EP0166967B1 - Packaging material web with a plastic film - Google Patents

Abstract

A web of packaging material made of heat sealable plastic sheeting has two parallel rows of cover portions sealed to the outer surface of the sheeting and arranged eccentrically to the longitudinal center of the web. The cover portions are made of a material which is stiffer than the plastic sheeting and which can be welded to it, preferably plastic coated cardboard or paper. Each cover portion is of approximately equal size and shape and are equally spaced longitudinally along the web. At least one row of cover portions is preferably sealed to the plastic sheeting by an inner cover strip at a surface eccentric to the geometric center of the cover portion and includes a ring pull to facilitate the opening of a subsequently formed package. In an alternate embodiment, only one row of cover portions is sealed to the outer surface of the web along the longitudinal center.

Description

The invention relates to a packaging material web with heat-sealable plastic film with two rows of approximately the same size, in the direction of the longitudinal center line off-center on the side and on the outer surface of each web half of cover parts made of weldable material with the plastic film.

Packing material webs are known which consist only of a plastic film and are folded over along a middle folding line to form a tube. The tube of this known material web is closed on two of the three still open sides by heat sealing, with the contents, preferably liquids, e.g. B. milk or juices, filled, this filled partial bag separated from the entire tube and completely closed. Such liquid bags come on the market with and without a cardboard box. In the embodiment without a cardboard box, the end user uses casting containers which support the liquid hose. In the other embodiment, the liquid tube is surrounded by this folding carton for support and is brought to the market in this form.

This known protective folding box usually has the shape of a cuboid and requires a relatively large amount of effort for the formation, folding and sealing of the cardboard walls or of the base and lid for the production. In addition, the respective filled liquid bag must be pushed into the folding carton, which is open at least on one side, with careful handling with special devices.

Attempts have already been made to connect the plastic film bag to be filled and the supporting folding carton in the area of the side walls, but mass production has so far not been possible due to the complicated manufacturing and filling machines.

A packaging material web with the features specified at the outset is known from DE-B-2 200 280, this web of paper or cardboard with at least one-sided thermoplastic coating having cover strips at regular intervals from one another. Although this web is also used for the production of bags in mass production by filling and closing the bags, it is not described how the bags are to be made, from which ultimately tetrahedral packs are formed. In the known web, it is also irrelevant where holes in the web and the tear tabs covering them are attached to the package. In this respect, there are also no indications for the further processing of the web, in particular with regard to simple handling when filling, closing and wrapping.

From FR-A-2 102 613, on the other hand, a plastic film bag is known which has a cover part made of a more rigid material than the film on one or both surfaces. This cover part serve as a stand to help with food, such. B. spices, potato chips or the like filled bags in an approximately vertical position and the buyer can present favorably without having to use baskets or the like to hold the bags. The bags are already the end product without a material web being described in more detail. be it a flat sheet or a hose.

The object of the invention, however, is to provide a packaging material web with heat-sealable plastic film, from which filling bags can be manufactured in such a way that easier handling when filling, closing and wrapping is possible, especially in mass production with a large number of pieces per unit of time.

This object is achieved in that the material web is a heat-sealable plastic film and folded over to form a tube shape around a longitudinal center line - is such that the two resulting web halves are superimposed on one another that on the first web half the row of stiffer material than that Existing cover parts in the area next to their longitudinal edge and on the other second web half in the area next to their fold line formed by the longitudinal center line runs longitudinally.

With the invention, a new path is taken for the first time, namely cover parts on a plastic film - because the entire material web is a plastic film - to be attached in the form of rows in such a way that this results in a web that is inexpensive to process and with simple measures in a package. and filling machine can be processed and can be provided with a support sleeve, the manufacturing and arrangement costs of which are considerably lower than in the known folding boxes. If a tube is formed from the packaging material web according to the invention, the first stage for this is the folding around the longitudinal center line of the film web such that there are two web halves.

