EP1243514A1

EP1243514A1 - Process for realising box-shaped packages with thermoplastic film sheets and packaging obtained therefrom

Info

Publication number: EP1243514A1
Application number: EP01201030A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Pietro Di Bernardo
Original assignee: Interdibipack SpA
Current assignee: Interdibipack SpA
Priority date: 2001-03-20
Filing date: 2001-03-20
Publication date: 2002-09-25
Also published as: US20020134052A1

Abstract

A process for the realisation of box-shaped packagings with thermoplastic film sheets foresees the use of at least one film sheet of thermoplastic material (12, 13), bound to a flap (14, 15) of a box (11), when the same is placed in a laid down configuration, and comprises the following steps; placing the box (11) in such a way as to be able to take said film sheets (12, 13) away, leaving the bottom of the box (11) accessible; inserting the products (21) in the box (11); wrapping the products (21) into said film sheets (12, 13); heating the content of the box (11) with means for providing a concentrated ventilation from the top; and, once the shrinking of the thermoplastic material has occurred, closing the box (11) at the open side.

Description

The present invention relates to a process for realising box-shaped packagings with thermoplastic film sheets.
The purpose of the present invention is also to provide a box-shaped packaging realised with thermoplastic film sheets.
As known, many box-shaped packagings exist, which contain different products that are protected in turn with protecting wrappings, generally realised with films or plastic films.
In such packagings, the products contained in the protecting wrappings are inserted in boxes together with filling material such as polystyrene flakes or panels that block the products inside the boxes and protect them against possible crashes.
Such packaging and subsequent boxing operations are time consuming and troublesome and therefore are also very expensive.
Moreover, a packaging realised according to the conventionel process, requires as it has been noted, a large amount of filling material, that anyway implies further costs for its disposal.
The filling material represents a waste material and its use should be avoided in order to decrease the environmental pollution.
A purpose of the present invention is therefore to provide a process for the realisation of box-shaped packaging with thermoplastic film sheets that is quick, easy and substantially cost-effective.
A further purpose of the invention is to realise a packaging process that does not imply the use of tailor-made or anyway special machines.
Another purpose of the invention is to provide a process that enables to realise packagings for boxed products with less damages to the environment.
Another purpose of the invention is to realise a packaging process that can be applied to box particularly delicate products.
These and other purposes according to the present invention are achieved with a process for the realisation of box-shaped packaging with thermoplastic film sheets according to claim 1, to which reference is made for sake of brevity.
Further features of the process according to the invention and the product obtained therefrom are defined in the claims attached to the present patent application.
Further purposes and advantages of the process according to the invention and of the product obtained therefrom will appear more clearly from the following exemplificative and non-limiting description made with reference to the attached drawings illustrating the different steps of the process according to the invention. In such drawings:

figure 1 shows schematically a cardboard box to which two thermoplastic film sheets are bound, according to the teaching of a first embodiment of the process according to the invention;
figure 2 shows a box having thermoplastic film sheets bound inside and packaged in order to be stored before implementing the process according to the invention;
figure 3 shows a box placed in order to be closed on the bottom starting from the flaps which are not covered by the film;
figure 4 shows a box sealed on the outside of the bottom;
figure 5 shows a box placed in the usual filling position with protruding film sheets laid on the flaps;
figure 6 shows products laid on the bottom inside the box;
figure 7 shows the products wrapped in the film while being heated with external means;
figure 8 shows a box with products wrapped in the shrunk film and bound to the bottom;
figure 9 shows a packaged, sealed box containing products;
figure 10 shows schematically a cardboard box to which just one thermoplastic film sheet has been bound, according to teaching of a second embodiment of the process of the invention; and
figures 11 and 12 show a box in two steps of the embodiment of the invention of figure 10.

