EP1642841B1 - Dehnbare Abdeckung für Behälter - Google Patents

Dehnbare Abdeckung für Behälter Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1642841B1
EP1642841B1 EP05255128A EP05255128A EP1642841B1 EP 1642841 B1 EP1642841 B1 EP 1642841B1 EP 05255128 A EP05255128 A EP 05255128A EP 05255128 A EP05255128 A EP 05255128A EP 1642841 B1 EP1642841 B1 EP 1642841B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
sheet
cover
seals
bin
folded
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.)
Active
Application number
EP05255128A
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English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP1642841A3 (de
EP1642841A2 (de
Inventor
Mark British Polythene Industries Plc. Greening
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.)
British Polythene Ltd
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British Polythene Ltd
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by British Polythene Ltd filed Critical British Polythene Ltd
Publication of EP1642841A2 publication Critical patent/EP1642841A2/de
Publication of EP1642841A3 publication Critical patent/EP1642841A3/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1642841B1 publication Critical patent/EP1642841B1/de
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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
    • B65D41/00—Caps, e.g. crown caps or crown seals, i.e. members having parts arranged for engagement with the external periphery of a neck or wall defining a pouring opening or discharge aperture; Protective cap-like covers for closure members, e.g. decorative covers of metal foil or paper
    • B65D41/02—Caps or cap-like covers without lines of weakness, tearing strips, tags, or like opening or removal devices
    • B65D41/22—Caps or cap-like covers with elastic parts adapted to be stretched over the container
    • 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
    • B65D65/00—Wrappers or flexible covers; Packaging materials of special type or form
    • B65D65/02—Wrappers or flexible covers
    • B65D65/10—Wrappers or flexible covers rectangular

