EP4279408A2 - A sealed package containing a pourable food product and a sheet packaging material for producing a sealed package containing a pourable food product - Google Patents
A sealed package containing a pourable food product and a sheet packaging material for producing a sealed package containing a pourable food product Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP4279408A2 EP4279408A2 EP23194824.1A EP23194824A EP4279408A2 EP 4279408 A2 EP4279408 A2 EP 4279408A2 EP 23194824 A EP23194824 A EP 23194824A EP 4279408 A2 EP4279408 A2 EP 4279408A2
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- package
- length
- transversal
- crease line
- longitudinal direction
- 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.)
- Pending
Links
- 235000013305 food Nutrition 0.000 title claims abstract description 19
- 239000005022 packaging material Substances 0.000 title claims description 69
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 44
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 description 27
- 238000004806 packaging method and process Methods 0.000 description 20
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 17
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 description 10
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 description 10
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 4
- 239000002131 composite material Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000005520 cutting process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000003475 lamination Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000000284 resting effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000003313 weakening effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- MHAJPDPJQMAIIY-UHFFFAOYSA-N Hydrogen peroxide Chemical compound OO MHAJPDPJQMAIIY-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 235000007688 Lycopersicon esculentum Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 239000004698 Polyethylene Substances 0.000 description 1
- 240000003768 Solanum lycopersicum Species 0.000 description 1
- 241000826860 Trapezium Species 0.000 description 1
- 239000000853 adhesive Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000001070 adhesive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000005030 aluminium foil Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000004888 barrier function Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000011888 foil Substances 0.000 description 1
- 235000015203 fruit juice Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 230000005484 gravity Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001746 injection moulding Methods 0.000 description 1
- 235000020191 long-life milk Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 235000013336 milk Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 239000008267 milk Substances 0.000 description 1
- 210000004080 milk Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 238000000465 moulding Methods 0.000 description 1
- -1 polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920000573 polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 235000015067 sauces Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 239000000243 solution Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000001954 sterilising effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004659 sterilization and disinfection Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000003206 sterilizing agent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000003860 storage Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000002604 ultrasonography Methods 0.000 description 1
- 235000014101 wine Nutrition 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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- 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
- B65D5/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper
- B65D5/02—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper by folding or erecting a single blank to form a tubular body with or without subsequent folding operations, or the addition of separate elements, to close the ends of the body
- B65D5/06—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper by folding or erecting a single blank to form a tubular body with or without subsequent folding operations, or the addition of separate elements, to close the ends of the body with end-closing or contents-supporting elements formed by folding inwardly a wall extending from, and continuously around, an end of the tubular body
- B65D5/064—Rectangular containers having a body with gusset-flaps folded outwardly or adhered to the side or the top of 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
- B65D5/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper
- B65D5/42—Details of containers or of foldable or erectable container blanks
- B65D5/72—Contents-dispensing means
- B65D5/74—Spouts
- B65D5/746—Spouts formed separately from 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
- B65D5/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper
- B65D5/02—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper by folding or erecting a single blank to form a tubular body with or without subsequent folding operations, or the addition of separate elements, to close the ends of the body
-
- 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
- B65D5/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper
- B65D5/02—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper by folding or erecting a single blank to form a tubular body with or without subsequent folding operations, or the addition of separate elements, to close the ends of the body
- B65D5/0209—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper by folding or erecting a single blank to form a tubular body with or without subsequent folding operations, or the addition of separate elements, to close the ends of the body the tubular body having a curved or partially curved cross-section
-
- 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
- B65D5/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper
- B65D5/02—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper by folding or erecting a single blank to form a tubular body with or without subsequent folding operations, or the addition of separate elements, to close the ends of the body
- B65D5/029—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper by folding or erecting a single blank to form a tubular body with or without subsequent folding operations, or the addition of separate elements, to close the ends of the body the tubular body presenting a special shape
-
- 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
- B65D5/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper
- B65D5/42—Details of containers or of foldable or erectable container blanks
-
- 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
- B65D5/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper
- B65D5/42—Details of containers or of foldable or erectable container blanks
- B65D5/4266—Folding lines, score lines, crease lines
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a sealed package containing a pourable food product.
- the present invention also relates to a sheet packaging material for producing a sealed package containing a pourable food product.
- pourable food products such as fruit juice, UHT (ultra-high-temperature treated) milk, wine, tomato sauce, etc.
- UHT ultra-high-temperature treated milk
- wine tomato sauce
- etc. are sold in packages made of sterilized packaging material.
- a typical example is the parallelepiped-shaped package for liquid or pourable food products known as Tetra Brik Aseptic (registered trademark), which is made by folding, sealing and cutting a web of laminated packaging material.
- the packaging material has a multilayer structure comprising a base layer, e.g. of paper, covered on both sides with layers of heat-seal plastic material, e.g. polyethylene.
- the packaging material also comprises a layer of oxygen-barrier material, e.g. an aluminium foil, which is superimposed on a layer of heat-seal plastic material, and is in turn covered with another layer of heat-seal plastic material forming the inner face of the package eventually contacting the food product.
- Packages of this sort are normally produced on fully automatic packaging machines, on which a continuous tube is formed from the web-fed packaging material; the web of packaging material is sterilized on the packaging machine, e.g. by applying a chemical sterilizing agent, such as a hydrogen peroxide solution, which, once sterilization is completed, is removed from the surfaces of the packaging material, e.g. evaporated by heating; the web so sterilized is then maintained in a closed, sterile environment, and is folded and sealed longitudinally to form a tube, which is fed vertically.
- a chemical sterilizing agent such as a hydrogen peroxide solution
- the tube is filled with the sterilized or sterile-processed food product, and is sealed and subsequently cut along equally spaced cross sections; pillow packs are so obtained, which are then folded mechanically to form respective finished packages at a final folder.
- crease lines i.e. weakening lines
- the crease lines define folding lines along which the pillow packs are folded to take the desired final configuration.
- the packaging material may be cut into blanks, which are formed into packages on forming spindles, and the resulting packages are then filled with the food product and sealed.
- a type of package is the so-called "gable-top” package known by the trade name Tetra Rex (registered trademark).
- the removable portion is formed on the packaging material prior to folding and sealing the packaging material to form the finished package.
- the removable portion normally comprises a so-called “prelaminated” hole, i.e. a circular hole formed through the base layer only of the packaging material and covered, when the material is laminated, with the layers of heat-seal plastic material and barrier material, which adhere to one another at the hole.