Referring to figures 1-9, the process of the invention is accomplished starting from an open cardboard box 11, onto which two thermoplastic film sheet 12 and 13 are bound, the whole being referred to with reference numeral 10.
More in particular the thermoplastic film sheets used in the present invention can be heat-shrinking film sheets or heat-welding film sheets.
The film sheets 12 and 13 are bound to the long flaps 14 and 15 of the box 11 in laid down arrangement.
In particular the film sheet 12 and 13 can be bound to the long flaps 14 and 15 of the box 11 in different ways: for example they can be embedded, glued, welded, clipped or sewed.
When the products 21 must be packaged, the suitable size of the box 11 is chosen, and the box is opened and the bottom part is sealed starting from the flaps 16 and 17, that are not included in the film 12 and 13.
In particular the box 11 can be sealed from the outside of the bottom part, for example by means of a sealing tape 18; such operation makes the reopening of the box 11 easier.
Afterwards, the box 11 is turned over and the flaps 14 and 15, provided with the film 12 and 13, respectively, and the flaps 19 and 20 are taken away, leaving the bottom part of the box 11 uncovered.
Then the products 21 are introduced, which wrap inside the film sheets 12 and 13, which are laid the one upon the other at least in the middle.
The content of the box 11 is heated through means for providing a concentrated ventilation from the top (not shown), whereby such heating process is schematically showed by the arrows in figure 7.
Examples of means for providing a concentrated ventilation from the top that can be used are: an oven with a ventilation concentrated from the top, a small tower with ventilation concentrated from the top, one or a series of even manual blowers, such as for example a gun with ventilation concentrated from the top.
After having welded the two sides together and after the shrinkage of the films 12 and 13, the box 11 is sealed on the opened side, in a manual or mechanic way, for example by means of a sealing tape 22.
In such a way the so obtained packaging can be easily opened from the bottom.
It has to be noted that in view of the disposal, the shrunk film sheets 12 and 13 can be detached and separated from the cardboard of the box 11.
Moreover onto the bottom of the box 11 a soft material can be positioned if very delicate products have to be packaged.
According to the above described process, a box-shaped packaging is obtained, comprising two film sheets of thermoplastic or heat-shrinking material 12 and 13, bound to opposite flaps 14 and 15 of the box 11, wherein inside the wrapped and heated sheets 12 and 13, products 21 to be packaged are inserted.
It is also possible to add a third sheet to complete the packaging and make it more resistant.
The figures 10-12 schematically show a cardboard box 11 to which a thermoplastic or a heat-shrinking film 12 has been bound, according to the teachings of a second embodiment of the process of the invention. In this case the film 12 is made pass onto the flap of the box 11 opposite to the one to which it is bounded and the lateral flaps are closed above the film 12.
Thereafter the process proceeds according to the teachings of the figures 4-9.
With this second embodiment, a high tensile strength can be obtained and the fixing operations with complicated machines can be avoided.
Also in this case the film sheet 12 can be obviously bound to the respective flap of the box 11 in different ways: for example it can be embedded, glued, welded, clipped or sewed.
According to the process of the invention and the alternative embodiment above described a box-shaped packaging is obtained comprising just one film sheet 12 of a thermoplastic material or a heat-shrinking one, boundto the flap of the box 11 and that can be wrapped and heated and inside which the products 21 to be packaged are inserted.
The above description clarifies the features of the process for the realisation of box-shaped packaging with thermoplastic film sheets, that is to say the object of the present invention, as well as its advantages.
In particular these advantages consist in that, according to the new process for box-shaped packaging, no specific machines are used and therefore it is easier and cheaper.
Moreover, the process of the invention can be used for boxes with different sizes.
The process according to the invention can realise a packaging that protects and blocks in the box the products and that can be easily opened from the bottom and that can also be used for packaging very delicate products, due to the fastening effect of shrinkage.
It has to be noted that the cardboard box to which the thermoplastic film sheets are bound can be easily stored in packs with different sizes, before implementing the process of the invention.
Finally, it is clear that many modifications may be made to the present invention, without exiting from this from the novelty principles inherent to the inventive idera.
Moreover in the practical implementation of the invention, the materials, the forms and the sizes of the details illustrated, can be of any type according to the requirements, and they can be replaced with technically equivalent elements.

Claims

Process for the realisation of box-shaped packagings with thermoplastic film sheets characterised in that it provides for the use of at least one film sheet of thermoplastic material (12, 13), bound to a flap of a box (11), when this is arranged in a laid down configuration, comprising the following steps; placing the box (11) in such a way as to be able to take at least partially said film sheet (12, 13) away, leaving the bottom of the box (11) accessible, inserting the products (21) in the box (11), wrapping the products (21) in said film sheets (12, 13), heating the content of the box (11) with means for providing a concentrated ventilation from the top, and, once the shrinking of the thermoplastic material has occurred, closing the box (11) on the open side.
Process, according to claim 1, characterised in that it provides for the use of a pair of film sheets of thermoplastic material (12, 13), bound to the long flaps (14, 15) of said box (11), when it is arranged in laid down configuration, which are placed the one upon the other at least in the middle of the bottom of the box.
Process according to claim 1, characterised in that it foresees a step in which a soft material is placed onto the bottom of the box (11), if delicate products have to be packaged.
Process according to claim 1, characterised in that the means for providing a concentrated ventilation from the top are chosen among: an oven with a ventilation concentrated from the top, a small tower with ventilation concentrated from the top, one or a plurality of even manual blowers.
Process according to claim 1, characterised in that the film sheets (12, 13) can be bound to the long flaps (14, 15) of the box (11) by means of embedding, gluing, welding, clipping or sewing.
Process according to claim 1, characterised in that said film sheets (12, 13) are heat-shrinking film sheets.
Box-shaped packaging obtained with the process according to the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises at least a film sheet made of thermoplastic or heat-shrinking material (12, 13) bound to a flap of the box (11), wherein inside said film sheet (12, 13) made of thermoplastic material, which is wrapped around and heated, products (21) to be packaged are inserted.
Box-shaped packaging according to claim 7, characterised in that it comprises two film sheets (12, 13) made of thermoplastic or heat-shrinking material bound to opposite flaps (14, 15) of the box (11) inside which products (21) to be packaged are inserted.