EP0814031B1 - Package made of thermoformable material - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a packaging made of material thermoformable having a location intended to receive and maintain a product such as for example an informative label.

Prior art

Among the packaging of manufactured products or products food, we find more and more frequently presentations in packaging which we tend to designate by the term of blister. This guy has the advantage of being able to be made inviolable, of being light and space-saving and to show the object offered for sale through of a transparent wall. The use of thermoformable materials in sheet makes it possible to obtain packaging which conforms well to the shape of the objects and to provide either wide opening shells which must then be fixed on a carton, that is to say complete packaging which can be closed by hinging two cooperating parts around a hinge connection. The presentation of the item must be supplemented by labeling which helps the sale by providing information that is not directly visible, such as a composition, suggestions for use or the price of the product. In the case blister packaging, this information can be carried by a support cardboard on which the blister is welded, on a label stuck on the blister or on a label placed inside the blister and visible at across the sheet of material.

This last labeling method is the most widely used because it allows on the one hand to use a non-adhesive label, therefore cheaper, and on the other share to obtain a tamper-proof labeling since it is inside sealed packaging. However, such a provision requires that the size of the label coincides with the size of the front of the blister so that the positioning is stable and adjusted. It follows an imposed size labeling which is not always in correspondence with the volume information to communicate and who can hide the article presented, losing thus the benefit of the transparent wall.

Purpose of the invention

The object of the present invention is to propose a new blister type packaging in which a space is provided, in particular for a non-adhesive label, regardless of the size of the face front of the shell and / or the packaged product.

Description

The features of the present invention are as defined in claim 1.

detailed description

According to the invention, the blister, which can be in the form of a shell simple to weld on a bottom or in the form of a resealable double shell on itself around a hinge, is made from a sheet of thermoformable material such as for example PVC, PET or polystyrene, in which a hollow area is provided, the side wall of which is fitted with undercut gadroons, located for example near the bottom wall of said recessed area. Preferably the bottom of the area hollow which can be in the form of a cavity is slightly domed, so as to provide the elasticity necessary for the manufacturing steps of the blister, then label placement.

The shape of the cavity is dependent on the shape chosen for the label and maybe circular, oval or polygonal or any other shape regular or not. During thermoforming of the blister, we form on the side walls of the cavity, near the bottom, at least one gadroon or undercut lug which maintains the label pressed against the bottom of the cavity. Preferably, pins are placed in opposition to that the label is maintained correctly. The distance between each gadroon and the bottom of the cavity should be slightly greater than the thickness of the label and the height of each of the gadroons is such that the distance between the top of two opposite gadroons is substantially less than the corresponding width of the label. From a point of view practical, a cavity is provided whose bottom is the same dimension as the label and whose gadroons are between 0.3 and 0.6 mm high. Indeed, such dimensions are both sufficient to ensure the maintaining the label and compatible with manufacturing requirements. Through elsewhere, it is recommended to form the bottom slightly convex (i.e. curved towards the outside of the cavity): this arrangement presents the advantage of slightly increasing the elasticity of the cavity and, by Therefore, to facilitate the exit of the thermoforming mold and the installation of the label. To ensure easy placement of the label as well as good stability of the latter in the cavity, it is preferable to use a label with medium rigidity, Bristol type for example. The material for making the label is usually paper or cardboard light, but any other known material can be used, for example printable plastic films.

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'un emballage du type blister selon un premier mode de réalisation de l'invention,
• la figure 2 est une vue de dessus du blister de la figure 1,
• la figure 3 est une vue en coupe suivant III-III de la figure 2,
• la figure 4 est une vue de détail agrandie des godrons représentés sur la figure 3,
• la figure 5 est une vue en élévation de l'empreinte utilisée pour la formation des godrons,
• la figure 6 est une représentation schématique de l'emballage suivant un autre mode de réalisation.

Other advantages and characteristics will appear more clearly on reading several embodiments of the present invention, as well as the drawings in which:

• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a blister type packaging according to a first embodiment of the invention,
• FIG. 2 is a top view of the blister of FIG. 1,
• FIG. 3 is a sectional view along III-III of FIG. 2,
• FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the gadroons shown in FIG. 3,
• FIG. 5 is an elevation view of the imprint used for the formation of gadroons,
• Figure 6 is a schematic representation of the packaging according to another embodiment.

