EP0607769A1 - Packaging assembly with improved stackability - Google Patents
Packaging assembly with improved stackability Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0607769A1 EP0607769A1 EP93870007A EP93870007A EP0607769A1 EP 0607769 A1 EP0607769 A1 EP 0607769A1 EP 93870007 A EP93870007 A EP 93870007A EP 93870007 A EP93870007 A EP 93870007A EP 0607769 A1 EP0607769 A1 EP 0607769A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- packaging assembly
- inner containers
- outer case
- assembly according
- containers
- 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.)
- Ceased
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Classifications
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- 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
- B65D71/00—Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans or pop bottles; Bales of material
- B65D71/06—Packaging elements holding or encircling completely or almost completely the bundle of articles, e.g. wrappers
- B65D71/38—Packaging elements holding or encircling completely or almost completely the bundle of articles, e.g. wrappers the packaging elements, e.g. wrappers being formed by folding and interconnecting two or more blanks
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- 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
- B65B31/00—Packaging articles or materials under special atmospheric or gaseous conditions; Adding propellants to aerosol containers
- B65B31/04—Evacuating, pressurising or gasifying filled containers or wrappers by means of nozzles through which air or other gas, e.g. an inert gas, is withdrawn or supplied
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- 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
- B65D21/00—Nestable, stackable or joinable containers; Containers of variable capacity
- B65D21/02—Containers specially shaped, or provided with fittings or attachments, to facilitate nesting, stacking, or joining together
- B65D21/0209—Containers specially shaped, or provided with fittings or attachments, to facilitate nesting, stacking, or joining together stackable or joined together one-upon-the-other in the upright or upside-down position
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- 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
- B65D5/067—Gable-top containers
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- 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
- B65D81/00—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents
- B65D81/18—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents providing specific environment for contents, e.g. temperature above or below ambient
- B65D81/20—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents providing specific environment for contents, e.g. temperature above or below ambient under vacuum or superatmospheric pressure, or in a special atmosphere, e.g. of inert gas
- B65D81/2046—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents providing specific environment for contents, e.g. temperature above or below ambient under vacuum or superatmospheric pressure, or in a special atmosphere, e.g. of inert gas under superatmospheric pressure
- B65D81/2061—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents providing specific environment for contents, e.g. temperature above or below ambient under vacuum or superatmospheric pressure, or in a special atmosphere, e.g. of inert gas under superatmospheric pressure in a flexible container
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- 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
- B65D2571/00—Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans, pop bottles; Bales of material
- B65D2571/00006—Palletisable loads, i.e. loads intended to be transported by means of a fork-lift truck
- B65D2571/00037—Bundles surrounded by carton blanks
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- 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
- B65D2571/00—Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans, pop bottles; Bales of material
- B65D2571/00123—Bundling wrappers or trays
- B65D2571/00129—Wrapper locking means
- B65D2571/00135—Wrapper locking means integral with the wrapper
- B65D2571/00141—Wrapper locking means integral with the wrapper glued
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- 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
- B65D2571/00—Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans, pop bottles; Bales of material
- B65D2571/00123—Bundling wrappers or trays
- B65D2571/00129—Wrapper locking means
- B65D2571/00135—Wrapper locking means integral with the wrapper
- B65D2571/00148—Wrapper locking means integral with the wrapper heat sealede or welded
-
- 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
- B65D2571/00—Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans, pop bottles; Bales of material
- B65D2571/00123—Bundling wrappers or trays
- B65D2571/00648—Elements used to form the wrapper
- B65D2571/00654—Blanks
- B65D2571/00666—Blanks formed from two or more sheets
-
- 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
- B65D2571/00—Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans, pop bottles; Bales of material
- B65D2571/00123—Bundling wrappers or trays
- B65D2571/00709—Shape of the formed wrapper, i.e. shape of each formed element if the wrapper is made from more than one element
- B65D2571/0079—U-shaped
Definitions
- the present invention relates to packaging assemblies with improved stackability.
- the packaging assembly comprises multiple inner containers which are combined by a tight fitting outer case into the packaging assembly.
