EP0511358B1 - Process and device for closing an aperture in a tubular container - Google Patents

Process and device for closing an aperture in a tubular container Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0511358B1
EP0511358B1 EP91920589A EP91920589A EP0511358B1 EP 0511358 B1 EP0511358 B1 EP 0511358B1 EP 91920589 A EP91920589 A EP 91920589A EP 91920589 A EP91920589 A EP 91920589A EP 0511358 B1 EP0511358 B1 EP 0511358B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
container
closing element
sides
closure
opening
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP91920589A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0511358A1 (en
Inventor
Wallace Nielsen
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
ADVANCED LIQUID PACKAGING Co
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of EP0511358A1 publication Critical patent/EP0511358A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0511358B1 publication Critical patent/EP0511358B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B3/00—Packaging plastic material, semiliquids, liquids or mixed solids and liquids, in individual containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, or jars
    • B65B3/02—Machines characterised by the incorporation of means for making the containers or receptacles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D5/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper
    • B65D5/02—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper by folding or erecting a single blank to form a tubular body with or without subsequent folding operations, or the addition of separate elements, to close the ends of the body
    • B65D5/06—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper by folding or erecting a single blank to form a tubular body with or without subsequent folding operations, or the addition of separate elements, to close the ends of the body with end-closing or contents-supporting elements formed by folding inwardly a wall extending from, and continuously around, an end of the tubular body
    • B65D5/061—Rectangular containers having a body with gusset-flaps folded inwardly beneath the closure flaps

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a method and a device for closing an opening of a tubular container with a square cross-section, which is intended in particular for liquids and consists of paper or cardboard material which is at least sealed on one side, with a continuous peripheral folding line from the upper container wall Opening wall with four sides, namely a pouring side, two neighboring sides and a side opposite the pouring side, is divided and the four sides that surround the opening of the container to be closed, to form a closure along the edge fold lines and a triangular pattern of oblique fold lines on the Neighboring pages follow in this way and in the following order: neighboring pages, the side opposite the pouring side, pouring side, folded inwards and on top of one another and glued together so that when the Ve In conclusion, by pulling up and, if necessary, detaching the bonding of one side, a pouring spout defined by triangular surfaces can be formed from the pouring side and from adjacent parts of the neighboring sides.
  • the invention relates to a closure which is to be used in the context of the aforementioned methods.
  • a method for closing an opening of a tubular container made of paper material is known from the publication WO-A-85/02162, from which a corresponding closure also emerges.
  • This closure which is produced according to the process summarized at the outset, has considerable advantages over other containers or packaging for liquids, in particular for milk, fruit juices, etc., such as ease of manufacture in the automated manufacturing process, good material utilization through suitable shapes for the cardboard or paper cutting of the Container blanks, low container weight in relation to the liquid volume, optimal stackability and space utilization during storage and transport as well as for storage by the consumer, but above all a very good handling when opening the closure and when pouring out the liquid.
  • the closure is made with the container still empty and with the bottom still open, then the container is filled in the opposite position and only then is the top opening of the container now closed in a conventional manner, so that a total Cube-shaped container is created.
  • the side parts of the film element are then sealed to the sides of the container by the action of heat.
  • either only the flaps which are folded onto one another are sealed to one another by the action of heat, or the base part of the square film element is sealed to the flaps which have been folded onto one another and the flaps which have been folded onto one another are sealed to one another by the action of heat.
  • the container thus closed at one end with the cup-shaped film element is now ready to receive a liquid.
  • the closure is used at the lower end of the tubular container as a non-re-opening bottom closure and serves to completely seal this bottom end of the container.
  • the invention has for its object to further facilitate the manufacture and handling of the closure, but above all to produce a liquid-tight closure in a simple and reliable manner with the simplest possible means.
  • the manufacture of the container parts and the manufacture of the closure should be automatable.
  • the four sides are connected to one another in the folded-up position essentially only by gluing in at least one film-like closing element, which can also be formed by application or spraying or the like, of an adhesive layer , wherein at least the abutting surfaces of the spout side and the neighboring sides are not glued to one another, but in particular the inner folding edges of the neighboring sides which are first folded inwards by the closing element with the adjoining areas of the two later laterally folded sides, in particular the inside folding edges Pourer side, are connected so that at least the spout side which is pulled up when the closure is opened can be detached from the neighboring sides by simply tearing the closing element along the corresponding inner folded edges.
  • the main idea of the invention is to glue a film-like closing element to the inner surface of the closure-side end face of the container, the closing edges being exposed on the inside and the adjacent ones Surfaces are connected to each other in such a way that the closure can be produced, namely by sealingly connecting the opening wall parts or the folded sides of the opening to one another without gluing surface to surface.
  • the four sides - in the case of a cuboid-shaped container - are closed as before to close the later pouring opening - of course with the container bottom still open - and in this position the sides which are folded onto one another are folded together from the inside , i.e. from the inside of the container connected by gluing or gluing a film-like closing element.
  • an adhesive layer can also be formed by spraying on a suitable adhesive, which connects the adjacent edges and surfaces with one another in such a way that the unwanted unfolding of the folded-up wall parts or sides cannot take place and, above all, the closure is absolutely liquid-tight because it is all sealed Areas or spaces, openings, slots or the like. Detected through which the liquid can accidentally penetrate to the outside.
  • this film-like closing element or the adhesive layer can easily tear correspondingly along the edges of the side when the closure is opened by the consumer, which is the first to be unfolded when the container is opened.
  • the invention thus provides a mechanically high-strength closing and an absolutely liquid-tight sealing of the closure without the opening of the closure being impeded or made difficult by the consumer.
  • the closing element means that only the folded edges of the pages that are first folded inwards, which form triangles with a rectangular container cross section, are included the adjacent areas of the sides subsequently folded onto these triangles.
  • the side that later forms the pouring opening can be easily released from the closure and simply folded up by simply pulling it up.
  • the areas of this spout side that are folded onto one another and onto the underlying sides are not glued together.
  • the other folded edges should also be releasable if other sides of the container opening are pulled up and unfolded.
  • a pull-open tab which is known per se, is preferably used for easy opening of the closure.
  • the method according to the invention provides an optimal solution to the above problem.
  • a closing element made of sealable film or of a material coated, for example, with a film that is sealable on at least one side, is used and glued to the closing element by heating the closing element and pressing the inner container surfaces to be locked.
  • the welding of such a closing element with the outer coating of the container sides can be carried out in production with relatively simple means and with very high speed and in a reliable manner.
  • the shape of the film-like closing element is arbitrary as long as the function of the closing element is guaranteed.
  • the entire inner surface of the closure-side end face of the container is grasped with the closing element, but at least the edge areas, for connecting adjacent areas or sides.
  • first the corners of the inside of the container are sealed, preferably by heating and pressing, and the remaining areas are sealed by gluing in the closing element, wherein a closing element with a smaller area than the size of the inside of the container can be used.
  • a closure according to the invention for closing an opening of a tubular container which is intended in particular for liquids and consists of paper or cardboard material which is at least sealed on one side and is manufactured by one of the two known methods mentioned at the outset, is characterized according to the invention in that on the Inner surface of the closure-side end face of the container, which is formed by the areas of the opening wall or sides that are exposed on the inside, a film-like closing element that can be separated when the closure is opened by pulling up at least a portion of the opening wall or the sides, which can also consist of an applied adhesive layer, the inside of the container is glued on in a sealing manner is.
  • a closure produced in this way which can be produced by various and arbitrary methods, ensures an absolutely liquid-tight closure of the later pouring side of the container from the inside of the container, that is to say with the container bottom still open, without the surfaces of the sides of the closure being folded onto one another and thereby causing the closure Opening could be difficult.
  • the closing element made of PE film or PE-coated material is placed on the free end face of a mandrel, preferably a multi-arm rotor with corresponding mandrels at the outer end , placed there, heated and pressed against the inner surfaces of the four folded-up sides of the upper container part, that is, against the inner surface of the upper container part.
  • the gluing in of the closing element that after the tubular container, which is open on both sides, has been pulled onto the mandrel and after the closing element has been placed on the free end face of the mandrel, the container upper part is folded, preferably after activating the corner regions, and that Closing element is heated now or already during folding and is glued to this inner surface under pressure which is exerted from the outside onto the front outer surface of the upper container part and from the inside with the mandrel onto the front inner surface of the upper container part. It is also conceivable first place the closing element on the free end face of the mandrel and only then pull the tubular container open on both sides onto the mandrel. The result is essentially the same in both cases.
  • a device for heating and gluing the closing element, a device is therefore proposed according to the invention, which is characterized in that the head of the mandrel consists of insulating material such as ceramic or plastic, the end face of which is coated with an extremely fine coating of ferritic material, which is coated with an anti-adhesive layer e.g. is covered with a PTFE skin, and that for pressing the end face of the container upper part against the end face of the mandrel head, on which the closing element can be placed, a press ram is provided, in which an induction coil for extremely brief inductive heating, e.g.
  • the ferritic coating of the mandrel head is arranged.
  • a very thin metal plate can also be provided, which can be heated electrically by means of a current pulse. If necessary, the area of the mandrel head below the ferritic coating or the plate can also be cooled in order to avoid heating to an undesirably high temperature level and thus to ensure the heating cycle - heating up / cooling down - with a short cycle time.
  • This device allows a very high number of working cycles by heating and gluing the closing element in a very short time. Since only the wafer-thin ferritic coating on the end face of the mandrel head is inductively heated or the thin plate is briefly heated electrically due to its ohmic resistance, and because the heat conveyed during a heating cycle duration of 0.4 seconds, for example, is immediately restored by the closing element made of PE film and the adjacent inner surface of the upper part of the container is removed or used for heating, there is practically a thermal or temperature vibration, in particular during the temperature peaks in the ferritic coating or plate, the heating of the PE film of the closing element takes place, while when the induction coil is switched off and no heat is generated in the ferritic coating, the temperature of the ferritic metal or plate drops sharply.
  • the anti-adhesive skin with which the ferritic coating or the plate is coated prevents the closing element or parts of the sealable film forming the closing element from sticking to this receiving surface for the closing element.
  • the heated closing element preferably the PE closing element, completely merges with the front inner surface of the upper part of the container and brings about the desired complete liquid-tight sealing of this inner surface.
  • Bores to which vacuum can be applied are preferably provided in the end face of the mandrel head for holding the closing element during heating, etc. It goes without saying that the duration of the vacuum supply as well as the respective duration of action of the inductive or other heating must be matched precisely to the individual phases of the work cycle provided for gluing in the closing element.
  • a device which is characterized in that a plate which is heatable for heating the closing element and which is coated on the outside with an anti-adhesive layer, for example with PTFE, closes the end of the mandrel and the end face of the plate the receiving surface for the closing element before and forms during gluing.
  • an anti-adhesive layer for example with PTFE
  • the plate is easily interchangeable with a snap lock or other quick attachment.
  • a temperature level on the free end face of the plate is achieved and kept constant in this plate with a heater arranged in the plate, which at least brings about a softening of a closing element made of PE film placed on the plate.
  • the closing element can be pressed in the same way as an inductively heated closing element against the front inner surface of the upper container part and glued there in a sealing manner.
  • the PTFE coating of the plate which is preferably made of light metal such as aluminum, prevents PE film from sticking to the end face of the plate. After softening and pressing against the front inner surface of the upper part of the container, the closing element, which is made of PE film, rather passes completely onto this inner surface.
  • FIG. 1 shows an upper part, based on the later position of use, of a container, generally designated 1, which consists of a container blank 2 made of paper material coated on both sides with PE, which is partially shown in FIG.
  • the tubularly unfolded and connected along a seam 9 container wall 3 has in the upper area a corresponding square circumferential edge fold line 4, above which the four sides involved in the closure lie, namely a spout side 5, from which a spout can be formed when the closure is opened , a rear neighbor side 6, a front neighbor side 7 and a side 8 opposite the pouring side 5, along which the seam 9 runs.
  • a spout side 5 from which a spout can be formed when the closure is opened
  • a rear neighbor side 6 a front neighbor side 7 and a side 8 opposite the pouring side 5, along which the seam 9 runs.
  • the container blank 2 in Fig. 7 shows that the pouring side 5 is longer than the opposite side 8, so that the conditions shown in FIG. 2, for example, result later when folding.
  • the upper edge of the neighboring sides 6, 7 also has a course rising towards the pouring side 5.
  • An air outlet opening 14 is created when the closure is opened, which is shown in FIG. 10 and is intended to facilitate the inflow of air when liquid flows out of the container 1.
  • a pull tab 20 is already glued to the inner surface of the pouring side 5, which, when the container 1 is closed at its upper opening 10, assumes the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, for example, so that it opens the container is easy to pull up.
  • a closure element which is shown in different forms in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 and is generally designated 15 is to be integrated into the closure. It consists of a piece of PE film as a square 16 according to FIG. 4, with recesses 17 on the edges according to FIG. 5 and as crossed strip strips 18, 19 according to FIG. 6. It is essential for the shape of the closing element 15 that when the four sides are unfolded 5, 6, 7, 8 resulting edges 31, 32, 33, 34 of the inner surfaces of the sides 6, 7, as shown in Figure 3, with the respective adjacent inner surfaces of the two sides 5, 8 are connected absolutely sealing. As a result, the gaps which form the edges 31, 32, 33, 34 with the adjacent regions on the sides 5, 8 are bridged and closed by the closing element 15. In the case of the square 16 of FIG.
  • the closing element 15 covers the square inner surface of FIG upper end of the container. As will be explained below, narrow edge strips of the inner surface can possibly remain free if the corners of the inner surface are closed and sealed in another way, as will be explained. If the closing element 15, regardless of whether the embodiment according to FIG. 4, 5 or 6 is selected, is glued in this way, the triangular regions of the sides 5, 6, 7 and 8 (see FIG. 3) exposed in the interior of the container become mechanically firm and along the edges 31, 32, 33, 34 sealed together.
  • the opening 10 is appropriately closed in the following steps: First the corner areas E on pages 5, 6, 7 and 8 are activated by hot air on the inside.
  • FIG. 7 shows a fold line pattern of a development of the container with vertical hatching. The activated areas are the lower tips of the hatched triangles.
  • the neighboring pages 6, 7 are then folded first along their oblique fold lines 12 and folded inwards along their edge fold lines 4. This is followed by folding the side 8 opposite the pouring side 5, whereupon the pouring side 5 is folded over as the last of the four sides along the edge folding line 4 and folded with the arcuate edge 13 and the pull tab 20 onto the outer surface of the opposite side 8.
  • the heated closing element 15 is pressed and glued from the inside of the container onto the inner surface of the front side of the container, as shown in FIG. 3, so that the image according to FIG. 8 is obtained.
  • the activated corner areas E are pressed together and glued to seal the four corners. As I said, the corner areas and if necessary. generally the edge strips of the inner surface of the container end face not to be covered with the closing element 15 when the corners are first glued in a sealing manner.
  • the stand according to FIG. 8 results - possibly with the release of edge strips all around - where the closing element 15, by connecting the edges 31, 32, 33, 34 to the adjacent surface areas, the gaps or slit-shaped ones present there Continuously seals openings and at the same time firmly connects the four sides 5, 6, 7, 8 to one another from the inside of the container.
  • the pull-on tab 20 is expediently glued onto the outer surface of the side 8 during the production of the adhesive bond or at another time so that it lies as flat as possible on the outer surface of the side 8 during transport.
  • the container 1 After filling in a liquid and after closing the bottom of the container 1 in any conventional manner, the container 1 enters the trade and from there to the consumer, who opens the container 1 again.
  • the pull tab 20 is easily detached from the side 8 with two fingers and the spout side 5 is pulled up with it.
  • the triangular inner surface (cf. FIG. 3 or 8) of the spout side 5 progressively tears along the edges 31, 32 from the center outwards from these inner folded edges of the two adjacent sides 6, 7. Only this tearing off of the inner folded edges 31, 32 of the neighboring sides 6, 7 consequently forms the resistance to pulling which is thus easy to overcome.
  • the folded surfaces are namely only in the Corner areas glued together and otherwise lie unglued on each other.
  • a spout 30 can easily be formed, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, by correspondingly folding the spout side 5 along the oblique fold lines 11.
  • air outlet opening 14 air has easy access to the interior of the container, so that the liquid can flow out is not hindered from the container 1.
  • the pull tab 20 can be easily torn off the spout side 5, so that it does not form an obstacle when pouring the liquid out of the spout 30.
  • FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate the shape of the opened container and in particular the spout 30, both from the inside of the container (FIG. 9) and from the outside when looking at the upper part of the container.
  • a multi-armed rotor is arranged in a machine system for processing the container blanks for filling and closing the containers, which rotates in a cyclically driven manner and, during one revolution, closes the upper opening, which is secure during use, of the containers.
  • the tubular unfolded container is in each case drawn in a lower angular position onto a correspondingly square mandrel which corresponds in cross section to the container blank.
  • the corner regions of the sides forming the opening of the container are now activated.
  • the four sides in the way described is folded on top of one another, and now the likewise activated closing element made of PE film is guided to the inner surface of the container front side and pressed there firmly, the folded sides being held on the back by corresponding counterpressure.
  • the closing element is firmly and sealingly glued to the inner surface of the container front side.
  • the process of activating the corner areas of the triangular surfaces and folding the sides can, as already stated above, take place in reverse order. In any case, the closure is finished after the closing element has been glued into the container.
  • the container can now be removed from the mandrel and automatically transported to fill the liquid.
  • FIGS. 11 and 12 or 13 and 14 Two devices for activating or heating and gluing the closing element 15 made of PE film during the above-described work cycle are shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 or 13 and 14.
  • the head 38 of the mandrel on which the container 1 is accommodated is made of ceramic or plastic, in any case from an electrically insulating material.
  • the end face 39 of the mandrel head 38 is provided with a coating 40 made of ferritic metal with a thickness of approximately 20 ⁇ m, which in turn is covered with a PTFE skin 41.
  • the surface of the PTFE skin 41 forms a receiving surface 42 for the closing element 15.
  • the mandrel head 38 is opposite a press ram 43 in which an induction coil 44 is arranged and provided with a corresponding power supply .
  • the closing element 15 is placed on the receiving surface 42 of the PTFE skin 41 and held in place by means of negative pressure, which is effective via bores 45 in the end region of the mandrel head 38 which can be subjected to negative pressure.
  • the closing element 15 consisting of PE film 15-20 m ⁇ is now heated by the inductive heat generated in the coating 40 made of ferritic metal, whereupon the press die 43 is further counteracted the mandrel head 38 is guided and the end faces of the container 1 and the closing element 15 are compressed between the lower surface 47 of the press ram 43 and the receiving surface 42 such that the heated and activated closing element 15 firmly on the likewise activated PE coating of the inner surface 37 of the Glued to the front of the container 1. After the removal of the press ram 43 from the mandrel head 38, the closing element 15 is sealed in the container 1.
  • a plate 50 is located at the outer end of the mandrel 58, which is fastened to the head 52 of the mandrel 58 by means of screws 51 with the interposition of an insulating plate 53.
  • the head 52 has a shaft 60 at the bottom, which can be inserted into a bore 61 and fastened there by means of screws 54, the inner ends of which are in corresponding recesses 55 grip in the wall of the shaft 60. With the quick attachment formed in this way, the head 52 can be quickly replaced.
  • a heater 59 is arranged in the plate 50 in order to maintain the PTFE-coated end face of the plate 50, which forms the receiving surface 57 for the closing element 15, at a temperature level with which a closing element 15 placed on the receiving surface 57 is largely softened brought or can be made sticky that it is glued to the front inner surface 37 of the container 1 under appropriate pressure (press stamp not shown).
  • the closing element 15 placed on the receiving surface 57 can be held in place by means of bores 56 in the plate 50 which can be subjected to negative pressure.
  • this second heating and pressing device and also the feasible working cycle for gluing in the closing element 15 is similar to that in the case of the above-described first heating and pressing device, so that a further description is dispensed with.

