Classifications

• • 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
  • B65D75/00—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes, or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers
  • B65D75/52—Details
  • B65D75/58—Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture
  • B65D75/5861—Spouts
  • B65D75/5872—Non-integral spouts
  • B65D75/5883—Non-integral spouts connected to the package at the sealed junction of two package walls
• • 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
  • B65D35/00—Pliable tubular containers adapted to be permanently or temporarily deformed to expel contents, e.g. collapsible tubes for toothpaste or other plastic or semi-liquid material; Holders therefor
  • B65D35/02—Body construction
  • B65D35/12—Connections between body and closure-receiving bush

Definitions

• Prior art comprises containers having a body equipped with a neck with coupling means for mounting a cap, so that the user may re-close the container after use.
• Such containers are described, for example, in FR-A- 1.256.962, CH-A-495.888, BE-A-556.274.
• FR-A-2.045.375 discloses a funnel for a sachet having a pair of diametrically opposed outwardly projecting wings providing side abutments for edge portions of opposing flexible walls of the sachet, the wings also supplying additional welding material during the heat-sealing of the edge portions.
• a difficulty arises in positioning the funnel with respect to a longitudinal axis of the container before the wings are sealed to the respective edge portions of the flexible walls.
• the problem solved by the present invention is to improve existing containers made from opposing shells joined together around a peripheral seal, and/or their manufacture.
• a method of producing a container comprising introducing to between parts of sheet material in a peripheral zone of said parts an insert comprised of a tubular wall intended to define an outlet from an interior of a container body to be provided by said parts, and sealing said parts and said insert to each other in said peripheral zone, characterized in that said introducing is preceded by forming said parts as respective shells.
• a container comprising a body the interior of which communicates with an outlet for discharging contents of said container, said container being comprised of first and second semi-rigid shells which provide the body and are sealed together around their peripheries, and an insert which is located and sealed between said shells and which comprises a tubular wall defining said outlet and having a detent extending therearound, characterized in that at least one of said shells includes a corrugation extending around said tubular wall and engaging said detent.
• a container comprising a body the interior of which communicates with an outlet for discharging contents of said container, said container being comprised of first and second semi-rigid shells which provide the body and are sea-led together around their peripheries, and an insert which is located and sealed between said shells and which comprises a tubular wall defining said outlet and at least one wing projecting laterally outwards from said tubular wall, characterized in that the or each win ⁇ r is the form of a comb with teeth pointing outwardly and is sealed between said shells.
• an insert comprising a tubular wall and at least one wing laterally projecting from said tubular wall, characterized in that the or each wing is the form o:: a comb with teeth pointing outwardly.
• a container pre-form comprising first and second semi-rigid shells which provide a body for the container and which are sealed together around no more than a major part of their peripheries, characterized in that those respective portions of said shells which are not sealed at the peripheries include respective diametrically opposite troughs at least one of which is formed at its inside surface with a detent. Owing to the invention, it is possible to improve the conventional thermoformed containers, and/or their manufacture.
• Figure 1 is a perspective view of the upper part of a container with a screw cap unscrewed
• Figure 2 is a perspective view of an insert with a respective screw cap unscrewed
• Figure 3 is an interrupted perspective view of a container preform defined by a pair of shells blow thermoformed by respective sheets, the shells being only partially welded together along their peripheral edge;
• Figure 4 is a side view of the insert shown in Figure 2;
• Figure 5 is a partially sectioned view from the right of Figure 4;
• Figure 6 is an enlarged transverse section taken along line VI-VI of Figure 4.
• Figure 7 is a longitudinal section of an insert equipped with an axially slideable snap cap and provided with opposing wings having the shape of a comb;
• Figure 8 is a perspective view of a container preform sealed along its edge for receiving the comb-winged insert of Figure 7;
• Figure 9 is a schematic side view of a blow thermoforming machine having an inserting station for positioning the insert into an opening of filled container pre-forms;
• Figure 10 is a schematic transverse section taken along line X-X of Figure 9.
• a pair of shells 1, opposed and joined along their edges by means of a heat weld 2 defines the body of a container having a neck 3 with a tubular insert 4 protruding outwards and provided with, at its outer end, a thread 5 on which may be engaged by screwing a hollow cap 6, with internal thread.
• the insert 4 is made up of a tubular body 7 ( Figure 2), defining, with an axial through hole 8 with which it is provided internally, the flow section for the product out of and into the container; from the external surface of the tubular body 7, in correspondence with a diametrically axial plane, project a pair of fins 9, or wings, that are held between corresponding peripheral zones 2a of the heat seal 2 of the neck 3.