- prelaminated hole i.e. a circular hole formed through the base layer only of the packaging material and covered, when the material is laminated, with the layers of heat-seal plastic material and barrier material, which adhere to one another at the hole.
- Each package of the above type is obtained from a basic unit of packaging material having given crease lines.
- the above-mentioned basic unit represents the exact length of the packaging material used to produce one single package.
- the original web includes a plurality of basic units joined to each other; in the case of packages made on forming spindles, the basic unit is defined by the blank cut from the web prior to starting the forming and sealing operations.
- the basic unit typically has a rectangular or square configuration with two boundary edges parallel to a longitudinal direction and two other boundary edges parallel to a transversal direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.
- the longitudinal direction becomes the direction along which the total height of the package itself is defined; the longitudinal direction also represents the main direction of extension of the web from which the basic unit is obtained.
- the basic unit usually includes at least two transversal crease lines extending transversally to the longitudinal direction and dividing the basic unit itself into:
- the transversal crease lines are also configured to define a bottom peripheral outline and a top peripheral outline of the finished package having endless configurations and respectively dividing the bottom portion and the top portion from the main portion.
- the bottom portion of the finished package normally includes a flat and horizontal bottom panel defining the resting surface of the package itself.
- the top portion of the finished package may include a flat and horizontal top panel, parallel to the bottom panel; alternatively, slanted top panels are very conveniently used in combination with opening devices because they are wider than corresponding flat top panels of parallelepiped or prismatic packages and therefore allow the application of larger opening devices, e.g. provided with screw caps or the like.
- EP2650222 addresses the problem of providing a packaging container with a novel triangular cross section and a production method for said container.
- the packaging container obtained by: tube-form molding by vertical sealing of a web-shaped packaging material; filling inside the tube-shaped packaging material; horizontal sealing in the transverse direction of the tube-shaped packaging material; forming of a pillow-shaped container body; cutting off of individual pillow-shaped container bodies; and forming into a final shape by folding along creases to form a top wall, a side wall, and a bottom wall and attaching formed fins and flaps to said walls.
- the top wall and bottom wall have a triangular and a rectangular shape, respectively; the cross-section in the transverse direction of a packaging container main body, formed by four ridgelines that connect the triangulation points of the top wall and the four corner points of the bottom wall, is trapezoidal, and one corner point of the horizontal top wall protrudes towards the front side wall.
- WO2017/001162 discloses a spout element for packaging, in particular composite packaging for liquid foodstuffs, said packaging having a polyhedral gable-shaped region and folded packaging casing flaps and the spout element having a main body, a polyhedral flange which is provided for connecting to a packaging casing and the connecting surfaces of which converge at surface meeting points; composite packaging for liquid foodstuffs, having a polyhedral gable-shaped region and folded packaging casing flaps, in which packaging the packaging casing is connected to the spout in a corresponding manner; and composite packaging for liquid foodstuffs having such a spout element.
- Number 1 in Figures 1 to 5 indicates as a whole a sealed package according to the present invention, which contains a pourable food product and is obtained from a sheet packaging material 2 as shown in Figure 6 .
- Package 1 comprises a bottom portion 3, a top portion 4 and a main portion 5 interposed between bottom portion 3 and top portion 4 and including a plurality of side wall portions 6, each one delimited by two opposite lateral edge zones 7.
- Main portion 5 is divided from bottom portion 3 by a bottom peripheral outline 8 having an endless configuration defined by a broken line.
- main portion 5 is divided from top portion 4 by a top peripheral outline 9, also having an endless configuration defined by a broken line.
- Bottom portion 3 includes a flat and horizontal bottom panel 10 having a quadrilateral, i.e. rectangular or square (in the example shown rectangular), profile and defining the resting surface of the package itself.
- Bottom panel 10 is delimited by bottom peripheral outline 8 in turn formed by four segments or contour edges, i.e. a bottom front edge 8a, a bottom rear edge 8b parallel to bottom front edge 8a and two bottom side edges 8c, orthogonal to bottom front edge 8a and bottom rear edge 8b.
- bottom front edge 8a and bottom rear edge 8b have the same length; the same applies to bottom side edges 8c, which also have the same length.
- Package 1 extends vertically along a longitudinal direction A, which is orthogonal to bottom panel 10 and along which the total height of the package 1 itself is defined. Longitudinal direction A is also orthogonal to bottom front edge 8a, bottom rear edge 8b and bottom side edges 8c of bottom peripheral outline 8.
- total height means either the height of the package when the latter has a constant height or the maximum height of the package when the latter has a variable height.
- Bottom portion 3 further includes two bottom lateral flaps 11 having substantially triangular configurations and folded in a known manner onto bottom panel 10 ( Figure 4 ).
- Top portion 4 includes a flat and slanted top panel 14 having a quadrilateral, i.e. a square or a rectangular, profile and having a sloping configuration forwards with respect to longitudinal direction A.
- top panel 14 is a rectangle approximating a square.
- Top panel 14 is delimited by top peripheral outline 9 in turn formed by four segments or contour edges, i.e. a top front edge 9a parallel to bottom front edge 8a and bottom rear edge 8b, a top rear edge 9b, parallel to top front edge 9a and arranged higher than the top front edge 9a itself, and two top side edges 9c, orthogonal to top front edge 9a and top rear edge 9b and inclined with respect to longitudinal direction A.
- top peripheral outline 9 in turn formed by four segments or contour edges, i.e. a top front edge 9a parallel to bottom front edge 8a and bottom rear edge 8b, a top rear edge 9b, parallel to top front edge 9a and arranged higher than the top front edge 9a itself, and two top side edges 9c, orthogonal to top front edge 9a and top rear edge 9b and inclined with respect to longitudinal direction A.
- top peripheral outline 9 extends transversally with respect to longitudinal direction A.
- top front edge 9a and top rear edge 9b have the same length; the same applies to top side edges 9c, which also have the same length.
- Top portion 4 further includes two top lateral flaps 15 having substantially triangular configurations and folded in a known manner onto two opposite side wall portions 6 of main portion 5.
- top portion 4 is also provided with an opening device 16 of plastic material placed over and around a removable portion 17 ( Figure 6 ) of the packaging material 2. Opening device 16 is applied onto top panel 14 by conventional fastening systems, such as adhesives, or by micro-flame, electric-current-induction, ultrasound, laser, injection moulding or other heat-sealing techniques.