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a cover for a receptacle and, more particularly, to a temporary cover for use on food bins particularly whilst transporting raw or unprocessed food from one location to another in order to limit the risk of contamination of the food products.
  • the ingredients used in making the food product such as for example raw and unprocessed food
  • the ingredients are generally stored within large receptacles which are often referred to as food bins. It is imperative that the integrity of the ingredients are preserved during this operation and care must be taken to ensure that the ingredients do not become contaminated with air-borne contaminants and also that nothing is allowed to fall into the bins from any of the processing operations being carried out in the processing plant.
  • the food products must then be transferred from the refrigeration means. It will be appreciated that in order to maintain a high level of hygiene in kitchen facilities in hotels and restaurants, the delivery access area for vehicles should not be adjacent the cooking or storage areas. However, this presents problems in how to transfer the raw or unprocessed food from the refrigerated vehicle to the kitchen for immediate processing or alternatively, to a storage area in the hotel or restaurant which is normally located close to the actual cooking area.
  • the bin is then taken to the desired location within the hotel or restaurant. This can involve the bin being pushed or pulled through a car park, corridor or service lift before the bin arrives at the food processing area.
  • the food bins used in these facilities comprise a metal or plastics box with an open top.
  • the sides of the bin may slope slightly from the open top to the bottom of the bin.
  • a lip is provided around the open top.
  • the bins are generally provided with wheels on the under side of the bottom of the bin to allow the bin to be manually pushed or pulled to the desired location.
  • a braking means may be provided to allow the user to park the bin in position whilst loading or unloading is in progress.
  • the cover can become trapped under the wheels of the bin or around the braking means which can also lead to dirt being transferred from the ground to the shroud and from there onto the food in the bin or can lead to rupture of the shroud which also can lead to contamination of the food within the bin.
  • the bin is transported to its required location. This is generally done by the user gripping the bin along the lip around the top surface and pushing or pulling the bin.
  • a foot plate may be provided adjacent to the bottom of the bin to enable the user to apply additional control to the steering of the bin. As the shroud sits over the bin, this can lead to the shroud becoming displaced, coming into contact with the foot of the user and either trailing on the ground or becoming tangled with the wheels. In each case, the integrity of the shroud is compromised.
  • the shroud may be used several times over different transfer operations and in each case, the same problems are faced. Indeed, with each transfer the problems increase as the shroud is removed from one bin and placed over another as any dirt which has been picked up by the shroud is then transferred onto the second and subsequent bins.
  • Ovate-shaped container covers are disclosed in US Patent Publication No. 2004/0099667 .
  • these containers covers are not shaped so as to be suitable for covering food bins.
  • a cover for a receptacle which is preferably a food bin used for transporting raw or unprocessed foods from one location to another, which cover comprises a plastics sheet which has first and second opposed longitudinal edges, characterised in that said edges are folded onto at least a portion of the sheet and held in a folded condition by seals formed across the corners of the folded edges such that when the opposed longitudinal edges are held substantially at right angles from the sheet, the cover forms a shallow tray which is stretchable over the open top of the receptacle.
  • the seals are formed diagonally across the corners of the folded edges.
  • the shallow tray formed by the plastics sheet is slightly smaller in size than the open end of the receptacle such that in use the tray is stretched over the receptacle to ensure that it is held securely in position.
  • integral handles are provided at the corners of the sheet adjacent the seals.
  • the handles allow the cover to be easily handled when the cover is being placed onto the bin and also when it is being removed without compromising the integrity of the food products in the bin.
  • seals are provided by weld lines through the sheet and the folded edges.
  • the sheet is transparent. This allows the user to see through the cover in order to check the contents of the bin without having to lift the cover and this reduces the risk of contamination of the food products within the bin.
  • weld lines are provided at 45 degrees across the corners of the sheet.
  • each folded edge overlies about 15-20% of the sheet. This ensures that the sides of the cover only extend around the top edge of the bin in use and avoids any potential contamination problems with the cover coming into contact with the ground or the wheels or braking system of the bin.
  • the plastics sheet is formed of polyethylene film. Such material allows the cover to be stretched over the open top of the food bin to provide an effective seal over the bin.
  • a method for forming plastics covers for use on receptacles such as food bins used in the transporting of foods from one location to another characterised in that the method comprises the steps of providing a flexible plastics sheet having the longitudinal edges folded onto at least a portion of the sheet, applying a sealing means on the folded edge of the sheet to provide two diagonal seals across the fold; perforating the sheet across the width of the sheet between the two seals and providing a seal across the width of the cover on either side of the perforation.
  • a method of forming plastics covers for use on receptacles such as food bins used in the transporting of foods from one location to another characterised in that the method comprises the steps of providing a flexible plastics sheet having the longitudinal edges folded onto at least a portion of the sheet, applying a sealing means on the folded edge of the sheet to provide two spaced apart seals across the fold; perforating the sheet across the width of the sheet between the two seals and providing a further seal across the width of the cover on either side of the perforation.
  • the seal is made by a triangular sealing head.
  • the sealing means provides a heat seal to form a weld across the folded portion of the sheet.
  • the part of the folded portion of the sheet which is external to the seal may be removed either by the sealing means or may alternatively be removed during further processing of the sheet.
  • FIG. 1 a food bin 1 of the kind previously described in relation to transporting of raw and unprocessed foods from one location to another within a food processing facility or alternatively from a refrigerated vehicle to a cooking or storage area within a hotel or restaurant.
