EP2500282B1

EP2500282B1 - Method for producing a packaging for tablets, packaging for tablets

Info

Publication number: EP2500282B1
Application number: EP12001740.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Henricus Johannes Petrus Somers
Original assignee: Somers-van Cappellen BV
Current assignee: Somers-van Cappellen BV
Priority date: 2011-03-17
Filing date: 2012-03-14
Publication date: 2013-04-24
Anticipated expiration: 2032-03-14
Also published as: NL1038683C2; EP2500282A1

Abstract

In a method and apparatus for producing a packaging for tablets, a label (2) is placed on and glued to a substrate (2), with the substrate being unwound from a reel (5) and cut to form a packaging. A means (6) for placing and gluing loose labels (2) is used.

Description

The invention concerns a method for producing a packaging for tablets, which packaging contains a substrate to which a label is attached, which label is applied such that the label is visible on an exterior side of the packaging, with the substrate being unwound from a reel and cut to form a packaging.
Currently machines are available in the market for packaging small tablets of chocolate (or Napolitains) in aluminium foil or coated paper, a laminate product consisting of paper and aluminium, and a label. An example is shown in figure 1. It is customary for these machines to unwind a substrate 1, usually being or containing an aluminium foil, from a reel, after which the label 2 is placed on the aluminium foil and the foil is cut to the right length behind the label without cutting through the label. The cut sheet of aluminium foil and the label are then both transported to a station where the packaging is folded around a small tablet of chocolate and is glued.
The paper of the label 2 must protrude beyond the substrate, e.g. the sheet of aluminium foil 1, for two reasons. Firstly because it does not look good if the aluminium foil protrudes visibly from below the paper. And secondly the paper must protrude over the aluminium foil to enable the paper to be glued to the paper (see figure 2). If the paper were the same length as the foil, the label would be glued only to the foil and the packaging would not be closed, i.e. it could just fall open. Furthermore, most glues have poor adhesion to aluminium foil.
For example, a machine and method where separate labels are glued to a substrate are known from the British Patent Specification No. GB526,850 . These labels are slightly larger than the packaging. The labels are not glued on one side, this side is bent upwards by a sliding element, after which the packaging is cut without cutting through the label.
In existing apparatuses and methods this requires that the foil and the label are shifted to offset them relative to each other before or while they are being transported. This mutual shift takes time.
An objective of the invention is to be able to package this type of packaging on faster machines.
To this end, a method according to claim 1 is provided
The method according to the invention comprises the following steps:
Loose labels are placed on and glued to a substrate, with the labels being glued to the substrate at short mutual distances or over each other.
The substrate and the labels are then cut jointly, such that, instead of cutting between the labels or where the labels overlap, a small strip of the label is cut off on one side of the substrate.
The method according to the invention has the advantage that, because the label and the substrate no longer have to be shifted to offset them relative to each other and are already glued together before they are cut, the apparatus can produce packaging at a higher speed, enabling the packaging process to be performed faster since the glue drying speed should no longer be a restriction.
The cut strip of the label remains glued on the substrate, e.g. aluminium foil, but folding around the tablet of chocolate in the customary manner will now cause this strip to end up under the flap where it is no longer visible from the outside. As the label and the substrate are glued together before cutting, the risk of the label coming loose is reduced.
The packaging according to the invention comprises a substrate to which a label has been glued, with parts of a first label and a second label having been glued to the substrate, and with a small strip of the second label having been glued to one of the ends of the substrate, the packaging being obtained by jointly cutting the substrate unwound from a reel and loose labels glued to the substrate.
These and further aspects of the invention are described below and illustrated by means of the drawing:
The figures contained in the drawing show the following:

Figure 1 shows a packaged tablet of chocolate;
Figure 2 shows a cross-section of a packaged tablet of chocolate produced using a known apparatus;
Figure 3 shows a part of an apparatus for a method according to the invention;
Figure 4 shows the cutting through of a substrate with a glued label according to the invention;
Figure 5 shows a cross-section of a packaged tablet of chocolate;
Figure 6 shows a bottom view of a packaged tablet of chocolate;
Figure 7 shows an embodiment of the invention where the ends of the labels overlap;
Figure 8 shows a packaged tablet of chocolate with a packaging according to the embodiment of figure 7;

