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
  • B65D75/00—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes, or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers
  • B65D75/28—Articles or materials wholly enclosed in composite wrappers, i.e. wrappers formed by associating or interconnecting two or more sheets or blanks
  • B65D75/30—Articles or materials enclosed between two opposed sheets or blanks having their margins united, e.g. by pressure-sensitive adhesive, crimping, heat-sealing, or welding
  • B65D75/32—Articles or materials enclosed between two opposed sheets or blanks having their margins united, e.g. by pressure-sensitive adhesive, crimping, heat-sealing, or welding one or both sheets or blanks being recessed to accommodate contents
  • B65D75/36—Articles or materials enclosed between two opposed sheets or blanks having their margins united, e.g. by pressure-sensitive adhesive, crimping, heat-sealing, or welding one or both sheets or blanks being recessed to accommodate contents one sheet or blank being recessed and the other formed of relatively stiff flat sheet material, e.g. blister packages, the recess or recesses being preformed
  • B65D75/367—Articles or materials enclosed between two opposed sheets or blanks having their margins united, e.g. by pressure-sensitive adhesive, crimping, heat-sealing, or welding one or both sheets or blanks being recessed to accommodate contents one sheet or blank being recessed and the other formed of relatively stiff flat sheet material, e.g. blister packages, the recess or recesses being preformed and forming several compartments
• • 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
  • B65D75/00—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes, or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers
  • B65D75/52—Details
  • B65D75/58—Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture
  • B65D75/5805—Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture for tearing a side strip parallel and next to the edge, e.g. by means of a line of weakness
• • 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
  • B65D75/00—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes, or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers
  • B65D75/52—Details
  • B65D75/58—Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture
  • B65D75/5816—Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture for tearing a corner or other small portion next to the edge, e.g. a U-shaped portion
• • 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
  • B65D75/00—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes, or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers
  • B65D75/52—Details
  • B65D75/58—Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture
  • B65D75/5816—Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture for tearing a corner or other small portion next to the edge, e.g. a U-shaped portion
  • B65D75/5822—Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture for tearing a corner or other small portion next to the edge, e.g. a U-shaped portion and defining, after tearing, a small dispensing spout, a small orifice or the like
• • 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
  • B65D2215/00—Child-proof means
  • B65D2215/04—Child-proof means requiring the combination of different actions in succession
• • 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
  • B65D2575/00—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers
  • B65D2575/28—Articles or materials wholly enclosed in composite wrappers, i.e. wrappers formed by association or interconnecting two or more sheets or blanks
  • B65D2575/30—Articles or materials enclosed between two opposed sheets or blanks having their margins united, e.g. by pressure-sensitive adhesive, crimping, heat-sealing, or welding
  • B65D2575/36—One sheet or blank being recessed and the other formed or relatively stiff flat sheet material, e.g. blister packages
  • B65D2575/361—Details
  • B65D2575/362—Details with special means for gaining access to the contents

Definitions

• This invention relates to packaging, in particular to packaging which has a degree of resistance to being opened by a child.
• Mono-axially oriented polymer films which can only easily be torn in one direction have long been known see for example US-A- 5,045,620.
• polymer films are based on polypropylene or polyethylene.
• a commercially available example of such a film is the polyolefin film material produced by the company Nowofol Kunststoffoff area GmbH for example "Nowopaque”TM.
• Other such materials are "Nowostraight", a transparent film material available in thicknesses of 25- 125 ⁇ but preferably 40-50 ⁇ , and "Nowopack” a white material available preferably in 45-60 ⁇ including pigment. Both these latter two film materials are based on Polypropylene POPP and are copolymers of Polypropylene and ethylene with a melting point of approx 160°C.
• WO-A- 00/05148 discloses a package for a detergent made of a mono-axially oriented polymer film which can only easily be torn in one direction and is constructed with a flat fold which needs to be first lifted to allow the pack to be torn open in the direction which the film allows, and which is not visually apparent to a child.