The two rows of cover parts are assigned to one another in such a way that identical cover parts are provided in the direction transverse to the longitudinal path. In other words, if you lay a line through the middle of a cover part that runs transversely to the longitudinal center line of the material web, then this cross line also runs through the center of the cover part of the other row. In the direction transverse to the film web, cover parts or the gaps between the cover parts are appropriately opposite. This makes it possible to place transverse sealing seams in the area of the gaps between the cover parts in such a way that corresponding plastic film bags result. It can be imagined that, in the case of an elongated bag, one side is formed by a piece of the fold line which connects the two web halves to one another, at the opposite end (lid or bottom side) a piece of the longitudinal weld seam of the tube of the plastic material web forms the end and the two above-mentioned transverse sealing seams form the respective longitudinal closure of the elongated bag.

Due to the eccentric arrangement of the row of cover parts in the respective side area of the web half, the cover or bottom ends of the resulting filling bag are not, as mentioned above, formed directly by the fold line on the one hand and the piece of the longitudinal tube seam on the other hand but by foil surfaces which are arranged next to it .

The displacement of the material web leads to the fact that those surface areas which are arranged in the vicinity of the respective cover part form the bottom or cover ends of the ultimately desired film pack or the filling bag.

The advantage of the packaging material web described above with the row of cover parts in the side areas or in addition to the boundary lines of the respective web half lies in the favorable transport option from the supply in a filling or packaging machine through the welding stations to the final processing. Due to the eccentric arrangement of the rows of cover parts according to the invention, the material web can namely be stored flat in stock and transported and treated via rollers like a normal material web, although cover parts are sealed.

It is particularly advantageous if the packaging material web according to the invention is stored in a zigzag shape (not in roll form), it being as easy to remove such a finished packaging material web as if the material web had been wound on a roll. The latter is unsuitable for the sealed cover parts on the film web because of the different material thicknesses.

In an advantageous further embodiment of the invention, each cover part is essentially round or polygonal, preferably circular, and consists of cardboard or paper coated with plastic to form a cover or bottom of a tubular cross-section corresponding to the cross-section. For example, liquid packs in tubular form with a flat lid and bottom are sought. If the side walls (the hose or the tube) as well as the lid and base are made of plastic-coated cardboard or paper, the plastic coating can be made very economical and thin, especially if the liquid itself is held in a plastic bag. In order to utilize the transport volume as much as possible, a liquid pack of the type described should be optimal, ie. H. be completely filled. In such a case, the filling bag made of plastic film should lie snugly on both the side surfaces and the lid and bottom of the packaging. All of these advantages are achieved with a correspondingly designed machine, provided that the packaging material web of the type described above is used. It is understood that the cover parts in the rows on the web halves can have the shape mentioned above. It is particularly expedient here if each cover part is connected to the film web via at least one of the two parallel rows via a sealing surface arranged eccentrically to the cover part. If the entire surface of the cover part lies on the web surface that is preferably flat during transport, the sealing surface can be arranged at any point within the surface of the cover part. The eccentric arrangement of the sealing surface with respect to the center of the cover part offers the further advantage of an inexpensive opening device with the simplest of means.

For the advantageous embodiment of such an opening device, it is advantageous if an inner cover strip, overlapping the sealing surface on the cover part, is welded to both between the film web and cover part. When such an inner cover strip is expediently designed, there are favorable opening possibilities, sharp pouring edges and good pouring possibilities with the inflow of air at the right places to avoid chuckling when pouring out.

The creation of an exact pouring hole is particularly facilitated if the inner cover strip has a hole located within the sealing surface, through which a central partial sealing surface is formed directly between the cover part and the film web. The above-mentioned sealing surface between the cover part and the film web is thus divided into a central partial sealing surface, which represents the direct connection between the cover part and the film web, and a ring sealing surface surrounding it, in the area of which the inner cover strip lies between the actual outer cover part itself and the film web. However, because this practically belongs to the cover part, one can speak of a cover part when viewed generally when a cover part provided with an inner cover strip is meant.