The figures are exemplary figures, wherein, as a rule, like numerals denote like elements.
It will be clear that the invention enables many variations and that the invention is not limited to the examples described above.
Figure 1 shows a packaged tablet of chocolate. The tablet is packaged in a packaging that contains a substrate 1, usually and preferably made of aluminium foil or e.g. coated paper, a laminate product consisting of paper and aluminium, and a label 2.
Figure 2 shows a cross-section of a tablet of chocolate 3 packaged in a packaging made using existing apparatuses. Every packaging contains a label 2 glued to the substrate 1. The label protrudes from the substrate on one side of the packaging. Here one end of the label 2 is glued to another end of the label 2, using a bead of glue 4, after packaging.
The paper of the label 2 must protrude beyond the sheet of aluminium foil 1 for two reasons. Firstly because it does not look good if the aluminium foil protrudes visibly from below the paper. And secondly the paper must protrude over the aluminium foil to enable the paper to be glued to the paper (see figure 2). If the paper were the same length as the foil, only the label would be glued to the foil and the packaging would not be closed, i.e. it could open just like that. Furthermore, most glues have poor adhesion to aluminium foil.
In existing apparatuses this requires that the foil and the label are shifted to offset them relative to each other before or while they are being transported. This mutual shift takes time.
Figure 3 shows a detail of an apparatus for producing a packaging according to the invention.
The apparatus contains a means 6 for placing loose labels 2 on the substrate 1 and gluing them to it. Gluing the labels to the aluminium foil earlier in the process enables this to be done in certain embodiments by means of a loose unit which is added to existing apparatuses. The means 6 for placing the labels has been set up for gluing the labels to the substrate at short intermediate distances or over each other. The substrate 1 is unwound from a reel 5 in an unwinding direction X. Furthermore, the apparatus contains a cutting means, illustrated in figure 3 by a pair of scissors S, for cutting the substrate and the glued labels jointly, such that, instead of cutting between the labels or where the labels overlap, a small strip of label 2b is cut off. Figure 4 shows schematically where the cut is made. The packaging now contains parts of two labels, with a small strip 2b of one of the labels having been glued to one side.
Figure 5 shows a chocolate tablet packaged in a packaging according to the invention. Although the paper is glued to the substrate, the risk of the packaging opening has been reduced compared to the known methods, because the substrate and the label form one whole while gluing with glue bead 4, so that these parts cannot come loose.
Figure 6 shows a bottom view of a packaged tablet of chocolate. This concerns packaging using an envelope fold, as it is called, with the tablet being wrapped completely in the paper label. The paper label then has the same width as the substrate of, for instance, aluminium foil or coated paper, and not only a strip of paper and substrate on the sides as shown in figure 1.
Figure 7 shows a further embodiment. In this embodiment, loose labels are partially glued over each other, forming an overlap 8.
Figure 8 shows a cross-section of a tablet packaged according to the invention, but then with overlap 8.
Having the loose labels overlap partially offers the advantage of a reduced risk of contamination by the glue and it also offers the possibility of better pressing the label on the substrate.
It will be clear that the invention is not limited to the examples provided here.
The width of the strip (2b), i.e. the dimension in the X-direction (unwinding direction) is typically between 1 and 15 mm, but preferably between 2 and 10 mm, depending on the size of the tablet. Relative to the length of the label, i.e. the dimension of the label in the unwinding direction, the strip typically represents 1 to 15% of the length, preferably between 2 and 10%.
Napolitains can be packaged using the packaging according to the invention. Napolitains are small, individually wrapped chocolate wafers, that are usually served as a treat with coffee. They are about 3 x 2 centimetres in size and a few millimetres thick. Examples of other tablet-shaped products that can be packaged are: larger tablets e.g. up to a size of approximately 15 cm x 10 cm, chewing gum, chocolates.

Claims

Method for producing a packaging for tablets, which packaging contains a substrate to which a label is attached, which label is applied such that the label is visible on an exterior side of the packaging, with the substrate (1) being unwound from a reel (5) and cut to form a packaging, with loose labels (2) being placed and glued to the substrate (1) after which a packaging is cut from the reel, with the labels (2) being glued to the substrate (1) in an unwinding direction (X) of the reel (5) at short mutual distances or partially over each other on one side, after which the substrate (1) and the labels (2) are cut jointly, such that, instead of cutting between the labels or where the labels overlap, a small strip of the label (2b) is cut off on one side of the substrate.
Method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the labels are glued to the substrate such that they are partially over each other, forming an overlap (8).
Method for packaging a tablet containing a method for producing packaging as claimed in one of the above claims.
Method as claimed in claim 3, with the packaging being transported in a direction (X) parallel to the unwinding direction of the reel (5) after cutting.
Method as claimed in one of the claims 3 or 4, with an envelope fold being used for the tablet.
Method as claimed in one of the claims 3 to 5, with the tablet being a Napolitain.
Packaging for a small tablet, containing a substrate (1) to which a label (2) has been glued, with parts of a first label (2a) and a second label having been glued to the substrate, with a small strip (2b) of the second label having been glued to one of the ends of the substrate the packaging being obtained by jointly cutting the substrate unwound from a reel and loose labels glued to the substrate.
Packaging as claimed in claim 7, with the parts of the labels partially overlapping in an overlap (8).
Packaging as claimed in claims 7 or 8, with the label being the same size as the substrate.
Napolitain packaged in a packaging as claimed in one of the claims 7 to 9.