EP0533648A1 - Disposable container for a fluid product and method of its manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

The container of the invention consists of an internal receptacle (3) which is flexible, leaktight and surrounded by a self-supporting external envelope (2). The external envelope (2) is a lateral envelope which is open at its upper and lower ends, consisting of a sheet of a material such as cardboard or another cellulosic material, which is substantially more rigid than that of the internal receptacle (3), which is preferably made of plastic. The internal receptacle (3) is fixed by a longitudinal flange (6) to a corresponding longitudinal flange of the external envelope (2), whereas the latter is provided with curved folds, defining, on the side opposite the flange, a face with convex edges, in a plane perpendicular to the median plane of the flange. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a single-use container for a fluid product, more particularly intended for containing photographic treatment compositions, and to a method for packaging fluid products in such a container.

So far, these compositions are supplied to users in conventional rigid containers, with a resealable opening, which pose inter alia a problem of storage of the empty containers of the different capacities required, while the containers must still be correctly labeled after filling, and possibly pose a release problem if they have been in contact with chemicals.

By fluid product is meant here a liquid product, or also in powder form.

According to the invention, it is proposed to provide a new container for fluid products. This single-use container allows for fully automatic filling, sealing and labeling in a continuous process, while it is made from sheet materials, possibly in rolls, which ensures volume minimal storage.

In the field of packaging of fluid products, document US-A-2 695 129 discloses a single-use container for fluid product, consisting of a flexible internal container, sealed, surrounded by a self-supporting outer envelope. open at its upper and lower ends, consisting of a sheet of material which is substantially more rigid than that of the internal container, the internal container being provided with joints with longitudinal flanges, vertical in the normal position of use, and the envelope being provided with corresponding flanges, enclosing the flanges of the container, while the container is fixed to the envelope along each flange.

According to US-A-2,695,129, the envelope and the container each comprise two opposite flanges along which the container is fixed to the envelope, which keeps the container in a perfectly defined position in the envelope.

According to the invention, it is proposed to provide a container of this type, in which the container is fixed to the envelope only along a single flange.

Among other advantages, this can simplify the manufacturing process (only one longitudinal seal is necessary), and also simplify the container / envelope separation process after use.

As will be understood, this solution is not applicable as such to the container according to US-A-2,695,129. Indeed, if the container of the container according to US-A-2,695,129 was only fixed on one side , it would collapse inside the envelope, under the effect of its weight, while the envelope would deform correspondingly, flaring at the base and narrowing at its upper part. This collapse would of course pose a problem when opening the container, since, on the one hand, the corner to be opened by cutting would disappear inside the envelope, and, on the other hand, the contents would inevitably spill out. opening, due to the loss of volume due to sagging deformation.

An object of the invention is therefore to provide a container of the above type, characterized in that the internal container and the envelope are fixed to each other only along a single vertical flange, l 'envelope has, opposite to, and symmetrically with respect to the flange ensuring the fixing, curved fold lines intended to stiffen the side walls of the envelope, to impose its final shape on the envelope and thus on the container internal flexible it contains.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a container characterized in that the outer envelope has at its upper edge a notch, intended to form a pouring spout.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a container characterized in that the upper edge of the inner container protrudes from the upper edge of the outer envelope.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a container characterized in that the internal container is intended to receive a photographic processing solution.

• sceller le tube longitudinalement par au moins un joint à bride,
• déplacer le tube le long du mandrin, d'une hauteur de récipient
• sceller transversalement le tube, en dessous de l'extrémité du mandrin, et couper le tube parallèlement à, et dans le joint transversal, pour détacher du tube un conteneur inférieur terminé,
• disposer autour de la partie inférieure du tube ainsi formé et scellé transversalement à son bord inférieur, une enveloppe faite d'une feuille d'un matériau plus rigide que le matériau du tube,
• fermer cette enveloppe par un joint à bride longitudinal enserrant une bride du tube, fixer l'une à l'autre lesdites brides, et plier l'enveloppe parallèlement et à l'opposé de la bride et de part et d'autre d'un axe de symétrie, suivant une ligne courbe, de façon à former une face à bord convexe, à l'opposé de la bride, avant introduction du fluide dans le tube,
• reprendre les opérations ci-dessus, pour le conditionnement d'une nouvelle quantité de fluide.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of packaging a fluid product in a container of the above type, in which a continuous sheet of packaging material is shaped into a tube shape by folding around it. '' a mandrel, and longitudinal sealing, the tube is sealed and cut transversely at intervals, and the fluid to be packaged is introduced inside the tube, to form individual containers, filled with the fluid, characterized in that it consists of

