EP3901054B1 - Bag for containing a plurality of personal care articles and method of making same - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a bag for accommodating a plurality of hygiene articles, in particular diapers, which is formed from a material which has a paper layer and a sealable coating which is arranged on it at least in sections, in particular over the entire surface, and which faces an interior of the bag, the bag having a has a front bag wall and a back bag wall, which are formed from a continuous web of material and which extend at least in a longitudinal dimension and in a transverse dimension, the bag having a head area and a bottom area on the opposite transverse sides, the front bag wall and the back bag wall are folded onto one another via a folding arrangement provided in the head area and in the area of side edges extending in the longitudinal dimension and each having the sealable coating in a predetermined width h are ice sealed.

In particular, hygiene article packaging made of PE film is known from the prior art. Although this is an economically and ecologically highly optimized packaging application, there are preferences for the material paper among consumers - because of the assumption that it would be more environmentally friendly. However, a particular challenge here is that the side edges of the bags cannot be separated and welded at the same time with this material using cut-off welding, as is the case with PE bags. Papers with an additional film layer, for example made of polyethylene PE, are often used for this function. However, this can limit the recyclability and compostability. Against this background, for example, coatings that are film-free and have a large proportion of biodegradable ingredients are to be preferred. Another challenge with paper with a sealable coating is to connect the outsides of the packaging, in which the paper layer of the material faces each other, for example in corner areas. FR 2 854 870 A1 discloses a pouch for packaging personal care items. Other bags are also known from the publications DE 20 2015 106 355 U1 , FR 1 470 595 A , U.S. 4,966,286A and DE 20 15 205 A1 .

It is therefore the object of the invention to improve an environmentally friendly hygiene article packaging in such a way that production is simplified.

This object is achieved by a bag having the features of claim 1 and by the method of claim 11. The dependent claims each relate to advantageous embodiments of the invention.

Accordingly, it is provided that the bag is provided as a wicket bag and has a protruding material section in the bottom area on the front or rear bag wall, in which at least two wicket pin holes are arranged. Since the bag material used cannot be separated and connected by means of cut-off welding, it is particularly advantageous to connect the side edges of the bag to one another over a width of several millimeters by heat sealing. Due to the surfaces of the coating facing the interior and the welding of these opposite sealing coatings, it is sufficient to apply the sealing coating to the paper in a thickness which corresponds to half the sealing material thickness required for joining the side edges. Provision can be made for the floor area to be provided for removing the hygiene article. For this purpose, the bottom area can have a perforation. The perforation can be made in particular in the vicinity of the side edges, parallel to the longitudinal dimension of the bag. It is intended to provide the bags for filling with hygiene articles as wicket bags or pin-stack bags. For this purpose, the base area can have an opening pointing towards the interior of the bag. Furthermore, the bottom area on the front or the rear wall of the bag has a protruding section of material which can be used to close the bag. The excess material section also has two wicket pin holes. In order to prevent the material from tearing off when it is pulled off the wicket pin, it can be provided that the protruding material section is folded back on itself and the wicket pin holes are arranged in this double-layered section.

It can be provided in particular that the side edges sealed to one another are designed as flat seams. In order to use the properties of the sealable paper optimally for the bag, flat seams are particularly suitable for connecting the two material layers. As a result, the layers can be connected to one another particularly easily when the flat web of material runs through a welding station, for example by vertically lowering welding bars. Furthermore, the seam width can be selected in such a way that two flat seams of adjacent bags can be produced at the same time and can be separated in a subsequent step.

In addition, it can be provided that the predetermined width of the side edges is between 5 to 15 mm, preferably 8 to 12 mm, particularly preferably 10 mm. The seam width can For example, depending on the bag size or the item to be packaged, in order to be able to provide the necessary stability individually.

Furthermore, when filled, the bag can have a body formed by the front and rear bag walls, which has a front surface, a rear surface, two side surfaces connecting the front surface and the rear surface, and two top and bottom surfaces connecting the front surface and the rear surface and adjoining the side surfaces having.

In addition, it can be provided that when the bag is filled, the flat seams run in the area of the side surfaces. When filled, the front and rear bag walls can bulge around the packaged items, so that the flat seams run in the area of the side surfaces created by the shape of the item. The flat seams can protrude perpendicularly to the side surfaces. Furthermore, the flat seams can be heat-sealed to the side surfaces by means of a sealing wax applied to them or to corresponding sections of the side surfaces.

