EP0084821B1 - Method and means for perfuming packaging material, and application of a perfume paste - Google Patents

Abstract

Process and product for scenting packaging materials by direct application of perfumes to said materials, whereby well controlled perfume application is achieved without spotting or loss of perfume. The present process is accomplished by formulating the perfume prior to application into a paste and then applying the paste to the package materials.

Description

The invention relates to a method for scenting packaging material by directly applying fragrances to this material (EP-A-4463). It also relates to an agent for scenting packaging material and the use of a fragrance paste according to the aforementioned method.

Detergents and cleaning agents are usually offered in perfumed form. The fragrances are usually contained directly in the product, so that the consumer has the fragrance experience both when opening the packaging and when using the products.

However, fragrances are unstable to a large number of ingredients in washing and cleaning agents. This applies, for example, to chlorine as hypochlorite or bound to organic chlorine carriers such as sodium dichloroisocyanurate and trichloroisocyanuric acid. Perborate in combination with bleach activators can also negatively affect the stability of fragrances. According to EP-OS 4463, these disadvantages can be avoided by scenting the packaging material, in particular the carton used as packaging. A direct contact of the fragrances with the disruptive ingredients then practically does not take place. The fragrances are preferably applied in the inner upper part of the packaging with the aim of being absorbed in the cardboard material.

A method for impregnating cardboard with liquid fragrances is known from EP-A-4463.

It has been shown in practice that many cardboard materials absorb fragrances applied slowly by drops or spraying. The fragrances are therefore “nose-shaped” and there are visible spots. Furthermore, when the fragrances are sprayed and the associated fragrance nebulization occurs, considerable losses of fragrance occur, which not only reduces the economics of the process but also causes a strong, unacceptable odor nuisance to the environment of the fragrance systems for the operating personnel. Finally, the fragrances cannot be distributed according to the previous method in a precisely placed manner that is desired for optical reasons.

From DE-C-819 846 it is also known to generally solidify liquids by adding paste-forming substances. This possibility is recommended for use with lubricants, creams and the like. The object of the invention, in contrast, is to provide a method for scenting packaging materials which ensures exact placement of the fragrance without the risk of undesirable staining and without significant loss of fragrance. The solution according to the invention consists in the method measures according to the claims.

The fact that, according to the invention, the pure liquid, low-viscosity fragrance is not applied to the packaging material, but rather higher-viscosity fragrance pastes with preferably thixotropic properties are used, which enables the packaging material to be smell-free and practically loss-free with precisely placed fragrance application.

Silicic acids or organically modified layered silicates are preferably used as additives or gelling agents. These substances, which are already known in the other context for solidifying or thickening liquid or soft substances - also in DE-PS 819 846 and 870 242 - as agents for producing pastes with thixotropic properties are preferably used in amounts of 1 to 20%, in particular 2.5 to 15%, incorporated into the fragrances.

The incorporation of the additives, such as silica or layered silicate, into fragrances is advantageously carried out with the aid of stirrers which exert high shear forces. The final viscosity of the resulting fragrance pastes depends on the ratio of the amount of fragrance to the amount added. To further influence the viscosity, solvents with different polarities can be added to the fragrances. In the context of the invention, the term “fragrance” encompasses individual fragrances as well as combinations of fragrances. The same applies to the terms “silica” and “layered silicate”.

The invention also provides a means - in other words a fragrance paste - for scenting packaging material in accordance with the method according to the invention. This agent is characterized by the composition of a fragrance and an organic, modified layered silicate incorporated therein, which promotes paste formation and increases the viscosity of the fragrance, as a gelling agent in the form of a fragrance paste. The fragrance paste according to the invention should preferably have thixotropic properties and contain silica or organically modified layered silicate in the proportions given above as the gelling agent.

Finally, the solution according to the invention is characterized by the use of a fragrance paste produced by incorporating a fragrance into a gelling agent which promotes paste formation and increases viscosity, in particular with thixotropic properties, for fragrancing packaging material by applying to this material in accordance with the method according to the invention. It is advantageous here that the gelling agents, in particular the layered silicates, absorb fragrances and thus, with an associated interaction of fragrance on the one hand and gelling agent or additive on the other hand, lead to a delayed release of fragrance. This results - especially when layered silicate is used as an additive - in extended times of fragrance perception on the packaging materials coated with the fragrance paste.

Further details of the invention are explained on the basis of examples and the schematic illustration in the drawing.

• Fig. 1 eine Einrichtung zum Duftpastenauftrag auf Behältnisse in einem horizontalen Schnitt;
• Fig. 2 die Einrichtung von Fig. 1 in einem vertikalen Schnitt; und
• Fig. 3 eine Seitenansicht einer Einrichtung zum Duftstoffauftrag auf Pakete.

Show it:

• Figure 1 shows a device for applying fragrance paste on containers in a horizontal section.
• Fig. 2 shows the device of Fig. 1 in a vertical section; and
• Fig. 3 is a side view of a device for fragrance application on packages.

Pyrogenic silicas, ie those produced by flame hydrolysis of silicon tetrachloride in the oxyhydrogen flame, are preferably used as gelling agents. Such a very pure, highly disperse silica of defined particle size and chemical composition is sold by Degussa under the name "Aerosil 200". This material, specially developed for thixotroping, thickening or reinforcement, has a BET surface area of approximately 200 m ² / g. Also suitable as gelling agents for the fragrance pastes according to the invention are organically modified sheet silicates, for example dimethyldioctadecylammonium montomorillonite, marketed under the name “Bentone 34” by the company Titangesellschaft mbH. Fragrance pastes with the properties desired according to the invention and the fragrance notes A = citrus and B = apple are summarized in the following table:

The viscosity values given in the table were determined according to Epprecht. With a stirring time of three minutes, an Ultra Turrax was used in Examples 1 to 4 and 7 and a simple paddle stirrer with 250 rpm in Examples 5, 6 and 8.