• seal the tube longitudinally with at least one flange joint,
• move the tube along the mandrel, one container height
• transversely seal the tube, below the end of the mandrel, and cut the tube parallel to, and in the transverse joint, to detach a finished lower container from the tube,
• arrange around the lower part of the tube thus formed and sealed transversely to its lower edge, an envelope made of a sheet of a material more rigid than the material of the tube,
• close this envelope with a longitudinal flange seal enclosing a flange of the tube, fix one to the other said flanges, and fold the envelope parallel and opposite to the flange and on either side of a axis of symmetry, along a curved line, so as to form a face with a convex edge, opposite the flange, before introduction of the fluid into the tube,
• repeat the above operations, for the conditioning of a new quantity of fluid.

According to another characteristic of the method of the invention, the mandrel has a cross section of elongated shape, with axis of symmetry, wider at one end of the axis of symmetry than at the other, while the envelope is arranged around the mandrel so that the flange is arranged in the extension of the axis of symmetry, at the narrower part of the section of the mandrel.

According to another characteristic of the process, the sheet constituting the envelope is brought in the form of pre-cut blanks and provided with preformed fold lines.

According to another characteristic of the process, the envelope sheet is pre-printed, and carries the information for labeling the content.

According to another characteristic of the process, it also consists in injecting an inert gas into the tube, before each transverse sealing operation.

• La figure 1 représente un mode de réalisation du conteneur de l'invention,
• La figure 2 un flan ou ébauche de l'enveloppe de la figure 1, et
• La figure 3 représente schématiquement le processus de fabrication de conteneurs de l'invention.

Other aspects, characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the detailed description which follows, and from the appended drawing in which

• FIG. 1 represents an embodiment of the container of the invention,
• FIG. 2 a blank or blank of the envelope of FIG. 1, and
• Figure 3 schematically shows the container manufacturing process of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, the container 1 according to the invention comprises a self-supporting external envelope 2, surrounding a sealed, flexible container, 3.

The flexible container 3 has the shape of a pocket formed by a flexible sheet, generally made of plastic or the like, closed by welding or gluing, transversely to its upper edge 5 and to its lower edge (not visible in the drawing), and longitudinally along a flange joint 4.

Among the plastics which can be used for the internal container, there may be mentioned, without being there limited, a sheet of plastic material with a low gas permeation coefficient, such as polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, oriented semi-crystalline polyamide, copolymers of ethylene and polyvinyl alcohol, oriented polyester and other; a sheet of plastic material laminated or bonded to a sheet of a metal such as aluminum or the like, and such a sheet on which is deposited a metal such as aluminum or the like, or quartz or the like; a multilayer sheet formed by bonding or laminating any one of these sheets to a sheet of polyethylene, ionomer and the like. The inner container can be formed using any of the above sheets, alone or in combination.

The outer envelope 2 is formed by a sheet of a relatively rigid material, such as cardboard or the like, surrounding the flexible inner container, and closed on itself along its longitudinal edges 6 ′, 6˝, to form a longitudinal flange seal 6 in which the longitudinal flange seal 4 of the internal container 3 is held, thus securing the container to the envelope, preventing the container from sagging substantially, when it is placed on its constituted base by the lower edge of the outer casing 2.

As seen in the drawing, the envelope comprises a notch 7 at the place provided for pouring.

The envelope 2 has the function of imposing a substantially defined shape on the flexible container that it surrounds and maintains, ensuring that the assembly is self-supporting, allowing it to stand on its base and to be manipulated, in particular emptied, essentially like a conventional container with handle. In particular, the envelope prevents the flexible container, hooked on one side to the envelope, from collapsing substantially at its edge opposite the flange. It also provides mechanical protection for the internal container against external actions.

The substantially defined shape is obtained in part by the nature and thickness of the envelope 2, but it is essentially the result of its shape, namely the flange 6, and the folds 9, 9′- 10, 10 ′ and 11, 11 ′.

The flange 6 simultaneously provides a firm grip for the user's hand, and serves as a handle for handling the container.

As can be seen in the drawing, and in particular in FIG. 2, the lines 9, 9 ′ delimiting the front face, or for pouring the assembled envelope, are curved, to reinforce their stiffening effect on the envelope, and therefore strengthen its ability to impose a predefined shape and volume on the flexible container.

The fold lines 10, 10 ′ and 11, 11 ′ also ensure, together with the curved lines 9, 9 ′, that a container of substantially rectangular cross section is obtained, the flange 6 being able to be easily folded down longitudinally against the neighboring wall, for example when crating.

