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
  • B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
  • B65D85/70—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for materials not otherwise provided for
  • B65D85/804—Disposable containers or packages with contents which are mixed, infused or dissolved in situ, i.e. without having been previously removed from the package
  • B65D85/808—Disposable containers or packages with contents which are mixed, infused or dissolved in situ, i.e. without having been previously removed from the package for immersion in the liquid to release part or all of their contents, e.g. tea bags
  • B65D85/812—Disposable containers or packages with contents which are mixed, infused or dissolved in situ, i.e. without having been previously removed from the package for immersion in the liquid to release part or all of their contents, e.g. tea bags with features facilitating their manipulation or suspension
• • 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
  • B65B29/00—Packaging of materials presenting special problems
  • B65B29/02—Packaging of substances, e.g. tea, which are intended to be infused in the package
  • B65B29/04—Attaching, or forming and attaching, string handles or tags to tea bags

Definitions

• This invention relates to packets containing infusion material, such as tea or coffee, and provided with a drawstring or thread for contracting the package to extract moisture after infusion.
• infusion material such as tea or coffee
• the present invention provides, in accordance with one of its aspects, a method of producing a packet comprising a pair of sealed compartments containing doses of infusion material and joined together at opposite ends of the packet, a drawstring between the two compartments, the compartments being initially arranged end to end joined by a connecting region at one end of the packet, an intermediate portion of the length of the drawstring being attached to the connecting region before the compartments are doubled over to bring their ends remote from the connecting region together at the other end of the packet w th pull portions of said drawstring extending from said intermediate portion and running between the compartments to said other end of the packet, the compartments being secured together at said other end in a manner which permits movement of said pull portions of the drawstring to contract the packet by drawing the opposite ends towards each other.
• the respective pull portions of the drawstring are detachably secured to each of the compartments intermediate the length of the respective compartment before the compartments are doubled over.
• the pull portions can conveniently have ends projecting from said other end of the packet which, when said remote ends of the compartments are brought together, are attached to respective external tag means to make manipulation of the drawstring easier.
• an infusion packet comprising a pair of sealed compartments containing infusion material and oined together at opposite ends of the packet, and a drawstring secured by a portion intermediate its length to a connecting region between the two compartments at one of said ends, the drawstring comprising pull portions extending between the compartments from sa d secured portion to said other end of the packet to be movably held at said other end, whereby said pull portions can be tensioned to contract the packet.
• the drawstring is conveniently fixed by sealing means to an inner face of said end connecting region, preferably at a location that does not coincide with the walls forming the compartments.
• the drawstring is so secured to said region that it spans substantially the full width of the compartments at said one end.
• the pull portions between the compartments are preferably so arranged that they continue from a respective laterally offset region of said end connecting region to an oppositely offset region at the other end of the packet.
• each pull portion has an excess length, that is to say a length greater than the shortest drawstring path between the opposite ends of the packet, retained between said two ends of the packet by releasable attachment to the compartment walls. By retaining these additional lengths of drawstring between the compartments the packet can be made more convenient to use. It may be preferred to gather the excess lengths at least mainly adjacent said other end of the packet . Conveniently, the excess lengths are attached to their respective compartments in a serpentine pattern that may extend substantially across the width of each compartment .
• the compartments are so connected together at said other end of the packet as to leave free channels between them in which the drawstring pull portions are held captive but are freely slidable .
• Fig. la to Id show a series of steps in the formation of an infusion packet according to the invention
• Fig. 2 shows the packet produced by the method illustrated in Fig. 1,
• Fig. 3 illustrates a pair of compartments forming a second infusion packet according to the invention, with its drawstring, in an intermediate stage of the manufacture of the packet,
• Figs. 4 and 5 are mutually transverse views of a later stage of the manufacture of the second packet
• Fig- 6 illustrates the completed packet
• Fig. 7 shows another pattern of thread as an alternative to the pattern shown in Fig. 3,
• Fig. 8 illustrates a modification of the packet in Fig. 5
• Fig. 9 illustrates the packet of Fig. 8 after the excess thread has been drawn out from between the compartments
• Fig. 10 illustrates a further alternative pattern of thread, in an analogous manner to Fig. 7.