- main portion 5 of package 1 includes four side wall portions 6 with different profiles and sizes; advantageously, lateral edge zones 7 delimiting side wall portions 6 have rounded configurations.
- a first side wall portion 6, designed to define a front face of package 1 has a substantially rectangular configuration delimited, at bottom and top, by straight bottom front edge 8a and top front edge 9a, and at opposite sides, by respective rounded and convex lateral edge zones 7.
- Each of the other two side wall portions 6 has a profile substantially resembling a rectangular trapezium delimited:
- the two side wall portions 6 having the trapezoidal profiles receive the respective top lateral flaps 15 on their outer surfaces.
- the area of bottom panel 10 is different from the area of a top quadrilateral Q ( Figure 5 ) obtained by projecting, along longitudinal direction A, top panel 14 on a reference plane P ( Figure 3 ) parallel to the bottom panel 10, crossing package 1 and containing top front edge 9a of top peripheral outline 9.
- bottom panel 10 is smaller than the area of top quadrilateral Q.
- the area of bottom panel 10 may be bigger than the area of top quadrilateral Q.
- top quadrilateral Q is a square or a rectangle, in the examples shown a rectangle approximating a square.
- top quadrilateral Q includes a top front segment Q1, corresponding to bottom front edge 8a, a top rear segment Q2, corresponding to bottom rear edge 8b, and two top side segments Q3, respectively corresponding to bottom side edges 8c.
- top side segments Q3 have the same length, which is in turn different from the length of bottom side edges 8c. More specifically, in the example shown, the length of bottom side edges 8c is smaller than the length of top side segments Q3.
- top front segment Q1 and top rear segment Q2 have the same length, which is in turn different from the length of bottom front edge 8a and bottom rear edge 8b.
- the length of bottom front edge 8a and bottom rear edge 8b is greater than the length of top front segment Q1 and top rear segment Q2.
- the packaging material 2 from which package 1 is made is shown in Figure 6 and has a known multilayer structure (not shown) comprising a base layer, e.g. of paper, for stiffness, and a number of lamination layers covering both sides of the base layer.
- a base layer e.g. of paper
- lamination layers covering both sides of the base layer.
- the lamination layers comprise one layer of oxygen-barrier material, e.g. an aluminum foil, and a number of layers of heat-seal plastic material covering both sides of the base layer and both sides of the layer of oxygen-barrier material.
- packaging material 2 comprises one layer of heat-seal plastic material, one layer of oxygen-barrier material, another layer of heat-seal plastic material, the base layer, and one or more additional layers of heat-seal plastic material.
- the letter M in Figure 6 indicates a basic unit of packaging material 2, by which to produce package 1, and which may be a precut blank, or a portion of a web of packaging material comprising a succession of basic units M.
- basic unit M is folded on a known forming spindle (not shown), is filled with the food product, and is sealed at the top to form the final package.
- the web of packaging material 2 comprising a succession of basic units M, is:
- package 1 After completion of these operations, package 1 has:
- bottom panel 10 is crossed by bottom transverse sealing band 18 and by an end portion 20a of longitudinal sealing band 20 extending perpendicularly from the bottom transverse sealing band 18.
- top panel 14 is crossed by top transverse sealing band 19 and by an end portion 20b of longitudinal sealing band 20 extending perpendicularly from the top transverse sealing band 19 and opposite to end portion 20a; in greater detail, top transverse sealing band 19 divides top panel 14 into two zones 14a, 14b and end portion 20b of longitudinal sealing band 20 extends on one (14b) of such zones 14a, 14b from an intermediate portion of the top transverse sealing band 19.
- top transverse sealing band 19 is folded on zone 14b and end portion 20b of longitudinal sealing band 20; in this way, zone 14a has a bigger area than zone 14b and is therefore more suitable for receiving removable portion 17 and opening device 16.
- removable portion 17 has a circular profile and is designed to be at least partly detached in use from the rest of the packaging material by opening device 16 to free a pour opening through which to pour out the product.
- Removable portion 17 is formed on packaging material 2 prior to folding and sealing the packaging material 2 itself to form the finished package.
- removable portion 17 comprises a so-called “prelaminated” hole, i.e. a circular hole formed through the base layer only of packaging material 2 and covered, when the packaging material 2 itself is laminated, with the layers of heat-seal plastic material and oxygen-barrier material, which adhere to one another at the hole.
- prelaminated hole i.e. a circular hole formed through the base layer only of packaging material 2 and covered, when the packaging material 2 itself is laminated, with the layers of heat-seal plastic material and oxygen-barrier material, which adhere to one another at the hole.
- basic unit M of packaging material 2 has a rectangular configuration and is delimited by:
- Basic unit M of packaging material 2 comprises a number of crease lines defining respective fold lines, along which the packaging material 2 itself is folded to form the finished package 1.
- basic unit M comprises two transversal crease lines 25, 26 extending transversally with respect to longitudinal direction A and dividing the basic unit M itself into:
- Transversal crease line 25 extends parallel to bottom boundary edge 23 and top boundary edge 24 and is arranged closer to bottom boundary edge 23 than transversal crease line 26. Transversal crease line 25 is configured to define bottom peripheral outline 8 of package 1.
- transversal crease line 25 includes:
- Transversal crease line 26 is arranged closer to top boundary edge 24 than transversal crease line 25 and is configured to define top peripheral outline 9 of package 1.
- transversal crease line 26 has a broken-line shape with:
- top side portions 26c converge towards top central portion 26a.
- Basic unit M includes two further transversal crease lines 32, 33 extending parallel to direction B and placed near bottom boundary edge 23 and top boundary edge 24, respectively; transversal crease lines 32, 33 delimit with bottom boundary edge 23 and top boundary edge 24 respective bottom transversal sealing area 34 and top transversal sealing area 35 configured to define bottom transversal sealing band 18 and top transversal sealing band 19 of package 1.
- Bottom crease pattern 28 is designed to produce bottom panel 10 and bottom lateral flaps 11 of package 1.
- bottom crease pattern 28 includes, in a known manner, four longitudinal crease lines 36a, 36b parallel to longitudinal direction A and extending between transversal crease lines 25 and 32.