It can be provided that at least one corner protruding from the body is formed at the transitions between the top surface and the adjoining side surfaces. By filling the bag with a plurality of articles which, when combined, have an essentially cube-shaped outer contour, the bag adapts to this shape and forms corners protruding outwards on its unfilled edge regions. For example, in the case of a bag without a top fold, that is to say when the front and rear bag walls are folded onto one another by means of a single fold, two corners protrude.

In addition, the folding arrangement provided in the head area can have an inlaid head fold, so that at the transitions between the head area and the adjoining side areas, at least two opposite corners protruding from the body are formed. The head fold can in particular be designed in such a way that the fold arrangement has three folds in the head area, so that a fold is inserted between the front and rear bag walls. The top fold can be used, for example, to create a base with which the filled bag can be placed upright without falling over. Furthermore, the top fold can ensure that the bag has an attractive appearance or that more articles can be accommodated in the bag. If a top fold is provided, the bag has four corners in the top area instead of two, which are caused by the two external folds of the corresponding fold arrangement.

Provision can be made for at least one corner protruding from the body at the transitions between the top surface and the adjoining side surfaces to be folded back onto the top surface. In the fold arrangement without a head fold, the head region can in particular have two corners. In the case of the fold arrangement with a head fold, the head region can have four corners in particular. For optical and spatial reasons, it can make sense to fold the protruding corners back onto the bag body.

In particular, the corners folded back onto the top surface can be heat-sealed to the top surface by means of a sealing wax applied at least locally to the paper layer. The sealing wax can be applied to the insides of the corners and/or to the corresponding areas of the top surface in a punctiform or flat manner. Since the paper cannot be welded "outside to outside", applying the sealing wax to these areas means that the material can also be connected in these areas.

Furthermore, the front and rear bag walls can be heat-sealed to one another via a flat seam arranged in the bottom area, extending in the transverse dimension and having the sealable coating in a predetermined width. This allows the bag to be closed after filling. The flat seam protruding from the bag can be attached to the body of the bag, for example, by at least partially applying and heating a sealing wax. The width of the flat seam can be dimensioned in such a way that a flat grip strip is formed in the floor area. The handle area can be formed in particular after the bag has been filled. In particular, a closing weld can be made below the handle to seal off the interior of the bag. Furthermore, welding can be carried out above the handle, comprising a separation process to the wicket area.

Furthermore, the bag can have a grip strip arranged in the head area, which is formed by at least partially heat-sealing the front and rear bag walls, the grip strip extending across the transverse dimension and starting from the folding arrangement in the longitudinal direction in a predetermined grip width. In this embodiment, instead of the inlaid head fold or instead of the bag being designed as a flat bag, a grip strip can be provided in the head area. The front and rear bag walls may be heat sealed together over the entire area of the handle strip. The front and rear bag walls can also be heat-sealed to one another over just a portion of the grip strip. The predetermined grip width can be 4-8 cm, preferably 5-7 cm, particularly preferably 8 cm.

In addition, the handle strip can have a punched-out carrying handle.

Furthermore, a method for manufacturing bags according to any one of the preceding claims is claimed, comprising the following steps:
Providing an endless material web which has a paper layer and a sealable coating arranged at least in sections, in particular over the entire surface, on the paper layer, the material web being folded onto one another along the endless direction with the paper layer pointing outwards via a folding arrangement, the material web being folded onto one another in this way that this has a protruding material section opposite the folding arrangement, in which at least two wicket pin holes are arranged;

heating the material web in the area of sealing seams to be applied transversely to the endless direction, the sealing seams having at least twice the predetermined width; Separation of the web of material along the applied sealing seams to form individual bags. The production of sealing seams with a width that corresponds to twice the predetermined width makes it possible for two side seams of adjacent bags to be produced simultaneously per sealing process. In particular, it can be provided that the seams produced are severed in the middle.

The heating of the web of material can include preheating of the sealing seams to be applied. Alternatively, the heating can already include the heat-sealing of the sealing seams.

The process step of separating the sealing seams can include fixing the web of material. The fixing preferably takes place before the sealing seams are separated.

Additionally, severing the seals may include reheating the seals to heat seal the folded layers of web material together. In particular, provision can be made for the first heating of the web of material, if necessary, and the separation of the sealing seams to take place at separate stations.