The notch 7 of the envelope, provided opposite the flange 6, aims to facilitate the pouring of the content out of the container 3, after opening thereof by cutting, as shown schematically at 8 in Figure 1 In fact, this notch 7 ensures, during pouring, a narrower flow orifice, and of better defined shape, and therefore better pouring precision.

The envelope still preferably fulfills an identification or labeling function, which can be ensured by using a preprinted envelope material, carrying the information necessary for correct and complete labeling, such as capacity, nature of the product, provenance. , safety instructions, etc. Among other advantages, such labeling is inseparable from the container, without altering the latter, and is therefore very reliable.

As seen in particular in Figure 2, there is also preferably provided, opposite the notch 7, a cutout 18 whose purpose is to allow to make a second opening more easily in the container, constituting a vent, to allow air to enter and facilitate emptying.

As can also be seen in FIG. 1, the container 3 is fixed to the envelope 2 in a position such that its upper edge 5 exceeds the upper edge of the envelope, to allow easy opening of the container.

So that the envelope 2 correctly performs its function which consists in imposing a predefined shape on the container 3, it is also necessary according to the invention to respect certain conditions of proportions between the three dimensions of the envelope. As will be understood, there are no clearly defined limits for these proportions; however, if we designate by l the width, or short side of the base, by L the length, or long side of the base, and by h the height of the envelope, the ratio L / l should preferably not be less than about 1.3, while the h / L ratio should not be less than about 1.5, it being understood that the value of the L / l ratio influences the range of permitted values for the h / L ratio and that, the larger the L / L ratio (and therefore the narrower the container), the more the h / L ratio can be reduced. In fact, the condition to be respected is that the flexible container is somehow wedged in the envelope, so that the frictional force between the container and the envelope is opposed to the collapse of the container in the envelope. This will of course also depend on the nature and the surface condition of the materials.

By way of nonlimiting examples, envelopes having the following dimensions have been found satisfactory: l = 44 mm, L = 67 mm, and h between 1 15 and 270 mm, and l = 54 mm, L = 92 mm and h between 208 and 270 mm, with a cardboard envelope of 0.75 to 0.85 mm thick, and a container made of 110 µ thick polyester-polyethylene laminate sheet, for containers of a capacity respectively between 150 and 600 cm³ and between 400 and 1100 cm³, these dimensions ensuring good definition of the shape of the container, and also ensuring good capacity for filling the container.

FIG. 3 schematically presents the steps for manufacturing a container of the invention.

A plastic sheet is unwound from a roll 12, wound longitudinally around an oblong mandrel 13, and welded or glued continuously to form the flange 4, as shown schematically by the device 14.

The flexible plastic tube is then sealed transversely at intervals corresponding to the height of the container, at its lower part, below the mandrel, and is cut transversely in the region of the joint thus formed (as shown schematically by the device 15, 15 'in Figure 3), thus simultaneously forming the upper end edge 5 of a finished container, and the lower end edge (not visible in Figure 3) of the next container, which must still receive its outer envelope 2, and is still integral with the tube, and detach the finished lower container.

The outer envelope 2 is then arranged (as shown schematically by the device 16, 16 ′) around the lower part of the tube thus sealed at its lower end, and its edges are glued or welded together and to the flange 4 of the tube.

The mandrel 13 is a hollow mandrel, through the interior of which is finally brought the product - liquid or powder - to be packaged.

After filling, the cycle begins again by unwinding a new length of sheet, as above.

The mandrel preferably has, as shown in the drawing, a cross section of elongated shape, with axis of symmetry aa ′, wider at one end (a ′) of the axis of symmetry than at the other end (a) , while the envelope is arranged around the mandrel so that the flange is arranged in the extension of the axis of symmetry, at the narrower part of the section of the mandrel.

This elongated shape makes it possible to transversely seal the tube which is closer to the lower end of the mandrel, than would be possible with a circular mandrel.

When the envelope blank is applied to the mandrel, its front face, delimited by the curved fold lines 9, 9 ′ is of course slightly deformed to substantially follow the rounded section of the mandrel, while the container takes its final shape. , imposed by the envelope, as soon as it leaves the mandrel.

The finished container 1 is then received on a conveyor belt 17.

The envelope material, preferably cardboard, is preferably delivered in the form of pre-cut blanks, and provided with predefined fold lines, as shown in Figure 3.

According to the invention, there is thus provided a container which can be manufactured, filled and labeled in a continuous process, which reduces manufacturing and storage costs. The identification or labeling of the product can also be printed directly on the outer envelope, which reinforces security, since the labeling is thus inseparable from the container, without damaging the latter, and that the risk of The error is reduced since the packaging process is continuous.

