DE29716172U1 - Packaging container for mushy, pasty and liquid foods - Google Patents

Description

COHAUSZ HASE DAWIDOWICZ & PARTNER

PATENT AND LAW FIRM I

DÜSSELDORF - BERLIN ■ MUNICH - PARIS ■ NANTES

Attorney file 0620-WEINL Berlin, 30.08.1997

Applicant:

Helmut Weinl

Steinbachstrasse

D-12489 Berlin

Packaging container for pulpy, pasty and liquid Groceries

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Attorney file 0620-WEINL
5

Applicant:
Helmut Weinl
Steinbachstrasse 92
D-12489 Berlin
10

Packaging container for pulpy, pasty and liquid foods

The invention relates to a packaging container for pulpy, pasty and liquid foods, for example yoghurt, quark with or without fruit, buttermilk products, milk, fruit puree, pulp, nectar or juice and drinks such as mineral water, lemonades, beers or the like.

As is well known, mushy or pasty foods, such as yoghurt or fruit curd, are filled and packaged in containers or cups made of thermoplastic material with the corresponding lid.

For example, DE-OS 2 9 07 494 discloses a cup filled with yoghurt, ice cream, drinks, drink concentrates, etc. and sealed with two foldable square side walls made of a stable composite material and provided with bending lines. The base of the cup is made of tough cardboard coated with at least plastic. Predetermined bending lines are embossed into the base.

The cup is closed with a lid made of foil, onto which a bottle shoulder is attached, the bottle neck of which is positioned on the edge of the cup. The bottle neck is extended by a screw or snap closure.

A package for free-flowing filling goods is known from DE 31 39 780 A1. The package consists of side walls made of coated cardboard or the like, connected to one another in a tube-like manner by at least one longitudinal sealing seam, and side walls that are attached to the ends of the tube, whereby one end wall, which forms the lid of the package, is made of thermoplastic without a carrier material, is molded onto the side walls along its outer edge and has a pouring device that can be folded in, e.g. for transport to the inside of the outer area of the package. The lid has a lid wall that tapers towards the middle and leaves a central opening with a centrally arranged, raised spout edge with a closure attached to it.

The pouring device can also be used as a drinking opening, in particular for administering liquid baby food, by bringing the folded opening area into the position of use. To do this, the user pulls on a ring attached to the pouring device.

Both known packaging retain the usual cup or container shape and attempt to eliminate the disadvantages of consuming the contents by means of a plastic lid with a removal opening. Apart from the fact that the cups or containers are made of reinforced coated cardboard, lid constructions made of thermoplastics that are separate from the cup body require separate joining processes to connect the cup or container part to the lid.

The production of these well-known packaging is complex.

In addition, their handling is complicated and therefore impractical.

These well-known packagings have not been adopted for the packaging of yoghurt, quark and other mushy foods due to their complicated handling and complex production.

Yoghurt, fruit curd, puree, pulp, nectar and juice as well as drinks such as milk, buttermilk products, lemonade, mineral water and others are therefore still filled into plastic cups, cans, tins or bottles.

Their handling is quite impractical, especially when travelling by car, bus and train, as well as at school.

Bottles have the disadvantage of being prone to breakage, being heavy and having a high storage capacity.

Cans, tins and cups cannot be closed properly again once they have been opened. Drinking in measured doses on the go is difficult, as a sufficiently secure surface must be found for the open container. On the other hand, cans, tins and cups also require considerable storage space.

In the case of mushy food packaging, such as yoghurt or fruit curd pots, a spoon must also be available for removing the food.
With all of these known containers, the risk of external contamination is considerable due to the open, non-resealable containers. Since the cups cannot be closed again after opening, either the entire contents must be consumed or the partially filled container must be thrown away if there is no safe place to store it, especially when traveling.

In this state of the art, the invention is based on the object of providing a recyclable packaging container of the type mentioned above, which is easy to handle, especially when traveling, has a low storage capacity and enables one-handed, dosed, hygienic removal without aids, whereby its production requires minimal effort.

This object is achieved in that the container consists of a squeezeable tube or bag body made of soft thermoplastic material with a removal opening, the shoulder part of which is assigned to the removal opening is reinforced and at least two pressing surfaces arranged approximately parallel to one another and opposite the removal opening are integrated in the tube or bag body.