- the inner containers are flexible and contain a fluid and a gas filled head space.
- the stability of such a flexible container typically must satisfy the highest requirements of the different usage situations of the package.
- the principle three usage situations are that at the manufacturer where the package is assembled and filled with fluid, the storage and distribution conditions (including transport and store handling) and finally at the user of the fluid.
- the storage and distribution conditions pose the highest requirements on a flexible container, in particular sufficient stackability is critical in depot storage and truck transport.
- the packaging assembly can be formed by stretch or shrink wrapping several flexible containers together, which improves foremost the handling of the packaging assembly and not so much the stability. Also the packaging assembly can be formed by a high strength outer case which provides the required strength to support stacking of several packaging assemblies and makes handling of the number of inner containers which are combined in the packaging assembly easy.
- an objective of the present invention is to provide a packaging assembly having flexible inner containers and only requiring a low strength outer case.
- Alternative the objective of the present invention is to improve the stackability of a packaging assembly comprising inner containers combined by an outer case.
- a packaging assembly of multiple identical flexible inner containers for fluids combined in a tight fitting outer case of generally rectangular shape comprising a head space filled with gas above the fluids.
- the packaging assembly allows improved vertical stacking by an inside pressure in the flexible inner containers above the ambient pressure.
- Figure 1 shows a preferred execution of the packaging assembly according to the invention with inner containers and an outer case folded around the inner containers.
- Figure 2 shows a gable top inner container.
- the multiple inner containers of the packaging assembly according to the present invention are flexible. Flexible in this context refers to containers which would start bulging and possibly even collapse when being stacked on top of each other.
- Such containers are well known in the art and are typically made of laminate material for which the layers of the laminate are selected from paper, cardboard, aluminum foil and polymeric materials. The order in which these materials are laminated together strongly depends on the fluid to be filled into these inner containers.
- inner containers for liquids which easily oxidize and thereby deteriorate preferably have one gas tight layer for example of aluminum foil.
- Many food products like fruit juice beverages are therefore preferably packed into inner containers having a laminate structure which includes an oxygen barrier like aluminum foil.
- Other products such as household chemicals like fabric softeners, liquid detergents or liquid household cleaners do not require such additional precaution and can be packed into a simple laminate of polymeric materials and paper or cardboard. Those skilled in the art will easily be able to define the appropriate material for the inner containers.
- the fluids in the inner containers can be all those liquids mentioned already but also solid materials which share liquid characteristics for example fine granular materials. Typical examples would include granular detergents and other household cleaners.
- the shape of the inner containers should allow the rectangular outer case to be tightly fit round the inner containers. Usually this will require rectangular shaped inner containers like those known as bricks or those having an essentially rectangular shape but with a gable top which can be folded into a flat surface, without resulting in bends, creases or other weakening of the material.
- the height of the top flap of the gable top above the plane defined by the top edges of the inner container when folded down should be as small as possible, preferably less than 10 mm and most preferably less than 5 mm.
- the outer case material is selected from the same materials as the inner container but also could be a pure cardboard or corrugated cardboard material. Preferably some or all of the polymeric and paper or cardboard materials used for the inner container or for the outer case should be made of recycled material.
- the outer case has in the final packaging assembly to tightly fit around the inner containers.
- Tightly fitting as used herein means that there is essentially no empty space between the top of the inner containers and the outer case lid or between the side walls of the inner containers and the adjacent inner container or the outer case side wall. It is particularly preferred that the space between the top of the inner containers and the outer case lid or the sum of all spaces between one side wall and the opposing side wall plus all the spaces between inner containers from one side wall to the other is less than 5 mm, most preferably even less than 3 mm. This tight fitting also prevents or reduces damages resulting from relative movement of inner containers to each other or to the outer case.
- the inner containers are not 100% filled with the fluid but comprises a head space filled with gas.
- the gas of the head space should be selected from a gas which is inert relative to the fluid in the container.
- a nitrogen or carbon dioxide gas is preferred over air which however can be easily used for household chemicals.