• Figs, la to Id illustrate a series of process steps that can be carried out on a continuous web of heat- sealable material to form a packet envelope as the web moves through successive operating stations.
• doses of infusion material 2 are deposited on the initially flat web 4.
• the side margins of the web are then folded over and heat-sealed together with a longitudinal seal 6 to form a flat tube which contains the doses (Fig. lb) .
• Transverse strip-form seals 8,10 are next made at intervals to seal the individual doses into separate compartments 12a, 12b (Fig. lc) .
• each packet resulting from these steps comprises a pair of compartments 12 end to end, joined together at one end of the packet by the sealing strip 8 and closed at the other end of the packet by the rather narrower sealing strips 10.
• a looped thread of a drawstring 14 is now placed onto one compartment 12a of the pair.
• the loop may be formed onto the web material or it can be transferred to it after being preformed.
• An intermediate portion 16 of the loop is located on the connecting region formed by the seal strip 8 (Fig. Id) and the ends 18 of the drawstring extend over the seal strip 10 at the opposite end of the compartment.
• the projecting ends 18 are held in a tag 20.
• the thread is permanently secured to the seal strip 8 and to the tag 20, eg. by heat sealing. It is also releasably attached to the compartment wall, eg. by tacking heat welds (not shown) at intervals along the convoluted pattern in which it lies on that wall.
• the pair of compartments 12a, 12b are then doubled over to bring them face to face, the separation of the pairs of compartments normally having been completed by this stage, and enclose the drawstring thread loop between them.
• the seal strip 8 is folded along its length to shape a V-form connecting region projecting inwardly between the compartments.
• the free ends of the compartments are heat- sealed together at their sealed edges 10 but unsealed passages are left where the thread ends run between those edges.
• the tack welds between the thread loop and the wall of the compartment 12a can be released and the surplus length of the thread loop can be loosely drawn out from the space between the compartments.
• the packet can then be infused while the tag remains dry, outside the liquid. After infusion, the tag is separated into two parts by tearing through its central perforations 24. By then pulling the drawstring ends 18 away from each other the free lengths of thread form pull portions that draw the top and bottom of the compartments together, contracting the bag and squeezing liquid from the compartments.
• the manner in which the drawstring loop runs substantially from the two ends of the connecting seal strip to diagonally opposite, widely spaced locations at the top of the packet spreads the squeezing action on the infused material .
• a flattened tubular web of envelope material from which the packet is formed is shown divided into two separate compartments 32a, 32b by a pair of similar transverse heat seals 34a, 34b forming a central connecting region 36, and the compartments being closed at their remote, other ends by further transverse seals 38a, 38b.
• Each compartment contains a dose of infusible material (not shown) which is inserted before it is sealed closed.
• a drawstring 40 is laid onto the pair of compartments in a pattern comprising a first entry run 42 of the thread passing longitudinally of the web over the end transverse seal 38a near one side edge 44a of the compartments, a convoluted run 46 comprising two serpentine folds partly overlapping that end seal and extending nearly the full width of the tubular web.
• the convoluted run 46 terminates near the opposite side edge 44b to the entry run 42, and the thread layout continues in a straight run 48 along the compartment extending close to that opposite side edge 44b to the connecting region 36.
• the thread then passes in a transverse run 50 over the centre of the connecting region 36 extending across almost the full lateral extent of the tubular web and the pattern is repeated in an inverted form on the other of the two compartments, the corresponding runs of thread being designated by the same reference numbers with the added suffix "a" .
• the thread is attached to the web, conveniently by heat sealing (although as in all the examples an adhesive may be used instead) , with a permanent bond of the transverse run 50 in the connecting region and with weaker, detachable bonds of the other runs, sufficient to retain the thread in the pattern in which it has been laid, but able to be released to allow these parts of the drawstring to act as a pair of pull portions in use.
• the attachments of the convoluted runs 46,46a can be confined entirely to the regions of the end seals 38a,38b to ensure that there is no risk of rupturing the compartment walls.
• a continuous tubular web is formed with a series of transverse heat seals in a continuous dosing and sealing process as described in the first example, the pairs of compartments being thereby formed as a continuous series joined end to end and being separated at a later stage.
• the drawstring can be laid in a continuous length onto the web while the pairs of compartments remain joined together. It may be noted that although the drawstring pattern will run in a continuous manner along successive pairs of compartments, in each succeeding pair of compartments it will be laid in a mirror image to the pattern in the preceding pair of compartments .
• Each pair of compartments is separated from the continuous web length after the drawstring has been attached to them in the pattern described. The pair of compartments are then folded together about their connecting region to bring their mutually remote ends together.