According to a further feature of the packaging container according to the invention, the tube or bag body consists of an ultra-light polyethylene (PE-VLD), ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (E/VA), ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (E/VAL or E/VOH), co- and terpolymers with acrylic comonomers (E/EA, E/BA, E/MA, E/AA, E/MAA), ionomer copolymer (IM), vinyl chloride-ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, polyfluoroethylene-propylene (FEB), polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), acrylonitrile-methyl methacrylate copolymers (α/μμα), modified (MMMI) PVC, polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

If the tube or bag body is an ethyl acrylate (EA) copolymer, this thermoplastic contains a content of up to max. 8% comonomers. In the event that ethyl butyl acrylate (BA) copolymer or methacrylate (MA) copolymers are used as the tube or bag body material, the comonomer content is limited to max. 20% due to its limited food compatibility.

In a preferred embodiment of the packaging container according to the invention, the tube or bag body has a multi-layer structure, which improves its resistance and elasticity, particularly during squeezing processes.

In a further preferred embodiment of the packaging container according to the invention, the tube or bag body consists of a biodegradable polymer, preferably a non-olefinic thermoplastic matrix polymer. It is particularly advantageous if this matrix polymer binds starch in order to achieve good degradability.

A further preferred feature of the packaging container according to the invention provides that the removal opening in the tube or bag body is designed as a drinking opening with a preferably wide-mouth-like, oval or beak-like, mouth-sized shape, on the upper edge of which a circumferential bead with an edge is formed, which is surrounded by a closure with a pull-off ring or tab that can be released and closed.

In order to keep the closure on the neck of the drinking opening captive, the pull ring is either placed around the neck or molded onto the neck of the drinking opening.

According to a further preferred feature of the packaging container according to the invention, the removal opening can also have a circular shape and be designed as a twist lock. Screw or snap locks have proven to be particularly suitable. The removal opening is sealed with a guarantee film, preferably made of tinfoil, so that

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leakage of the tube or bag contents is safely prevented before purchase. The guarantee foil must therefore be removed before use.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the wall area of the pressing surfaces of the tube or bag body has a slightly smaller thickness so that the pressing force can be easily transferred to the contents. This makes it possible to squeeze the tube or bag evenly with one hand and to dose the amount to be removed more precisely. According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the pressing surfaces can extend over the entire side area of the tube or bag body or can also be integrated into the tube or bag body only in sections.

The tube or bag body can be provided with a heat-reflecting coating on the outside, preferably an anodized metal. This has the advantage that the tube or bag contents are kept fresh and cool for longer, especially when traveling in a car.

The packaging containers according to the invention can be easily manufactured in different tube or bag sizes, for example in 100 to 500 ml sizes. They are equally suitable for drivers, school children, tourists or athletes.

The packaging containers according to the invention do not require a large storage capacity and can be conveniently stored in a space-saving manner, for example in the storage compartment of a car, a handbag, in school bags and briefcases or even in trouser pockets.

In particular, the contents of the packaging container according to the invention can be taken directly into the mouth in a hygienic and clean manner through the removal or drinking opening. The packaging container according to the invention only needs to be brought to the mouth with its removal opening. This is particularly advantageously done one-handed without any other aids. For schoolchildren, tourists, drivers or athletes, etc., the other hand remains free for further food intake, for example a snack.

The dispensing openings can be made larger or smaller depending on the consistency of the packaging contents, so that easy and measured dispensing is possible by pressing on the tube or bag body. The closure of the dispensing or drinking opening makes it easy to open and close the container safely. The packaging containers according to the invention remain clean on the outside and can be stored in the tightest of spaces after use due to their flexible shape.
Their large storage capacity also enables cost-effective storage, especially cold storage,

When filling mushy or pasty goods such as yoghurt or fruit curd, the annoying use of the spoon is no longer necessary.

The packaging containers according to the invention made of thermoplastic soft plastic tubes or bags can have the shape of animals or cartoon characters, especially for children, which can be provided with appropriate labels or stickers for advertising purposes.

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At sporting or cultural events, the packaging containers according to the invention have the advantage of a high safety aspect due to their low risk of injury.

Further advantages and details emerge from the following description with reference to the attached drawings.

The invention will be explained in more detail below using an embodiment.
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Show it:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the inventive

Tubes with closure,

Fig. 2 a section through the side view without

closure,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the inventive

Tube without cap,

Fig. 4 the closure of the drinking opening in

sectional view,
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Fig. 5 is a section along the line A-A of Fig. 1,

and

Fig. 6 a tube according to the invention as a comic figure.

The packaging container 1 according to the invention consists, according to Fig. of a tube 2 for yoghurt, injection-molded from biodegradable polymer, which is composed of a tubular tube body 3 and a shoulder part 4 with closure 5.

A mouth-sized, wide-mouthed removal opening or drinking opening 6 is incorporated into the shoulder part 4, which is somewhat thicker than the tube body 3 (see Fig. 2 and 3).
As shown in Fig. 4, the wide-mouth drinking opening 6 has a neck 7, the upper edge 8 of which has a circumferential bead 9 with edge 10,

The bead 9 is surrounded by the closure 4. A locking ring 11 is placed around the neck 7, to which the closure 4 is attached.