Landscapes

  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Making Paper Articles (AREA)
  • Refuse Collection And Transfer (AREA)
  • Cartons (AREA)
  • Measurement Of The Respiration, Hearing Ability, Form, And Blood Characteristics Of Living Organisms (AREA)
  • Measuring Pulse, Heart Rate, Blood Pressure Or Blood Flow (AREA)
  • Supplying Of Containers To The Packaging Station (AREA)
  • Mechanical Coupling Of Light Guides (AREA)
  • Medicines Containing Material From Animals Or Micro-Organisms (AREA)
  • Diaphragms For Electromechanical Transducers (AREA)
  • Sealing Material Composition (AREA)
  • Electrical Discharge Machining, Electrochemical Machining, And Combined Machining (AREA)
  • Lift Valve (AREA)
  • Containers And Plastic Fillers For Packaging (AREA)

Abstract

A process and a device for closing an aperture in a tubular container designed especially for fluids and consisting of paper or cardboard with a sealing coating on at least one side, involve closing the upper container aperture by folding the four container sides at the top over one another and securing them. To allow the closure to be easily opened by pulling up one side of the closure to form a pouring lip and to sealingly secure the four folded container sides, a foil-like sealing component is adhesively secured to the inner surface of the front of the container after folding of the sides. Thus, in particular, the free folded edges of the container sides are sealed and firmly secured to the bordering regions of the adjacent sides without the surfaces folded on top of one another being stuck together. When the container is opened by pulling up the pouring lip side of the closure, the sealing component is easily separated along the folded sides to which the pulled-up side is attached, thus facilitating opening the closure.

Description

Die Erfindung betrifft ein Verfahren und eine Vorrichtung zum Verschließen einer Öffnung eines rohrförmigen Behälters mit viereckigem Querschnitt, der insbesondere für Flüssigkeiten bestimmt ist und aus mindestens einseitig siegelfähig beschichtetem Papier- bzw. Kartonmaterial besteht, wobei von der oberen Behälterwandung durch eine viereckig umlaufende Randfaltlinie eine zusammenhängende Öffnungswandung mit vier Seiten, nämlich einer Ausgießerseite, zwei Nachbarseiten und einer der Ausgießerseite gegenüberliegenden Seite, abgeteilt wird und die vier Seiten, die die zu verschließende Öffnung des Behälters ringsum umgeben, zur Bildung eines Verschlusses längs der Randfaltlinien sowie einem Dreieckmuster aus schrägen Faltlinien auf den Nachbarseiten folgend derart sowie in der Reihenfolge: Nachbarseiten, der Ausgießerseite gegenüberliegende Seite, Ausgießerseite, nach innen sowie aufeinandergefaltet und miteinander verklebt werden, daß beim späteren öffnen des Verschlusses durch Hochziehen und gegebenenfalls Lösen der Verklebung einer Seite ein durch Dreieckflächen bildende Faltlinien vorgegebener Ausgießer aus der Ausgießerseite und aus angrenzenden Teilen der Nachbarseiten gebildet werden kann.The invention relates to a method and a device for closing an opening of a tubular container with a square cross-section, which is intended in particular for liquids and consists of paper or cardboard material which is at least sealed on one side, with a continuous peripheral folding line from the upper container wall Opening wall with four sides, namely a pouring side, two neighboring sides and a side opposite the pouring side, is divided and the four sides that surround the opening of the container to be closed, to form a closure along the edge fold lines and a triangular pattern of oblique fold lines on the Neighboring pages follow in this way and in the following order: neighboring pages, the side opposite the pouring side, pouring side, folded inwards and on top of one another and glued together so that when the Ve In conclusion, by pulling up and, if necessary, detaching the bonding of one side, a pouring spout defined by triangular surfaces can be formed from the pouring side and from adjacent parts of the neighboring sides.

Schließlich betrifft die Erfindung einen Verschluß, der im Rahmen der vorgenannten Verfahren Verwendung finden soll.Finally, the invention relates to a closure which is to be used in the context of the aforementioned methods.