• the tubular body 7 is provided with a peripheral external groove 10, in which the material of the shells 1 forming the base of the neck 3, or an intermediate portion of it, is forced to adhere.
• the provision of the groove prevents the insert from moving in linear directions along a longitudinal axis of the neck.
• the weld 2 which is obtained as a result of a blow thermoforming process, is interrupted at a transverse line A substantially corresponding to the inner end, or base, of the neck 3 in such a way that the shells themselves define a pair of flaps la adjacent to each other between which the insert 4 may be introduced with the fins 9 positioned between the flaps.
• each flap that has to engage in the groove 10 is provided with an inwardly projecting annular projection 11 for the axial positioning of the insert, and intended subsequently to co-operate with the groove 10 to provide a more reliable and safe seal when the heat weld has been extended to the portions 2a.
• the insert 4 may be provided, at one of its ends, with a pair of comb-shaped opposing wings 9a, each formed by relatively thin and flexible teeth 13.
• the other end of the insert 4 is provided with a slidable cap 14 movable between a closing position (shown in Figure 7) in which it closes a passage 15 for the product, and a open position, in which the product can be exited from the container by sqeezing via a hole 16 and the passage 15.
• the movement of the cap 14 between the open position and the closing position is operated manually, the cap being provided with guide means, i.e. internally projecting appendexes 17 engaged by axially extending grooves of the insert 4.
• a container preform intended to receive the insert 4 of Figure 7, and particularly the comb- shaped wings 9a, is blown thermoformed so as to provide opposing shells which are peripherally sealed at their outline along a heat-seal 2, extended so as to define also a neck 3 of the container.
• the insert 4 is introduced by axially pushing it into an opening 19 of the neck 3; therefore-the flexible teeth 13 are bent upwardly so as to completely fill any gaps between the shells and the insert.
• a blow thermoforming machine having, in sequence, forming stations 20 at which at least one sheet of thermoformable material is thermoformed so as to obtain opposing shells therefrom defining containers pre-forms 21, at least one filling station 22 at which the container pre ⁇ form 21 are filled with a fluid product, may be provided with inserting means 23 for positioning the inserts 4 into respective neck portions 3 of containers pre-forms 21 already filled with product.
• sealing means are provided to seal the insert into the neck.
• the inserting means 23 may be located before the filling station 22 into container pre-forms 21 not filled with product and screwing means (not shown) may be located after the filling station 22 for screwing the cap 6 on the threaded portion 5 of the insert 4.
• the inserting means 23 comprises clamp means 24 (shown in an open position) suitable for holding one insert 4 above a corresponding top opening of a container pre-form 21, said clamp means 24 being movable in a vertical direction along an axis Z for inserting the insert 4 in said top opening, releasing the insert into the opening and going back to its original position for clamping the next insert.
• the container pre-form 21 is kept in a predetermined location with the opening aligned with the vertical, axis Z by centering means 25 comprising a pair of sucker means 25 movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis Z.
• the container preform 21 may be have non-welded flaps la, as shown in Figure 2, so that the sucker means 25 may act on opposing flaps la of the container preform in order to divaricate them to an extent suitable for allowing the detent 10 of the insert 4 to engage with the corresponding corrugation 11 of the shells.
• the centering means 25 clamps the neck of the container preform so as to achieve alignment with the axis Z, but no divarication of the shells forming the container is required.
• Inserts 4 are stores in tubular storing means 26, to which the inserts are fed by feeding means not shown, so that a pile of inserts 4 is obtained in said tubular storing means ending at an open lower end thereof, where the lower insert 4 rests on trasferring means 27 for transferring that insert from a neutral position in alignment with the open end of said tubular means to an operative position on the axis Z where the clamp means 24 may hold the insert before inserting it into the opening 19 of the container pre-form.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Blow-Moulding Or Thermoforming Of Plastics Or The Like (AREA)
• Containers Having Bodies Formed In One Piece (AREA)
• Closures For Containers (AREA)
• Packging For Living Organisms, Food Or Medicinal Products That Are Sensitive To Environmental Conditiond (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=11385957

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (9)

Families Citing this family (1)

Family Cites Families (6)

• 1995
  • 1995-11-07 IT IT95MO000153A patent/IT1279877B1/it active IP Right Grant
• 1996
  • 1996-11-07 EP EP96938159A patent/EP0859723A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1996-11-07 JP JP9517867A patent/JPH11514616A/ja active Pending
  • 1996-11-07 WO PCT/EP1996/004900 patent/WO1997017268A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1996-11-07 CA CA002236026A patent/CA2236026A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1996-11-07 AU AU75685/96A patent/AU7568596A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1996-11-07 BR BR9611314-6A patent/BR9611314A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1996-11-07 CN CN96198149.0A patent/CN1201430A/zh active Pending
• 1998
  • 1998-05-06 MX MX9803586A patent/MX9803586A/es unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events