According to the invention, the fragrance pastes are applied to the respective packaging material, for example by spraying, knife coating or brushing. 1 and 2, scented paste can be applied to the scent of cardboard containers preferably by feeding the respective container 1 with the open side upwards in a transport direction 2 to a machine 3 and continuously introducing it into a circular path 4. There, a scenting device 5 can then expediently be immersed in the container 1 in such a way that an application of fragrance paste can be carried out with the aid of an application device 6 which has two nozzles 7, each offset by 180 ° C. In this way, the fragrance paste can be applied at a pressure of 1 to 3 bar with a circular movement of 180 ° on the wall of the container in such a way that a narrowly defined strip of fragrance paste is formed on the entire inner circumference of the container. After the paste has to be applied while the machine is running, the application device 6 can be moved out of the container 1 again and transported further and delivered to a conveyor belt 8. Of course, the rotary movement can also be effected by rotating the container when the nozzle is at a standstill.

In a similar way, the scenting of packages, in particular rectangular boxes, can be carried out. According to FIG. 3, the packages 10 are opened with an opened closure flap 11 on a continuous or clocked transport device belonging to a filling system 12 with a floor guide 13 and cup chain 14 to an application device 15. The closing flap, which is at the rear in the direction of travel 16, is touched and moved away by an application roller 17 loaded with the fragrance paste. In this work, the application roller 17 describes a curve 18 in such a way that it first dips into the package 10, runs out of the package 10 along the rear closure flap 11, and then runs along a container 19 filled with fragrance paste, from the latter is again supplied with paste and then immersed again in the package. This processing can be carried out with high performance, especially when connected to the main drive shaft of the packaging machine.

Practical examples: example 1

Vertical containers made of more or less absorbent materials (e.g. cardboard) with a diameter of 225 mm and a height of 220 mm are placed under a rotating spray nozzle. With a pressure between 1 and 2 bar, 0.5 grams of the fragrance of fragrance grade A (lemon) are injected into a segment of 360 ° of the container 2 cm below the edge of the container. Due to the running and additional atomization of the fragrance, the desired placement of cardboard with fragrances cannot be realized. The odor nuisance in the area is considerable.

Example 11

Vertical containers made of more or less absorbent materials (e.g. cardboard) with a diameter of 225 mm and a height of 220 mm are transported under a rotating spray nozzle. At a pressure of 1.5 bar, 0.6 grams of the fragrance pastes from the example in the table above are applied. A narrowly delimited perfume paste layer forms on the circumference of the upper edge of the drum. The fragrance does not run and is absorbed locally by the cardboard. There is no excessive scenting of the system.

Example 111

A container made of more or less absorbent materials (e.g. cardboard) is treated as in Example 11 when using 0.5 grams of fragrance pastes from Table 8 above with a spray pressure of 1.0 bar. The order is again flawless; the environment is not unduly burdened either.

«Processes and agents for scenting packaging material and using a fragrance paste»

Claims (12)

1. Method forthe perfuming of packaging material by direct application of scent substances onto the surface forming the inside of the finished packaging or onto parts of this surface, characterised thereby, that the scent substance is processed into a more highly viscous paste before the application and applied in the form of the paste onto the packaging material, wherein the scent substance paste is transferred through rolling of an applicator roller (17) along a delivery place of a reservoir container (19) onto the roller (17) and delivered by this through rolling along to that region of the packaging material, which is to be perfumed, in particular to a closure cap (11) of a packet (10).

2. Method according to claim 1, characterised thereby, that the scent substance is processed through intermixing with an additive or a gelling agent into a paste with thixotropic properties.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised thereby, that the scent substance is supplied with silicic acid as additive.

4. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised thereby, that the scent substance is gelled with organic modified stratified silicate as additive.

5. Method according to claim 3 or 4, characterised thereby, that the silicic acid or the stratified silicate are worked in a quantity of 1 to 20%, in particular of 2.5 to 13%, into the scent substance.

6. Method according to one or more of the claims 1 to 5, characterised thereby, that the additive is worked into the scent substance with the aid of a stirring mechanism exerting great shear forces.

7. Method according to one or more of the claims 1 to 6, characterised thereby, that the viscosity of the scent substance paste is influenced by addition of solvents of different polarity to the scent substances.

8. Means containing an addition of paste-forming substances to the liquid scent substance, characterised by the composition of scent substance and an organic modified stratified silicate, which is worked into this and promoting the paste formation as well as increasing the viscosity of the scent substance, as gelling agent in the form of a scent substance paste for the perfuming of packaging material by the method according to claim 1.

9. Means according to claim 8, characterised by thixotropic properties.

10. Means according to claim 8 or 9, characterised thereby, that it contains silicic acid as gelling agent.

11. Means according to one or more of the claims 8 to 10, characterised by a proportion of 1 to 20%, in particular of 2.5 to 15%, of the silicic acid or the stratified silicate in the scent substance.

12. Use of a scent substance paste, in particular with thixotropic properties, produced by working a scent substance into a gelling agent promoting the paste formation as well as increasing the viscosity, for the perfuming of packaging material through application onto this material by the method according to claim 1.

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