Fig. 1

einen unbefüllten Beutel in Draufsicht auf die vordere Beutelwandung;

Fig. 2

in perspektivischer Darstellung den Kopfbereich zweier Beutel mit eingelegter Kopffalte;

Fig. 3

eine perspektivische Ansicht des Kopfbereichs eines befüllten Beutels mit eingelegter Kopffalte;

Fig. 4

eine Seitenansicht des Kopfbereichs eines befüllten Beutels mit einfacher Faltung ohne eingelegte Kopffalte;

Fig. 5

eine Seitenansicht des Kopfbereichs eines befüllten Beutels mit eingelegter Kopffalte;

Fig. 6

eine Seitenansicht des Bodenbereichs eines befüllten Beutels mit abgeschweißter Griffleiste;

Fig. 7

eine perspektivische Ansicht eines unbefüllten Beutels mit einer umgefalteten Abziehleiste;

Fig. 8a

eine Frontalansicht einer Ausführungsform des Beutels mit abgeschweißter Griffleiste und eingelegter Kopffalte;

Fig. 8b

eine Seitenansicht einer Ausführungsform des Beutels mit abgeschweißter Griffleiste und eingelegter Kopffalte.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained using the following figures. It shows:

1

an unfilled bag in plan view of the front bag wall;

2

a perspective view of the head area of two bags with an inserted head fold;

3

a perspective view of the head area of a filled bag with an inserted head fold;

4

a side view of the head area of a filled bag with a simple fold without an inserted head fold;

figure 5

a side view of the head area of a filled bag with an inserted head fold;

6

a side view of the bottom area of a filled bag with a welded-off grip strip;

7

a perspective view of an unfilled bag with a folded peel-off strip;

Figure 8a

a front view of an embodiment of the bag with a welded-off grip strip and inserted top gusset;

Figure 8b

a side view of an embodiment of the bag with a welded-off grip bar and an inserted top gusset.

the inside figure 1 The bag 1 shown in the unfilled state is formed from a continuous web of material 24 . The material has a paper layer 2 and a sealable coating 3 arranged over the entire surface. The paper layer 2 faces the outside of the bag and the sealable coating 3 faces an interior 4 of the bag. The bag has a rectangular shape with a Longitudinal dimension 7 and a transverse dimension 8, the longitudinal dimension 7 being greater than the transverse dimension 8. The material web 24 is folded back onto itself in the region of a folding arrangement 11 in the exemplary embodiment shown with an inserted head fold 22, that is, by means of three folds, so that a front bag wall 5 and a rear bag wall 6 are formed. The head fold is inserted between the front and rear bag walls 5, 6 by about 6 to 7 centimeters. The stacked material web sections have aligned side edges 13 which extend in the longitudinal dimension of the bag. In the area of the side edges 13, the front and rear bag walls 5, 6 are heat-sealed to one another over a predetermined width b, so that 1 cm wide sealing seams 25 designed as flat seams connect the bag walls 5, 6 to one another. In the area of the head fold 22, the front and rear bag walls are not directly welded together, but the front bag wall 5 is welded to the head fold section facing it and the rear bag wall 6 is welded to the head fold section facing it. The bag 1 is open in the bottom area 28 of the bag 1, so that no sealing seam is provided in the direction of the transverse dimension 8 on the bottom transverse side 9 . A protruding material section 26 protruding beyond the bag opening 30 is provided on the rear bag wall 6 . A short length of material web is also folded back onto this, which is also fastened to the side edges 13 by corresponding sealing seams 25 on the rear bag wall 6 . Two holes 27 are provided in the folded back portion which serve to secure the bag onto wicket pins. The purpose of the folding back is to prevent the holes 27 from being torn out when the bag 1 is pulled off the wicket pins.

figure 2 shows in particular the folding arrangement 11 of the head fold 22 using two adjacent bags 1. As can be seen, the head fold 22 has a total of three folds, two of these folds being produced by folding back the front and rear bag walls 5, 6 onto themselves and the third fold is interposed and connects the folded back portions together such that the head portion 10 is in the shape of a "Y" when viewed from the side. It can also be seen that the sealing seam 25 follows the course of the head fold 22 and is formed on the one hand between the front bag wall 5 and the head fold section folded back onto it and on the other hand between the rear bag wall 6 and the head fold section folded back onto it. The bags 1 shown also each have sealing seams 25 with a predetermined width b of 1 cm.