• a folded tag card 58 preferably having a heat sealing coating on its inner faces, is brought over the joined ends, partly overlapping the end seal, and the card is heat-sealed in place. Transverse lines of weakening 56 are then formed in the end seal regions, coincident with the edge of the tag card substantially in the middle of the width of the seal . In sealing of the folded tag card in place, the entry runs of the drawstring are permanently secured between the web walls where they are overlapped by the tag card. Manufacture of the packet is now complete, although for packaging the tag card may be folded over as shown in Fig. 6, to make the packet more compact.
• folded tag card 58 can be replaced by a flat tag card attached to one side of the joined ends of the packet.
• the tag card 58 is torn from the main body of the packet along the line of weakening 56, but it remains attached to the main body by the two entry runs 42,42a of the thread held movably in the remaining portion of the end seal between the line of weakening and the boundary 52.
• the card has a central line of weakening 60 allowing it to be separated into two tags, each attached to one of the entry runs . By then drawing the two tags apart the detachable bonds of the convoluted runs 46,46a can be ruptured and that part of the drawstring can be drawn out from between the compartments.
• the packet can now be infused, with the two tags hanging free of the liquid which the packet is immersed.
• Fig. 7 shows an alternative layout of the drawstring thread that can be used, for example, in the packet of Fig. 3. The excess thread is accommodated in zig-zag patterns 70,70a that extend from the central run 50 over the length and width of the packet rather than only the width as in Fig. 3.
• Figs. 8 and 9 The packet of Figs. 8 and 9 is generally similar to that shown in Figs. 4-6 and corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference numbers .
• the ends seals joining the two compartments together are now formed so as to leave open channels 62 through which the entry runs
• FIG. 9 illustrates the bag at the stage at which the excess thread has been drawn out from between the compartments, in preparation for immersing the bag to infuse its contents, but before the two tags have been separated and used to pull the drawstring and contract the packet.
• Fig. 10 shows a further alternative layout of the drawstring 14 that can be used in the packets described above, eg. the packet of Fig. 3.
• excess thread is arranged in two convoluted runs 80,80a which can be disposed remote from the central run 50, in the regions of the end seals of the tubular web (not shown) similarly to the runs 46,46a of Fig. 3.
• the thread is looped acros ⁇ the width of the web in three paBses as in the rune 46,46a of Fig. 3, but now overlapping.
• the methods of formation of the sealed compartments from the web material can ba conventional and may be performed with existing apparatus.
• the formation of the thread loops and their addition to the packets can be incorporated relatively simply in this proces ⁇ .
• the method of the invention allows any desired length of drawstring thread to be provided m a packet in a manner that is secure, and in particular that minimises the risk of leaving thread hanging freely where packets might become entangled. It is possible to have a wide choice for the configuration of the thread loop without affecting the construction of the packet compartments themselves.
• Another feature of the Illustrated examples is that the attachment of the thread need not weaken the packet and in particular the thread is not permanently attached to a compartment wall where the tension applied through the thread might rupture a compartment and allow its solid contents to escape.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)
• Infusion, Injection, And Reservoir Apparatuses (AREA)
• Medicines Containing Material From Animals Or Micro-Organisms (AREA)
• Bag Frames (AREA)
• Medical Preparation Storing Or Oral Administration Devices (AREA)
• Pharmaceuticals Containing Other Organic And Inorganic Compounds (AREA)

Priority Applications (2)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=8221402

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (14)

Families Citing this family (7)

Family Cites Families (8)

• 1996
  • 1996-11-15 AU AU75817/96A patent/AU721532B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1996-11-15 EA EA199800379A patent/EA000262B1/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1996-11-15 DE DE69612109T patent/DE69612109T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1996-11-15 WO PCT/GB1996/002811 patent/WO1997019005A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 1996-11-15 MY MYPI96004757A patent/MY121214A/en unknown
  • 1996-11-15 PL PL96326672A patent/PL186465B1/pl not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1996-11-15 JP JP51947797A patent/JP3838376B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1996-11-15 CA CA002237933A patent/CA2237933C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1996-11-15 AT AT96938366T patent/ATE199696T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1996-11-15 ES ES96938366T patent/ES2155630T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1996-11-15 ZA ZA9609614A patent/ZA969614B/xx unknown
  • 1996-11-15 EP EP96938366A patent/EP0865391B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1996-11-15 TR TR1998/00873T patent/TR199800873T2/xx unknown
• 1997
  • 1997-03-09 SA SA97170689A patent/SA97170689B1/ar unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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