EP0109890A1 - Insulating packaging - Google Patents

Abstract

The packaging comprises, on the one hand, a semi-rigid complex 1, which is to encase the products to be packaged, and, on the other hand, a cardboard box 4, the complex 1 having to leave free a passage between the internal space it defines and the outside. The box 4 itself has to contain the folded complex 1, with slight play, and must be closed in as hermetic a manner as possible. It thus confines a considerable volume of still air both inside and outside the casing 1. This volume of air contributes to the provision of the thermal insulation necessary for the best possible maintenance of the temperature which the products have upon insertion into the packaging. <IMAGE>

Description

There are many cases where it is necessary to provide an insulating packaging for the conservation of packaged products such as food and, in particular, ice creams, bottles of cold drinks, etc ...

Until now, some of these products have been kept cold in non-insulating packaging, then are placed in insulating containers for their transport from the cold storage place to the place of consumption, i.e. at the end customer.

These insulating containers, to be effective, must be obtained by molding in a single piece of a thick insulating material such as a foam of synthetic material.

The disadvantage of these containers lies in the fact that they are "in volume" and cannot be stored flat since they are not collapsible.

Their size is therefore very large and the packaging manipulations cannot be obtained automatically.

We then imagined other solutions to benefit from the advantages of folding boxes: flat transport and storage, easy assembly at the time of use, reasonable price, so-called "lost" packaging system, etc.

This is how we know the document GB-A-1.583.3245 which describes a container formed in one piece obtained by folding a blank marked with creasing lines.

This blank consists of a complex comprising an outer fiber face and the assembly gives a finished container which does not require any rigid outer envelope.

This container therefore includes only one piece.

It is further noted that the crease lines include a. chamfer at 45 [allowing the different faces thus determined on the blank to assemble without play.

This document shows that there is already known a complex marked with fold lines and straightened to contain products by isolating them from the external atmosphere.

We also know the document US-A-2 109 789 which describes a container comprising a sealed inner film and an outer box. cardboard-based.

In this document, it is specified repeatedly that the inner envelope must be sealed and that the inner lining, when closed in the box, provides perfect sealing while allowing air circulation. It follows from this clarification that the air cannot be both inside the lining and outside of it.

Furthermore, this same document specifies that parts of the inner lining and parts of the outer box can be interwoven before the assembly is closed.

The present invention deviates from known solutions and plans to use the insulating power of air in addition to the already known insulating elements such as a closed cell material.

However, this insulating effect is inseparable from the constraint that the container obtained must come from elements which lie flat since the aim of the invention is to produce a container which is both foldable and insulating so efficient, such a container being able to be used with automatic mechanized installations.

To this end, the subject of the invention is an insulating packaging of the type comprising an inner envelope which must surround products and an outer box which must surround the envelope, characterized in that the inner envelope is constituted by a semi-rigid insulating complex. which must be folded in volume leaving a passage between the interior space it determines and the exterior while the box must contain with a small play the folded complex and must be closed as tightly as possible to confine a significant air volume prevailing, without movement, both inside and outside the envelope.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the parallelepiped box, the complex is provided with fold lines which determine six faces which must together constitute a substantially parallelepiped envelope intended to circumscribe the products and to be circumscribed by the box with a slight play .

According to an advantageous variant, the complex dui-face which must be placed against the bottom of the box has a slightly smaller perimeter than that of the opposite face so that the complex folded in slightly inverted truncated pyramidal volume can be easily introduced into the box preformed in parallelepiped volume.

The invention will be better understood from the detailed description below made with reference to the accompanying drawing. Of course, the description and the drawing are given only by way of an indicative and nonlimiting example.

• Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a complex according to the invention.
• Figure 2 is a schematic profile view of the same complex.
• Figure 3 schematically the introduction of a folded complex in an outer box.
• FIG. 4 schematically shows the box closed over the folded complex and enveloping the product (not shown) to be packaged.
• Figure 5 is a schematic view showing an example of hermetic closure of the box.

Referring to the drawing, it can be seen that an insulating package according to the invention comprises a semi-rigid complex 1 composed of a closed cell material 2 and of a reflective film 3 advantageously bi-directional.

The material 2 can, for example, consist of a foam of synthetic material such as expanded polystyrene and the reflective film can be obtained by metallization according to any process well known to those skilled in the art.

This complex presents. the advantage, from the mechanical point of view, of being relatively rigid, that is to say very resistant to the efforts manifested by singing.

On the thermal level, this complex is very effective on the one hand because of its innumerable closed cells each trapping a small quantity of air and, on the other hand.-because of the reflective film 3 which prevents the exchanges of temperature by radiation.

When bi-directional, it opposes radiation from the inside to the outside and from the outside to the inside.

This complex must be placed in a box 4 preferably made of cardboard, in such a way that it circumscribes the complex folded in complete volume around the products to be packaged while leaving a clearance creating a substantial volume of air.

With the example shown, the box 4 is parallelepipedal so that the complex 1 is cut and marked with fold lines 5 which determine six faces 6 to 11 devoid of any assembly tab in order to be side by side with the adjacent face, after folding the complex 1 along lines 5.

Thus, in all directions, the complex 1 has at least one edge which is particularly resistant to shocks and other mechanical forces which may result either from stacking (vertical crushing) or from lateral compressions.

The fold lines 5 are permanently marked and the complex 1 is folded so that the insulating foam 2 is located inside and the reflective film 3 outside because, as can be seen in FIG. 2 , the marking of the lines 5 is more accentuated on the side of the foam 2 than on the side of the film 3.

