EP1502867A1 - Wegwerfbehälter aus Plasik - Google Patents

Wegwerfbehälter aus Plasik Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1502867A1
EP1502867A1 EP03017258A EP03017258A EP1502867A1 EP 1502867 A1 EP1502867 A1 EP 1502867A1 EP 03017258 A EP03017258 A EP 03017258A EP 03017258 A EP03017258 A EP 03017258A EP 1502867 A1 EP1502867 A1 EP 1502867A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
receptacle
walls
hinge
hinge lines
lines
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.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP03017258A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Ian C. Grimbly
Clive B. Hammond
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Cryovac LLC
Original Assignee
Cryovac LLC
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Cryovac LLC filed Critical Cryovac LLC
Priority to EP03017258A priority Critical patent/EP1502867A1/de
Publication of EP1502867A1 publication Critical patent/EP1502867A1/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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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
    • B65D1/00—Containers having bodies formed in one piece, e.g. by casting metallic material, by moulding plastics, by blowing vitreous material, by throwing ceramic material, by moulding pulped fibrous material, by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material
    • B65D1/32—Containers adapted to be temporarily deformed by external pressure to expel contents
    • 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
    • B65D1/00—Containers having bodies formed in one piece, e.g. by casting metallic material, by moulding plastics, by blowing vitreous material, by throwing ceramic material, by moulding pulped fibrous material, by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material
    • B65D1/22—Boxes or like containers with side walls of substantial depth for enclosing contents
    • B65D1/26—Thin-walled containers, e.g. formed by deep-drawing operations
    • 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
    • B65D21/08—Containers of variable capacity
    • B65D21/086—Collapsible or telescopic containers

