules, which include coffee powder or roasted coffee beans.
The thin-walled containers include a barrier layer in a wall thereof to prevent entry of moisture or oxygen therethrough and thereby extend shelf life of contents of the thin-walled containers. More often, the barrier layer is exposed to atmosphere and subjected to degradation. As a result, the contents of the thin-walled container may be subjected to contamination.
SUMMARY
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for manufacturing a thin-walled container is provided. The method includes molding a body having a bottom wall and a side wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall. The method further includes encapsulating a barrier layer within the bottom wall and the side wall. The barrier layer includes a leading end and a trailing end.
The method further includes punching the bottom wall to form an opening such that the trailing end of the barrier layer lies beyond a periphery of the opening. The method also includes applying a membrane to the bottom wall and concealing the opening such that a portion of the membrane overlaps with the trailing end of the barrier layer.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a thin-walled container is provided. The thin-walled container includes a body having a bottom wall defining an opening. The body further includes a side wall integral to the bottom wall and extending upwardly from the bottom wall. The body also includes a barrier layer encapsulated within the bottom wall and the side wall. The barrier layer includes a leading end and a trailing end, where the trailing end lies beyond a periphery of the opening. The thin-walled container also includes a membrane on the bottom wall configured to conceal the opening such that a portion of the membrane overlaps with the trailing end of the barrier layer.

According to various aspects of the present disclosure, the method further includes molding the body by a hot runner injection molding process. The method further includes applying the membrane to the bottom wall via a heat sealing process. The method also includes controlling timing and flow rate of injection of molten material for each of the bottom wall, the side wall, and the barrier layer and molding the trailing end beyond a boundary predetermined for punching. The molten material for molding each of the bottom wall and the side wall includes, for example, polypropylene, and that of the barrier layer includes one of, for example, polypropylene, polyglycolic acid, Verian and ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH). The side wall includes an end portion opposite to the bottom wall. The end portion is adapted to receive a detachable lid.
These and other aspects and features of non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure will now become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific non-limiting embodiments of the disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A better understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure (including alternatives and/or variations thereof) may be obtained with reference to the detailed description of the embodiments along with the following drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a cross-section view of a thin-walled container, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged portion 'A' of the thin-walled container of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a cross-section view of a thin-walled container, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a method for manufacturing the thin-walled container of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Reference will now be made in detail to specific embodiments or features, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, corresponding or similar reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or corresponding parts. Moreover, references to various elements described herein, are made collectively or individually when there may be more than one element of the same type. However, such references are merely exemplary in nature.
It may be noted that any reference to elements in the singular may also be construed to relate to the

2 plural and vice-versa without limiting the scope of the disclosure to the exact number or type of such elements unless set forth explicitly in the appended claims. No element, act, or instruction used herein should be construed as critical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the articles "a" and "an" are intended to include one or more items, and may be used interchangeably with "one or more". Furthermore, as used herein, the term "set" is intended to include one or more items, and may be used interchangeably with "one or more".
Referring to FIG. 1, a cross-section view of a thin-walled container 100 is illustrated, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In an example, the thin-walled container 100 may be used as a coffee capsule for storing beverage powder. The thin-walled container 100 includes a body 102 having a bottom wall 104 defining an opening 106. In an embodiment, the bottom wall 104 may be punched to form the opening 106.
The body 102 also includes a side wall 108 integral to the bottom wall 104 and extending upwardly from the bottom wall 104. Inner surfaces (not separately numbered) of the bottom wall 104 and the side wall 108 together define a container space 110 for storing the beverage powder, such as coffee powder. In an embodiment, the body 102 may be molded by a hot runner injection molding process. Molten material for molding each of the bottom wall 104 and the side wall 108 may include polypropylene.
The body 102 also includes a barrier layer 112 encapsulated within the bottom wall 104 and the side wall 108. Such encapsulation of the barrier layer 112 may be achieved by controlling timing and flow rate of injection of molten material for each of the bottom wall 104, the side wall 108, and the barrier layer 112. In addition, due to such controlling of timing and flow rate of injection of the molten material, the barrier layer 112 may be molded at a desired location in the body 102 and for a desired length along the bottom wall 104 and the side wall 108. For instance, in some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the barrier layer 112 may be limited to a heel region 114 defined at a junction of the bottom wall 104 and the side wall 108. In an example, the molten material for molding the barrier layer 112 may include one of a polypropylene, Verian and ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH).
The barrier layer 112 includes a leading end 116 and a trailing end 118. The phrases 'leading end' and 'trailing end' are recited only with reference to injection of the molten material of the barrier layer 112 into a mold (not shown), and hence should not be considered as limiting. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the trailing end 118 of the barrier layer 112 is encapsulated within the bottom wall 104 and lies beyond a periphery 120 of the opening 106 formed in the bottom wall 104.
The leading end 116