- the head space filled with gas has preferably a volume of 5% to 25%, of the volume of the fluid in the inner container. Having a volume within this range allows for optimal utilization of the container volume while providing enough head space to result in a broadly stable pressure difference relative to ambient pressure at 20°C by representing a large enough gaseous pressure buffer.
- the relevant ambient pressure is taken at 20° C when closing the inner container.
- the increase of the inside pressure of the inner container is selected such that even under temperature and barometric pressure changes, there remains a positive inside pressure difference to provide the desired strength increase and to improve stackability. Practically this is satisfied when the inside pressure is at least 1000 Pa, preferably more than 3000 Pa above the relevant ambient pressure.
- the packaging assembly (1) consists of the lower tray part (10).
- the lower tray part (10) is provided as a flat card board blank having a bottom portion (11), side panels (14), front and rear panels (15), the side panels (14) further having attachment flaps (16) and (18).
- the inner containers (20) are placed on the bottom part (11) of the flat carton blank. Then the side panels (14) and the front and rear panels (15) are folded up to form the lower tray part (10) by being joined along corresponding vertical edges.
- a lid (12) is placed on top of the lower tray part (10) on top of the inner containers and is then fixed to the two opposite horizontal edges formed by flaps (16).
- the joining along edges of the outer carton preferably is provided by hot melt adhesives or welding.
- a particularly preferred embodiment of the packaging assembly of the present invention comprises a use of inner containers having a flat foldable gable top shown as number 22 in Figure 2.
- the inner container can be filled under ambient pressure leaving a gas filled head space in the gable.
- the pressure inside the inner container increases such that the requirements of the present invention are fulfilled.
- Packaging assemblies comprising such flat folded gable top inner containers are particularly desirable since upon folding up the gable top by the end user, the inside pressure of the inner container is released within the container itself, avoiding any possible danger of spilling fluid due to the overpressured inner container upon opening.
- Inner containers having a gable top design similar to that of Figure 2 which can be folded down to form a flat top are available from Elopak (TM), Lierstranda, Norway, under the designation Universal Gable Top (TM). They have a gable top flap height above the plane of the top of the container of about 5 mm before being tightly packed into the outer case.
- the inner containers are made of a paper or cardboard laminate with polyethylene outer layers and possibly an additional barrier layer.
- the inner containers are filled with an uncompressable liquid detergent which occupies about 85% of the volume of the inner container. The gas volume of 15% is filled with air.
- Eight of these inner containers are packed into an outer case of corrugated cardboard (B-flute or E-flute widely available for example from Seiffert GmbH, Reichenbach, Germany) to form a packaging assembly according to the invention.
- the measured inside pressure above ambient pressure at 20°C in the inner containers when they are in the packaging assembly according to the invention was 3000 Pa.
- the theoretically expected additive acceptable force just before permanent deformation which could be expected is 2200 N. Therefore the packaging assembly according to the invention provides an additional 800 N which can be used to increase the number of such packaging assemblies when stacking them on top of each other by 36%.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to packaging assemblies with improved stackability. The packaging assembly comprises multiple inner containers (20) which are combined by a tight fitting outer case (10,12) into the packaging assembly. The inner containers are flexible and contain a fluid and a gas filled head space. By providing the inner containers with an inside pressure above the ambient pressure, the stackability of the otherwise non or at least unreliably stackable packaging assembly is substantially improved.
Description
- The present invention relates to packaging assemblies with improved stackability. The packaging assembly comprises multiple inner containers which are combined by a tight fitting outer case into the packaging assembly. The inner containers are flexible and contain a fluid and a gas filled head space. By providing the inner containers with an inside pressure above the ambient pressure, the stackability of the otherwise non or at least unreliably stackable packaging assembly is substantially improved.
- Flexible packages for fluids are widely used in the foods and household chemical industry. For example laminated cartons for milk, beverages, fluid detergents, household cleaners or fabric softeners, motor oil or cosmetics which often are of brick type (rectangular) or of the gable top type (rectangular but with gable top)are familiar and much used packages for fluids. They are appreciated for their light weight and a low raw material consumption, good handlebility by the user of the fluid and simple processing requirements for those commercializing fluids in such packages.