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a disposable plastic container suitable for food packaging.
  • the present invention refers to an open top receptacle for food products made of plastic material and closeable either by film/sheet lidding or film wrapping, which receptacle is designed to be collapsible in a controlled manner to allow the consumer to have an easy access to the food products contained therein.
  • This "controlled collapsibility" would allow the customer either to more easily extract the food from the container and, in case of fast food items, such as cold or hot sandwiches, to consume the food in situ if desired.
  • the sandwich market is heavily dominated by the plastic thermoformed wedge packs, heat-sealed on the open top with a transparent plastic film.
  • This is the most common packaging system for products like sandwiches that are seen in supermarkets, service stations, entertainment venues and other locations where it is important to display food and keep it fresh for at least 2-3 days.
  • One of the problems with this type of packs is the difficulty met by the end users to remove the sandwich from the plastic receptacle without getting dirty.
  • the triangular packs are in fact designed to be a close fit to the sandwich they contain, with the edges of the wedge that are specifically pinched in to keep the comers of the bread together.
  • the first object of the present invention is therefore an open top, semi-rigid, plastic receptacle capable to undergo a partial, reversible, and controlled collapse comprising a bottom and walls upstanding from said bottom and ending up in a continuous flange, wherein said walls comprise opposing parts flaring out from said bottom, each of said opposing parts containing hinge lines, parallel one to the other and substantially orthogonal to the desired direction of the controlled collapse of the receptacle.
  • the receptacle also comprises corrugation lines in the receptacle walls that connect the opposing parts comprising the hinge lines, said corrugation lines being parallel to the hinge lines.
  • Said corrugation lines are preferably positioned in a band of the walls that can be defined isometrically to the band between the lowermost and the uppermost hinge lines in the hinge containing opposing walls.
  • the receptacle also comprises enhanced facets in the receptacle walls that connect the opposing parts comprising the hinge lines. Said facets protrude alternately outboard and inboard, are parallel to the hinge lines, and are positioned in a band of the walls that can be defined isometrically to the band between the lowermost and the uppermost hinge lines in the hinge containing opposing walls.
  • the receptacle also contains ribs, designed to give vertical stiffness to the receptacle walls above and below the collapsible section and lend rigidity to the receptacle bottom.
  • receptacle when referred to "receptacle” is intended to refer to a receptacle that is capable of supporting itself and that has a specific shape, size and volume but whose shape may be reversibly changed by the application of a small pressure, such as the pressure that can normally be exerted by the hand of an adult without undue effort.
  • the receptacle 100 shown in Fig. 1 and in Fig. 2, comprises a bottom 2, which in this embodiment is wedge-shaped, substantially upright sidewalls 3 laterally closing the wedge and creating the long sidewalls of the receptacle and flaring out sidewalls 4 that create the short sidewalls of the receptacle.
  • a top flange 5 is the upper periphery of the receptacle and extends around its open top in a continuous unbroken manner, wherein 5a is the flange portion, which flares from sidewalls 4, and 5b is the flange portion that flares from sidewalls 3.
  • Said top flange 5 is planar, i.e. it lies completely within a plane.
  • the package is stored on the shelves lying on one of the flaring out sidewalls 4 and in that case the plane of the flange 5 will be angularly disposed with respect to the plane of the flaring wall used to support the package.
  • the receptacle 100 of Fig. 1 and 2 comprises on sidewalls 4 two hinge lines, 6a and 6b, that are formed by wave-shaped deformable folds. Said hinge lines are parallel one to the other and in this embodiment parallel to the top flange 5a.
  • the distance 7 between these two hinge lines, as well as the distance between them and the bottom of the receptacle and the flange thereof, will suitably be selected depending on the length of sidewalls 4, on the angle between these sidewalls and the plane of the flange and mainly on the size of collapse desired.
  • two hinge lines as in Fig. 1, there could be more than two, e.g. three, four, or more hinge lines.
  • the width of these hinge lines, indicated in Fig.1 as 8, is very small, typically up to 5 mm, preferably up to 4 mm, more preferably up to 3 or even 2 mm.
  • the two hinge lines 6a and 6b will divide the receptacle into three bands or sections, a lower section comprising the wedge-shaped bottom of the receptacle and up to the lower hinge line 6a, a middle section comprised between the two hinge lines 6a and 6b and a top section from the hinge line 6b to the receptacle flange 5.
  • a lower section comprising the wedge-shaped bottom of the receptacle and up to the lower hinge line 6a
  • a middle section comprised between the two hinge lines 6a and 6b and a top section from the hinge line 6b to the receptacle flange 5.
  • the receptacle in this Fig. 1 is provided with a separation (denesting) feature 11, that in this Figure is positioned in flange 5 at all the internal comers of the receptacle and is of identical shape.
  • the denesting feature is a conic with negative draft in the sidewalls whose top edge is coincidental with the plane of the flange and protrudes outboard of the cavity.
  • This separation feature might also be positioned on only some of the corners and be of a shape different for each comer. Said separation feature 11 is useful to avoid the receptacles 100 telescoping into each other or otherwise locking together, when they are stacked.
  • the standard dimensions of the receptacle 100 that will normally be symmetrical, with sidewalls 4 of the same length and an inner angle of the wedge-shaped bottom comprised between about 90° and about 120°, the length of sidewalls 4 will normally be comprised between 12 and 18 cm, typically about 14-16 cm, and their width will be generally comprised between 5 and 10 cm, typically about 6-8 cm.
  • the two hinge lines may be positioned along sidewalls 4 at a distance of e.g. 4, 5, 6, cm and 8, 9,10 cm respectively from the flange. Their width may be about 2-3 mm.
  • the corrugations lines 9 may be parallel flutes, furrows, ridges, crests or grooves that are formed in the side walls 3, i.e. in the side walls connecting the side walls comprising the hinge lines, in the middle section, i.e. in the virtual section of the receptacle side walls 3 comprised between the plane passing through hinge lines 6a and that passing through hinge lines 6b.
  • the width of the flange is not critical. If the receptacle is closed by heat-sealing a lidding film or sheet onto the flange, then the flange should be at least 3-4 mm wide. If the receptacle is closed by wrapping up, actually the flange may be even smaller than that. In such a case the receptacle will preferably have a flange structure that prevents splitting or tearing of the wrapping film on the edges of the receptacle itself. As an example, the edges of the flange may be rounded or curved downwards and slightly inwardly so that the wrapping film that will be stretched or shrunk over and around the receptacle will not be hit by sharp free edges of the flange structure.
  • a covering lid may be included and unitarily formed with the receptacle.
  • the lid and the receptacle are a single continuous piece of material formed simultaneously with a hinge, formed integrally therewith, which on deformation allows the covering lid to swing backwards and forwards on opening and closing the receptacle.
  • said hinge articulatably linking the receptacle to its lid would be positioned along at least part of one end of flange 5a or 5b of the receptacle, and be flexible enough to allow closure of the receptacle by pivoting the lid around it.
  • the flange 5 of the receptacle and/or the mating surface in the pivotable lid may be provided with means to form a seal there between, such as a layer of an adhesive, or any of the snap fits commonly employed in this field.
  • the variant of this embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 is a receptacle 100 wherein the side walls 4 contain three hinge lines of slightly different size, the intermediate one 6c being smaller that the other two 6a and 6b, and instead of the corrugation lines 9 of the receptacle 100 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, along the side walls 3 there are enhanced facets 12 protruding outboard and inboard so as to direct the fold in a predicted manner and with a minimal intrusion.