In figure 3 a filled bag 1 can be seen, which is an embodiment as a bag 1 with a top fold 22 inserted. When filled, the bag essentially has six Outer surfaces, namely a top surface 19, a front surface 15, a rear surface 16, two opposite side surfaces 17 and 18 and optionally a bottom surface 20. As can be seen, when the bag is filled, a sealing seam 25 runs centrally on the side surface 17 and opposite the other sealing seam 25 on the side surface 18, not shown. This is perpendicular to the side surface 17 or 18 from the bag 1 from. When the bag 1 is filled, corners 21 are formed in the edge regions of the top fold, which, due to their shape and position, cannot be filled with hygiene articles and also protrude from the bag. The substantially triangular-shaped corners have the paper layer 2 on their outer surfaces, as do the remaining outer surfaces of the bag 1, in particular the side surfaces 17, 18 adjacent to the corners and the top surface 19. This creates a heat seal between corners 21 and the adjacent areas not easily possible. Therefore, advantageously, a sealing wax may be applied to the top or bottom of the corners 21, or the respective mating surfaces of the bag 1 onto which the corners are folded back. By heat-sealing the corners 21 to the outside of the bag, an attractive appearance and a secure closure of the bag 1 can be ensured.

figure 4 shows an embodiment of a bag 1, which has a head area with a "simple" folding arrangement 11, in which the front bag wall 5 is folded back onto the rear bag wall 6 by means of only one fold. As a result, as shown, the filled bag 1 has only two corners 21 protruding laterally from the top surface 19, which in each case directly adjoin the sealing seams 25. In this embodiment, the corners have, in particular, a tetrahedral shape. It is particularly advantageous here to fold the corners 21 back onto the top surface 19 and to fasten them there by means of the sealing wax.

figure 5 shows an embodiment of a bag 1, which has a head area with a more complex folding arrangement 11, in which a head fold 22 is inserted between the front bag wall 5 and the rear bag wall 6, which is designed as described above. As a result, as shown, the filled bag 1 has corners 21 protruding from the top surface 19 in four opposite edge regions and laterally, each of which includes a sealing seam section on the outside. In this embodiment, the corners have, in particular, a triangular shape. In this embodiment, too, it is particularly advantageous to fold the corners 21 back onto the top surface 19 or onto the transition area between the top surface 19 and the side wall 17 or 18 and to fasten them there by means of the sealing wax.

the inside figure 6 The bottom area 28 shown is located on the transverse side 9 of the bag 1 opposite the head area 10. In the exemplary embodiment shown, this bottom area 28 is designed as a grip strip 23, which extends in the plane of the longitudinal dimension 7 and the transverse dimension 8 of the bag 1 and thus perpendicularly from the body 14 of the bag 1 protrudes. The grip strip 23 has an oval punched-out carrying handle 29, via which the bag can be carried. If the handle strip is arranged alternatively in the head area, it can be produced before the bag is filled, ie when the bag is still flat, by producing a flat sealed seam in the predetermined handle width Gb. If the grip strip is provided in the bottom area, it is heat-sealed over its entire surface after the bag 1 has been filled. In this case, the interior 4 of the bag 1 is also closed. At the upper end of the handle strip 23, the section having the wicket pin holes 27 is separated. The carrying handle 29 is punched out in a separate step.

figure 7 shows the bottom area 28 in an enlarged view. The protruding material section 26 is provided adjacent to the bag opening 30 and has a free section directly adjacent to the opening 30, in which the sealable coating 3 of the back wall of the bag is exposed. Adjacent to this, the bag 1 has the so-called wicket area, in which the rear bag wall 6 is folded back on itself and is heat-sealed either over the entire area or only in the area of the side edges 13 over the predetermined width b. As described above, two holes 27 are provided in the wicket area in order to attach the bag or a plurality of bags 1 to wicket pins. The folding back prevents the holes from being torn out when a bag 1 is pulled off the wicket pins.

the Figures 8a and 8b each show an embodiment of the bag 1 with an inserted top gusset 22 on the one hand and a welded-off grip strip 23 on the other hand in a front view and side view. The folding arrangement 11 with a top fold 22 serves as a base for the bag 1 by enlarging the top area 19. The sealing seams 25 extending over the side areas 17 and 18 spread out in the top area in a “Y” shape in the corners 21 and go into the handle strip on the bottom side 23 over. The front bag wall 5 and the rear bag wall 6 curve around the filled bag 1 in such a way that no seams run on the front surface 15 and the rear surface 16 .

The features of the invention disclosed in the above description, in the figures and in the claims can be essential for the implementation of the invention both individually and in any combination.