- The stability of such a flexible container typically must satisfy the highest requirements of the different usage situations of the package. The principle three usage situations are that at the manufacturer where the package is assembled and filled with fluid, the storage and distribution conditions (including transport and store handling) and finally at the user of the fluid. Out of these the storage and distribution conditions pose the highest requirements on a flexible container, in particular sufficient stackability is critical in depot storage and truck transport.
- In order to limit the material consumption but still to withstand essentially all storage and distribution requirements while improving at the same time the handling during storage and in the distribution system flexible containers are often combined into a packaging assembly. The packaging assembly can be formed by stretch or shrink wrapping several flexible containers together, which improves foremost the handling of the packaging assembly and not so much the stability. Also the packaging assembly can be formed by a high strength outer case which provides the required strength to support stacking of several packaging assemblies and makes handling of the number of inner containers which are combined in the packaging assembly easy.
- The before mentioned advantages of the flexible container are however diminished when using such a high strength outer case. Therefore an objective of the present invention is to provide a packaging assembly having flexible inner containers and only requiring a low strength outer case. Alternative the objective of the present invention is to improve the stackability of a packaging assembly comprising inner containers combined by an outer case.
- Other objectives satisfied or improved by the present invention are reduced material consumption for the inner containers and the outer case; allowing to reduce or eliminate additional packaging support or protection items for the packaging assembly (corner posts, cardboard layers, stretch or shrink wrap); better appearance of the individual packaging assembly and of larger combinations of packaging assemblies. The improved packaging assembly further does not restrict the use as a display case.
- It is yet another independent objective of the present invention to provide a process allowing the manufacture of the improved packaging assembly. These and other objectives will become more apparent in the following description of the invention.
- According to the invention there is provided a packaging assembly of multiple identical flexible inner containers for fluids combined in a tight fitting outer case of generally rectangular shape. The flexible inner containers comprise a head space filled with gas above the fluids. The packaging assembly allows improved vertical stacking by an inside pressure in the flexible inner containers above the ambient pressure.
- The characteristics of the preferred executions of the inventions are those found in the dependent claims.
According to the processing aspect of the invention to manufacture packaging assembly according to the invention, the following steps have to be conducted - a)providing a flat carton blank for forming a lower tray part which constitutes the bottom and the side walls of the outer case;
- b)providing inner containers of increased inside pressure and placing them on the flat carton blank in the bottom area;
- c)folding up the side walls of the carton blank to form the lower tray part tightly around the inner containers and joining the side walls along their vertical edges to each other;
- d)placing a lid on top of the inner containers and joining the lid to the lower tray part, preferably along two opposite horizontal upper edges of the lower tray part at overlapping flaps which may be integral to the lid or to the lower tray part.
- Figure 1 shows a preferred execution of the packaging assembly according to the invention with inner containers and an outer case folded around the inner containers.
- Figure 2 shows a gable top inner container.
- The multiple inner containers of the packaging assembly according to the present invention are flexible. Flexible in this context refers to containers which would start bulging and possibly even collapse when being stacked on top of each other.
- Such containers are well known in the art and are typically made of laminate material for which the layers of the laminate are selected from paper, cardboard, aluminum foil and polymeric materials. The order in which these materials are laminated together strongly depends on the fluid to be filled into these inner containers.
- In particular inner containers for liquids which easily oxidize and thereby deteriorate preferably have one gas tight layer for example of aluminum foil. Many food products like fruit juice beverages are therefore preferably packed into inner containers having a laminate structure which includes an oxygen barrier like aluminum foil. Other products such as household chemicals like fabric softeners, liquid detergents or liquid household cleaners do not require such additional precaution and can be packed into a simple laminate of polymeric materials and paper or cardboard. Those skilled in the art will easily be able to define the appropriate material for the inner containers.
- According to the present invention the fluids in the inner containers can be all those liquids mentioned already but also solid materials which share liquid characteristics for example fine granular materials. Typical examples would include granular detergents and other household cleaners.