- Longitudinal crease lines 36b are the most internal ones, whilst longitudinal crease lines 36a are located near opposite side boundary edges 22; the area between longitudinal crease lines 36b as well as the areas delimited by longitudinal crease lines 36a with the respective side boundary edges 22 are configured to define bottom panel 10 of package 1.
- bottom crease pattern 28 further includes two additional crease lines 37, 38 inclined with respect to both longitudinal direction A and transversal direction B.
- each pair of additional crease lines 37, 38 of each pair have one end in common located on transversal crease line 32 and opposite ends located at the intersection points between transversal crease line 25 and longitudinal crease lines 36a and 36b, respectively.
- each pair of additional crease lines 37, 38 delimits a triangle 39 with the segment of transversal crease line 25 comprised between the additional crease lines 37, 38 themselves.
- Each area between longitudinal crease lines 36a and 36b is configured to define one respective bottom lateral flap 11 of package 1.
- Top crease pattern 30 is designed to produce top panel 14 and top lateral flaps 15 of package 1.
- top crease pattern 30 includes four longitudinal crease lines 40a, 40b parallel to longitudinal direction A and extending between transversal crease lines 26 and 33.
- Longitudinal crease lines 40b are the most internal ones, whilst longitudinal crease lines 40a are located near opposite side boundary edges 22; the area between longitudinal crease lines 40b as well as the areas delimited by longitudinal crease lines 40a with the respective side boundary edges 22 are configured to define top panel 14 of package 1.
- Removable portion 17 is formed in the area of top region 29 comprised between longitudinal crease lines 40b.
- top crease pattern 30 further includes two additional crease lines 41, 42 inclined with respect to both longitudinal direction A and transversal direction B.
- the additional crease lines 41, 42 of each pair have one end in common located on transversal crease line 33 and opposite ends located at, or adjacent to, the opposite ends of the respective inclined top side portion 26c of transversal crease line 26.
- each pair of additional crease lines 41, 42 delimits a triangle 43 with the respective top side portion 26c of transversal creased line 26.
- Each area between longitudinal crease lines 40a and 40b is configured to define one respective top lateral flap 15 of package 1.
- the length of top central portion 26a of transversal crease line 26 is different from the length of bottom central portion 25a of transversal crease line 25; in addition, the length of each of bottom side portions 25c of transversal crease line 25 is also different from the length of the projection R, parallel to longitudinal direction A, of each of top side portions 26c of transversal crease line 26 on a reference line S parallel to transversal crease line 25 and containing top central portion 26a.
- top central portion 26a is smaller than the length of bottom central portion 25a; in a different manner, the length of each projection R is greater than the length of the corresponding bottom side portion 25c.
- the length of bottom central portion 25a corresponds to the length of the segment of transversal crease line 32 comprised between longitudinal crease lines 36b; in a completely analogous manner, the length of top central portion 26a corresponds to the length of the segment of transversal crease line 33 comprised between longitudinal crease lines 40b.
- bottom side portions 25c whose lengths correspond to the lengths of the respective segments of transversal crease line 32 comprised between each pair of longitudinal crease lines 36a and 36b.
- the lengths of projections R correspond to the lengths of the respective segments of transversal crease line 33 comprised between each pair of longitudinal crease lines 40a and 40b.
- top front segment Q1 and top rear segment Q2 of top quadrilateral Q corresponds to the length of top central portion 26a; in an analogous manner, the length of top side segments Q3 of top quadrilateral Q corresponds to the length of projections R.
- intermediate region 31 includes a central transversal band 44 having a uniform structure, i.e. lacking any creasing or weakening, and crossing the areas of the intermediate region 31 itself designed to form the respective lateral edge zones 7 of side wall portions 6 of package 1.
- intermediate region 31 of basic unit M further comprises a plurality of V-shaped crease lines 45 having respective vertices 46 located on or adjacent to the transversal crease lines 25, 26 and at given points thereof designed to define the opposite ends of respective lateral edge zones 7 delimiting the side wall portions 6 of package 1; each V-shaped crease line 45 extends from and in proximity of the respective transversal crease line 25, 26 up to central transversal band 44 and comprises two legs 47 diverging from the respective vertex 46.
- each V-shaped crease line 45 extends from the respective transversal crease line 25, 26 towards the other transversal crease line 26, 25 and has a size, parallel to longitudinal direction A, greater than zero and smaller than one fourth, preferably smaller than one tenth, of the total height of intermediate region 31 measured parallel to the longitudinal direction A itself.
- total height of intermediate region 31 corresponds to the total height of the package.
- each V-shaped crease line 45 extending from transversal crease line 25 and the corresponding V-shaped crease line 45 extending from transversal crease line 26 are spaced apart parallel to longitudinal direction A.
- each V-shaped crease line 45 has a size, parallel to longitudinal direction A, smaller than the maximum height of bottom region 27 or top region 29 measured parallel to the longitudinal direction A itself.
- each leg of the V-shaped crease lines 45 has a length smaller than the maximum length of the heights of triangles 39, 43 with reference to their bases on respective transversal crease lines 25, 26.
- each V-shaped crease line 45 has a size, parallel to longitudinal direction A, substantially equal to one fourteenth of the total height of intermediate region 31 measured parallel to the longitudinal direction A itself.
- V-shaped crease lines 45 are the only crease lines present in intermediate region 31 at the areas designed to define lateral edge zones 7 between side wall portions 6 of package 1.
- V-shaped crease lines 45 perform the function of easing folding of the packaging material 2 at the corners between lateral edge zones 7 of side wall portions 6 and bottom peripheral outline 8 and top peripheral outline 9 without affecting the round configuration of lateral edge zones 7.
- legs 47 of each V-shaped crease line 45 are rectilinear or straight; as a possible alternative not shown, legs 47 of each V-shaped crease line 45 may also be curved, preferably with their concavities facing one another.
- legs 47 of each V-shaped crease line 45 delimit an angle comprised between 45° and 90°.
- Number 1' in Figure 7 indicates as a whole a different embodiment of a sealed package according to the present invention and obtained by a basic unit M' ( Figure 8 ) of sheet packaging material 2.
- Package 1' being similar to package 1, the following description is limited to the differences between them, and using the same references, where possible, for identical or corresponding parts; the same applies for basic units M' and M.