Ein Verfahren zum Verschließen einer Öffnung eines rohrförmigen Behälters aus Papiermaterial ist aus der Druckschrift WO-A-85/02162 bekannt, aus der auch ein entsprechender Verschluß hervorgeht. Dieser Verschluß, der nach dem eingangs zusammenfassend dargestellten Verfahren hergestellt wird, weist zwar gegenüber anderen Behältern bzw. Verpackungen für Flüssigkeiten insbesondere für Milch, Fruchtsäfte etc. erhebliche Vorteile auf wie leichte Herstellbarkeit im automatisierten Fertigungsprozeß, gute Materialausnutzung durch geeignete Formen für den Karton- bzw. Papierzuschnitt des Behälterrohlings, geringes Behältergewicht im Verhältnis zu dem Flüssigkeitsvolumen, optimale Stapelbarkeit und Raumausnutzung beim Lagern und beim Transport sowie zum Aufbewahren beim Verbraucher, vor allem aber eine sehr gute Handhabbarkeit beim Öffnen des Verschlusses und beim Ausgießen der Flüssigkeit. Zur Erläuterung sei hinzugefügt, daß der Verschluß bei noch leerem Behälter und bei noch offenem Boden hergestellt wird, anschließend das Füllen des Behälters in umgekehrter Lage desselben erfolgt und erst danach die nun oben liegende Bodenöffnung des Behälters in konventioneller Weise verschlossen wird, so daß ein insgesamt würfelförmiger Behälter entsteht.A method for closing an opening of a tubular container made of paper material is known from the publication WO-A-85/02162, from which a corresponding closure also emerges. This closure, which is produced according to the process summarized at the outset, has considerable advantages over other containers or packaging for liquids, in particular for milk, fruit juices, etc., such as ease of manufacture in the automated manufacturing process, good material utilization through suitable shapes for the cardboard or paper cutting of the Container blanks, low container weight in relation to the liquid volume, optimal stackability and space utilization during storage and transport as well as for storage by the consumer, but above all a very good handling when opening the closure and when pouring out the liquid. For explanation it should be added that the closure is made with the container still empty and with the bottom still open, then the container is filled in the opposite position and only then is the top opening of the container now closed in a conventional manner, so that a total Cube-shaped container is created.

Aus der US-A-3 145 899 ist ein Verfahren bekannt, bei dem die Behälterwandung eines rohrförmigen Behälters mit viereckigem Querschnitt, der für Flüssigkeiten bestimmt ist und aus siegelfähig beschichtetem Papier- bzw. Kartonmaterial besteht, über einen Dorn mit viereckigem Querschnitt geschoben wird. Auf dem Dorn wurde zuvor ein viereckiger Zuschnitt einer flexiblen, flüssigkeitsundurchlässigen, siegelfähigen Folie angeordnet. Der Folienzuschnitt ist größer als die Querschnittsfläche des rohrförmigen Behälters. Durch Umklappen der über die Stirnfläche des Dorns überstehenden Zuschnittteile wurde ein viereckiges, tassenförmiges Folienelement gebildet, über das dann wie angegeben die Behälterwandung geschoben wird.From US-A-3 145 899 a method is known in which the container wall of a tubular container with a square cross-section, which is intended for liquids and consists of sealably coated paper or cardboard material, is pushed over a mandrel with a square cross-section. A square cut of a flexible, liquid-impermeable, sealable film was previously arranged on the mandrel. The film cut is larger than the cross-sectional area of the tubular container. A square, cup-shaped film element was formed by folding over the cut parts projecting over the end face of the mandrel, over which the container wall is then pushed as indicated.

Anschließend werden zum Verschließen der Behälteröffnung vier einzelne Klappen, die in der Verlängerung der jeweiligen Seiten des Behälters liegen, nacheinander ohne Formänderung aufeinander gefaltet. Das viereckige, tassenförmige Folienelement liegt nunmehr mit einem planen Bodenteil an den aufeinander gefalteten Klappen und mit rundumlaufenden Seitenteilen an den Seiten des Behälters an.Then four individual flaps, which are located in the extension of the respective sides of the container, are successively folded onto one another without changing the shape in order to close the container opening. The square, cup-shaped film element now lies with a flat base part on the flaps folded onto one another and with all-round side parts on the sides of the container.

Die Seitenteile des Folienelements werden anschließend mit den Seiten des Behälters durch Wärmeeinwirkung versiegelt. Zusätzlich werden entweder nur die aufeinandergefalteten Klappen untereinander durch Hitzeeinwirkung untereinander versiegelt, oder das Bodenteil des viereckigen Folienelements wird mit den aufeinandergefalteten Klappen und die aufeinandergefalteten Klappen werden untereinander durch Hitzeeinwirkung versiegelt.The side parts of the film element are then sealed to the sides of the container by the action of heat. In addition, either only the flaps which are folded onto one another are sealed to one another by the action of heat, or the base part of the square film element is sealed to the flaps which have been folded onto one another and the flaps which have been folded onto one another are sealed to one another by the action of heat.

Der derart an einem Ende mit dem tassenförmigen Folienelement verschlossene Behälter ist nun zur Aufnahme einer Flüssigkeit bereit. Der Verschluß wird an dem unteren Ende des rohrförmigen Behälters als nicht wieder zu öffnender Bodenverschluß verwendet und dient dazu, dieses Bodenende des Behälters vollständig abzudichten.The container thus closed at one end with the cup-shaped film element is now ready to receive a liquid. The closure is used at the lower end of the tubular container as a non-re-opening bottom closure and serves to completely seal this bottom end of the container.

Der Erfindung liegt die Aufgabe zugrunde, die Herstellung und Handhabung des Verschlusses weiter zu erleichtern, vor allem aber einen flüssigkeitsdichten Verschluß in einfacher und zuverlässiger Weise mit möglichst einfachen Mitteln herzustellen. Außerdem soll die Fertigung der Behälterteile und die Herstellung des Verschlusses automatisierbar sein.The invention has for its object to further facilitate the manufacture and handling of the closure, but above all to produce a liquid-tight closure in a simple and reliable manner with the simplest possible means. In addition, the manufacture of the container parts and the manufacture of the closure should be automatable.

Zur Lösung dieser Aufgabe ist erfindungsgemäß vorgesehen, daß die vier Seiten in der aufeinandergefalteten Lage im wesentlichen nur durch vom Behälterinnern her folgendes Einkleben mindestens eines folienhaften Schließelementes, das auch durch Auftragen bzw. Aufsprühen od. dgl. einer Klebschicht gebildet werden kann, miteinander verbunden werden, wobei mindestens die aneinander anliegenden Flächen der Ausgießerseite und der Nachbarseiten nicht aneinander verklebt werden, aber insbesondere die innen an der Ausgießerseite anliegenden inneren Faltkanten der zuerst einwärts gefalteten Nachbarseiten durch das Schließelement derart mit den angrenzenden Bereichen der beiden später nach innen gefalteten Seiten, insbesondere der Ausgießerseite, verbunden werden, daß zumindest die beim Öffnen des Verschlusses als erste hochgezogene Ausgießerseite durch bloßes Einreißen des Schließelementes längs der entsprechenden inneren Faltkanten von den Nachbarseiten lösbar ist.To achieve this object, it is provided according to the invention that the four sides are connected to one another in the folded-up position essentially only by gluing in at least one film-like closing element, which can also be formed by application or spraying or the like, of an adhesive layer , wherein at least the abutting surfaces of the spout side and the neighboring sides are not glued to one another, but in particular the inner folding edges of the neighboring sides which are first folded inwards by the closing element with the adjoining areas of the two later laterally folded sides, in particular the inside folding edges Pourer side, are connected so that at least the spout side which is pulled up when the closure is opened can be detached from the neighboring sides by simply tearing the closing element along the corresponding inner folded edges.

Der Kerngedanke der Erfindung besteht darin, auf die Innenfläche der verschlußseitigen Stirnfläche des Behälters ein folienhaftes Schließelement aufzukleben, das die innen freiliegenden Kanten und die angrenzenden Flächen so miteinander verbindet, daß damit der Verschluß herstellbar ist, nämlich dadurch die aufeinander gefalteten Öffnungswandungsteile bzw. die aufeinander gefalteten Seiten der Öffnung abdichtend miteinander verbunden, ohne dabei Fläche an Fläche zu verkleben.The main idea of the invention is to glue a film-like closing element to the inner surface of the closure-side end face of the container, the closing edges being exposed on the inside and the adjacent ones Surfaces are connected to each other in such a way that the closure can be produced, namely by sealingly connecting the opening wall parts or the folded sides of the opening to one another without gluing surface to surface.

Mit anderen Worten werden bei dem erfindungsgemäßen Verfahren die - bei einem quaderförmigen Behälter - vier Seiten wie bisher zum Verschließen der späteren Ausgießöffnung - selbstverständlich bei noch offenem Behälterboden - aufeinandergefaltet, und in dieser Lage werden die aufeinandergefalteten Seiten von innen, also vom Behälterinnern her, miteinander verbunden durch Einkleben bzw. Aufkleben eines folienhaften Schließelementes. Statt des Schließelementes kann man auch durch Aufsprühen eines geeigneten Klebers eine Klebschicht bilden, die die benachbarten Kanten und Flächen so miteinander verbindet, daß eine ungewollte Entfaltung der aufeinandergefalteten Wandungsteile bzw. Seiten nicht erfolgen kann und vor allem der Verschluß absolut flüssigkeitsdicht ist, weil er sämtliche Bereiche bzw. Zwischenräume, Öffnungen, Schlitze od. dgl. erfaßt, durch die Flüssigkeit ungewollt nach außen dringen kann.In other words, in the case of the method according to the invention, the four sides - in the case of a cuboid-shaped container - are closed as before to close the later pouring opening - of course with the container bottom still open - and in this position the sides which are folded onto one another are folded together from the inside , i.e. from the inside of the container connected by gluing or gluing a film-like closing element. Instead of the closing element, an adhesive layer can also be formed by spraying on a suitable adhesive, which connects the adjacent edges and surfaces with one another in such a way that the unwanted unfolding of the folded-up wall parts or sides cannot take place and, above all, the closure is absolutely liquid-tight because it is all sealed Areas or spaces, openings, slots or the like. Detected through which the liquid can accidentally penetrate to the outside.

Sehr wesentlich ist, daß dieses folienhafte Schließelement bzw. die Klebschicht beim Öffnen des Verschlusses durch den Verbraucher ohne weiteres entlang der Kanten der Seite entsprechend einreißen kann, die beim Öffnen des Behälters als erste aufgefaltet wird. Durch die Erfindung erfolgt also ein mechanisch hochfestes Schließen sowie ein absolut flüssigkeitsdichtes Abdichten des Verschlusses, ohne daß das Öffnen des Verschlusses beim Verbraucher behindert oder erschwert ist. Denn durch das Schließelement werden nur die Faltkanten der zuerst einwärts gefalteten Seiten, die bei rechteckigem Behälterquerschnitt Dreiecke bilden, mit den angrenzenden Bereichen der nachfolgend auf diese Dreiecke gefalteten Seiten abdichtend verbunden. Dadurch kann die später die Ausgießöffnung bildende Seite leicht durch bloßes Hochziehen vom Verschluß gelöst und hochgeklappt werden. Die aufeinander und auf die darunter liegenden Seiten gefalteten Bereiche dieser Ausgießerseite sind nicht miteinander verklebt.It is very important that this film-like closing element or the adhesive layer can easily tear correspondingly along the edges of the side when the closure is opened by the consumer, which is the first to be unfolded when the container is opened. The invention thus provides a mechanically high-strength closing and an absolutely liquid-tight sealing of the closure without the opening of the closure being impeded or made difficult by the consumer. Because the closing element means that only the folded edges of the pages that are first folded inwards, which form triangles with a rectangular container cross section, are included the adjacent areas of the sides subsequently folded onto these triangles. As a result, the side that later forms the pouring opening can be easily released from the closure and simply folded up by simply pulling it up. The areas of this spout side that are folded onto one another and onto the underlying sides are not glued together.

Auch die anderen Faltkanten sollen entsprechend lösbar sein, wenn noch weitere Seiten der Behälteröffnung hochgezogen und aufgefaltet werden.The other folded edges should also be releasable if other sides of the container opening are pulled up and unfolded.