- The shape of the inner containers should allow the rectangular outer case to be tightly fit round the inner containers. Usually this will require rectangular shaped inner containers like those known as bricks or those having an essentially rectangular shape but with a gable top which can be folded into a flat surface, without resulting in bends, creases or other weakening of the material. The height of the top flap of the gable top above the plane defined by the top edges of the inner container when folded down should be as small as possible, preferably less than 10 mm and most preferably less than 5 mm.
- The outer case material is selected from the same materials as the inner container but also could be a pure cardboard or corrugated cardboard material. Preferably some or all of the polymeric and paper or cardboard materials used for the inner container or for the outer case should be made of recycled material.
- The outer case has in the final packaging assembly to tightly fit around the inner containers. Tightly fitting as used herein means that there is essentially no empty space between the top of the inner containers and the outer case lid or between the side walls of the inner containers and the adjacent inner container or the outer case side wall. It is particularly preferred that the space between the top of the inner containers and the outer case lid or the sum of all spaces between one side wall and the opposing side wall plus all the spaces between inner containers from one side wall to the other is less than 5 mm, most preferably even less than 3 mm.
This tight fitting also prevents or reduces damages resulting from relative movement of inner containers to each other or to the outer case. - The inner containers are not 100% filled with the fluid but comprises a head space filled with gas. Preferably the gas of the head space should be selected from a gas which is inert relative to the fluid in the container. For example for fruit juice beverages, a nitrogen or carbon dioxide gas is preferred over air which however can be easily used for household chemicals.
- The head space filled with gas has preferably a volume of 5% to 25%, of the volume of the fluid in the inner container. Having a volume within this range allows for optimal utilization of the container volume while providing enough head space to result in a broadly stable pressure difference relative to ambient pressure at 20°C by representing a large enough gaseous pressure buffer.
- For practical purposes, the relevant ambient pressure is taken at 20° C when closing the inner container. The increase of the inside pressure of the inner container is selected such that even under temperature and barometric pressure changes, there remains a positive inside pressure difference to provide the desired strength increase and to improve stackability. Practically this is satisfied when the inside pressure is at least 1000 Pa, preferably more than 3000 Pa above the relevant ambient pressure.
- A particularly preferred execution of the present invention and the process according to the present invention, will now be explained in reference to the Figures. The packaging assembly (1) consists of the lower tray part (10). The lower tray part (10) is provided as a flat card board blank having a bottom portion (11), side panels (14), front and rear panels (15), the side panels (14) further having attachment flaps (16) and (18).
- When making the packaging assembly according to the present invention the inner containers (20) are placed on the bottom part (11) of the flat carton blank. Then the side panels (14) and the front and rear panels (15) are folded up to form the lower tray part (10) by being joined along corresponding vertical edges. In a last step to provide the packaging assembly according to the present invention a lid (12) is placed on top of the lower tray part (10) on top of the inner containers and is then fixed to the two opposite horizontal edges formed by flaps (16). The joining along edges of the outer carton preferably is provided by hot melt adhesives or welding.
- A particularly preferred embodiment of the packaging assembly of the present invention comprises a use of inner containers having a flat foldable gable top shown as
number 22 in Figure 2. Especially when using flat foldable gable top inner containers, the inner container can be filled under ambient pressure leaving a gas filled head space in the gable. When folding the gable into a flat position the pressure inside the inner container increases such that the requirements of the present invention are fulfilled. Packaging assemblies comprising such flat folded gable top inner containers are particularly desirable since upon folding up the gable top by the end user, the inside pressure of the inner container is released within the container itself, avoiding any possible danger of spilling fluid due to the overpressured inner container upon opening. - In the following example, the improved stackability of packaging assemblies according to the present invention is demonstrated.
Inner containers having a gable top design similar to that of Figure 2 which can be folded down to form a flat top are available from Elopak (TM), Lierstranda, Norway, under the designation Universal Gable Top (TM). They have a gable top flap height above the plane of the top of the container of about 5 mm before being tightly packed into the outer case. The inner containers are made of a paper or cardboard laminate with polyethylene outer layers and possibly an additional barrier layer. The inner containers are filled with an uncompressable liquid detergent which occupies about 85% of the volume of the inner container. The gas volume of 15% is filled with air.