- package 1' differs from package 1 only in that lateral edge zones 7 between side wall portions 6 are defined by respective longitudinal crease lines 50 extending between transversal crease lines 25 and 26.
- Longitudinal crease lines 50 are slightly slanted with respect to longitudinal direction A due to the different lengths between bottom central portion 25a and top central portions 26a of transversal crease lines 25, 26 as well as between bottom side portions 25c of transversal crease line 25 and respective projections R on reference line S.
- Number 1 in Figure 9 indicates as a whole a different embodiment of a sealed package according to the present invention and obtained by a basic unit M" ( Figure 10 ) of sheet packaging material 2.
- Package 1 being similar to package 1, the following description is limited to the differences between them, and using the same references, where possible, for identical or corresponding parts; the same applies for basic units M" and M.
- package 1" differs from package 1 only by having a top panel 14'' that extends horizontally and parallel to bottom panel 10.
- top panel 14" is delimited by a top peripheral outline 9" (formed by edges 9a", 9b", 9c") parallel to bottom peripheral outline 8 and deriving by a transversal crease line 26" also parallel to transversal crease line 25 and to transversal direction B.
- top panel 14" extends entirely on reference plane P and therefore the projection of top panel 14" on this latter plane, i.e. top quadrilateral Q, coincides with the top panel 14'' itself.
- Number 1′′′ in Figure 11 indicates as a whole a different embodiment of a sealed package according to the present invention and obtained by a basic unit M′′′ ( Figure 12 ) of sheet packaging material 2.
- Package 1′′′ being similar to package 1", the following description is limited to the differences between them, and using the same references, where possible, for identical or corresponding parts; the same applies for basic units M′′′ and M".
- package 1′′′ differs from package 1'' only in that lateral edge zones 7 between side wall portions 6 are defined by respective longitudinal crease lines 50 extending between transversal crease lines 25 and 26.
- longitudinal crease lines 50 are slightly slanted with respect to longitudinal direction A due to the different lengths between bottom central portion 25a and top central portion 26a'' of transversal crease lines 25, 26" as well as between bottom side portions 25c and top side portion 26c" of the same transversal crease lines 25, 26".
- packages 1, 1', 1'', 1′′′ and basic units M, M', M'', M′′′ of packaging material 2 according to the present invention will be clear from the above description.
- main portion 5 is divided from said bottom portion 3 and said top portion 4 respectively by a bottom peripheral outline 8 and a top peripheral outline 9, 9'' , each having an endless configuration and extending transversally with respect to a longitudinal direction A, along which the total height of the package 1, 1', 1'', 1′′′ is defined;
- each of said bottom peripheral outline 8 and said top peripheral outline 9, 9'' has a broken-line shape and is formed by a plurality of contour edges 8a, 8b, 8c; 9a, 9b, 9c; 9a", 9b", 9c" joined to each other;
- said bottom portion 3 comprises a quadrilateral bottom panel 10 delimited by said bottom peripheral outline 8 and extending orthogonal to said longitudinal direction A;
- top portion 4 comprises a quadrilateral top panel 14, 14'' delimited by said top peripheral outline 9, 9'' and extending transversally to said longitudinal direction A;
- the area of the bottom panel 10 is different from the area of a top quadrilateral Q obtained by projecting, along said longitudinal direction A, said top panel 14, 14" on a reference plane P parallel to said bottom panel 10, crossing the package 1, 1' , 1", 1′′′ and containing at least one 9a, 9a'' of the contour edges 9a, 9b, 9c; 9a" , 9b", 9c" of said top peripheral outline 9, 9".
- said contour edges of said bottom peripheral outline 8 include a bottom front edge 8a, a bottom rear edge 8b and two bottom side edges 8c and wherein said top quadrilateral Q includes a top front segment Q1, corresponding to said bottom front edge 8a, a top rear segment Q2, corresponding to said bottom rear edge 8b, and two top side segments Q3, respectively corresponding to said bottom side edges 8c.
- each of said side wall portions 6 is delimited by two rounded lateral edge zones 7 convex outward.
- bottom transversal crease line 25 and said top transversal crease line 26, 26'' are configured to define a bottom peripheral outline 8 and a top peripheral outline 9, 9" of said package 1, 1', 1'', 1′′′ respectively dividing said bottom portion 3 and said top portion 4 from said main portion 5;
- said bottom transversal crease line 25 extends parallel to said transversal direction B and includes a bottom central portion 25a, designed to define a bottom front edge 8a of said package 1, 1', 1", 1′′′, and two bottom side portions 25c, extending on opposite sides of said bottom central portion 25a and designed to define respective bottom side edges 8c of said package 1, 1', 1", 1′′′;
- said top transversal crease line 26, 26" includes a top central portion 26a, 26a'', designed to define a top front edge 9a, 9a' ' of said package 1, 1', 1", 1′′′, and two top side portions 26c, 26c'', extending on opposite sides of said top central portion 26a, 26a'' and designed to define respective top side edges 9c, 9c'' of said package 1, 1', 1", 1′′′;
- said bottom crease pattern 28 is configured to define a quadrilateral bottom panel 10 of said package 1, 1' , 1", 1′′′ and said top crease pattern 30 is configured to define a quadrilateral top panel 14, 14'' of said package 1, 1', 1", 1′′′;
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a sealed package containing a pourable food product.
- The present invention also relates to a sheet packaging material for producing a sealed package containing a pourable food product.
- As commonly known, many pourable food products, such as fruit juice, UHT (ultra-high-temperature treated) milk, wine, tomato sauce, etc., are sold in packages made of sterilized packaging material.
- A typical example is the parallelepiped-shaped package for liquid or pourable food products known as Tetra Brik Aseptic (registered trademark), which is made by folding, sealing and cutting a web of laminated packaging material. In particular, the packaging material has a multilayer structure comprising a base layer, e.g. of paper, covered on both sides with layers of heat-seal plastic material, e.g. polyethylene. In the case of aseptic packages for long-storage products, such as UHT milk, the packaging material also comprises a layer of oxygen-barrier material, e.g. an aluminium foil, which is superimposed on a layer of heat-seal plastic material, and is in turn covered with another layer of heat-seal plastic material forming the inner face of the package eventually contacting the food product.