Das Einbringen und An- bzw. Einkleben eines solchen Schließelementes oder auch die Bildung einer entsprechenden Klebschicht ist fertigungsmäßig ohne weiteres möglich, vor allem dann, wenn der rohrförmige Behälterrohling beim Herstellen des Verschlusses auf einem Dorn gehalten ist, an dessen äußerer Stirnfläche ein entsprechendes Schließelement angeordnet und so gehalten werden kann, daß die Seiten der Behälteröffnung an dem Dorn aufeinander faltbar und so mit dem Schließelement in Kontakt bringbar sind.The introduction and gluing or gluing of such a closing element or the formation of a corresponding adhesive layer is easily possible in terms of production, especially if the tubular container blank is held on a mandrel during the manufacture of the closure, and a corresponding closing element is arranged on its outer end face and can be held so that the sides of the container opening can be folded onto one another on the mandrel and thus brought into contact with the closing element.

Zum leichten Öffnen des Verschlusses dient vorzugsweise eine Aufziehlasche, die an sich bekannt ist.A pull-open tab, which is known per se, is preferably used for easy opening of the closure.

Auf jeden Fall liegt mit dem erfindungsgemäßen Verfahren eine optimale Lösung der oben genannten Aufgabe vor.In any case, the method according to the invention provides an optimal solution to the above problem.

Vorzugsweise wird ein Schließelement aus siegelbarer Folie oder aus einem mit mindestens auf einer Seite siegelfähiger Folie beschichtetem z.B. PE-beschichtetem Material verwendet und durch Erhitzen des Schließelementes und Andrücken der zu verriegelnden Behälterinnenflächen auf das Schließelement eingeklebt. Das Verschweißen eines solchen Schließelementes mit der äußeren Beschichtung der Behälterseiten läßt sich in der Fertigung mit verhältnismäßig einfachen Mitteln sowie mit sehr hoher Geschwindigkeit und in zuverlässiger Weise durchführen.Preferably, a closing element made of sealable film or of a material coated, for example, with a film that is sealable on at least one side, is used and glued to the closing element by heating the closing element and pressing the inner container surfaces to be locked. The welding of such a closing element with the outer coating of the container sides can be carried out in production with relatively simple means and with very high speed and in a reliable manner.

Die Form des folienhaften Schließelementes ist beliebig, solange die Funktion des Schließelementes gewährleistet ist. Vorzugsweise wird mit dem Schließelement die gesamte Innenfläche der verschlußseitigen Stirnfläche des Behälters erfaßt, zumindest aber die Kantenbereiche, zum Verbinden aneinander angrenzender Bereiche bzw. Seiten.The shape of the film-like closing element is arbitrary as long as the function of the closing element is guaranteed. Preferably, the entire inner surface of the closure-side end face of the container is grasped with the closing element, but at least the edge areas, for connecting adjacent areas or sides.

Erfindungsgemäß ist vorzugsweise vorgesehen, daß zunächst die Ecken der Behälterinnenseite abgedichtet werden, vorzugsweise durch Erhitzen und Anpressen, und die verbleibenden Bereiche durch Einkleben des Schließelementes abgedichtet werden, wobei ein Schließelernent mit kleinerer Fläche, als der Größe der Behälterinnenfläche entspricht, verwendet werden kann.According to the invention, it is preferably provided that first the corners of the inside of the container are sealed, preferably by heating and pressing, and the remaining areas are sealed by gluing in the closing element, wherein a closing element with a smaller area than the size of the inside of the container can be used.

Ein erfindungsgemäßer Verschluß zum Verschließen einer Öffnung eines rohrförmigen Behälters, der insbesondere für Flüssigkeiten bestimmt ist und aus mindestens einseitig siegelfähig beschichtetem Papier- bzw. Kartonmaterial besteht, und zwar hergestellt nach einem der beiden eingangs genannten bekannten Verfahren, ist erfindungsgemäß dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß auf die Innenfläche der verschlußseitigen Stirnseite des Behälters, die durch die innen freiliegenden Bereiche der aufeinandergefalteten Öffnungswandung bzw. Seiten gebildet ist, ein beim Öffnen des Verschlusses durch Hochziehen mindestens eines Teils der Öffnungswandung oder der Seiten durchtrennbares folienhaftes Schließelement, das auch aus einer aufgebrachten Klebeschicht bestehen kann, das Behälterinnere verschlußseitig abdichtend aufgeklebt ist. Ein in dieser Weise hergestellter Verschluß, der durch verschiedene und beliebige Verfahren herstellbar ist, gewährleistet ein absolut flüssigkeitsdichtes Verschließen der späteren Ausgießseite des Behälters vom Behälterinnern her, also bei noch offenem Behälterboden, ohne daß aufeinandergefaltete Flächen der Seiten des Verschlusses miteinander verklebt sind und dadurch das Öffnen erschwert werden könnte.A closure according to the invention for closing an opening of a tubular container, which is intended in particular for liquids and consists of paper or cardboard material which is at least sealed on one side and is manufactured by one of the two known methods mentioned at the outset, is characterized according to the invention in that on the Inner surface of the closure-side end face of the container, which is formed by the areas of the opening wall or sides that are exposed on the inside, a film-like closing element that can be separated when the closure is opened by pulling up at least a portion of the opening wall or the sides, which can also consist of an applied adhesive layer, the inside of the container is glued on in a sealing manner is. A closure produced in this way, which can be produced by various and arbitrary methods, ensures an absolutely liquid-tight closure of the later pouring side of the container from the inside of the container, that is to say with the container bottom still open, without the surfaces of the sides of the closure being folded onto one another and thereby causing the closure Opening could be difficult.

Für das taktweise Einkleben des Schließelementes zum Verschließen der Öffnung des rohrförmigen Behälters ist nach einer erfindungsgemäßen Weiterbildung vorgesehen, daß das aus PE-Folie oder PE-beschichtetem Material bestehende Schließelement auf die freie Stirnfläche eines Dorns, vorzugsweise eines mehrarmigen Rotors mit entsprechenden Dornen am äußeren Ende, aufgelegt, dort erhitzt und an die Innenflächen der vier aufeinandergefalteten Seiten des Behälteroberteils, also an die stirnseitige Innenfläche des Behälteroberteils, angedrückt wird. Auf diese Weise läßt sich bei entsprechender Ausgestaltung des Verfahrens und der dabei benutzten Einrichtungen eine hohe Arbeitstaktzahl ebenso erreichen wie ein absolut flüssigkeitsdichtes Verschließen des Behälteroberteils.For the intermittent gluing of the closing element to close the opening of the tubular container, it is provided according to a further development according to the invention that the closing element made of PE film or PE-coated material is placed on the free end face of a mandrel, preferably a multi-arm rotor with corresponding mandrels at the outer end , placed there, heated and pressed against the inner surfaces of the four folded-up sides of the upper container part, that is, against the inner surface of the upper container part. In this way, with a corresponding design of the method and the devices used, a high number of work cycles can be achieved, as can an absolutely liquid-tight closure of the upper part of the container.

Im einzelnen wird für das Einkleben des Schließelementes erfindungsgemäß bevorzugt, daß nach dem Aufziehen des rohrförmigen, beidseitig offenen Behälters auf den Dorn und nach dem Auflegen des Schließelementes auf die freie Stirnfläche des Dorns das Behälteroberteil - vorzugsweise nach dem Aktivieren der Eckbereiche - zugefaltet wird und das Schließelement nun oder bereits während des Zufaltens erhitzt und unter Druck, der von außen auf die stirnseitige Außenfläche des Behälteroberteils und von innen mit dem Dorn auf die stirnseitige Innenfläche des Behälteroberteils ausgeübt wird, auf diese Innenfläche geklebt wird. Ebenso ist denkbar, zuerst das Schließelement auf die freie Stirnfläche des Dorns aufzulegen und erst dann den beidseitig offenen rohrförmigen Behälter auf den Dorn aufzuziehen. Das Ergebnis ist in beiden Fällen im wesentlichen das gleiche.In particular, it is preferred according to the invention for the gluing in of the closing element that after the tubular container, which is open on both sides, has been pulled onto the mandrel and after the closing element has been placed on the free end face of the mandrel, the container upper part is folded, preferably after activating the corner regions, and that Closing element is heated now or already during folding and is glued to this inner surface under pressure which is exerted from the outside onto the front outer surface of the upper container part and from the inside with the mandrel onto the front inner surface of the upper container part. It is also conceivable first place the closing element on the free end face of the mandrel and only then pull the tubular container open on both sides onto the mandrel. The result is essentially the same in both cases.

Die Arbeitsgeschwindigkeit bei Ausübung des Verfahrens hängt maßgeblich von den verwendeten Vorrichtungen ab. Für das Erhitzen und Einkleben des Schließelementes wird daher erfindungsgemäß eine Vorrichtung vorgeschlagen, die dadurch gekennzeichnet ist, daß der Kopf des Dorns aus Isolierstoff wie Keramik oder Kunststoff besteht, dessen Stirnfläche mit einem äußerst feinen Überzug aus ferritischem Material beschichtet ist, der mit einer antiadhäsiven Schicht z.B. mit einer PTFE-Haut überzogen ist, und daß zum Anpressen der Stirnseite des Behälteroberteils an die Stirnfläche des Dornkopfes, auf die das Schließelement auflegbar ist, ein Preßstempel vorgesehen ist, in dem eine Induktionsspule zum äußerst kurzzeitigen induktiven Erhitzen, z.B. für eine Zeitdauer von 0,4 sec., des ferritischen Überzugs des Dornkopfes angeordnet ist. Statt des Überzugs kann auch eine sehr dünne Metallplatte vorgesehen sein, die elektrisch mittels Stromimpuls erwärmbar ist. Gegebenenfalls kann der unterhalb des ferritischen Überzugs oder der Platte liegende Bereich des Dornkopfes auch gekühlt werden, um eine Aufheizung auf ein unerwünscht hohes Temperaturniveau zu vermeiden und um so den Heiztakt - Aufheizen/Abkühlen - mit kurzer Taktzeit zu gewährleisten.The speed at which the method is carried out depends largely on the devices used. For heating and gluing the closing element, a device is therefore proposed according to the invention, which is characterized in that the head of the mandrel consists of insulating material such as ceramic or plastic, the end face of which is coated with an extremely fine coating of ferritic material, which is coated with an anti-adhesive layer e.g. is covered with a PTFE skin, and that for pressing the end face of the container upper part against the end face of the mandrel head, on which the closing element can be placed, a press ram is provided, in which an induction coil for extremely brief inductive heating, e.g. for a period of 0.4 sec., the ferritic coating of the mandrel head is arranged. Instead of the coating, a very thin metal plate can also be provided, which can be heated electrically by means of a current pulse. If necessary, the area of the mandrel head below the ferritic coating or the plate can also be cooled in order to avoid heating to an undesirably high temperature level and thus to ensure the heating cycle - heating up / cooling down - with a short cycle time.