A pull ring 12 is formed on the closure 4, with which the closure 4 can be pulled off the drinking opening 6. Since the closure 4 is also made of a soft thermoplastic material, it can be pressed over the bead 9 after use of the tube 2 and snapped into place on the edge 10.

The drinking opening 6 is then safely closed again.

In this example, the opposite side surfaces 13 of the tube body 3 of the tube 2, which are aligned parallel to one another, are designed in sections as pressing surfaces 14 (see Fig. 5). The wall area of the pressing surfaces 14 is somewhat smaller than the other wall thicknesses of the tube body 3, and is therefore more elastic.

If pressure is applied to the pressing surfaces 14 and the closure is removed from the drinking opening 6, the yoghurt 15 emerges from the wide-mouthed removal or drinking opening 6 and can be taken directly from the mouth.

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Fig. 6 shows a possible application of the packaging container according to the invention as a comic figure

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List of reference symbols used

Packaging container ' 1

Tube or bag 2

Tube or bag body 3

Shoulder part 4

Closure 5

Dispensing or drinking opening 6

Neck of 6 7

upper edge 8

circumferential bead 9

Edge 10

Retaining ring 11

Pull ring or tab 12

Side surfaces of 3 13

Pressing surfaces 14

Yoghurt 15

Comic character 16

Claims (18)

Expectations 1. Packaging container for pulpy, pasty and liquid foods, for example yoghurt, quark with and without fruit, buttermilk products, milk, fruit puree, pulp, nectar or juice and drinks such as mineral water, lemonade, beer or similar, characterized in that the container consists of a squeezeable tubular tube or bag body (3) made of thermoplastic soft plastic having a removal opening (6), the shoulder part (4) of which assigned to the removal opening (6) is reinforced and at least two pressing surfaces (14) arranged approximately parallel to one another and opposite the removal opening (6) are integrated in the tube or bag body (3). 2. Packaging container according to claim 1, characterized in that the tube or bag body consists of an ultra-light polyethylene (PE-VLD), ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (E/VA), ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymer (E/VAL or E/VOH), co- and terpolymers with acrylic comonomers (E/EA, E/BA, E/MA, E/AA, E/MAA), ionomer copolymer (IM), vinyl chloride-ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyfluoroethylenepropylene (FEP), polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), acrylonitrile-methyl methacrylate copolymer (A/MMA), modified polymethacrylinide (MMMI)PVC. 3. Packaging container according to claim 2, characterized in that the ethyl acrylate (EA) copolymer contains a content of up to max. 8% comonomers. 4. Packaging container according to claim 2, characterized in that the ethyl-butyl acrylate (BA) copolymer contains a content of up to max. 20% co-monomers. 5. Packaging container according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the tube and bag body is multi-layered. 6. Packaging container according to claim 1, characterized in that the tube or bag body consists of a biodegradable polymer, preferably a non-olefinic thermoplastic matrix polymer. 7. Packaging container 1 to 6, characterized in that the removal opening (6) is designed as a drinking opening with a preferably narrow, wide-mouthed, oval or beak-like mouth-sized shape, on the upper edge (8) of which a circumferential bead (9) with edge (10) is formed, which is surrounded by a closure (4) with a pull-off ring or tab (12) in a detachable and closable manner. ·· 8. Packaging container according to claim 7, characterized in that the closure (4) is captively attached to the neck (7) of the drinking opening (6). 9. Packaging container according to claims 1 to 6, characterized by the fact that the removal opening (6) has a circular shape and is designed as a twist lock. 10. Packaging container according to claim 9, characterized in that the twist closure is a screw or snap closure. 11. Packaging container according to claim 9 and 10, characterized in that the removal opening (6) is covered by a guarantee film. 12. Packaging container according to claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the side surfaces (13) of the tube or bag body (2) are designed as pressing surfaces (14) and are weaker than the other wall regions. 4 13. Packaging container according to claim 13, characterized in that the pressing surfaces (14) completely or partially cover the entire side surfaces (13). 14. Packaging container according to claim 1 and 12, characterized in that the tube or bag body (2) is provided with an outer heat-reflecting coating, preferably metal anodizing. 15. Packaging container according to claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the tube or bag body (2) has a volume of 100 to 500 ml, preferably 200 to 300 ml. 16. Packaging container according to claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the tube or bag body (2) is shaped in an animal or comic figure shape (16). 17. Packaging system according to claims 1 to 16, characterized in that the tube or bag body is provided with advertising labels. 18. Packaging system according to claims 1 to 17, characterized in that the tube or bag bodies are opaque or colored.