The opening process with a cover part, which is attached to the material web, can be designed particularly favorably if, on the circumference of the cover part, a gripping tab protrudes radially outward next to the sealing surface and two cutting lines running parallel to one another at a distance from each other, in addition to a connecting line between the gripping tab tip and Center of the cover part are attached to form a tear strip in the cover part. The arrangement of a gripping tab not only facilitates the opening process for the end user but also does not interfere with the desired properties of the packaging material web according to the invention, because on the web halves which are essentially flat during transportation, protrusions on the circumference of the respective cover part do not in any way interfere, neither when folding, folding, Welding, separating and filling. If you choose essentially circular cover parts, they can also be punched out of a large paper web in a very material-saving manner if the gripping tabs are provided along the edge, because material residues remain between the individual circles of the entire web, which represent the gripping tab when arranged correctly. A favorable tear-open or opening process of a liquid packaging is of course initiated from the gripping tab. If the gripping tab is arranged on the outside of the circumference of a lid, the opening process is carried out by tearing it up radially towards the center of the lid. In order to favor and guide this tear-open process, the above-mentioned parallel cutting lines are arranged, which extend approximately into the central region of the respective cover part. It goes without saying that only that cover part on one web half is provided with the cutting lines and cover strips, which forms the cover of a package with the opening device. The opposite cover part on the other half of the web only forms the bottom, which does not have the opening device.

• Figur 1 perspektivisch ein abgebrochenes Teilstück der Verpackungsmaterialbahn mit den zwei Reihen von Deckteilen,
• Figur 2 in vergrößertem Maßstab perspektivisch die zwei um die Längsmittellinie der Materialbahn umgefalteten und deckend aufeinanderliegenden Bahnhälften mit den angehefteten Reihen von Deckteilen,
• Figur 3 schematisch eine Schnittansicht entlang der Linie 111-111 der Figur 1,
• Figur 4 schematisch eine Schnittansicht entlang der Linie IV-IV der Figur 2,
• Figur 5 in weiter vergrößertem Maßstab die Draufsicht auf die untere Folienbahnhälfte im Bereich V der Figur 2, wobei hier die Greiflasche gezeigt ist, die bei der schematischeren Darstellung der Figur 2 weggelassen ist,

Further advantages, features and possible uses of the present invention will become apparent from the following description in conjunction with the drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention. Show it :

• FIG. 1 shows in perspective a broken-off section of the packaging material web with the two rows of cover parts,
• FIG. 2 shows, on an enlarged scale, the two halves of the web folded over and covering one another, covering the longitudinal center line of the material web, with the rows of cover parts attached,
• FIG. 3 schematically shows a sectional view along the line 111-111 in FIG. 1,
• FIG. 4 schematically shows a sectional view along the line IV-IV in FIG. 2,
• FIG. 5 shows the plan view of the lower film web half in area V of FIG. 2 on a further enlarged scale, the gripping tab being shown here, which is omitted in the more schematic illustration of FIG. 2,

6 to 8 show an exploded, more specific embodiment, showing further details of a view according to FIG. 5, FIG. 6 showing the film web, FIG. 7 the inner cover strip and FIG. 8 the actual cover part in the form of the cover.

The packaging material web is shown in FIG. 1 in a flat state and consists of a heat-sealable plastic film with welded-on cover parts 1. FIGS. 1 and 3 show the longitudinal center line 2 of the film web, generally designated 3, which is used to form a tube shape around the longitudinal center line 2 in the manner shown in FIG State of Figures 2 and 4 can be folded over that there are two web halves 4 and 5.

While the beginning and end of the film web 3 are not shown in the longitudinal direction, the first web half 4 is delimited on the one hand by the folding line formed by the longitudinal center line 2 and the free longitudinal edge 6 on the other hand. The other second web half 5 is also delimited by the longitudinal center line 2 and the outer free longitudinal edge 7.

From Figures 3 and 4 you can clearly see. that the cover parts 1 are each arranged on the outer surface of the web halves 4 and 5. Figures 2 and 4 illustrate particularly clearly that the surfaces in question are arranged on the outside with the cover parts, while the liquid comes to lie on the inside of the later hose.

The cover parts 1 are attached in the form of rows with the same longitudinal distance L between the cover parts 1 off-center on the side of each web half 4 and 5. You can also see a distance a (Fig. 2) between the circumference of a cover part 1 and the edge of the web half, here the longitudinal center line 2 of the first web half 4. If the total width B of the packaging material web 3 is 56 cm, the distance A of the two rows with cover parts 1 about 28 cm, the distance L of two cover parts 1 to each other in the direction of the rows is then 13 cm and the mentioned edge distance a is 0.8 cm.