Diese erfindungsgemäße Vorrichtung erlaubt eine sehr hohe Arbeitstaktzahl durch Erhitzen und Einkleben des Schließelementes in kürzester Zeit. Da nur der hauchdünne ferritische Überzug an der Stirnfläche des Dornkopfes induktiv oder die dünne Platte aufgrund ihres ohmschen Widerstands kurzzeitig elektrisch erwärmt wird, und da die während einer Heiztaktdauer von z.B. 0,4 sec. vermittelte Wärme sofort wieder von dem aus PE-Folie bestehenden Schließelement und der angrenzenden Innenfläche des Behälteroberteils abgenommen bzw. zum Aufheizen verbraucht wird, entsteht praktisch eine Wärme- bzw. Temperaturschwingung, wobei insbesondere während der Temperaturspitzen in dem ferritischen Überzug bzw. der Platte die Erhitzung der PE-Folie des Schließelementes erfolgt, während, wenn die Induktionsspule abgeschaltet ist und keine Wärme in dem ferritischem Überzug erzeugt wird, die Temperatur des ferritischen Metalls oder der Platte stark abfällt. Durch die antiadhäsive Haut, mit der der ferritische Überzug oder die Platte überzogen ist, wird ein Ankleben des Schließelementes oder von Teilen der das Schließelement bildenden siegelbaren Folie an dieser Aufnahmefläche für das Schließelement vermieden. Beim Anpressen des Preßstempels an die stirnseitige Außenfläche des Behälteroberteils geht das erhitzte Schließelement vorzugsweise PE-Schließelement vollständig auf die stirnseitige Innenfläche des Behälteroberteils über und führt die gewünschte vollständige flüssigkeitsdichte Abdichtung dieser Innenfläche herbei.This device according to the invention allows a very high number of working cycles by heating and gluing the closing element in a very short time. Since only the wafer-thin ferritic coating on the end face of the mandrel head is inductively heated or the thin plate is briefly heated electrically due to its ohmic resistance, and because the heat conveyed during a heating cycle duration of 0.4 seconds, for example, is immediately restored by the closing element made of PE film and the adjacent inner surface of the upper part of the container is removed or used for heating, there is practically a thermal or temperature vibration, in particular during the temperature peaks in the ferritic coating or plate, the heating of the PE film of the closing element takes place, while when the induction coil is switched off and no heat is generated in the ferritic coating, the temperature of the ferritic metal or plate drops sharply. The anti-adhesive skin with which the ferritic coating or the plate is coated prevents the closing element or parts of the sealable film forming the closing element from sticking to this receiving surface for the closing element. When the press ram is pressed onto the front outer surface of the upper part of the container, the heated closing element, preferably the PE closing element, completely merges with the front inner surface of the upper part of the container and brings about the desired complete liquid-tight sealing of this inner surface.

Vorzugsweise sind mit Unterdruck beaufschlagbare Bohrungen in der Stirnfläche des Dornkopfes zum Festhalten des Schließelementes während des Erhitzen etc. vorgesehen. Es versteht sich von selbst, daß die Zeitdauer der Unterdruckzuführung ebenso wie die jeweilige Wirkungsdauer der induktiven oder sonstigen Beheizung genau auf die einzelnen Phasen des für das Einkleben des Schließelementes vorgesehenen Arbeitstaktes abgestimmt sein muß.Bores to which vacuum can be applied are preferably provided in the end face of the mandrel head for holding the closing element during heating, etc. It goes without saying that the duration of the vacuum supply as well as the respective duration of action of the inductive or other heating must be matched precisely to the individual phases of the work cycle provided for gluing in the closing element.

Alternativ zu dem vorstehenden Verfahren zum Erhitzen des Schließelementes mittels induktiver Wärme ist erfindungsgemäß eine Vorrichtung vorgesehen, die dadurch gekennzeichnet ist, daß eine zum Erhitzen des Schließelementes beheizbare, außen mit einer antiadhäsiven Schicht z.B. mit PTFE überzogene Platte stirnseitig den Dorn abschließt und die Stirnfläche der Platte die Aufnahmefläche für das Schließelement vor und während des Einklebens bildet.As an alternative to the above method for heating the closing element by means of inductive heat, a device is provided according to the invention, which is characterized in that a plate which is heatable for heating the closing element and which is coated on the outside with an anti-adhesive layer, for example with PTFE, closes the end of the mandrel and the end face of the plate the receiving surface for the closing element before and forms during gluing.

Vorzugsweise ist die Platte durch einen Schnappverschluß oder eine anderweitige Schnellbefestigung leicht austauschbar.Preferably, the plate is easily interchangeable with a snap lock or other quick attachment.

Im Gegensatz zu der induktiven Beheizung wird bei dieser Platte mit einer in der Platte angeordneten Heizung ein Temperaturniveau an der freien Stirnfläche der Platte erreicht und konstant gehalten, das zumindest ein Erweichen eines auf die Platte aufgelegten Schließelementes aus PE-Folie herbeiführt. In diesem Zustand läßt sich das Schließelement in der gleichen Weise wie ein induktiv erhitztes Schließelement gegen die stirnseitige Innenfläche des Behälteroberteils drücken und dort abdichtend einkleben. Die PTFE-Beschichtung der vorzugsweise aus Leichtmetall wie Aluminium bestehenden Platte verhindert ein Ankleben von PE-Folie an der Stirnfläche der Platte. Nach dem Erweichen und Andrücken an die stirnseitige Innenfläche des Behälteroberteils geht das aus PE-Folie bestehende Schließelement vielmehr vollständig auf diese Innenfläche über.In contrast to inductive heating, a temperature level on the free end face of the plate is achieved and kept constant in this plate with a heater arranged in the plate, which at least brings about a softening of a closing element made of PE film placed on the plate. In this state, the closing element can be pressed in the same way as an inductively heated closing element against the front inner surface of the upper container part and glued there in a sealing manner. The PTFE coating of the plate, which is preferably made of light metal such as aluminum, prevents PE film from sticking to the end face of the plate. After softening and pressing against the front inner surface of the upper part of the container, the closing element, which is made of PE film, rather passes completely onto this inner surface.

Nachstehend werden Ausführungsbeispiele der Erfindung mit Bezug auf die Zeichnungen näher erläutert. In der Zeichnung zeigen:

Fig. 1
eine perspektivische Ansicht eines Oberteils eines rohrförmigen Behälterrohlings mit noch offener Öffnung, aber mit bereits eingeklebter Aufziehlasche;
Fig. 2
eine perspektivische Ansicht des Oberteils des Behälters nach dem Aufeinanderfalten der die Öffnung des Behälters umgebenden vier Seiten;
Fig. 3
eine Draufsicht auf die Innenfläche der Stirnseite des Behälters von Fig. 2, also vom Behälterinnern her betrachtet;
Fig. 4, 5 und 6
Draufsichten eines folienhaften Schließelementes mit verschiedener Formgebung;
Fig. 7
eine Draufsicht auf den ausgestanzten Zuschnitt des Behälterrohlings zwecks Darstellung von aktivierbaren Bereichen einer PE-Beschichtung;
Fig. 8
eine Draufsicht auf die Innenfläche der Behälterstirnfläche wie in Fig. 3, jedoch nach dem Einkleben des folienhaften Schließelementes nach Fig. 4;
Fig. 9
wiederum eine Draufsicht auf die Innenfläche der Stirnfläche des Behälters wie in Fig. 3 und 8, jedoch nach dem Öffnen des Behälters durch Hochziehen der sog. Ausgießerseite der Behälteröffnung zum Öffnen des Verschlusses;
Fig. 10
eine Draufsicht auf den wie in Fig. 9 geöffneten Verschluß des Behälters, jedoch von außen sowie von oben gesehen.
Fig. 11
eine schematische Querschnittsansicht einer Heiz- und Preßvorrichtung am äußeren Ende eines Dorns zum Erhitzen und Einkleben eines aus PE-Folie bestehenden Schließelementes;
Fig. 12
eine mit X in Fig. 11 gekennzeichnete Einzelheit der Vorrichtung von Fig. 11;
Fig. 13
eine Schnittansicht einer weiteren Heiz- und Preßvorrichtung zum gleichen Zweck wie die in Fig. 11 und 12 dargestellte Vorrichtung;
Fig. 14
eine Draufsicht auf die Vorrichtung von Fig. 13 im Schnitt entlang der Linie XIV-XIV von Fig. 13.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. The drawing shows:
Fig. 1
a perspective view of an upper part of a tubular container blank with the opening still open, but with a pull tab already glued in;
Fig. 2
a perspective view of the upper part of the container after the unfolding of the four sides surrounding the opening of the container;
Fig. 3
a plan view of the inner surface of the end face of the container of Figure 2, so viewed from the inside of the container.
4, 5 and 6
Top views of a film-like closing element with different shapes;
Fig. 7
a plan view of the punched-out blank of the container blank in order to show activatable areas of a PE coating;
Fig. 8
a plan view of the inner surface of the container end face as in Figure 3, but after gluing the film-like closing element of Fig. 4.
Fig. 9
again a plan view of the inner surface of the end face of the container as in FIGS. 3 and 8, but after opening the container by pulling up the so-called pouring side of the container opening to open the closure;
Fig. 10
a plan view of the closure of the container as opened in FIG. 9, but seen from the outside and from above.
Fig. 11
is a schematic cross-sectional view of a heating and pressing device at the outer end of a mandrel for heating and gluing a closing element made of PE film;
Fig. 12
a detail of the device of Fig. 11 indicated by X in Fig. 11;
Fig. 13
a sectional view of a further heating and pressing device for the same purpose as the device shown in Figures 11 and 12;
Fig. 14
13 shows a plan view of the device from FIG. 13 in section along the line XIV-XIV from FIG. 13.

In Figur 1 ist ein Oberteil, bezogen auf die spätere Gebrauchslage, eines allgemein mit 1 bezeichneten Behälters dargestellt, der aus einem Behälterzuschnitt 2 aus beidseitig PE-beschichtetem Papiermaterial besteht, der teilweise in Figur 7 gezeigt ist.1 shows an upper part, based on the later position of use, of a container, generally designated 1, which consists of a container blank 2 made of paper material coated on both sides with PE, which is partially shown in FIG.

Die rohrförmig aufgefaltete und längs einer Naht 9 verbundene Behälterwandung 3 weist im oberen Bereich eine entsprechend viereckig umlaufende Randfaltlinie 4 auf, oberhalb derer die am Verschluß beteiligten vier Seiten liegen, nämlich eine Ausgießerseite 5, aus der nämlich beim Öffnen des Verschlusses ein Ausgießer gebildet werden kann, eine hintere Nachbarseite 6, eine vordere Nachbarseite 7 und eine der Ausgießerseite 5 gegenüberliegende Seite 8, längs deren die Naht 9 verläuft. Diese vier Seiten bilden die allgemein mit 10 bezeichnete Öffnung des Behälters 1.The tubularly unfolded and connected along a seam 9 container wall 3 has in the upper area a corresponding square circumferential edge fold line 4, above which the four sides involved in the closure lie, namely a spout side 5, from which a spout can be formed when the closure is opened , a rear neighbor side 6, a front neighbor side 7 and a side 8 opposite the pouring side 5, along which the seam 9 runs. These four sides form the opening of the container 1, generally designated 10.

In die Ausgießerseite 5 sind mit der entsprechenden Randfaltlinie praktisch ein Dreieck bildende schräge Faltlinien 11 eingeprägt. Entsprechende Faltlinien 12 weisen beide Nachbarseiten 6 , 7 auf. Besonders hervorzuheben ist der bogenförmig vorgewölbte Rand 13 der Ausgießerseite 5, der nämlich beim Aufeinanderfalten die notwendige Überdeckung zu der Seite 8 herbeiführt und darüber hinaus eine günstige Form für den späteren Ausgießer vorgibt.In the pourer side 5, practically a triangular oblique fold lines 11 are embossed with the corresponding edge fold line. Corresponding fold lines 12 have both neighboring sides 6, 7. Particularly noteworthy is the arched, bulging edge 13 of the spout side 5, which, when folded up, brings about the necessary overlap to the side 8 and furthermore provides a favorable shape for the later spout.

Der Behälterzuschnitt 2 in Fig. 7 läßt erkennen, daß die Ausgießerseite 5 länger als die gegenüberliegende Seite 8 ist, so daß sich später beim Falten die beispielsweise aus Figur 2 ersichtlichen Verhältnisse ergeben. Entsprechend weist auch der obere Rand der Nachbarseiten 6, 7 einen zu der Ausgießerseite 5 ansteigenden Verlauf auf. Es entsteht eine Luftaustrittsöffnung 14 beim Öffnen des Verschlusses, die in Figur 10 dargestellt ist und das Zuströmen von Luft beim Ausströmen von Flüssigkeit aus dem Behälter 1 erleichtern soll.The container blank 2 in Fig. 7 shows that the pouring side 5 is longer than the opposite side 8, so that the conditions shown in FIG. 2, for example, result later when folding. Correspondingly, the upper edge of the neighboring sides 6, 7 also has a course rising towards the pouring side 5. An air outlet opening 14 is created when the closure is opened, which is shown in FIG. 10 and is intended to facilitate the inflow of air when liquid flows out of the container 1.