The packaging of the product in a light, flexible container, which can be easily separated from its protective envelope, after use, reduces on the other hand the problems of rejection, since the quantity of material contaminated by the contents of the container (i.e. the flexible sheet constituting the container) is reduced, while the more rigid outer envelope ensures good behavior of the container, and its easy emptying, at least substantially as complete as that of a conventional rigid container.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide great flexibility in adapting the volume of the container to volume of the fluid portion, as prescribed by a treatment process requiring a well-defined volume.

This can be easily achieved, for example by reducing the interval at which the tube formed by the flexible sheet is sealed transversely, and therefore the height of the internal container, while keeping the height of the outer envelope unchanged, to keep the volume constant. of the entire container.

For convenience, and in particular to avoid excessively large volume lost in the packaging, it is also possible to provide several heights of envelopes, each covering a range of container heights.

However, an advantage of an envelope of constant height for containers of varying heights according to their capacity, is that it makes it possible to easily stack, in uniform layers, containers of different capacities. This is useful in particular when a chemical treatment requires different quantities of various compounds, these can then without problem be placed in the same package, without risk of a container of small capacity being lost in the middle of the others, while minimizing the amount of material contaminated by said compound (that is to say the material of the flexible container).

Yet another advantage of the invention is that the combination of the more rigid outer casing, preferably of cardboard or other cellulosic material, and an inner container in the form of a plastic bag reduces the amount of plastic necessary for this container.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments shown and described, which have been chosen only by way of example.

Thus, the longitudinal flange 4 of the container will, in the preferred embodiment, be fixed over its entire length in the corresponding flange 6 of the envelope, but it may also only be fixed to the envelope on a part of its length, at its upper part (to avoid sagging).

As a type of product which can be packaged in the container of the invention, there may be mentioned photographic processing products (for example color developer, black and white developer, bleaching solution, fixing solution, bleaching-fixing composition, stabilizer and the like). These products are described in detail in "Photographic Chemistry and Physics" Volume 2, by P. Glafkidès, Editions de l'Usine Nouvelle, Paris (1987).

Claims (9)

Single-use container for fluid product, consisting of a flexible internal container, sealed, surrounded by a self-supporting outer envelope open at its upper and lower ends, consisting of a sheet of material substantially more rigid than that of the container internal, in which the flexible internal container is fixed to the self-supporting external envelope by cooperation between longitudinal flanges formed respectively on the container and on the envelope, a flange of the envelope enclosing a corresponding flange of the container,
characterized in that
the internal container and the envelope are fixed to each other only along a single vertical flange, the envelope (2) has, opposite, and symmetrically with respect to the flange ensuring the fixing, curved fold lines (9, 9 ′) intended to stiffen the side walls of the envelope, to impose its final shape on the envelope and thus on the flexible internal container which it contains. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer envelope (2) has at its upper edge a notch (7), intended to form a pouring spout. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper edge (5) of the internal container (3) projects from the upper edge of the external envelope (2). Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the internal container (3) is intended to receive a photographic processing solution. A method of packaging a fluid product in a container according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein a continuous sheet of packaging material is shaped into a tube shape by bending around of a mandrel, and longitudinal sealing, the tube is sealed and cut transversely at intervals, and the fluid to be packaged is introduced inside the tube, to form individual containers, filled with the fluid, characterized in that it consists at - seal the tube longitudinally with at least one flange joint, - move the tube along the mandrel, from a container height - transversely seal the tube, below the end of the mandrel, and cut the tube parallel to, and in the transverse joint, to detach a finished lower container from the tube, - have around the lower part of the tube thus formed and sealed transversely to its lower edge, an envelope made of a sheet of a material more rigid than the material of the tube, - Close this envelope with a longitudinal flange seal enclosing a tube flange, fix one to the other said flanges, and fold the envelope parallel and opposite the flange and on either side of an axis of symmetry, along a curved line, so as to form a face with a convex edge, opposite the flange, before introduction of the fluid into the tube, - repeat the above operations, for the conditioning of a new quantity of fluid. A method according to claim 5, characterized in that the mandrel has an elongated cross section, with axis of symmetry, wider at one end of the axis of symmetry than at the other, while the casing is arranged around the mandrel so that the flange is arranged in the extension of the axis of symmetry, at the narrower part of the section of the mandrel. Method according to one of claims 5 and 6, characterized in that the sheet constituting the envelope is brought in the form of pre-cut blanks and provided with preformed fold lines. Method according to any one of Claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the envelope sheet is pre-printed, and carries the information for labeling the content. Method according to any one of Claims 5 to 8, characterized in that it also consists in injecting an inert gas into the tube, before each transverse sealing operation.

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