• the solution disclosed in WO-A-00/05148 results in a package with a complex construction and has limited applicability.
• WO-A-2011/01585684 and US-A- 2013/0341237 disclose packages which use a tear-resistant or monoaxial-tearing film material and in which a tear-initiating notch is provided which is exposed by folding a flap portion of the package. There is consequently an ongoing problem of improving child-resistance in packaging and it is an object of this invention to address this problem.
• a package for containing a product and being able to be torn open by a user comprising a first layer comprising a polymer film material having a preferential tearing direction, in combination with a second layer comprising a second tearable material, to define a cavity for a product between the layers,
• the polymer film material incorporates a bias facilitating tearing of the polymer film material along a tear line oriented in a direction other than its preferential tearing direction
• the polymer film material incorporates at least one tear initiation location which facilitates tearing of the polymer film material in its preferential tearing direction to thereby open the package for access to its product contents, and wherein the said tear line is adjacent to a tear initiation location.
• polymer film materials having a preferential tearing direction can be quite easily torn in their preferential tearing direction when tearing is initiated at a tear initiation location such as a notch in the edge of the film they can be relatively difficult to tear even in this direction, even impossible for a child (e.g. less than 5 years old) to tear, if there is no such tear initiation location to start a tear at. They can be very difficult to tear, even impossible for a child to tear, in directions other than the preferential tearing direction e.g. perpendicular to the preferential tearing direction, even if such tearing is initiated at a tear initiation location such as a notch in the edge of the film.
• the polymer film material is preferably a mono-axially oriented polymer film such as the material "NowopaqueTM" available from Nowofol Kunststoffoff area GmbH.
• the first layer may be formed solely of the said polymer film material.
• the first layer may comprise a laminate of the polymer film material together with a further tearable material.
• a further tearable material may for example enhance the barrier or other properties of the polymer film material, and/ or may modify the tearing characteristics of the polymer film material, e.g. in its preferential tearing direction.
• Such a further tearable material may be provided as a cover over at least part of the polymer film material to help to conceal the tear initiation location from view, as a further preventative measure against opening of the package by children.
• Suitable further tearable materials include for example plastics material, metal foil, paper, card etc.
• the amount of effort needed to tear the polymer film material along the tear line in a direction other than its preferential tearing direction can be determined and controlled by the bias.
• the amount of effort needed is controlled such that the polymer film material can be torn by an adult, even an adult with limited dexterity such as a senior adult, but not by a child.
• the bias in the polymer film material may for example be provided by a line of weakness at least part way across the polymer film material, preferably all the way across e.g. from one edge of the package to an opposite edge.
• a line of weakness may for example be provided in various ways.
• the polymer film material may be scored or cut wholly or partly through its thickness.
• a line of perforations may be provided through the polymer film material.
• Such perforations may be elongated in the direction of the bias. The degree of cutting through the material, or the size, shape or disposition of the perforations, can be used to determine and control the amount of effort needed to tear the polymer film material in a direction other than its preferential tearing direction.
• the further tearable material may be uniformly tearable in all directions, i.e. not having a preferential tearing direction.
• a bias facilitating tearing may also be provided in the further tearable material in the direction of the bias in the polymer film material.
• the direction other than the preferential tearing direction of the polymer film material in which the bias is oriented is a direction perpendicular to the preferential tearing direction.
• the direction other than the preferential tearing direction of the polymer film material, in which the bias is oriented may be non-perpendicular to the preferential tearing direction.
• the tear initiation location When the layer of polymer film material is torn along the tear line, the tear initiation location, being adjacent to the tear line, becomes exposed to tearing forces applied by the user at the tear line.
• the tear line may be positioned such that a portion of the package, for example including the polymer film material may be torn away from the remainder of the package to thereby create an edge of the package adjacent to the tear initiation location so that the polymer film material may be easily torn by a user along its preferential tearing direction starting at that edge.