Auf die Innenfläche der Ausgießerseite 5 ist in der in Figur 1 dargestellten Lage bereits eine Aufziehlasche 20 geklebt, die, wenn der Behälter 1 an seiner oberen Öffnung 10 geschlossen ist, die beispielsweise aus Figur 2 und 3 ersichtliche Lage einnimmt, so daß sie zum Öffnen des Behälters leicht hochziehbar ist.In the position shown in FIG. 1, a pull tab 20 is already glued to the inner surface of the pouring side 5, which, when the container 1 is closed at its upper opening 10, assumes the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, for example, so that it opens the container is easy to pull up.

In den Verschluß zu integrieren ist ein in Figur 4, 5 und 6 in verschiedener Form dargestelltes und allgemein mit 15 bezeichnetes Schließelement. Es besteht aus einem PE-Folienstück als Quadrat 16 nach Figur 4, mit Ausnehmungen 17 an den Rändern nach Figur 5 und als gekreuzte Bänderstreifen 18, 19 nach Figur 6. Wesentlich für die Form des Schließelementes 15 ist, daß die beim Aufeinanderfalten der vier Seiten 5, 6, 7, 8 entstehenden Kanten 31, 32, 33, 34 der Innenflächen der Seiten 6, 7, wie in Figur 3 dargestellt ist, mit den jeweils angrenzenden Innenflächen der beiden Seiten 5, 8 absolut abdichtend verbunden sind. Dadurch werden die Spalte, die die Kanten 31, 32, 33, 34 mit den angrenzenden Bereichen der Seiten 5, 8 bilden, durch das Schließelement 15 überbrückt und verschlossen. Im Falle des Quadrats 16 von Figur 4 bedeckt das Schließelement 15 die viereckige in Figur 3 dargestellte Innenfläche der oberen Behälterstirnseite. Wie noch nachstehend erläutert wird, können schmale Randstreifen der Innenfläche ggfs. frei bleiben, wenn die Ecken der Innenfläche anderweitig verschlossen und abgedichtet werden, wie noch erläutert wird. Wenn das Schließelement 15, ganz gleich ob die Ausführungsform nach Figur 4, 5 oder 6 gewählt wird, in dieser Weise eingeklebt wird, werden die im Behälterinnern freiliegenden Dreiecksbereiche der Seiten 5, 6, 7 und 8 (vgl. Figur 3) mechanisch fest und längs der Kanten 31, 32, 33, 34 abdichtend miteinander verbunden.A closure element which is shown in different forms in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 and is generally designated 15 is to be integrated into the closure. It consists of a piece of PE film as a square 16 according to FIG. 4, with recesses 17 on the edges according to FIG. 5 and as crossed strip strips 18, 19 according to FIG. 6. It is essential for the shape of the closing element 15 that when the four sides are unfolded 5, 6, 7, 8 resulting edges 31, 32, 33, 34 of the inner surfaces of the sides 6, 7, as shown in Figure 3, with the respective adjacent inner surfaces of the two sides 5, 8 are connected absolutely sealing. As a result, the gaps which form the edges 31, 32, 33, 34 with the adjacent regions on the sides 5, 8 are bridged and closed by the closing element 15. In the case of the square 16 of FIG. 4, the closing element 15 covers the square inner surface of FIG upper end of the container. As will be explained below, narrow edge strips of the inner surface can possibly remain free if the corners of the inner surface are closed and sealed in another way, as will be explained. If the closing element 15, regardless of whether the embodiment according to FIG. 4, 5 or 6 is selected, is glued in this way, the triangular regions of the sides 5, 6, 7 and 8 (see FIG. 3) exposed in the interior of the container become mechanically firm and along the edges 31, 32, 33, 34 sealed together.

Das Verschließen der Öffnung 10 wird zweckmäßig in folgenden Schritten vollzogen:
Zunächst werden die Eckbereiche E der Seiten 5, 6, 7 und 8 innen durch Heißluft aktiviert. In Figur 7 ist ein Faltlinienmuster einer Abwicklung des Behälters mit senkrechter Schraffur dargestellt. Die aktivierten Bereiche sind die unteren Spitzen der schraffiert dargestellten Dreiecke.The opening 10 is appropriately closed in the following steps:
First the corner areas E on pages 5, 6, 7 and 8 are activated by hot air on the inside. FIG. 7 shows a fold line pattern of a development of the container with vertical hatching. The activated areas are the lower tips of the hatched triangles.

Anschließend werden die Nachbarseiten 6, 7 als erste längs ihrer schrägen Faltlinien 12 gefaltet und längs ihrer Randfaltlinien 4 nach innen geklappt. Es folgt das Falten der der Ausgießerseite 5 gegenüberliegenden Seite 8, worauf die Ausgießerseite 5 als letzte der vier Seiten längs der Randfaltlinie 4 umgeklappt und mit dem bogenförmigen Rand 13 sowie der Aufziehlasche 20 auf die Außenfläche der gegenüberliegenden Seite 8 gefaltet wird. In dieser Lage wird das erhitzte Schließelement 15 vom Behälterinnern her auf die Innenfläche der Behälterstirnseite, wie sie Figur 3 zeigt, aufgepreßt und aufgeklebt, so daß sich das Bild nach Figur 8 ergibt. Dabei werden auch die aktivierten Eckbereiche E miteinander verpreßt und verklebt zwecks Abdichtung der vier Ecken. Wie gesagt, brauchen die Eckbereiche und ggfs. allgemein die Randstreifen der Innenfläche der Behälterstirnseite nicht mit dem Schließelement 15 bedeckt zu sein, wenn die Ecken zunächst abdichtend verklebt werden.The neighboring pages 6, 7 are then folded first along their oblique fold lines 12 and folded inwards along their edge fold lines 4. This is followed by folding the side 8 opposite the pouring side 5, whereupon the pouring side 5 is folded over as the last of the four sides along the edge folding line 4 and folded with the arcuate edge 13 and the pull tab 20 onto the outer surface of the opposite side 8. In this position, the heated closing element 15 is pressed and glued from the inside of the container onto the inner surface of the front side of the container, as shown in FIG. 3, so that the image according to FIG. 8 is obtained. The activated corner areas E are pressed together and glued to seal the four corners. As I said, the corner areas and if necessary. generally the edge strips of the inner surface of the container end face not to be covered with the closing element 15 when the corners are first glued in a sealing manner.

Auf jeden Fall ergibt sich im Laufe des Verfahrens der Stand nach Figur 8 - ggfs. unter Freilassung von Randstreifen ringsum -, wo das Schließelement 15 durch Verbinden der Kanten 31, 32, 33, 34 mit den angrenzenden Flächenbereichen die dort vorhandenen Zwischenräume bzw. schlitzförmige Öffnungen durchgehend abdichtend verschließt und dabei gleichzeitig die vier Seiten 5, 6, 7, 8 vom Behälterinnern her fest miteinander verbindet.In any case, in the course of the process, the stand according to FIG. 8 results - possibly with the release of edge strips all around - where the closing element 15, by connecting the edges 31, 32, 33, 34 to the adjacent surface areas, the gaps or slit-shaped ones present there Continuously seals openings and at the same time firmly connects the four sides 5, 6, 7, 8 to one another from the inside of the container.

Zweckmäßig wird die Aufziehlasche 20 bei der Herstellung der Verklebung oder auch zu einem anderen Zeitpunkt auf die Außenfläche der Seite 8 im Sinne eines Anheftens aufgeklebt, damit sie während des Transports möglichst flach auf der Außenfläche der Seite 8 aufliegt.The pull-on tab 20 is expediently glued onto the outer surface of the side 8 during the production of the adhesive bond or at another time so that it lies as flat as possible on the outer surface of the side 8 during transport.

Nach dem Einfüllen einer Flüssigkeit sowie nach dem Verschließen des Bodens des Behälters 1 in beliebiger herkömmlicher Weise gelangt der Behälter 1 in den Handel und von dort zum Verbraucher, der den Behälter 1 wieder öffnet. Hierzu wird die Aufziehlasche 20 leicht mit zwei Fingern von der Seite 8 gelöst und mit ihr die Ausgießerseite 5 hochgezogen. Beim Hochziehen der Ausgießerseite 5 reißt die dreieckförmige Innenfläche (vgl. Fig. 3 oder 8) der Ausgießerseite 5 längs der Kanten 31, 32 von der Mitte her nach außen fortschreitend von diesen inneren Faltkanten der beiden Nachbarseiten 6, 7 ab. Nur dieses Abreißen der inneren Faltkanten 31, 32 der Nachbarseiten 6, 7 bildet folglich den Aufziehwiderstand der somit leicht zu überwinden ist. Die aufeinandergefalteten Flächen sind nämlich nur in den Eckbereichen miteinander verklebt und liegen sonst unverklebt aufeinander.After filling in a liquid and after closing the bottom of the container 1 in any conventional manner, the container 1 enters the trade and from there to the consumer, who opens the container 1 again. For this purpose, the pull tab 20 is easily detached from the side 8 with two fingers and the spout side 5 is pulled up with it. When the spout side 5 is pulled up, the triangular inner surface (cf. FIG. 3 or 8) of the spout side 5 progressively tears along the edges 31, 32 from the center outwards from these inner folded edges of the two adjacent sides 6, 7. Only this tearing off of the inner folded edges 31, 32 of the neighboring sides 6, 7 consequently forms the resistance to pulling which is thus easy to overcome. The folded surfaces are namely only in the Corner areas glued together and otherwise lie unglued on each other.

Aus der Ausgießerseite 5 läßt sich leicht, wie in Figur 9 und 10 dargestellt ist, ein Ausgießer 30 formen durch entsprechendes Falten der Ausgießerseite 5 längs der schrägen Faltlinien 11. Durch die Luftaustrittsöffnung 14 hat Luft leichten Zutritt zum Behälterinnern, so daß das Ausströmen der Flüssigkeit aus dem Behälter 1 nicht behindert wird.From the spout side 5, a spout 30 can easily be formed, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, by correspondingly folding the spout side 5 along the oblique fold lines 11. Through the air outlet opening 14, air has easy access to the interior of the container, so that the liquid can flow out is not hindered from the container 1.

Die Aufziehlasche 20 läßt sich leicht von der Ausgießerseite 5 abreißen, so daß sie kein Hindernis beim Ausgießen der Flüssigkeit aus dem Ausgießer 30 bildet.The pull tab 20 can be easily torn off the spout side 5, so that it does not form an obstacle when pouring the liquid out of the spout 30.

Figur 9 und 10 verdeutlichen die Form des geöffneten Behälters sowie insbesondere des Ausgießers 30, und zwar sowohl vom Behälterinnern her betrachtet (Fig.9) als auch von außen auf das Behälteroberteil gesehen.FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate the shape of the opened container and in particular the spout 30, both from the inside of the container (FIG. 9) and from the outside when looking at the upper part of the container.

Das maschinelle Herstellen des Verschlusses kann wie folgt ablaufen:
In einer maschinellen Anlage zum Verarbeiten der Behälterrohlinge zum Füllen und Verschließen der Behälter ist ein mehrarmiger Rotor angeordnet, der taktweise angetrieben umläuft und während eines Umlaufs die im Gebrauch der Behälter obere Öffnung sicher abdichtend verschließt.The mechanical production of the closure can proceed as follows:
A multi-armed rotor is arranged in a machine system for processing the container blanks for filling and closing the containers, which rotates in a cyclically driven manner and, during one revolution, closes the upper opening, which is secure during use, of the containers.