The box 4, preferably made of cardboard, is of any known type and preferably obtained from a cut and grooved blank then folded and kept erected automatically by means of a mechanical installation.

The complex 1 is folded to form a parallelepiped volume as outlined in FIG. 1, then is engaged in the box 4 according to the arrows F as can be seen in FIG. 3.

So that this introduction is easy and can be carried out by mechanical means, provision is made for the face 7 of the complex 1 which must be placed against the bottom 4a of the box 4 to have a slightly smaller perimeter than that of the opposite face 9 , so that the folded complex 1 has a slightly inverted truncated pyramidal volume.

The faces 6 and 8 then have the shape of a slightly marked trapezium and in FIGS. 1 and 4 the difference in length has been deliberately exaggerated between the two long sides of each trapezoid to show the difference 6 on each of the short sides.

After removal of the mechanical positioning elements, the complex 1 is redeployed by natural elasticity, as can be seen in FIG. 4 where it can be seen that the faces 10 and 11 of the complex are slightly apart.

From this phenomenon, it follows that at each corner of the volume created by folding the complex 1, there is a passage 13 of substantially triangular shape which makes the interior space and the exterior space considered in relation to the complex 1 communicate, but, well understood, both located inside the box 4 and of substantial volume.

These passages 13 allow the air to settle outside and inside the volume created by the folded complex 1.

But the insulation remains good thanks to the hermetic character of the closing the box 4.

In addition, this position of the lateral faces of the complex 1 has the effect of immobilizing this complex 1 and its content by elastic support of these faces against the walls of the box 4.

In the example shown and particularly visible in Figure 5, the box 4 is made of cardboard and includes a cover which consists of an upper face and three side flaps 4b, 4c, 4d to be held on the body itself the box 4 by means of a tape of glue 14 which extends continuously on the three sides of the body of the box 4.

Thus, in line with the flaps 4b, 4c, 4d the box has a double thickness and no passage of air can occur between the body of the box and the folded flaps.

All of the means which have just been described make it possible to confine and immobilize the volume of air located inside the box 4 while providing that this volume is not negligible since it is known that the air is in itself an insulator, since it is immobilized and, consequently, does not transport calories.

• 1[ la masse d'air située à l'intérieur du complexe 1 autour du produit lui-même;
• 2[ l'air occlus dans les cellules fermées de la mousse 2;
• 3[ l'effet réfléchissant du film 3 qui empêche les échanges de température par rayonnement;
• 4[ le volume d'air situé à l'extérieur du complexe 1 mais à l'intérieur de la boite 4 et communiquant avec le volume d'air intérieur;
• 5[ les parois en carton de la boite 4 qui isolent à deux titres :
  • a) par suite du caractère isolant du carton lui-même
  • .b) du fait que les parois emprisonnent les volumes d'air intérieurs à la boite 4.

Between the product to be packaged and the atmosphere outside box 4, there are five elements of insulation which are:

• 1 [the mass of air located inside the complex 1 around the product itself;
• 2 [the air occluded in the closed cells of foam 2;
• 3 [the reflective effect of the film 3 which prevents temperature exchanges by radiation;
• 4 [the air volume located outside the complex 1 but inside the box 4 and communicating with the interior air volume;
• 5 [the cardboard walls of box 4 which insulate in two ways:
  • a) due to the insulating nature of the cardboard itself
  • .b) the fact that the walls trap the air volumes inside the box 4.

When the packaged product is consumed, the box 4 is opened by peeling off the flaps 4b, 4c, 4d so that the box 4 is destroyed and cannot be used a second time.

The product is then removed after having raised the face 9 of the complex 1 or after having removed all of this complex 1 which is itself eliminated.

The container according to the invention is therefore of the "lost packaging" type, but its price is modest enough for the entire packaging to still represent an economy in comparison with the use of "volume" and very thick boxes, which must be stored in very large spaces which give rise to impractical handling.

In addition, this lost packaging guarantees perfect hygiene since it is used only once, when it is new, unlike the "bulk" boxes which are consigned and used several times because of their high price.

The invention has been illustrated by an example according to which the box 4 is first set in volume and then receives the folded complex 1 but, in practice, it is also possible to provide for the simultaneous setting of the box 4 and of complex 1.

The main thing is to leave a significant volume of air in the box 4, to immobilize it and confine it to make the best use of its natural insulating power in addition to the "barrier" effects of the materials themselves.

The height h of the folded complex is advantageously less than the interior height H of the box to create a greater clearance favorable to the presence of an insulating air space.

The complex envelops the product and is itself enveloped in air except below since the face 7 rests on the bottom 4a.

Claims (3)

1- Insulating packaging of the type comprising an internal envelope (1) which must surround products and an external box (4) which must surround the envelope (1), characterized in that the internal envelope (1) is constituted by an insulating complex semi-rigid which must be folded in volume leaving a passage between the interior space it determines and the outside, while the box (4) must contain with a little play the folded complex (1) and must be closed as hermetically as possible to confine a significant volume of air prevailing, without movement, both inside and outside of the envelope (1). 2- Packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that the box (4) being parallelepipedic, the complex (1) is provided with fold lines (5) which determine six faces (6 to 11) which must together constitute a substantially parallelepipedic envelope intended to circumscribe the products and to be circumscribed by the box (4) with a slight clearance. 3- Packaging according to claim 2, characterized in that the face (7) of the complex (1) which must be placed against the bottom (4a) of the box (4) has a slightly smaller perimeter than that of the face opposite (9) so that the complex (1) folded in slightly inverted truncated pyramidal volume can be easily introduced into the box (4) pre-formed in parallelepipedic volume.

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