3 of the barrier layer 112 lies in the side wall 108 and at a portion proximal to the bottom wall 104. The barrier layer 112 helps prevent entry of contents of atmospheric air, such as moisture or oxygen, into the container space 110.
The thin-walled container 100 also includes a label 122 provided on an outer surface 124 of the side wall 108. The label 122 may have properties similar to those of the barrier layer 112, specifically with respect to preventing entry of moisture or oxygen into the container space 110. The label 122 may include texts and/or images to define contents of the thin-walled container 100. The label 122 may extend along the side wall 108 towards an end portion 126 of the side wall 108. The end portion 126 is located opposite to the bottom wall 104 with respect to an axis 'Y' of the thin-walled container 100. In some embodiments, the end portion 126 may include a flange 128 that extends outwardly with respect to the axis 'Y'. The end portion 126 may be adapted to receive a detachable lid (not shown) or a seal to cover contents of the thin-walled container 100.
The thin-walled container 100 also includes a membrane 130 on the bottom wall 104. The membrane 130 conceals the opening 106 formed in the bottom wall 104, such that a portion of the membrane 130 overlaps with the trailing end 118 of the barrier layer 112. In an embodiment, the membrane 130 may be applied to the bottom wall 104 via a heat sealing process.
The membrane 130 is pierceable so as to be used in a coffee vending machine (not shown).
Piercing the membrane 130 would require less effort compared to piercing the molded bottom wall 104.
Referring to FIG. 2, an enlarged portion 'A' of the thin-walled container 100 of FIG. 1 is illustrated. The bottom wall 104 is so molded to form a slight concave portion 202, such that the bottom wall 104 does not lie in contact with a surface on which the thin-walled container 100 may be placed. Thickness of the membrane 130 may be predetermined, such that the membrane 130, when applied to the bottom wall 104, lies within a length `L' (shown in FIG. 1) of the thin-walled container 100 and well-within the concave portion 202. With such arrangement, the membrane 130 also minimizes contact with the surface on which the thin-walled container 100 may be placed, and hence may reduce the chances of getting damaged.
Further, as mentioned earlier, the trailing end 118 of the barrier layer 112 remains encapsulated within the bottom wall 104. Therefore, the trailing end 118 is not exposed to atmosphere and hence shielded from degradation. The label 122 provided on the outer surface 124 also overlaps with the leading end 116 of the barrier layer 112, thereby preventing entry of atmospheric air through the side wall 108 even in an embodiment when the barrier layer 112 is limited to the heel region 114.