  • the food bin shown in figure 1 does not form part of the present invention, but is included in order to aid the understanding of the invention.
  • the food bin 1 may be formed of a metal or plastics material.
  • the bin as shown is generally square in configuration and may be rectangular.
  • the bin has four generally rectangular walls 2 with an open top 3 to form a receptacle to receive food products.
  • the top of the bin is provided with an outwardly extending lip 4 which extends around the open top of the bin.
  • the walls 2 of the bin may slope slightly from the top of the bin to the bottom such that the open top 3 of the bin is slightly larger in area than the bottom of the bin.
  • the bin is provided with means to allow the bin to be easily moved from one location to another.
  • a single wheel 5 is shown on the bottom of the bin although additional wheels may be provided as required. This may depend upon the size of the bin.
  • Additional, braking means may also be provided on the bottom of the bin to allow the bin to be held securely in one position whilst the bin is loaded or unloaded with food products.
  • a foot plate 6 such as that shown in Figure 4 may be provided to allow additional control of the bin whilst in transit.
  • a cover 7 for the bin of Figure 1 is shown in Figure 2 .
  • the cover comprises a plastics film sheet 8 such as for example polyethylene.
  • the sheet is substantially rectangular in configuration with opposed longitudinal edges 9 and opposed ends 10.
  • edges 9 of the sheet are folded onto the sheet 8 about a fold 11 such that about 15-20% of each edge overlies the sheet to provide an overlying section 12.
  • An angle seal 13 is provided across the corner 14 of the folded portion of the sheet. The angle seal 13 is preferably provided at about 45 degrees from the fold 11 of the sheet 8 to the end 10 of the sheet.
  • an integral handle 15 is provided by the sheet material formed outside of the angle seal 13 between the fold 11 and the end 10 of the sheet. The function of the handle will be discussed further below.
  • the cover 7 is provided over the open top 3 of the food bin as will now be described.
  • one end 10 of the cover 7 is placed over the lip 4 which acts to retain the cover in position on the bin whilst the remainder of the cover is put in place.
  • the cover 7 is stretched over the top of the bin such that the overlying sections 12 of the cover open and the opposed ends 10 of the cover are drawn together by the angle seals 13 to form a shallow tray which can be pulled over the open top 3 of the bin.
  • the handles 15 can be used to pull the cover firmly into position on top of the bin.
  • the cover 7 is formed by a plastics film material which is stretched over the open top of the bin 3, this ensures that the cover provides a close fit with the top of the bin and prevents the cover from moving during transport of the bin which further reduces the risk of contamination.
  • the cover 7 can be simply removed from the open top 3 of the bin by gripping the handles 15 and pulling the cover 7 over the lip 4 of the bin. The cover can then be discarded to ensure that there is no carryover contamination between transport operations.
  • the cover 7 only extends over the top portion of the walls of the bin, and therefore minimum material is used for each cover, disposing of the cover after use does not lead to a substantial loss of material or increased operational costs. Indeed, the costs are reduced as less material is required to form the cover 7 of the present invention than with covers as previously known.
  • a plastics film sheet 8 such as for example polyethylene which is the preferred material for the covers is prepared by folding the longitudinal edges 9 of the sheet about a fold 11 such that both sides of the sheet overlie at least a portion of the sheet. The material is then wound onto a reel 20.
  • the reel holding the folded film sheet may then be fed through a series of rollers 21 which can for example place the sheet under tension or provide further preprocessing steps which are not considered essential to the present invention.
  • the folded sheet 8 is then passed from the reel through a processing station 22 in which substantially triangular shaped heat sealing heads 23 press down upon the flat sheet 8, one on either side of the sheet. As shown in Figure 5 , this puts two diagonal heat seals 13 into the overlying portion 12 of the sheet.
  • the distance between the two triangular heat sealing heads 23 may be adjusted in order to lengthen or shorten the heat seals 13 formed on the sheet but it is preferable that the heat seal is formed from the fold 10 of the sheet across the overlying portion 12.
  • a perforation may also be made along the width of the sheet between the two sets of heat seals 13 on either side of the sheet by a known perforating head.
  • the triangular heat sealing heads 23 may be set to form seals 13 in the overlying portions 12 of the sheet at any required separation along the length of the sheet.
  • the sheet passes through a further series of rollers 25 to maintain the tension in the sheet and through a further sealing station 26 where a heat seal 27 is formed along the width of the sheet on either side of the perforation. This gives additional strength to the sheet in the areas of the overlying portions 12 in the area where the diagonal seal 13 meets the end 10 of the cover.
  • the sheet is then wound onto a take off reel from which it can be unloaded as required.
  • covers 7 can be removed from the reel by separating the covers along the perforation. It is envisaged that the covers may be packaged individually or alternatively may be provided on a roll from which the user can remove a cover as and when required.
  • the covers When the covers are to be used in the transportation of foodstuffs, it is envisaged that the covers will be formed of a plastics film material which has been coloured blue to ensure that the covers are highly visible and to ensure that when they are discarded, this is done is a safe and hygienic manner.
  • the present invention provides for covers for receptacles, particularly food bins for transporting raw or unprocessed foods from one location to another whilst limiting the risk of contamination of the foods within the bin.
  • the covers are both economic to produce and also to use and can be easily placed over the open top of the bin without having to extend over the entire sides of the bin thereby further reducing the risks of contamination.
  • covers Whilst the covers have been specifically described for use in covering receptacles intended to hold food products, it is envisaged that the cover may also be used with receptacles holding other items such as surgical instruments intended to be used in a hospital or health centre for example. Such a cover may be used to protect sterilised instruments or alternatively to cover used or discarded items during transport from one location to another.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Packages (AREA)
  • Rear-View Mirror Devices That Are Mounted On The Exterior Of The Vehicle (AREA)
  • Packging For Living Organisms, Food Or Medicinal Products That Are Sensitive To Environmental Conditiond (AREA)
  • Wrappers (AREA)