- Packages of this sort are normally produced on fully automatic packaging machines, on which a continuous tube is formed from the web-fed packaging material; the web of packaging material is sterilized on the packaging machine, e.g. by applying a chemical sterilizing agent, such as a hydrogen peroxide solution, which, once sterilization is completed, is removed from the surfaces of the packaging material, e.g. evaporated by heating; the web so sterilized is then maintained in a closed, sterile environment, and is folded and sealed longitudinally to form a tube, which is fed vertically.
- In order to complete the forming operations, the tube is filled with the sterilized or sterile-processed food product, and is sealed and subsequently cut along equally spaced cross sections; pillow packs are so obtained, which are then folded mechanically to form respective finished packages at a final folder.
- To allow folding of the web packaging material both during forming and final folding, crease lines, i.e. weakening lines, are formed on the packaging material at the production plant by creasing tools. In practice, the crease lines define folding lines along which the pillow packs are folded to take the desired final configuration.
- Alternatively, the packaging material may be cut into blanks, which are formed into packages on forming spindles, and the resulting packages are then filled with the food product and sealed. One example of this type of package is the so-called "gable-top" package known by the trade name Tetra Rex (registered trademark).
- To open the above-described packages, these are normally provided with a removable portion, which is partly detached by an opening device from the rest of the packaging material to free a pour opening through which to pour out the product.
- The removable portion is formed on the packaging material prior to folding and sealing the packaging material to form the finished package.
- The removable portion normally comprises a so-called "prelaminated" hole, i.e. a circular hole formed through the base layer only of the packaging material and covered, when the material is laminated, with the layers of heat-seal plastic material and barrier material, which adhere to one another at the hole.
- Each package of the above type, either cut from a tube of packaging material or formed on a forming spindle, is obtained from a basic unit of packaging material having given crease lines.
- In other words, the above-mentioned basic unit represents the exact length of the packaging material used to produce one single package.
- In the case of packages made from a tube of packaging material, the original web includes a plurality of basic units joined to each other; in the case of packages made on forming spindles, the basic unit is defined by the blank cut from the web prior to starting the forming and sealing operations.
- The basic unit typically has a rectangular or square configuration with two boundary edges parallel to a longitudinal direction and two other boundary edges parallel to a transversal direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.
- Once the basic unit is folded and sealed to form the respective finished package, the longitudinal direction becomes the direction along which the total height of the package itself is defined; the longitudinal direction also represents the main direction of extension of the web from which the basic unit is obtained.
- The basic unit usually includes at least two transversal crease lines extending transversally to the longitudinal direction and dividing the basic unit itself into:
- a bottom region containing a bottom crease pattern and configured to form a bottom portion of the finished package;
- a top region containing a top crease pattern and configured to form a top portion of the finished package; and
- an intermediate region contained between the transversal crease lines, interposed between the bottom region and the top region and usually having a plurality of longitudinal crease lines designed to form lateral edges of a plurality of side walls of the finished package.
- The transversal crease lines are also configured to define a bottom peripheral outline and a top peripheral outline of the finished package having endless configurations and respectively dividing the bottom portion and the top portion from the main portion.
- The bottom portion of the finished package normally includes a flat and horizontal bottom panel defining the resting surface of the package itself.
- The top portion of the finished package may include a flat and horizontal top panel, parallel to the bottom panel; alternatively, slanted top panels are very conveniently used in combination with opening devices because they are wider than corresponding flat top panels of parallelepiped or prismatic packages and therefore allow the application of larger opening devices, e.g. provided with screw caps or the like.
- As it is known, after their production, packages are transported to sale points by placing them on transport pallets, which have pre-determined sizes. A need is therefore particularly felt in the packaging field to optimize filling of the transport pallets with the finished packages while maintaining a pleasing appearance of such packages.
-
EP2650222 addresses the problem of providing a packaging container with a novel triangular cross section and a production method for said container. The packaging container obtained by: tube-form molding by vertical sealing of a web-shaped packaging material; filling inside the tube-shaped packaging material; horizontal sealing in the transverse direction of the tube-shaped packaging material; forming of a pillow-shaped container body; cutting off of individual pillow-shaped container bodies; and forming into a final shape by folding along creases to form a top wall, a side wall, and a bottom wall and attaching formed fins and flaps to said walls. The top wall and bottom wall have a triangular and a rectangular shape, respectively; the cross-section in the transverse direction of a packaging container main body, formed by four ridgelines that connect the triangulation points of the top wall and the four corner points of the bottom wall, is trapezoidal, and one corner point of the horizontal top wall protrudes towards the front side wall. -
WO2017/001162 discloses a spout element for packaging, in particular composite packaging for liquid foodstuffs, said packaging having a polyhedral gable-shaped region and folded packaging casing flaps and the spout element having a main body, a polyhedral flange which is provided for connecting to a packaging casing and the connecting surfaces of which converge at surface meeting points; composite packaging for liquid foodstuffs, having a polyhedral gable-shaped region and folded packaging casing flaps, in which packaging the packaging casing is connected to the spout in a corresponding manner; and composite packaging for liquid foodstuffs having such a spout element. In order to keep the packaging undamaged and thus leak-tight during the connecting process between the spout element and packaging casing and during the folding of the packaging casing flaps, provision is made for receiving regions for the folding line of the packaging casing flaps to be formed in the region of the surface meeting points. - It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a sealed package containing a pourable food produce, which allows meeting the above-mentioned need in a straightforward and low-cost manner.