Reference List

1

bag

2

paper layer

3

sealable coating

4

inner space

5

front pouch wall

6

back wall of the bag

7

longitudinal dimension

8th

transverse dimension

9

transverse side

10

header area

11

folding arrangement

13

margins

14

Body

15

front face

16

back surface

17

side face

18

side faces

19

head face

20

floor space

21

Corner

22

head crease

23

grip bar

24

web of material

25

sealing seams

26

excess material

27

Wicket Pin Hole

28

floor area

29

carrying handle

30

bag opening

b

predetermined width sealing seam

GB

Wide grip bar

Claims (15)

1. A bag (1) for containing a plurality of personal care articles, in particular diapers, which is formed from a material which has a paper layer (2) and a sealable coating (3) which is arranged thereon at least in sections, in particular over the entire surface, and which faces an interior (4) of the bag (1), wherein the bag (1) has a front bag wall (5) and a rear bag wall (6) which are formed from a continuous material web and which extend at least in a longitudinal dimension (7) and in a transverse dimension (8), wherein the bag (1) has a head region (10) and a bottom region (28) on the opposite transverse sides (9), the front bag wall (5) and the rear bag wall (6) being folded onto one another via a folding arrangement (11) provided in the head region (10) and being heat-sealed to one another in the region of side edges (13) extending in the longitudinal dimension (7) and each having the sealable coating (3) in a predetermined width (b), characterized in that the bag (1) is provided as a wicket bag and has in the bottom region (28) on the front or the rear bag wall (5, 6) a protruding material section (26) in which at least two wicket pin holes (27) are arranged.
2. The bag (1) according to claim 1, wherein the side edges (13) sealed to each other are formed as flat seams.
3. The bag (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the predetermined width (b) of the side edges (13) is between 5 to 15 mm, preferably, 8 to 12 mm, particularly preferably 10 mm.
4. The bag (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, which in the filled state comprises a body (14) formed by the front and rear bag walls (5, 6) and having a front surface (15), a back surface (16), two side surfaces (17, 18) connecting the front surface (15) and the back surface (16), and two top and bottom surfaces (19, 20) connecting the front surface (15) and the back surface (16) and adjacent the side surfaces (17, 18).
5. The bag (1) according to claim 4, wherein the flat seams extend in the region of the side surfaces (17, 18).
6. The bag (1) according to claim 4 or 5, in which, in the filled state, at least one corner (21) projecting from the body (14) is formed in each case at the transitions between the head surface (19) and the adjacent side surfaces (17, 18).
7. The bag (1) according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the folding arrangement (11) provided in the head region (10) has an inlaid head fold (22) such that at least two opposing corners (21) projecting from the body (14) are formed at the transitions between the head surface (19) and the adjacent side surfaces (17, 18), respectively.
8. The bag (1) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein at least one of the corners (21) projecting from the body (14) is folded back onto the head surface (19) at the transitions between the head surface (19) and the adjacent side surfaces (17, 18), wherein the corners (21) folded back onto the head surface (19) are heat-sealed to the head surface (19) by means of a sealing lacquer applied at least locally to the paper layer (2).
9. The bag (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the front (5) and the rear pouch wall (6) are heat-sealed to one another via a flat seam arranged in the bottom region (28), extending in the transverse dimension (8) and having the sealable coating (3) in a predetermined handle width (Gb), so that a flat handle strip (23) is formed in the bottom region (28).
10. The bag (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which has a handle strip (23) arranged in the head region (10), which handle strip is formed by heat-sealing the front pouch wall (5, 6) to the rear pouch wall (5, 6) at least in sections, wherein the handle strip (23) extends over the transverse dimension (8) and, starting from the folding arrangement (11), in the longitudinal direction in a predetermined handle width (Gb).
11. A method of manufacturing bags (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising the steps of:

    Providing an endless material web (24) which has a paper layer (2) and a sealable coating (3) arranged at least in sections, in particular over the entire surface, on the paper layer (2), the material web (24) being folded onto one another along the endless direction with the paper layer (2) facing outwards via a folding arrangement (11), wherein the material web (24) is folded on top of one another in such a way that it has, opposite the folding arrangement (11), a protruding material section (26) in which at least two wicket pin holes (27) are arranged;

    heating the material web (24) in the region of sealing seams (25) to be applied transversely to the continuous direction, the sealing seams (25) having at least twice the predetermined width (b);

    Separating the material web (24) along the applied sealing seams (25) to form individual bags (1).
12. The method of claim 11, wherein separating the seal seams (25) comprises fixing the material web (24).
13. The method of claim 11 or 12, wherein separating the seal seams (25) comprises reheating the seal seams (25) to heat seal the folded layers of material web.
14. The method of any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the folding arrangement (11) comprises an inlaid head fold (22).
15. The method of any one of claims 11 to 14, further comprising the step of:
    Before inserting the head fold (22): applying a sealing lacquer at least in certain areas to the material web section intended for the head fold (22).

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