Claims (15)

  1. Eine Abdeckung (7) für einen Behälter (1), welche eine flexible Kunststofffolie (8) beinhaltet, die eine erste und eine zweite Längskante (9), welche sich gegenüberliegen, aufweist, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Kanten (9) auf mindestens einen Abschnitt der Folie (12) gefaltet sind und mittels Abdichtungen (13), welche über die Ecken (14) der gefalteten Kanten gebildet sind, in einem gefalteten Zustand gehalten werden, so dass, wenn die sich gegenüberliegenden Längskanten im Wesentlichen in rechten Winkeln zu der Folie (8) gehalten werden, die Abdeckung (7) einen flachen Einsatz bildet, der über das offene obere Ende des Behälters (1) gespannt werden kann.
  2. Abdeckung (7) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei angrenzend an die Abdichtungen (13) an den Ecken (14) der Folie Griffe (15) bereitgestellt sind.
  3. Abdeckung (7) gemäß Anspruch 2, wobei die Griffe (15) in den Ecken (14) der Folie integral gebildet sind.
  4. Abdeckung (7) gemäß einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei die Abdichtungen (13) mittels Schweißnähten durch die Folie (8) und die gefalteten Kanten bereitgestellt sind.
  5. Abdeckung (7) gemäß einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei die Folie (8) transparent ist.
  6. Abdeckung (7) gemäß einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei die Abdichtungen (13) diagonal über die Ecken (14) der gefalteten Kanten gebildet sind.
  7. Abdeckung (7) gemäß einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei die Abdichtungen (13) mit etwa 45 Grad über die Ecken (14) der Folie (8) bereitgestellt sind.
  8. Abdeckung (7) gemäß einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei jede gefaltete Kante etwa 15-20 % der Folie (8) überlagert.
  9. Abdeckung (7) gemäß einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei die Kunststofffolie (8) aus einer Polyethylenplane gebildet ist.
  10. Abdeckung (7) gemäß einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei die Abdichtungen (13) über die Ecken (14) des gefalteten Abschnitts der Folie (8) gebildet sind.
  11. Ein Verfahren zum Bilden von Kunststoffabdeckungen (7) zur Verwendung auf Behältern wie etwa Lebensmittelbehältnissen (1), die beim Transportieren von Lebensmitteln von einem Ort zu einem anderen verwendet werden, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das Verfahren die folgenden Schritte beinhaltet: Bereitstellen einer flexiblen Kunststofffolie (8), bei der die Längskanten (9) auf mindestens einen Abschnitt der Folie (12) gefaltet sind, Anwenden eines Abdichtungsmittels auf die gefaltete Kante der Folie, um zwei mit Abstand voneinander angeordnete Abdichtungen (13) über die Falte bereitzustellen; Perforieren der Folie über die Breite der Folie zwischen den zwei Abdichtungen (13) und Bereitstellen einer weiteren Abdichtung über die Breite der Abdeckung auf jeder Seite der Perforation.
  12. Ein Verfahren zum Bilden von Kunststoffabdeckungen (7) zur Verwendung auf Behältern wie etwa Lebensmittelbehältnissen (1), die beim Transportieren von Lebensmitteln von einem Ort zu einem anderen verwendet werden, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das Verfahren die folgenden Schritte beinhaltet: Bereitstellen einer flexiblen Kunststofffolie (8), bei der die Längskanten (9) auf mindestens einen Abschnitt der Folie (12) gefaltet sind, Anwenden eines Abdichtungsmittels auf die gefaltete Kante der Folie, um zwei diagonale Abdichtungen (13) über die Falte bereitzustellen; Perforieren der Folie über die Breite der Folie zwischen den zwei Abdichtungen (13) und Bereitstellen einer weiteren Abdichtung über die Breite der Abdeckung auf jeder Seite der Perforation.
  13. Verfahren gemäß Anspruch 11 oder Anspruch 12, wobei die Faltabdichtungen (13) mittels eines dreieckigen Abdichtkopfs (23) hergestellt werden.
  14. Verfahren gemäß einem der Ansprüche 11 bis 13, wobei das Abdichtmittel Wärme auf die Kunststofffolie (8) anwendet, um Abschnitte der Folie (8) zusammenzuschweißen, um Abdichtungen (13) zu bilden.
  15. Verfahren gemäß einem der Ansprüche 11 bis 14, wobei der Teil des gefalteten Abschnitts der Folie (12), der sich außerhalb der Faltabdichtung (13) befindet, entfernt wird.
EP05255128A 2004-08-19 2005-08-18 Dehnbare Abdeckung für Behälter Active EP1642841B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GBGB0418513.8A GB0418513D0 (en) 2004-08-19 2004-08-19 Cover for receptacles