Hierzu wird der rohrförmig aufgefaltete Behälter jeweils in einer unteren Winkelstellung auf einen entsprechend vierkantigen Dorn aufgezogen, der im Querschnitt dem Behälterrohling entspricht. Es erfolgt nun die Aktivierung der Eckbereiche der die Öffnung des Behälters bildenden Seiten. Anschließend werden die vier Seiten in der beschriebenen Weise aufeinandergefaltet, und nun wird das ebenfalls aktivierte Schließelement aus PE-Folie an die Innenfläche der Behälterstirnseite geführt und dort fest angedrückt, wobei rückseitig die aufeinandergefalteten Seiten durch entsprechenden Gegendruck gehalten werden. Auf diese Weise wird das Schließelement fest und dichtend an der Innenfläche der Behälterstirnseite angeklebt. Der Vorgang des Aktivierens der Eckbereiche der Dreiecksflächen und das Falten der Seiten kann jedoch, wie oben bereits angegeben, in umgekehrter Reihenfolge ablaufen. Auf jeden Fall ist der Verschluß nach Einkleben des Schließelements in den Behälter fertig hergestellt.For this purpose, the tubular unfolded container is in each case drawn in a lower angular position onto a correspondingly square mandrel which corresponds in cross section to the container blank. The corner regions of the sides forming the opening of the container are now activated. Then the four sides in the way described is folded on top of one another, and now the likewise activated closing element made of PE film is guided to the inner surface of the container front side and pressed there firmly, the folded sides being held on the back by corresponding counterpressure. In this way, the closing element is firmly and sealingly glued to the inner surface of the container front side. However, the process of activating the corner areas of the triangular surfaces and folding the sides can, as already stated above, take place in reverse order. In any case, the closure is finished after the closing element has been glued into the container.

Der Behälter kann nunmehr von dem Dorn abgenommen und automatisch zum Einfüllen der Flüssigkeit weitertransportiert werden.The container can now be removed from the mandrel and automatically transported to fill the liquid.

Zwei Vorrichtungen zum Aktivieren bzw. Erhitzen und Einkleben des aus PE-Folie bestehenden Schließelementes 15 während des vorbeschriebenen Arbeitstaktes sind in Fig. 11 und 12 bzw. 13 und 14 dargestellt.Two devices for activating or heating and gluing the closing element 15 made of PE film during the above-described work cycle are shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 or 13 and 14.

Bei der ersten Vorrichtung gemäß Fig. 11 und 12 besteht der Kopf 38 des Dorns, auf dem der Behälter 1 aufgenommen wird, aus Keramik oder Kunststoff, auf jeden Fall aus einem elektrisch isolierenden Material. Die Stirnfläche 39 des Dornkopfs 38 ist mit einem Überzug 40 aus ferritischem Metall mit einer Dicke von ca. 20 mµ versehen, der wiederum mit einer PTFE-Haut 41 überzogen ist. Die Oberfläche der PTFE-Haut 41 bildet eine Aufnahmefläche 42 für das Schließelement 15. Während des Arbeitstaktes des Einklebens des Schließelementes 15 in den Behälter 1 liegt dem Dornkopf 38 ein Preßstempel 43 gegenüber, in dem eine Induktionsspule 44 angeordnet und mit einer entsprechenden Stromzuführung versehen ist.In the first device according to FIGS. 11 and 12, the head 38 of the mandrel on which the container 1 is accommodated is made of ceramic or plastic, in any case from an electrically insulating material. The end face 39 of the mandrel head 38 is provided with a coating 40 made of ferritic metal with a thickness of approximately 20 μm, which in turn is covered with a PTFE skin 41. The surface of the PTFE skin 41 forms a receiving surface 42 for the closing element 15. During the work cycle of gluing the closing element 15 into the container 1, the mandrel head 38 is opposite a press ram 43 in which an induction coil 44 is arranged and provided with a corresponding power supply .

Zum Einkleben des Schließelementes 15 in den Behälter 1 wird das Schließelement 15 auf die Aufnahmefläche 42 der PTFE-Haut 41 aufgelegt und mittels Unterdruck festgehalten, der über mit Unterdruck beaufschlagbare Bohrungen 45 im Stirnbereich des Dornkopfes 38 wirksam wird.To glue the closing element 15 into the container 1, the closing element 15 is placed on the receiving surface 42 of the PTFE skin 41 and held in place by means of negative pressure, which is effective via bores 45 in the end region of the mandrel head 38 which can be subjected to negative pressure.

Sobald nun der Behälter 1 in der schematisch dargestellten Weise auf den Dornkopf 38 aufgezogen ist oder der rohrförmige, beidseitig offene Behälter 1 auf den Dornkopf 38 aufgezogen und an seinem äußeren Ende in der vorstehend bereits beschriebenen Weise zugefaltet worden ist, und zwar mit gleichzeitigem Aktivieren der dreieckförmigen Innenseiten 5, 6, 7, 8, wird der Preßstempel 43 gegen den Dornkopf 38 geführt (vgl. Pfeil 46). Durch Aktivierung der Induktionsspule 44 für eine kurze Heizzeit von beispielsweise 0,4 sec. wird nun das aus PE-Folie 15-20 mµ bestehende Schließelement 15 durch die in dem Überzug 40 aus ferritischem Metall erzeugte induktive Wärme erhitzt, worauf der Preßstempel 43 weiter gegen den Dornkopf 38 geführt wird und dabei die Stirnflächen des Behälters 1 und des Schließelementes 15 zwischen der Unterfläche 47 des Preßstempels 43 und der Aufnahmefläche 42 derart zusammengedrückt werden, daß das erhitzte und aktivierte Schließelement 15 fest an der ebenfalls aktivierten PE-Beschichtung der Innenfläche 37 der Stirnseite des Behälters 1 anklebt. Nach dem Entfernen des Preßstempels 43 von dem Dornkopf 38 ist das Schließelement 15 abdichtend in den Behälter 1 eingeklebt.As soon as the container 1 has been drawn onto the mandrel head 38 in the schematically illustrated manner or the tubular container 1, which is open on both sides, has been drawn onto the mandrel head 38 and folded at its outer end in the manner already described above, with simultaneous activation of the triangular inner sides 5, 6, 7, 8, the press ram 43 is guided against the mandrel head 38 (see arrow 46). By activating the induction coil 44 for a short heating time of, for example, 0.4 seconds, the closing element 15 consisting of PE film 15-20 mμ is now heated by the inductive heat generated in the coating 40 made of ferritic metal, whereupon the press die 43 is further counteracted the mandrel head 38 is guided and the end faces of the container 1 and the closing element 15 are compressed between the lower surface 47 of the press ram 43 and the receiving surface 42 such that the heated and activated closing element 15 firmly on the likewise activated PE coating of the inner surface 37 of the Glued to the front of the container 1. After the removal of the press ram 43 from the mandrel head 38, the closing element 15 is sealed in the container 1.

Bei der zweiten alternativ zu verwendenden Heiz- und Preßvorrichtung gemäß Fig. 13 und 14 befindet sich am äußeren Ende des Dorns 58 eine Platte 50, die mittels Schrauben 51 am Kopf 52 des Dorns 58 unter Zwischenschaltung einer Isolierplatte 53 befestigt ist. Der Kopf 52 weist unten einen Schaft 60 auf, der in eine Bohrung 61 einsetzbar und dort mittels Schrauben 54 befestigbar ist, deren innere Enden in entsprechende Ausnehmungen 55 in der Wandung des Schafts 60 greifen. Mit der auf diese Weise gebildeten Schnellbefestigung läßt sich der Kopf 52 rasch austauschen.13 and 14, a plate 50 is located at the outer end of the mandrel 58, which is fastened to the head 52 of the mandrel 58 by means of screws 51 with the interposition of an insulating plate 53. The head 52 has a shaft 60 at the bottom, which can be inserted into a bore 61 and fastened there by means of screws 54, the inner ends of which are in corresponding recesses 55 grip in the wall of the shaft 60. With the quick attachment formed in this way, the head 52 can be quickly replaced.

In der Platte 50 ist eine Heizung 59 angeordnet, um die mit PTFE überzogene Stirnfläche der Platte 50, die die Aufnahmefläche 57 für das Schließelement 15 bildet, auf einem Temperaturniveau zu halten, mit dem ein auf die Aufnahmefläche 57 aufgelegtes Schließelement 15 so weitgehend zum Erweichen gebracht bzw. klebrig gemacht werden kann, daß es an der stirnseitigen Innenfläche 37 des Behälters 1 unter entsprechender Druckanwendung (Preßstempel nicht dargestellt) angeklebt wird. Über mit Unterdruck beaufschlagbare Bohrungen 56 in der Platte 50 läßt sich das auf die Aufnahmefläche 57 aufgelegte Schließelement 15 festhalten.A heater 59 is arranged in the plate 50 in order to maintain the PTFE-coated end face of the plate 50, which forms the receiving surface 57 for the closing element 15, at a temperature level with which a closing element 15 placed on the receiving surface 57 is largely softened brought or can be made sticky that it is glued to the front inner surface 37 of the container 1 under appropriate pressure (press stamp not shown). The closing element 15 placed on the receiving surface 57 can be held in place by means of bores 56 in the plate 50 which can be subjected to negative pressure.

Im übrigen ist die Funktion dieser zweiten Heiz- und Preßvorrichtung und ebenso der damit durchführbare Arbeitstakt des Einklebens des Schließelementes 15 ähnlich wie im Falle der vorbeschriebenen ersten Heiz- und Preßvorrichtung, so daß auf eine weitergehende Beschreibung verzichtet wird.Otherwise, the function of this second heating and pressing device and also the feasible working cycle for gluing in the closing element 15 is similar to that in the case of the above-described first heating and pressing device, so that a further description is dispensed with.

Erläuterungsbedürftige Bezugszeichen in Fig. 11 und 12:

15 -
PE-Folie
47 -
PTFE
40 -
Ferritisches Metall
1 -
Karton PE-beschichtet
38 -
Werkstoff: Keramik/Kunststoff
43 -
Preßstempel
44 -
Induktionsspule
zur Verfügung stehende Heizzeit 0,4 sec.
Reference symbols in FIGS. 11 and 12 that require explanation:
15 -
PE film
47 -
PTFE
40 -
Ferritic metal
1 -
Cardboard box PE coated
38 -
Material: ceramic / plastic
43 -
Ram
44 -
Induction coil
available heating time 0.4 sec.

Claims (11)