• the tear initiation location may be provided by a point of weakness in the polymer film material.
• a point of weakness may be provided in various ways.
• the polymer film material may be cut wholly or partly through its thickness.
• a perforation may be provided through the polymer film material.
• Such a perforation may be elongated in the preferential tearing direction.
• such a perforation may comprise a slit perforation through the polymer film material.
• the tear initiation location is adjacent to tear line.
• the tear line may intersect the tear initiation location.
• the tear initiation location may be separated from the tear line by a short distance of the polymer film material. This distance is preferably short enough that it is easy for a user to apply sufficient tearing force starting at the tear line to tear the polymer film material in its preferential tearing direction between the tear line and the tear initiation location.
• the second tearable material may be uniformly tearable in all directions, i.e. not having a preferential tearing direction.
• the second tearable material may for example be a plastics material, a metal foil, card, or a laminate of two or more of such materials.
• the second tearable material may for example comprise a polymer film material having a preferential tearing direction in the bias direction different to the preferential tearing direction of the polymer film of the first layer, for example perpendicular to the preferential tearing direction of the polymer film of the first layer. This can enhance tearing of the package material in the bias direction.
• the second tearable material may for example incorporate one or more line of weakness to facilitate preferential tearing by a user along that line.
• a line of weakness in the second tearable material may correspond to the direction of the bias in the polymer film material.
• Such a line of weakness may for example be provided in various ways. In one way the second tearable material may be cut wholly or partly through its thickness. In another way a line of perforations may be provided through the second tearable material. Such perforations may be elongated in the direction of the line of weakness. The degree of cutting through, or the size, shape or disposition of the perforations, can be used to determine and control the amount of effort needed to tear the second tearable material.
• the package may for example be a sachet incorporating a cavity for a product between the first and second layers.
• the bias is located adjacent to and preferably parallel to an edge of the sachet to provide a tear line facilitating tearing off of a strip of the sachet between the bias and the edge.
• the package may for example be a blister pack, of otherwise conventional construction, in which the cavity for a product between the first and second layers comprises a blister cavity.
• the cover film closing the blister cavity may comprise the polymer film material.
• the bias may be oriented across the blister pack to provide a tear line facilitating tearing across the blister pack.
• the bias may be located adjacent to and preferably parallel to an edge of the blister pack to provide a tear line facilitating tearing off of a strip of the sachet between the bias and the edge.
• the sachet or blister pack may incorporate additional lines of weakness, for example positioned and/or oriented to facilitate tearing the sachet away from an adjacent sachet connected thereto by a web of sachet material, or to facilitate tearing individual blisters away from adjacent blisters.
• additional lines of weakness for example positioned and/or oriented to facilitate tearing the sachet away from an adjacent sachet connected thereto by a web of sachet material, or to facilitate tearing individual blisters away from adjacent blisters.
• lines of weakness across the blister pack may be staggered so as to inhibit easy tearing of the blister pack completely across.
• the package of this invention is suitable for containment of numerous types of product, which may be solid, gel or liquid, especially those which it would be undesirable for a child to gain access to.
• the package of the invention is particularly suited for the containment of cosmetic, healthcare and pharmaceutical products. Examples of such products include pharmaceutical products in e.g. powdered or granular, encapsulated or tablet form, creams, ointments, toothpastes etc.
• the present invention provides a package as described herein, when enclosing a product, e.g. a healthcare product, in its cavity.
• a product e.g. a healthcare product
• the package of the invention operates as follows.
• this may be easy for an adult but may be beyond the ability of a child, so that a child cannot perform this tearing operation.
• the package of the invention may be made by otherwise conventional processes for package manufacture, and the above mentioned lines and points of weakness may be incorporated by for example conventional scoring, cutting and piercing operations.