- This object is achieved by a sealed package as claimed in
claim 1. - This object is also achieved by a sheet packaging material for producing a sealed package containing a pourable food product, as claimed in
claim 11. - Four preferred, non-limiting embodiments of the present invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sealed package according to the present invention; -
Figure 2 is a smaller-scale front view of the package ofFigure 1 ; -
Figure 3 is a smaller-scale side view of the package ofFigure 1 ; -
Figure 4 is a smaller-scale bottom view of the package ofFigure 1 ; -
Figure 5 is the projection, along a vertical direction, of a top panel of the package ofFigure 3 on a horizontal plane containing a top front edge of the top panel itself; -
Figure 6 is a front view of a basic unit of a sheet packaging material according to the present invention, from which the package ofFigures 1 to 5 is obtained; -
Figure 7 is a perspective view of a sealed package according to a different embodiment of the present invention; -
Figure 8 is a front view of a basic unit of a sheet packaging material according to the present invention, from which the package ofFigure 7 is obtained; -
Figure 9 is a perspective view of a sealed package according to another embodiment of the present invention; -
Figure 10 is a front view of a basic unit of a sheet packaging material according to the present invention, from which the package ofFigure 9 is obtained; -
Figure 11 is a perspective view of a sealed package according to a further embodiment of the present invention; and -
Figure 12 is a front view of a basic unit of a sheet packaging material according to the present invention, from which the package ofFigure 11 is obtained. -
Number 1 inFigures 1 to 5 indicates as a whole a sealed package according to the present invention, which contains a pourable food product and is obtained from asheet packaging material 2 as shown inFigure 6 . -
Package 1 comprises abottom portion 3, a top portion 4 and amain portion 5 interposed betweenbottom portion 3 and top portion 4 and including a plurality ofside wall portions 6, each one delimited by two oppositelateral edge zones 7. -
Main portion 5 is divided frombottom portion 3 by a bottomperipheral outline 8 having an endless configuration defined by a broken line. In a completely analogous manner,main portion 5 is divided from top portion 4 by a topperipheral outline 9, also having an endless configuration defined by a broken line. -
Bottom portion 3 includes a flat andhorizontal bottom panel 10 having a quadrilateral, i.e. rectangular or square (in the example shown rectangular), profile and defining the resting surface of the package itself. -
Bottom panel 10 is delimited by bottomperipheral outline 8 in turn formed by four segments or contour edges, i.e. abottom front edge 8a, a bottomrear edge 8b parallel tobottom front edge 8a and twobottom side edges 8c, orthogonal to bottomfront edge 8a and bottomrear edge 8b. - Due to the rectangular profile of
bottom panel 10,bottom front edge 8a and bottomrear edge 8b have the same length; the same applies tobottom side edges 8c, which also have the same length. -
Package 1 extends vertically along a longitudinal direction A, which is orthogonal tobottom panel 10 and along which the total height of thepackage 1 itself is defined. Longitudinal direction A is also orthogonal to bottomfront edge 8a, bottomrear edge 8b andbottom side edges 8c of bottomperipheral outline 8. - It is pointed out that, in the present description and in the claims, the term "total height" means either the height of the package when the latter has a constant height or the maximum height of the package when the latter has a variable height.
-
Bottom portion 3 further includes two bottomlateral flaps 11 having substantially triangular configurations and folded in a known manner onto bottom panel 10 (Figure 4 ). - Top portion 4 includes a flat and slanted
top panel 14 having a quadrilateral, i.e. a square or a rectangular, profile and having a sloping configuration forwards with respect to longitudinal direction A. - In the example shown in
Figures 1 to 3 ,top panel 14 is a rectangle approximating a square. -
Top panel 14 is delimited by topperipheral outline 9 in turn formed by four segments or contour edges, i.e. atop front edge 9a parallel tobottom front edge 8a and bottomrear edge 8b, a toprear edge 9b, parallel to topfront edge 9a and arranged higher than the topfront edge 9a itself, and twotop side edges 9c, orthogonal totop front edge 9a and toprear edge 9b and inclined with respect to longitudinal direction A. - As a consequence, top
peripheral outline 9 extends transversally with respect to longitudinal direction A. - Due to the rectangular profile of
top panel 14, topfront edge 9a and toprear edge 9b have the same length; the same applies to top side edges 9c, which also have the same length. - Top portion 4 further includes two top lateral flaps 15 having substantially triangular configurations and folded in a known manner onto two opposite
side wall portions 6 ofmain portion 5. - As visible in
Figures 1 to 3 and5 , top portion 4 is also provided with anopening device 16 of plastic material placed over and around a removable portion 17 (Figure 6 ) of thepackaging material 2.Opening device 16 is applied ontotop panel 14 by conventional fastening systems, such as adhesives, or by micro-flame, electric-current-induction, ultrasound, laser, injection moulding or other heat-sealing techniques. - In the example shown in
Figures 1 to 5 ,main portion 5 ofpackage 1 includes fourside wall portions 6 with different profiles and sizes; advantageously,lateral edge zones 7 delimitingside wall portions 6 have rounded configurations. - In particular, a first
side wall portion 6, designed to define a front face ofpackage 1, has a substantially rectangular configuration delimited, at bottom and top, by straight bottomfront edge 8a and topfront edge 9a, and at opposite sides, by respective rounded and convexlateral edge zones 7. - A second
side wall portion 6, designed to define a rear face ofpackage 1, also has a substantially rectangular configuration and is delimited, at bottom and top, by straight bottomrear edge 8b and toprear edge 9b, and at opposite sides, by respective rounded and convexlateral edge zones 7; this secondside wall portion 6 faces theside wall portion 6 designed to define the front face of thepackage 1 and has a height, parallel to longitudinal direction A, greater than the height of this latterside wall portion 6. - Each of the other two
side wall portions 6 has a profile substantially resembling a rectangular trapezium delimited: - at the bottom, by one respective horizontal
bottom side edge 8c; - at the top, by one respective inclined
top side edge 9c; and - at opposite sides, by respective rounded and convex
lateral edge zones 7. - The two
side wall portions 6 having the trapezoidal profiles receive the respective top lateral flaps 15 on their outer surfaces. - According to an important aspect of the present invention, the area of
bottom panel 10 is different from the area of a top quadrilateral Q (Figure 5 ) obtained by projecting, along longitudinal direction A,top panel 14 on a reference plane P (Figure 3 ) parallel to thebottom panel 10, crossingpackage 1 and containing topfront edge 9a of topperipheral outline 9. - In particular, the area of
bottom panel 10 is smaller than the area of top quadrilateral Q. - According to another possible variant not shown, the area of
bottom panel 10 may be bigger than the area of top quadrilateral Q. - Analogously to
top panel 14, top quadrilateral Q is a square or a rectangle, in the examples shown a rectangle approximating a square. - With particular reference to
Figure 5 , top quadrilateral Q includes a top front segment Q1, corresponding to bottomfront edge 8a, a top rear segment Q2, corresponding to bottomrear edge 8b, and two top side segments Q3, respectively corresponding to bottom side edges 8c. - Preferably, top side segments Q3 have the same length, which is in turn different from the length of bottom side edges 8c. More specifically, in the example shown, the length of bottom side edges 8c is smaller than the length of top side segments Q3.