The cover parts 1 shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5 appear oval, because they are circular in plan view. The cover part 1 located in the area V in FIG. 2 under the lower web half 5 is to form a cover in the later packing and therefore has the opening device. This cover part is shown more clearly in FIGS. 5 to 8. The lower second web half 5 can be seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, which is delimited on the left by the longitudinal center line 2 and on the right by the free longitudinal edge 7, while the ends are broken off in the longitudinal direction of the web and are not labeled. One looks, so to speak, through the film web 5 onto the sealing surface, generally designated 14, via which the film web 5 is connected to the cover part 1 (with inner cover strip 8). This sealing surface is composed of two partial surfaces, namely the central partial sealing surface 17 and the outer sealing surface 18 surrounding it in a ring. In the exploded view of FIGS. 6 to 8 it is clearly shown that the viewer of FIG. 5 passes through the upper film web 5 onto the inner one Cover strip 8 and then looks at the cover part 1 arranged underneath.

The inner cover strip 8 has a hole 9 in the middle, through which the central partial sealing surface 17 comes into contact and connects directly to the cover part in the central hatched area 16 of FIG. 8 when the film web 5 is sealed onto the actual material layer of the cover part 1.

On the circumference of the cover part 1, a gripping tab 10 is shown radially outward (to the right in front) next to the sealing surface 14 in FIGS. At points 11 where the Greifla cal 10 passes into the circumference of the cover part 1, begin in the middle region of the cover part 1 two parallel cutting lines 12 and 13, which run at a distance b from each other, which is also the distance between the two points 11, and the outside next to a connecting line, which is not shown but only intended and is to be thought between the gripping tab tip 15 and the center 20 of the cover part 1.

The inner cover strip 8 is sealed on its curved outer part (on the right in FIG. 7) along the weld seam 21 on the front edge of the tube, not shown, and on the inside via the weld seams 22, which run a short distance outside alongside the parallel cutting lines 12 and 13 of the cover part 1 welded.

One recognizes the expedient and simple design of the cover part 1, optionally with a welded-on inner cover strip 8, whereby cover parts 1 can be placed on film webs 4 and 5 in bulk quantities, which form a packaging material web that is easy to deflect, store and process.

Claims (6)

1. A web of packaging material comprising heat-sealable plastics foil with two rows of cover portions (1) of approximately equal size which are sealed in position in the direction of the longitudinal centre line (2) in off-centre relationship at the side and on the outer surface of each half (4, 5) of the web and which comprise material which can be welded to the plastics foil characterised in that the web of material (3) is a heat-sealable plastics foil and is folded over around the longitudinal centre line (2) to form a tubular shape in such a way that the two resulting web halves (4, 5) lie one upon the other in aligned relationship and that on the one first half (4) of the web the row of cover portions (1) which comprise stiffer material than the foil extends longitudinally in the region beside its longitudinal edge (6) and on the other second half (5) of the web the row extends longitudinally in the region beside its fold line which is formed by the longitudinal centre line (2).

2. A web of packaging material according to claim 1 characterised in that each cover portion (1) is of a substantially round or polygonal and preferably a circular configuration and comprises plastics-coated cardboard or paper for forming a cover or a bottom of a tubular pack of corresponding cross-section.

3. A web of packaging material according to claim 1 or claim 2 characterised in that each cover portion (1) of at least one of the two parallel rows is connected to the foil web (4. 5) by way of a sealing surface (14, 17, 18) which is arranged eccentrically with respect to the cover portion (1).

4. A web of packaging material according to claim 3 characterised in that an inner covering strip (8) is welded between the foil web (4, 5) and the cover portion (1) to the two thereof, overlapping the sealing surface (14, 17, 18) on the cover portion (1).

5. A web of packaging material according to claim 4 characterised in that the inner covering strip (8) has a hole (9) which is disposed within the sealing surface (14) and through which a central sealing surface portion (17) is formed directly between the cover portion (1) and the foil web (4, 5).

6. A web of packaging material according to claim 4 or claim 5 characterised in that a gripping tab (10) projects radially outwardly at. the periphery of the cover portion (1) next to the sealing surface (14) and two cut lines (12, 13) which extend parallel to each other at the spacing (b) are disposed respectively on the outside beside a connecting line between the tip (15) of the gripping tab and the centre (20) of the cover portion (1), to form a tear-open strip in the cover portion (1).

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