• a method of manufacture of a package for containing a product and which is able to be torn open by a user comprising: forming a cavity suitable for containment of a product between a first layer comprising a polymer film material having a preferential tearing direction and a second layer comprising a second tearable material;
• the bias may be incorporated into the at least one layer of polymer film material at any stage during this method.
• the package may be made using otherwise conventional techniques.
• the first and second layers may be connected to form a cavity between them using conventional lamination, welding, adhesive etc. techniques.
• the bias may be incorporated using conventional creasing, perforating etc. techniques.
• a tear initiation location can be introduced using conventional perforation techniques.
• Fig. 1 shows a plan view of a package being a sachet.
• Fig. 2 shows a plan view of a package being a blister pack.
• Fig. 3 shows a plan view of a package being another blister pack.
• Fig. 4 shows a plan view of a package being another blister pack.
• Fig. 5 shows a plan view of another package being a sachet.
• FIG. 1 shows overall 10 a package being a sachet of an overall rectangular shape.
• the package 10 comprises a first layer 11 comprising a polymer film material having a preferential tearing direction indicated by the arrow 12 and in the 180° opposite direction.
• This layer 11 is laminated around its perimeter at 13 to a second layer (not visible in Fig. 1 as being covered by layer 11) comprising a second tearable material e.g. a foil, card, polymer material or a laminate of such materials, to define a cavity 14 for a product between the layers.
• a second tearable material e.g. a foil, card, polymer material or a laminate of such materials
• the polymer film material in first layer 11 incorporates a bias facilitating tearing of the polymer film material along a tear line oriented in the direction of arrow 15, being a direction perpendicular to the preferential tearing direction 12.
• This bias is provided by a line 16 of perforations through the polymer film material in layer 11, and optionally through the underlying sachet material, and is aligned close to and parallel to edge 17 of the sachet 10.
• the second layer may incorporate a polymer film material having a preferential tearing direction indicated by the arrow 15 and in the 180° opposite direction.
• the polymer film material in first layer 11 incorporates a tear initiation location which facilitates tearing of the polymer film material in its preferential tearing direction 12, provided by notch 18 being a perforation through the polymer film material of first layer 11 and the underlying material of the second layer.
• the notch 18 is triangular with its apex pointed in the direction 12, and the bias line 16 intersects the notch 18.
• the combined first 11 and second layers are torn by a user along the line 16, starting from either end of the line 16.
• bias line 16 By suitable dimensions of the perforations of bias line 16 this can be made to be easy for an adult user but to require more strength and ability than a small child can apply.
• the polymer material in layer 11 can now be easily torn along the line 110 starting at notch 18 to thereby open the sachet 10 so that the contents of the cavity 14 can be accessed.
• the second layer (not visible in Fig. 1 as being covered by layer 11) of a second tearable material may itself be a polymer film material having a preferential tearing direction indicated by the arrow 15, being preferentially tearable in the direction of the arrow 15 and in the 180° opposite direction, i.e. in a direction perpendicular to the preferential tearing direction 12 of the polymer film material in layer 11.
• FIG. 2 this shows overall 20 a package being a blister pack.
• the package 20 comprises a first layer 21 comprising a polymer film material having a preferential tearing direction indicated by the arrow 22 and in the 180° opposite direction.
• This layer 21 is laminated to a second layer (not visible in Fig. 2 as being covered by layer 21) of a second tearable material e.g. a foil or foil/card laminate, to define blister cavities 23 for a product between the layers.
• a first layer 21 comprising a polymer film material having a preferential tearing direction indicated by the arrow 22 and in the 180° opposite direction.
• This layer 21 is laminated to a second layer (not visible in Fig. 2 as being covered by layer 21) of a second tearable material e.g. a foil or foil/card laminate, to define blister cavities 23 for a product between the layers.
• a second tearable material e.g. a foil or foil/card laminate
• the first layer 21 incorporates a bias facilitating tearing of the polymer film material in layer 21 along a tear line 24 oriented in the direction of arrow 25, being a direction perpendicular to the preferential tearing direction 22.