Eight of these inner containers are packed into an outer case of corrugated cardboard (B-flute or E-flute widely available for example from Seiffert GmbH, Reichenbach, Germany) to form a packaging assembly according to the invention. The measured inside pressure above ambient pressure at 20°C in the inner containers when they are in the packaging assembly according to the invention was 3000 Pa. - A measurement of the vertical acceptable force applied over the full top surface until permanent deformation occurs was taken with results according to the following table :
Sample Force at permanent deformation 1 inner container * 200 N 8 inner containers * together 1200 N 1 outer case * 1000 N packaging assembly of the example ** 3000 N * as described in the example ** according to the invention - The theoretically expected additive acceptable force just before permanent deformation which could be expected is 2200 N. Therefore the packaging assembly according to the invention provides an additional 800 N which can be used to increase the number of such packaging assemblies when stacking them on top of each other by 36%.
Claims (10)
- A packaging assembly of multiple identical flexible inner containers for fluids combined in a tight fitting outer case of rectangular shape suitable for vertical stacking of said packaging assembly, said flexible inner containers comprising a gaseous head space above said liquid, said packaging assembly being characterized in that said flexible inner containers have an inside pressure above the relevant ambient pressure at 20 °C.
- A packaging assembly according to claim 1 characterized in that said gaseous head space is from 5% to 25%, of the volume of said liquid in said inner container.
- A packaging assembly according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that said gaseous head space is filled with a gas which is inert relative to said fluid in said inner container.
- A packaging assembly according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that said inside pressure is at least 100 Pa above the relevant ambient pressure at 20 °C, preferably more than 300 Pa above the relevant ambient pressure at 20°C.
- A packaging assembly according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that said inner containers are rectangular or have an essentially flat foldable gable top.
- A packaging assembly according to claim 5 characterized in that said inner containers have an essentially flat foldable gable top and further characterized in that said inside pressure is less than 100 Pa above the relevant ambient pressure at 20°C when said flat foldable gable top is in an upright gable top position.
- A packaging assembly according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that said inner container is made of laminate material for which the layers are selected from paper or cardboard or aluminum foil or polymeric materials.
- A packaging assembly according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that said outer case material is selected from the laminate of claim 7 or card board or corrugated cardboard.
- A packaging assembly according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that some or all of the polymeric materials and paper or cardboard materials used for the inner containers or for the outer case are recycled material.
- A process to make a packaging assembly of claim 1 to 9 comprising the steps ofa)providing a flat carton blank for forming a lower tray part comprising the bottom, side, front and rear panels of said outer case;b)providing said inner containers and placing them on said flat carton blank to fit inside the rectangular outer case which is to be formed;c)forming the lower tray part by folding up the side, front and rear panels of said outer case and joining them along their vertical edges;d)placing a lid on top of said inner containers and joining the lid to the lower tray part, preferably along two opposite horizontal upper edges of said lower tray part.
Priority Applications (5)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP93870007A EP0607769A1 (en) | 1993-01-20 | 1993-01-20 | Packaging assembly with improved stackability |
US08/491,967 US5566824A (en) | 1993-01-20 | 1994-01-19 | Packaging assembly with improved stackability |
PCT/US1994/000745 WO1994016955A1 (en) | 1993-01-20 | 1994-01-19 | Packaging assembly with improved stackability |
NO952831A NO952831L (en) | 1993-01-20 | 1995-07-17 | Packaging combination with improved stacking capacity |