  • the inboard migration of the long side walls during collapse of the receptacle will depend on distance between these facets as the collapse will be halted when the lower half 13a meets the upper half 13b. To prevent any detrimental effect on the content the distance between these facets 12 needs to be small.
  • the receptacle 200 of the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 essentially differs from the embodiment of Fig. 1 in that it has a flat bottom 22 instead of a wedge-shaped one.
  • the products that can be packaged therein are typically processed meat (frankfurters, meat loaves, stuffed rolls, and the like) or bakery and the advantages for the end user are the same as seen above, i.e. the possibility of easily removing the product from the package.
  • the flat bottom in the embodiment of Fig. 5 and Fig.6 has substantially a rectangular shape and sidewalls 23 and 24 are all slightly flaring out from the interconnecting flat bottom 22 and are ending in a flange 25, as illustrated in the side views of Fig. 7 and 8.
  • hinge lines There are several parallel hinge lines, indicated as 26 that run all around the sidewalls in a continuous manner. No separate corrugations lines are present and the control of the direction of collapse is obtained by the presence of the hinge lines all around the sidewalls. Ribs are not illustrated in the receptacle of Fig. 5 but they may well be added in the upper section of the sidewalls of the receptacle, in the area above the uppermost hinge line. In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 5 there are two steps 27 in the upper part of the long sidewalls that, when the receptacle is brought into the collapsed status by pressing on the receptacle flange, allow finger access to capture the packaged product.
  • receptacle of this embodiment can be closed are the same as for receptacle 100.
  • Fig. 9 a variant of the embodiment of Fig. 5 is illustrated, where the two steps in the long sidewalls, in this embodiment indicated by numeral 28, have a rounded and elongated shape. This configuration allows finger access and at the same time gives more stiffness to the upper part of the receptacle sidewalls, so that the pressure on the flange will not give any deformation of this portion of the receptacle but will be transmitted to the collapsible portion thereof.
  • Fig. 10 illustrates the same receptacle from a different perspective view (bottom-top).
  • the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 11 represents a receptacle 300, having a flat bottom 32 with an octagonal shape.
  • the receptacle has a succession of alternating longer (33) and shorter (34) sidewalls which contain alternating hinge lines 36, shaped as creases, wherein those along the short side walls, 36a, are intercalated with respect to those in the long side walls, 36b.
  • the sidewalls end with a flange 35 that in this embodiment is structured with a double flange 37, that widens in one comer to form a tab 38.
  • Said tab will facilitate opening of the package when closure of the receptacle is provided by a snap-on system.
  • the cover in such a case will contain a tab not aligned with tab 38 and it will be removed by pulling the two tabs apart.
  • the receptacle illustrated in Fig. 13 and Fig. 14 is a variant of the receptacle 300 of Fig. 11 and 12, wherein the shape of the bottom is essentially that of a chamfered rectangle with long walls 33, short walls 34, and the inclined walls 39, giving the "chamfered" characteristics. Also in this case there are alternating undulations all along the walls (33, 34, and 39) and parallel to the flange, giving a concertina design.
  • the polymeric materials that can be used in the manufacture of the receptacle of the present invention can include any polymers that fulfill the purposes of the invention or which, with the addition of additives can be modified to fulfill the purposes of the invention.
  • Polymers suitable include polyolefins, such as polypropylenes and polyethylenes, polyvinyl chloride, polyesters, co-polyesters, polyamides, co-polyamides, polystyrene, polystyrene copolymers, and the like polymers. It is also possible to use blends of suitable polymers, particularly when one of the components of the blend is used in a minor amount as an impact modifier to increase flexural modulus and crack resistance.
  • the polymeric material used for the receptacle is heat-resistant so that the food product packaged in the receptacle and the receptacle itself are not damaged or contaminated by any exposure to heat, such as by microwaving or by submersion of the closed receptacle in hot water.
  • thermoplastic materials suitable for the manufacture of a microwaveable tray are e.g. polypropylene and propylene co-or ter-polymers, nylons, polystyrene, ethylene-styrene copolymers, polyesters, co-polyesters, polyethylene, particularly irradiated polyethylene, and blends thereof.
  • microwaveable when referred to the package unit according to the present invention, means that under the specific conditions that might be required for thawing, cooking, or re-heating the packaged product into a microwave oven, the packaging material is substantially not deformed (by melting or softening and re-shaping upon cooling) and does not release more than 60 ppm of global contaminants to the packaged food in contact therewith.
  • Gas-barrier properties may be required e.g. to maintain a suitably modified or controlled atmosphere within the package that would prolong the shelf life of the packaged food product.
  • the material used for the receptacle will comprise a gas-barrier layer, typically comprising ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers, nylons, or blends thereof, set in order to provide the materials with an Oxygen Transmission Rate (OTR) (evaluated by following the method described in ASTM D-3985 and using an OX-TRAN instrument by Mocon) lower than 250, preferably lower than 125 cm 3 /m 2 .d.atm, when measured at 23 °C and 0 % of relative humidity.
  • OTR Oxygen Transmission Rate
  • the material used for the receptacle may be a multilayer material comprising at least a heat-sealable resin, such as a polyethylene resin, used as the innermost layer (i.e. the skin or external layer of the receptacle which is closer to the food product), and a bulk layer of a polymer or polymer blend such as those indicated above.
  • a heat-sealable resin such as a polyethylene resin
  • thermoplastic material used for the receptacle of the present invention may be transparent, either clear or colored, translucent, either clear or colored, or opaque.
  • the sheet used for the manufacture of the receptacle may be obtained by extrusion and in case of multilayer sheets by co-extrusion or by conventional lamination.
  • the conversion of the sheet into the receptacle can be easily carried out by heating the thermoplastic sheet to its softening and then forcing the soft and flexible material against the contours of a mold by pneumatic means (by pulling a vacuum between the plastic and the mold and/or by forcing the material against the mold by the pressure of compressed air), mechanical means (plug, matched mold, etc.) or a combination of pneumatic and mechanical means.
  • the thickness of the sidewalls in the receptacle according to the present invention will generally be within the range of from about 30 ⁇ m to about 500 ⁇ m, preferably from about 50 ⁇ m to about 400 ⁇ m, even more preferably from about 50 ⁇ m to about 300 ⁇ m, most preferably from about 75 ⁇ m to about 250 ⁇ m. Wall thicknesses outside these ranges may be used and are intended to be encompassed within the present invention as long as the receptacle sidewalls fulfill the purposes hereof, and in particular remain collapsible upon application of the pressure that can normally be exerted by the hand of an adult without undue effort and have sufficient rigidity to maintain their shape in the absence of such an external force.
  • Thermoplastic materials suitable for the manufacture of the wrapping or lidding sheet or film include mono- and multi-layer films, oriented or non oriented, and, if oriented, heat-shrinkable or heat-set.
  • Monolayer structures will typically comprise polyolefins (such as propylene-based polymers or, preferably cross-linked, polyethylene-based polymers) or polyesters.
  • Multi-layer structures will comprise at least an outer sealing layer, generally an outer heat-sealing layer, and an outer abuse layer.
  • These multi-layer structure may include additional inner layers, such as gas-barrier layers, if a gas-barrier package is desired, bulk layers, and tie layers, as known in the art.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
  • Packages (AREA)
EP03017258A 2003-07-30 2003-07-30 Wegwerfbehälter aus Plasik Withdrawn EP1502867A1 (de)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP03017258A EP1502867A1 (de) 2003-07-30 2003-07-30 Wegwerfbehälter aus Plasik