• This bias is provided by a line 24 of perforations through the polymer film material and optionally through the underlying tearable material and aligned across the blister pack 20 between rows of the blister cavities 23.
• the polymer film material in layer 21 incorporates plural tear initiation locations which facilitates tearing of the polymer film material in layer 21 in its preferential tearing direction 12, provided by plural notches 26 being perforations through the polymer material 21 and optionally through the underlying material.
• a notch 26 is located between pairs of blister cavities 23 on opposite sides of the bias line 24.
• Each notch 26 is diamond shaped with its opposite corners pointed in the direction 22, and the bias line 24 intersects each notch 26.
• the blister pack 20 is crossed by other lines of weakness 27, aligned in the direction 22, to facilitate tearing individual blister cavities 23 from adjacent blister cavities 23.
• the combined first and second layers are torn by a user along the line 24, starting from either end of the line 24 in the direction 25 or 180° thereto.
• the blister pack 20 may be torn as far as the line 27 enabling a single blister cavity 23 to be isolated. This exposes the notch 26 at the new edge along the line 24 so formed.
• the polymer material in layer 21 and the second layer can now be easily torn along the line 28 starting at notch 26 to thereby open the blister cavity 23 so that the contents of the cavity 23 can be accessed.
• this shows overall 30 a package being a blister pack.
• the package 30 comprises a first layer 31 comprising a polymer film material having a preferential tearing direction indicated by the arrow 32 and in the 180° opposite direction.
• This layer 31 is laminated to a second layer (not visible in Fig. 3 as being covered by first layer 31) of a second tearable material e.g. a foil or foil/card laminate, to define blister cavities 33 for a product between the layers.
• a first layer 31 comprising a polymer film material having a preferential tearing direction indicated by the arrow 32 and in the 180° opposite direction.
• This layer 31 is laminated to a second layer (not visible in Fig. 3 as being covered by first layer 31) of a second tearable material e.g. a foil or foil/card laminate, to define blister cavities 33 for a product between the layers.
• a second tearable material e.g. a foil or foil/card laminate
• the polymer film material in layer 31 incorporates a bias facilitating tearing of the polymer film material along a tear line in the web of material between the blister cavities 33 oriented in the direction of arrow 34 and in the 180° opposite direction, being a direction perpendicular to the preferential tearing direction 32.
• This bias is provided by two lines 35 of perforations through the first layer 31 and optionally through the underlying second layer and aligned parallel to the opposite edges 36 of the blister pack 30.
• the polymer film material in first layer 31 incorporates plural tear initiation locations which facilitates tearing of the polymer film material in layer 31 in its preferential tearing direction 32, provided by plural notches 37 each being a perforation through the polymer material 31 and optionally through the underlying material.
• a notch 37 is located adjacent each blister cavity 33.
• Each notch 37 is triangular with its apex pointed in the direction 32 or in the 180° opposite direction, and the bias line 35 intersects the notches 37.
• the blister pack 30 is crossed by other lines of weakness 38, aligned in the direction 32, to facilitate tearing individual, or pairs of, blister cavities 33 away from adjacent blister cavities 33.
• the combined first 31 and second layer are torn by a user along either of the lines 35, starting from either end of the line 35.
• the bias line 35 this can be made to be easy for an adult user but to require more strength and ability than a small child can apply.
• the polymer material in layer 31 and underlying material can now be easily torn along the line 310 starting at notch 37 to thereby open the blister cavity 33 so that the contents of the cavity 33 can be accessed.
• FIG. 4 this shows a plan view of a blister pack 40 of overall analogous construction to Fig. 3.
• plural tear initiation locations are provided by perforations 41 through the polymer film of the first layer 31 and optionally through the underlying blister pack material.