FI953495A FI953495A (en) | 1993-01-20 | 1995-07-19 | Packaging assembly with improved stackability |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP93870007A EP0607769A1 (en) | 1993-01-20 | 1993-01-20 | Packaging assembly with improved stackability |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0607769A1 true EP0607769A1 (en) | 1994-07-27 |
Family
ID=8215314
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP93870007A Ceased EP0607769A1 (en) | 1993-01-20 | 1993-01-20 | Packaging assembly with improved stackability |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0607769A1 (en) |
FI (1) | FI953495A (en) |
NO (1) | NO952831L (en) |
WO (1) | WO1994016955A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE9417420U1 (en) * | 1994-10-29 | 1995-01-12 | ORO-Produkte-Marketing-GmbH, 32120 Hiddenhausen | Outer packaging for filled bags |
DE19512547A1 (en) * | 1995-04-06 | 1996-10-10 | Focke & Co | Packaging for individual packs and method and device for producing the same |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE19855816A1 (en) * | 1998-12-03 | 2000-06-08 | Heraeus Quarzglas | Process for cleaning Si0¶2¶ grain and device for carrying out the process |
Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3817018A (en) * | 1970-07-24 | 1974-06-18 | Stone Container Corp | Method for forming a package |
GB1560631A (en) * | 1976-08-06 | 1980-02-06 | American Potato Co | Gable top container and method and apparatus for packing the same |
GB2124597A (en) * | 1982-07-30 | 1984-02-22 | Vaux Breweries Plc | Lightweight cans for still liquids such as fruit juices and methods of manufacture thereof |
US4793490A (en) * | 1980-03-14 | 1988-12-27 | Gaines Pet Foods Corp. | Package for compressible bags and process |
DE4037018A1 (en) * | 1990-11-20 | 1992-05-21 | Lin Tec Gmbh Verpackung | MATERIAL RAIL AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE SAME |
Family Cites Families (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB996849A (en) * | 1962-10-23 | 1965-06-30 | Signet Packaging Entpr Ltd | Improvements in or relating to the packaging of cuboid cartons |
GB1206053A (en) * | 1967-07-12 | 1970-09-23 | Tetra Pak Ab | Bulk packaging |
US3833116A (en) * | 1969-12-08 | 1974-09-03 | Georgia Pacific Corp | Package of containerized goods |
US3694995A (en) * | 1970-09-10 | 1972-10-03 | Grace W R & Co | Corrugate-film laminate package material and package |
GB8907185D0 (en) * | 1989-03-30 | 1989-05-10 | Mead Corp | Multi-unit package particularly for parallelapiped cartons |
-
1993
- 1993-01-20 EP EP93870007A patent/EP0607769A1/en not_active Ceased
-
1994
- 1994-01-19 WO PCT/US1994/000745 patent/WO1994016955A1/en active Application Filing
-
1995
- 1995-07-17 NO NO952831A patent/NO952831L/en unknown
- 1995-07-19 FI FI953495A patent/FI953495A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
Patent Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3817018A (en) * | 1970-07-24 | 1974-06-18 | Stone Container Corp | Method for forming a package |
GB1560631A (en) * | 1976-08-06 | 1980-02-06 | American Potato Co | Gable top container and method and apparatus for packing the same |
US4793490A (en) * | 1980-03-14 | 1988-12-27 | Gaines Pet Foods Corp. | Package for compressible bags and process |
GB2124597A (en) * | 1982-07-30 | 1984-02-22 | Vaux Breweries Plc | Lightweight cans for still liquids such as fruit juices and methods of manufacture thereof |
DE4037018A1 (en) * | 1990-11-20 | 1992-05-21 | Lin Tec Gmbh Verpackung | MATERIAL RAIL AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE SAME |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE9417420U1 (en) * | 1994-10-29 | 1995-01-12 | ORO-Produkte-Marketing-GmbH, 32120 Hiddenhausen | Outer packaging for filled bags |
DE19512547A1 (en) * | 1995-04-06 | 1996-10-10 | Focke & Co | Packaging for individual packs and method and device for producing the same |
US6283363B1 (en) | 1995-04-06 | 2001-09-04 | Focke & Co. (Gmbh & Co.) | Package for individual packs and process and apparatus for producing same |
DE19512547B4 (en) * | 1995-04-06 | 2008-08-14 | Focke & Co.(Gmbh & Co. Kg) | Device for producing and filling carton blank packaging with lumpy packaged goods |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
NO952831D0 (en) | 1995-07-17 |
FI953495A0 (en) | 1995-07-19 |
WO1994016955A1 (en) | 1994-08-04 |
NO952831L (en) | 1995-07-17 |
FI953495A (en) | 1995-07-19 |
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Effective date: 19950713 |
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18R | Application refused |
Effective date: 19970102 |