The packaging, shown in Figure 1, is made from a thermoformable material and comprises a shell 1 surrounded by a flange 2. According to the invention and in a preferred embodiment, the shell 1 includes a recessed area or cavity 3 in which is provided at least a godron 4 undercut and located at a certain distance from the bottom 5 of the recessed area 3 so that, for example, there is a label informative 6, between bottom 5 and gadroon 4.

Preferably, the hollow area 3 which is in the form of a cavity, comprises on its inner periphery 12 two gadroons in look at each other and, preferably, four gadroons 4 arranged in a cross, one of which 4 'is more pronounced in order to prevent rotation of the label 6 (figure 2).

Figure 3 is a cross section of the blister shell according to III-III. We can see the main hull 1, the cavity 3 intended to receive label 6 and gadroons 4.

Figure 4 is a detail of Figure 3 showing the cavity 3 provided gadroons 4, the bottom 5 of which is convex and the label (5) held between the bottom 5 and the gadroons 4.

In a preferred embodiment, the gadroons 4 are have the general shape of an S with two adjacent parts 7 and 8 forming an angle between them, which allows easier insertion of the label 6 in the housing 9 formed between the bottom 5 and the gadroons 4.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a 400 µm thick PVC film, transparent, usually work for thermoforming blisters. From this heated sheet around 250 ° C, the shell is thermoformed by penetration of a footprint through a preforming frame. To form the gadroons, the imprint male, represented by figure 5, which in a usual way, has the form exact shape of the hull, includes undercuts 10 of about 0.5 mm depth and at the bottom of each of them there are ducts 11 which are can be depressed during thermoforming. This depression plate the flexible film on the walls of the imprint and in particular at the bottom of each of these bodies 10 to form as many gadroons on the inner periphery of the shell 1. After the film has cooled on the imprint, an air pressure is sent through the conduits 11 in order to facilitate removing the fingerprint. The film is then cut in the conventional manner. At when the hull is used, that is to say during the packaging of the articles, we use a label (which is, in this example, in light card stock) which is equal in size to that of cavity 3 and this label is slipped to the bottom of said cavity. Slight pressure allows it to pass behind all the gadroons where it remains then a prisoner. Note that the convexity of the bottom of the cavity allows elastic deformation of the label which facilitates its positioning. After fitting the label which is visible here by transparency through the bottom of the cavity, the blister is used in the usual way until the end of conditioning.

The above example has been described for a common realization of the invention, and should not be considered as limiting. So without going out within the scope of the invention, numerous variants are possible for take advantage of the new system.

For example, the cavity 3 can be re-entrant as shown in Figure 6. This arrangement is particularly well suited to the presentation of articles in the form of rolls, the label then finding place in the support tube. According to this provision, the label, which is put in place on the outside of the blister, can be installed after the end of the packaging of the product and, in particular, just before shipment. According to this same arrangement, the label being visible directly, we can use a non-transparent thermoformable material.

Another variant consists in forming the cavity according to the example of realization described above to obtain the label inside the packaging, and cut a window in part of the bottom of the cavity so that the label appears through this window without it being necessary to use a transparent material to thermoform the blister.

This new type of blister finds its application whenever it is important to provide information for a packaged item: items products, food products, DIY accessories or household accessories. According to an aspect of respect for the environment, for example the use of a transparent PET film and a label cardstock provides incinerable packaging; likewise, the use of a stamped cardboard packaging and a paper label do not requires no adhesive and provides fully biodegradable packaging and quickly.

Another advantage of the blister according to the invention is to provide a packaging generally less expensive than known packaging.

Another advantage of the blister type packaging according to the present invention is to allow the insertion of an informative label, depending the country of destination of the packaged product. Indeed, the labels which are produced separately and written in different languages, are introduced in time of product packaging. This avoids manufacturing and storage of previously printed packaging and / or products on which information is affixed in several languages.

Claims (6)

1. Blister type package formed by a thermoformed shell, characterised in that it comprises a hollow zone (3) protruding from the shell, provided on its internal periphery with at least one bead (4) or undercut lug able to retain a label of a size matched to the cavity in the base (5) thereof, the base (5) being formed by the wall opposite the opening defined by the bead (4) or beads.
2. Package according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises at least four beads (4) disposed in a cross shape.
3. Package according to claim 2, characterised in that one of the beads (4') is more pronounced and that the beads (4) each have two adjacent parts (7, 8) which form an angle with each other.
4. Package according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the base (5) of the hollow zone (3) curves outwards.
5. Package according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the hollow zone (3) is accessible via the internal face of the package.
6. Package according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that it is produced from a transparent material, the label being visible through the base of the hollow zone.

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