• These perforations 41 are separated from the lines 35 in the preferential tearing direction of the polymer film material by a small distance "d" of the polymer film material, e.g. 1-2 mm.
• the blister pack 40 incorporates additional lines of weakness 42 to facilitate tearing individual blisters 33 from adjacent blisters. These lines of weakness 42 are staggered so as to inhibit easy tearing of the blister pack 40 completely across, and each line 42 ends at a line of weakness 38, aligned in the direction 32.
• the blister pack 40 may be torn along the line 42 as far as the line 38. This enables the blister pack to be then torn along a line 38 to thereby isolate an individual blister 33 surrounded by a portion of the web of blister pack material.
• a strip 39 of the blister pack material may then be torn off in a manner analogous to Fig. 3 to expose a notch 37. This causes the perforation 41 to be distanced from the new edge so formed along the line 35 by only the short distance "d" of the polymer film material.
• this small distance "d" of polymer film material can relatively easily be torn along line 43 so that tearing of the polymer film material in the first layer 31 can be easily initiated at the perforation 41.
• the polymer material in layer 31 and underlying material can now be easily torn along the line 44 starting at perforation 41 to thereby open the blister cavity 33 so that the contents of the cavity 33 can be accessed.
• this shows overall 50 a package being a sachet of a triangular shape.
• the package 50 comprises a first layer 51 comprising a polymer film material having a preferential tearing direction indicated by the arrow 52 and in the 180° opposite direction.
• This first layer 51 is laminated around its perimeter at 53 to a second layer (not visible in Fig. 5 as being covered by layer 11) comprising a second tearable material e.g. a foil or foil/card laminate, to define a cavity 54 for a product between the layers.
• a first layer 51 comprising a polymer film material having a preferential tearing direction indicated by the arrow 52 and in the 180° opposite direction.
• This first layer 51 is laminated around its perimeter at 53 to a second layer (not visible in Fig. 5 as being covered by layer 11) comprising a second tearable material e.g. a foil or foil/card laminate, to define a cavity 54 for a product between the layers.
• a second tearable material e.g.
• the polymer film material in first layer 51 incorporates a bias facilitating tearing of the polymer film material along a tear line oriented in the direction of arrow 55, being a direction at ca. 60° to the preferential tearing direction 52, which is provided by a line 16 of perforations through the polymer film material in layer 51 and optionally through the underlying sachet material and is which is aligned close to and parallel to edge 57 of the sachet 50.
• the polymer film material in first layer 51 incorporates a tear initiation location which facilitates tearing of the polymer film material in its preferential tearing direction 52, provided by notch 58 being a perforation through both the polymer material in layer 51 and the underlying material.
• the notch 58 is triangular with its apex pointed in the direction 52, and the bias line 56 intersects the notch 58.
• the combined first 51 and second layers are torn by a user along the line 56, starting from either end of the line 56.
• bias line 56 By suitable dimensions of the perforations of bias line 56 this can be made to be easy for an adult user but to require more strength and ability than a small child can apply.
• the polymer material in first layer 51 can now be easily torn along the line 510 starting at notch 18 to thereby open the sachet 50 so that the contents of the cavity 54, e.g. a gel material, can be accessed.
• a gel material e.g. a gel material

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=51214726

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Families Citing this family (5)

Family Cites Families (13)

• 2014
  • 2014-06-04 GB GBGB1409933.7A patent/GB201409933D0/en not_active Ceased
• 2015
  • 2015-06-02 US US15/315,865 patent/US20170088326A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2015-06-02 AU AU2015270596A patent/AU2015270596A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2015-06-02 EP EP15730415.5A patent/EP3152127A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2015-06-02 CN CN201580029569.3A patent/CN106458411A/zh active Pending
  • 2015-06-02 WO PCT/EP2015/062193 patent/WO2015185521A1/en active Application Filing
• 2016
  • 2016-11-09 ZA ZA2016/07727A patent/ZA201607727B/en unknown

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