4 Referring to FIG. 3, a cross-section view of a thin-walled container 300 is illustrated, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The thin-walled container 300 includes a bottom wall 302 and a side wall 304 integral to the bottom wall 302 and extending upwardly from the bottom wall 302. The bottom wall 302 defines an opening 306. The thin-walled container 300 also includes a barrier layer 308 encapsulated in the bottom wall 302 and the side wall 304.
Unlike the previous embodiment, the barrier layer 308 extends along a length (not shown) of the side wall 304. A leading end 310 of the barrier layer 308 lies proximal to an end portion 312 of the side wall 304. A trailing end 314 of the barrier layer 308 lies beyond a periphery 316 of the opening 306. The thin-walled container 300 also includes a membrane 318 applied to the bottom wall 302 to conceal the opening 306, where a portion of the membrane 318 overlaps with the trailing end 314 of the barrier layer 308.
In another embodiment, a label 320 may be provided in addition to such configuration of the barrier layer 308 to function as an extra layer for protecting the contents of the thin-walled container 300 from moisture.
Referring to FIG. 4, a schematic illustration of a method 400 for manufacturing the thin-walled container 100 is illustrated, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 400 is described in conjunction with FIG. 1 to FIG. 2 of the present disclosure.
At step 402, the method 400 includes molding the body 102 having the bottom wall 104 and the side wall 108 extending upwardly from the bottom wall 104. In an example, the body 102 may be molded by the hot runner injection molding process. The method 400 further includes a step of encapsulating the barrier layer 112 within the bottom wall 104 and the side wall 108. In an example, the molten material for molding each of the bottom wall 104 and the side wall 108 may include polypropylene.
For the purpose of achieving encapsulation of the barrier layer 112, the method 400 includes a step of controlling timing and flow rate of injection of the molten material for each of the bottom wall 104, the side wall 108, and the barrier layer 112. With such a step of controlling timing and flow rate, the barrier layer 112 may be molded at the desired location and for the desired length. In one embodiment, the barrier layer 112 may be limited to the heel region 114 (as shown in FIG. 1). In another embodiment, the barrier layer 112 may extend along the length (not shown) of the side wall 108 (as shown in FIG. 3). In an example, the molten material for molding the barrier layer 112 may include one of polypropylene, Verian and ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH).
At step 404, the method 400 further includes punching the bottom wall 104 to form the opening 106. Based on the step of controlling timing and flow rate of injection of the molten material and achieved location of the barrier layer 112, the method 400 also includes predetermining a boundary

5 on the bottom wall 104 for punching, such that the trailing end 118 of the barrier layer 112 lies beyond the boundary. As such, the trailing end 118 of the barrier layer 112 lies beyond the periphery 120 of the opening 106 and remains encapsulated in the bottom wall 104. Therefore, the barrier layer 112 is prevented from being exposed to atmosphere.
At step 406, the method 400 includes applying the membrane 130 to the bottom wall 104 and concealing the opening 106, such that the portion of the membrane 130 overlaps with the trailing end 118 of the barrier layer 112. In an embodiment, the step of applying the membrane 130 may be performed by the heat sealing process. Further, the method 400 includes step of providing the label 122 on the outer surface 124 of the side wall 108. Besides functioning as a layer for providing information through text and/or image regarding the contents of the thin-walled container 100, the label 122 may also reduce or prevent seepage of moisture into the container space 110 of the thin-walled container 100. In an alternative embodiment the label may be applied in the mold prior to step 402 ¨ in-mold labelling.
While aspects of the present disclosure have been particularly shown and described with reference to the embodiments above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various additional embodiments may be contemplated by the modification of the disclosed machines, systems and methods without departing from the spirit and scope of what is disclosed.
Such embodiments should be understood to fall within the scope of the present disclosure as determined based upon the claims and any equivalents thereof.

6

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a thin-walled container, the method comprising:
molding a body having a bottom wall and a side wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall;
encapsulating a barrier layer within the bottom wall and the side wall, wherein the barrier layer comprises a leading end and a trailing end;
punching the bottom wall to form an opening such that the trailing end lies beyond a periphery of the opening; and applying a membrane to the bottom wall and concealing the opening such that a portion of the membrane overlaps with the trailing end.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising molding the body by a hot runner injection molding process.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying the membrane to the bottom wall via a heat sealing process

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling timing and flow rate of injection of molten material for each of the bottom wall, the side wall, and the barrier layer and molding the trailing end beyond a boundary predetermined for punching.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the molten material for molding each of the bottom wall and the side wall comprises polypropylene.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the molten material for molding the barrier layer comprises one of a polypropylene, Verian and ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the barrier layer is limited to a heel region defined at a junction of the bottom wall and the side wall of the thin-walled container.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the barrier layer extends along a length of the side wall such that the leading end of the barrier layer lies proximal to an end portion of the side wall, the end portion being opposite to the bottom wall.

9. A thin-walled container comprising:
a body having:
a bottom wall defining an opening;
a side wall integral to the bottom wall and extending upwardly from the bottom wall; and a barrier layer encapsulated within the bottom wall and the side wall, the barrier layer comprising a leading end and a trailing end, wherein the trailing end lies beyond a periphery of the opening; and a membrane on the bottom wall configured to conceal the opening such that a portion of the membrane overlaps with the trailing end.

10. The thin-walled container of claim 9, wherein the side wall comprises an end portion opposite to the bottom wall, the end portion adapted to receive a detachable lid.