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1642841A2 EP1642841A2 (de) 2006-04-05
EP1642841A3 EP1642841A3 (de) 2006-04-19
EP1642841B1 true EP1642841B1 (de) 2009-03-25

Family

ID=33042307

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP05255128A Active EP1642841B1 (de) 2004-08-19 2005-08-18 Dehnbare Abdeckung für Behälter

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1642841B1 (de)
AT (1) ATE426561T1 (de)
DE (1) DE602005013463D1 (de)
GB (1) GB0418513D0 (de)

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
MY163920A (en) * 2009-11-26 2017-11-15 Albert John David Structure for a storage unit
JP5221807B1 (ja) * 2012-10-18 2013-06-26 サンケイ物産株式会社 トレイ開口用の被覆クロス
JP6378851B2 (ja) * 2016-06-16 2018-08-22 まつもと合成株式会社 合成樹脂フィルム製カバーを製造する方法

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
BE627710A (de) * 1962-01-29
US4802619A (en) * 1986-11-28 1989-02-07 Michael Laido Storage and transport containers for heavy and/or fragile objects
US6793090B2 (en) * 2002-11-27 2004-09-21 S.C. Johnson Home Storage, Inc. Elastic container cover and method for manufacturing

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB0418513D0 (en) 2004-09-22
ATE426561T1 (de) 2009-04-15
EP1642841A3 (de) 2006-04-19
DE602005013463D1 (de) 2009-05-07
EP1642841A2 (de) 2006-04-05

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