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP03017258A EP1502867A1 (de) 2003-07-30 2003-07-30 Wegwerfbehälter aus Plasik

Publications (1)

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EP1502867A1 true EP1502867A1 (de) 2005-02-02

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EP03017258A Withdrawn EP1502867A1 (de) 2003-07-30 2003-07-30 Wegwerfbehälter aus Plasik

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Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8328043B2 (en) 2004-12-23 2012-12-11 Tarvis Technology Limited Container with concertina side walls and base
JP2021151895A (ja) * 2016-03-29 2021-09-30 中央化学株式会社 食品用包装容器

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE7522621U (de) * 1975-07-16 1975-11-13 Aul Walter Becher mit Form zur Wandverkleinerung und mit Portions-Trennwaenden
US4394906A (en) * 1981-06-23 1983-07-26 Hollenbeck John C Food container/holder
JPH09222795A (ja) * 1996-02-15 1997-08-26 Ricoh Co Ltd 画像形成装置
JP2000296827A (ja) * 1999-04-12 2000-10-24 Watanabe Plastics:Kk 容 器
WO2001051366A1 (en) * 2000-01-11 2001-07-19 The Procter & Gamble Company Reversibly collapsible/erectable container

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE7522621U (de) * 1975-07-16 1975-11-13 Aul Walter Becher mit Form zur Wandverkleinerung und mit Portions-Trennwaenden
US4394906A (en) * 1981-06-23 1983-07-26 Hollenbeck John C Food container/holder
JPH09222795A (ja) * 1996-02-15 1997-08-26 Ricoh Co Ltd 画像形成装置
JP2000296827A (ja) * 1999-04-12 2000-10-24 Watanabe Plastics:Kk 容 器
WO2001051366A1 (en) * 2000-01-11 2001-07-19 The Procter & Gamble Company Reversibly collapsible/erectable container

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8328043B2 (en) 2004-12-23 2012-12-11 Tarvis Technology Limited Container with concertina side walls and base
US10710775B2 (en) 2004-12-23 2020-07-14 Tarvis Technology Limited Container with concertina side walls and base
JP2021151895A (ja) * 2016-03-29 2021-09-30 中央化学株式会社 食品用包装容器

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