  1. A method of closing an opening of a tubular container of rectangular cross section, which is intended in particular for liquids and comprises at least on one side sealably coated paper or cardboard material, in which a continuous opening wall with four sides, namely a spout side, two neighboring sides and a side opposite the spout side, is divided from the upper wall of the container by a rectangularly running border folding line, and the four sides which surround the opening of the container to be closed all around are folded inward and together along the border folding lines, as well as following a triangular pattern of oblique folding lines on the neighboring sides, in the sequence: neighboring sides, side opposite the spout side, spout side, and adhesively bonded together in order to form a closure in such a way that during subsequent opening of the closure a spout which is predetermined by folding lines forming triangle faces can be formed from the spout side and from adjacent parts of the neighboring sides by drawing up and, if appropriate, releasing the adhesive bonding of a side, wherein the four sides are essentially bonded together only by adhesively inserting from the inside of the container at least one film-like closing element, which may also be formed by applying or spraying on or the like an adhesive layer, at least the faces bearing against one another of the spout side and of the neighboring sides not being adhesively bonded together, but in particular the inner folding edges, bearing on the inside against the spout side, of the first inwardly folded neighboring sides being joined by the closing element to the adjacent regions of the two subsequently inwardly folded sides, in particular of the spout side, in such a way that at least the spout side drawn up first when later on opening the closure is detachable from the neighboring sides by simple tearing of the closing element along the corresponding inner folding edges; and where it is possible to use a closing element of a smaller surface area than the size of the inner surface area of the container.
  2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a closing element of sealable film or of a material coated with film which is sealable at least on one side, for example PE-coated, is used and, by heating the closing element and pressing onto the closing element the inner faces of the container to be sealed, is adhesively inserted.
  3. A method as claimed in one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the closing element covers the inner face of the end face of the container on the closure side, but at least the folding edge regions, for joining and sealing mutually adjacent regions or sides.
  4. A method as claimed in one of the preceding claims 1 to 3, wherein the corners of the inside of the container are sealed, preferably by heating and pressing, and the remaining regions are simultaneously sealed by adhesively inserting the closing element.
  5. A method as claimed in one or more of claims 1 - 4, wherein closing element consisting of PE film or PE-coated material is laid on the free end face of a mandrel, heated there and pressed against the inner faces of the four folded-together sides of the upper container part, that is against the end inner face of the upper container part.
  6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein, after drawing the tubular container, open at both ends, onto the mandrel and after laying the closing element onto the free end face of the mandrel, the upper container part is folded closed and the closing element is heated then or already during the folding closed, and is adhesively attached onto the end inner face of the upper container part under pressure exerted from the outside onto the end outer face of the upper container part and from the inside by the mandrel onto said end inner face thereof.
  7. An apparatus for carrying out the method as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein the mandrel head (38) consists of insulating material such as ceramic or plastic, the end face (39) of which is coated by an extremely fine coating (40) of ferritic metallic material, which is coated by an antiadhesive coating, for example by a PTFE skin (41), and wherein, for pressing the end face of the container (1) against the end face (39) of the mandrel head against which the closing element (15) can be laid, a pressing ram (43) is provided, in which an induction coil (44) for extremely brief inductive heating of the ferritically metallic coating (40) of the mandrel head (38) is arranged, or wherein, instead of the coating (40), there is on the mandrel head (38) a metal plate which can be heated electrically by means of current pulse.
  8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7, which comprises bores (45), to which negative pressure can be applied, in the end face of the mandrel head (38) for securing the closing element (15).
  9. An apparatus for carrying out the method as claimed in claim 5 or 6, which comprises a heatable plate (50), which is for heating the closing element (15) and is coated on the outside by an antiadhesive layer, for example by PTFE, and preferably consists of lightweight metal such as aluminium, closes off the mandrel (58) at the end and the end face of the plate (50) forms the receiving surface (57) for the closing element (15) before and during adhesive insertion.
  10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the plate (50) with the head (52) can be easily detached from the mandrel (58) by means of a quick fastening (54, 55) and consequently can be exchanged quickly.
  11. A closure for closing an opening of a tubular container, which is intended in particular for liquids and comprises at least on one side sealably coated paper or cardboard material, in which a wall of the opening, which is divided in the region of the opening of the container to be closed from the wall of the container by one or more border folding lines and surrounds the opening of the container all around, is folded inward and together along the border folding lines and adhesively bonded together in certain regions in order to form a closure, and in which the adhesive bond can be severed during subsequent opening of the closure by drawing up at least parts of the wall, in particular if the opening of the tubular container is formed in square or rectangular arrangement by four sides which are divided in the region of the opening of the container to be closed from the wall of the container by rectangularly running border folding lines and surround the opening of the container all around, are folded together inward along the border folding lines, as well as following a triangular pattern of oblique folding lines on the sides, and adhesively bonded together in order to form a closure, and during subsequent opening of the closure a spout can be formed from one side by drawing it up and, if appropriate, releasing the adhesive bonding of said side, wherein, on the inner face of the end face of the container on the closure side, which is formed by the inwardly exposed regions of the folded-together opening wall or the folded-together sides, there is adhesively attached in a manner sealing the interior of the container on the closure side a film-like closing element which can be severed during opening of the closure by drawing up at least one part of the opening wall or of the folded-together sides and which may also comprise an applied adhesive layer and which can be used with a smaller surface area than the size of the inner surface area of the container.
EP91920589A 1990-11-17 1991-11-16 Process and device for closing an aperture in a tubular container Expired - Lifetime EP0511358B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE4036681 1990-11-17
DE4036681 1990-11-17
DE4112633A DE4112633A1 (en) 1990-11-17 1991-04-18 METHOD FOR CLOSING AN OPENING OF A TUBULAR CONTAINER AND LOCKING FOR SUCH A CONTAINER
DE4112633 1991-04-18
PCT/EP1991/002165 WO1992008651A1 (en) 1990-11-17 1991-11-16 Process and device for closing an aperture in a tubular container

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0511358A1 EP0511358A1 (en) 1992-11-04
EP0511358B1 true EP0511358B1 (en) 1996-06-12

Family

ID=25898583

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP91920589A Expired - Lifetime EP0511358B1 (en) 1990-11-17 1991-11-16 Process and device for closing an aperture in a tubular container

Country Status (12)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0511358B1 (en)
JP (1) JP3089325B2 (en)
AT (1) ATE139197T1 (en)
AU (1) AU9030191A (en)
BR (1) BR9106020A (en)
CA (1) CA2073987A1 (en)
DE (2) DE4112633A1 (en)
DK (1) DK0511358T3 (en)
ES (1) ES2091951T3 (en)
FI (1) FI923256A (en)
NO (1) NO922815D0 (en)
WO (1) WO1992008651A1 (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2011106102A2 (en) 2010-02-24 2011-09-01 Kullberg, Wilhelm Closure on a rectangular container

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
AU675151B2 (en) * 1991-03-25 1997-01-23 Kabushiki Kaisha The Box Folding airtight container
JP5924874B2 (en) * 2011-05-16 2016-05-25 日本テトラパック株式会社 Packaging container and its manufacturing method

Family Cites Families (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3145899A (en) * 1961-12-28 1964-08-25 American Can Co Container for fluid products

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2011106102A2 (en) 2010-02-24 2011-09-01 Kullberg, Wilhelm Closure on a rectangular container
RU2622781C2 (en) * 2010-02-24 2017-06-20 Вильхельм КУЛЛБЕРГ Closure on a rectangular container

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
BR9106020A (en) 1993-01-19
DE4112633A1 (en) 1992-05-21
FI923256A0 (en) 1992-07-16
NO922815D0 (en) 1992-07-16
ATE139197T1 (en) 1996-06-15
FI923256A (en) 1992-07-16
CA2073987A1 (en) 1992-05-18
DE59107934D1 (en) 1996-07-18
JPH05504749A (en) 1993-07-22
EP0511358A1 (en) 1992-11-04
ES2091951T3 (en) 1996-11-16
DK0511358T3 (en) 1999-05-17
JP3089325B2 (en) 2000-09-18
WO1992008651A1 (en) 1992-05-29
AU9030191A (en) 1992-06-11

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
DE69508986T2 (en) Process for the production of a hose pack and pack produced by this process
EP0274514A1 (en) Package for packing pieces of goods and process of manufacture thereof.
EP0580989A1 (en) Pouch for liquid, pasty or granular material and method of its manufacture
EP2192052A2 (en) Bag packaging as well as method and device for producing the package.
CH642923A5 (en) METHOD FOR THE CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF PACKAGE CONTAINERS AND DEVICE FOR CARRYING OUT THIS.
EP0815040A1 (en) Method of closing off the mouth of a container, a container with a closure of this kind and a material for manufacturing the closure
EP0363693A1 (en) Sandwich foil package and process for its production
DE2541912C2 (en) Containers, in particular packaging containers, as well as a method for producing such a container and a device for carrying out the method
EP0664759B1 (en) Process for manufacturing package for fluid substances and tool for carrying out the process
EP2208554B1 (en) Method and device for producing tear-open lids
WO2010010130A2 (en) Re-closeable packaging with a peelable membrane
DE4023602A1 (en) Cardboard container with aluminium lining - has foil which can be easily detached to facilitate recycling of cardboard and foil
EP0343266B1 (en) Method for manufacturing containers from a web and apparatus for carrying out this method
DE3878275T2 (en) CONTAINER AND METHOD AND DEVICE FOR ITS PRODUCTION.
EP0511358B1 (en) Process and device for closing an aperture in a tubular container
EP1819501B1 (en) Sealing machine and method
DE102016218190A1 (en) Apparatus and method for producing a bag package
DE2720907A1 (en) TUBE-LIKE CONTAINER AND METHOD OF FILLING AND MANUFACTURING A TUBE-LIKE CONTAINER
DE60314869T2 (en) METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A TUBULAR PIPING ROLL
DE3601650C2 (en)
EP0716026B1 (en) Parallelepipedical flat-gable-top container including a pouring spout and method of producing such a flat-gable-top container
DE4432718A1 (en) Plastic package with tear-off strap and mfg. tool
EP1923323B1 (en) Carrier for containers, blank made of kraft board for its manufacture and packaging machine for manufacturing packaging units comprising these carriers and containers
EP0663884A1 (en) Sealable container reclosable after being opened a first time, process and foil for producing the same
CH453117A (en) Can closure

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AT BE CH DE DK ES FR GB GR IT LI LU NL SE

RAP1 Party data changed (applicant data changed or rights of an application transferred)

Owner name: NIELSEN, WALLACE

17P Request for examination filed

Effective date: 19921125

17Q First examination report despatched

Effective date: 19940603

GRAH Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOS IGRA

GRAH Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOS IGRA

GRAA (expected) grant

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009210

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: B1

Designated state(s): AT BE CH DE DK ES FR GB GR IT LI LU NL SE

PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: NL

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT

Effective date: 19960612

Ref country code: GR

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT

Effective date: 19960612

REF Corresponds to:

Ref document number: 139197

Country of ref document: AT

Date of ref document: 19960615

Kind code of ref document: T

ITPR It: changes in ownership of a european patent

Owner name: CESSIONE EPO;ADVANCED LIQUID PACKAGING COMPANY

REG Reference to a national code

Ref country code: CH

Ref legal event code: PUE

Owner name: NIELSEN, WALLACE TRANSFER- ADVANCED LIQUID PACKAGI

REF Corresponds to:

Ref document number: 59107934

Country of ref document: DE

Date of ref document: 19960718

RAP2 Party data changed (patent owner data changed or rights of a patent transferred)

Owner name: ADVANCED LIQUID PACKAGING COMPANY

RIN2 Information on inventor provided after grant (corrected)

Free format text: NIELSEN, WALLACE

ITF It: translation for a ep patent filed
NLT2 Nl: modifications (of names), taken from the european patent patent bulletin

Owner name: ADVANCED LIQUID PACKAGING COMPANY

ET Fr: translation filed
GBT Gb: translation of ep patent filed (gb section 77(6)(a)/1977)

Effective date: 19960926

NLV1 Nl: lapsed or annulled due to failure to fulfill the requirements of art. 29p and 29m of the patents act
REG Reference to a national code

Ref country code: ES

Ref legal event code: FG2A

Ref document number: 2091951

Country of ref document: ES

Kind code of ref document: T3

PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: LU

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES

Effective date: 19961130

Ref country code: LI

Effective date: 19961130

Ref country code: CH

Effective date: 19961130

REG Reference to a national code

Ref country code: GB

Ref legal event code: 732E

PLBE No opposition filed within time limit

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009261

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: NO OPPOSITION FILED WITHIN TIME LIMIT

PGFP Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: DK

Payment date: 19970513

Year of fee payment: 6

PGFP Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: AT

Payment date: 19970515

Year of fee payment: 6

26N No opposition filed
REG Reference to a national code

Ref country code: CH

Ref legal event code: PL

PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: AT

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES

Effective date: 19971116

PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: DK

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES

Effective date: 19971231

PGFP Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: GB

Payment date: 19980513

Year of fee payment: 7

PGFP Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: BE

Payment date: 19980527

Year of fee payment: 7

PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: GB

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES

Effective date: 19981116

PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: BE

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES

Effective date: 19981130

REG Reference to a national code

Ref country code: DK

Ref legal event code: T3

BERE Be: lapsed

Owner name: ADVANCED LIQUID PACKAGING CY

Effective date: 19981130

GBPC Gb: european patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee

Effective date: 19981116

REG Reference to a national code

Ref country code: DK

Ref legal event code: EBP

PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: DE

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES

Effective date: 20001130

PGFP Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: DE

Payment date: 20010323

Year of fee payment: 9

PGFP Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: ES

Payment date: 20030522

Year of fee payment: 12

PGFP Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: SE

Payment date: 20030527

Year of fee payment: 12

PGFP Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: FR

Payment date: 20030530

Year of fee payment: 12

PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: SE

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES

Effective date: 20031117

Ref country code: ES

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES

Effective date: 20031117

EUG Se: european patent has lapsed
PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: FR

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES

Effective date: 20040730

REG Reference to a national code

Ref country code: FR

Ref legal event code: ST

REG Reference to a national code

Ref country code: ES

Ref legal event code: FD2A

Effective date: 20031117

PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: IT

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES;WARNING: LAPSES OF ITALIAN PATENTS WITH EFFECTIVE DATE BEFORE 2007 MAY HAVE OCCURRED AT ANY TIME BEFORE 2007. THE CORRECT EFFECTIVE DATE MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM THE ONE RECORDED.

Effective date: 20051116