- In a similar way, top front segment Q1 and top rear segment Q2 have the same length, which is in turn different from the length of bottom
front edge 8a and bottomrear edge 8b. - More specifically, in the example shown, the length of bottom
front edge 8a and bottomrear edge 8b is greater than the length of top front segment Q1 and top rear segment Q2. - The
packaging material 2 from whichpackage 1 is made is shown inFigure 6 and has a known multilayer structure (not shown) comprising a base layer, e.g. of paper, for stiffness, and a number of lamination layers covering both sides of the base layer. - Preferably, the lamination layers comprise one layer of oxygen-barrier material, e.g. an aluminum foil, and a number of layers of heat-seal plastic material covering both sides of the base layer and both sides of the layer of oxygen-barrier material. In other words, by proceeding from the side eventually forming the inside of
package 1,packaging material 2 comprises one layer of heat-seal plastic material, one layer of oxygen-barrier material, another layer of heat-seal plastic material, the base layer, and one or more additional layers of heat-seal plastic material. - The letter M in
Figure 6 indicates a basic unit ofpackaging material 2, by which to producepackage 1, and which may be a precut blank, or a portion of a web of packaging material comprising a succession of basic units M. - In the first case, basic unit M is folded on a known forming spindle (not shown), is filled with the food product, and is sealed at the top to form the final package.
- In the second case, described therein with reference to
Figures 1 to 12 , the web ofpackaging material 2, comprising a succession of basic units M, is: - folded into a cylinder and sealed longitudinally to form a vertical tube;
- filled continuously with the food product; and
- sealed transversely and cut into basic units M, which are then folded to form
respective packages 1. - After completion of these operations,
package 1 has: - a bottom transverse sealing band 18 (
Figure 5 ) crossingbottom panel 10 along a centre line thereof and extending parallel tofront bottom edge 8a and rearbottom edge 8b; - a top transverse sealing band 19 (
Figures 1 to 4 ) crossingtop panel 14 parallel to, and between, fronttop edge 9a and reartop edge 9b; and - a
longitudinal sealing band 20 extending perpendicularly between the bottomtransverse sealing band 18 and the top transverse sealingband 19 along respective portions ofbottom panel 10 andtop panel 14 and along theside wall portion 6 defining the rear face ofpackage 1. - More specifically, after
package 1 is completely sealed and formed,bottom panel 10 is crossed by bottomtransverse sealing band 18 and by anend portion 20a oflongitudinal sealing band 20 extending perpendicularly from the bottomtransverse sealing band 18. - In a completely analogous way, after
package 1 is completely sealed and formed,top panel 14 is crossed by top transverse sealingband 19 and by anend portion 20b oflongitudinal sealing band 20 extending perpendicularly from the top transverse sealingband 19 and opposite to endportion 20a; in greater detail, top transverse sealingband 19 dividestop panel 14 into twozones end portion 20b oflongitudinal sealing band 20 extends on one (14b) ofsuch zones band 19. - During the forming operations to obtain
package 1, top transverse sealingband 19 is folded onzone 14b andend portion 20b oflongitudinal sealing band 20; in this way,zone 14a has a bigger area thanzone 14b and is therefore more suitable for receivingremovable portion 17 andopening device 16. - In the example shown in
Figure 6 ,removable portion 17 has a circular profile and is designed to be at least partly detached in use from the rest of the packaging material by openingdevice 16 to free a pour opening through which to pour out the product. -
Removable portion 17 is formed onpackaging material 2 prior to folding and sealing thepackaging material 2 itself to form the finished package. - In the present case,
removable portion 17 comprises a so-called "prelaminated" hole, i.e. a circular hole formed through the base layer only ofpackaging material 2 and covered, when thepackaging material 2 itself is laminated, with the layers of heat-seal plastic material and oxygen-barrier material, which adhere to one another at the hole. - With particular reference to
Figure 6 , basic unit M ofpackaging material 2 has a rectangular configuration and is delimited by: - two side boundary edges 22 parallel to a longitudinal direction coinciding with longitudinal direction A in an upright condition of basic unit M;
- a
bottom boundary edge 23 parallel to a transversal direction B orthogonal to longitudinal direction A; and - a
top boundary edge 24 parallel to transversal direction B and tobottom boundary edge 23. - Basic unit M of
packaging material 2 comprises a number of crease lines defining respective fold lines, along which thepackaging material 2 itself is folded to form thefinished package 1. - More specifically, basic unit M comprises two
transversal crease lines - a
bottom region 27 containing abottom crease pattern 28 and configured to formbottom portion 3 ofpackage 1; - a
top region 29 containing atop crease pattern 30 and configured to form top portion 4 ofpackage 1; and - an
intermediate region 31 contained betweentransversal crease lines bottom region 27 andtop region 29 and designed to formside wall portions 6 ofpackage 1. -
Transversal crease line 25 extends parallel tobottom boundary edge 23 andtop boundary edge 24 and is arranged closer tobottom boundary edge 23 thantransversal crease line 26.Transversal crease line 25 is configured to define bottomperipheral outline 8 ofpackage 1. - In particular,
transversal crease line 25 includes: - a bottom
central portion 25a configured to define bottomfront edge 8a ofpackage 1; - two
bottom end portions 25b arranged on opposite sides of bottomcentral portion 25a, located adjacent to respective side boundary edges 22 and configured to define bottomrear edge 8b ofpackage 1; and - two
bottom side portions 25c, extending adjacent to opposite sides of bottomcentral portion 25a, connecting thecentral portion 25a itself to therespective end portions 25b and designed to define respective bottom side edges 8c ofpackage 1. -
Transversal crease line 26 is arranged closer totop boundary edge 24 thantransversal crease line 25 and is configured to define topperipheral outline 9 ofpackage 1. In particular,transversal crease line 26 has a broken-line shape with: - a top
central portion 26a parallel to transversal direction B and configured to define topfront edge 9a ofpackage 1; - two
top end portions 26b parallel to transversal direction B, arranged closer totop boundary edge 24 than topcentral portion 26a and configured to define toprear edge 9b ofpackage 1; and - two inclined
top side portions 26c, having slanted configurations with respect to longitudinal direction A and transversal direction B and each one connecting topcentral portion 26a to respectivetop end portions 26b. - As visible in
Figure 6 ,top side portions 26c converge towards topcentral portion 26a. - Basic unit M includes two further
transversal crease lines bottom boundary edge 23 andtop boundary edge 24, respectively;transversal crease lines bottom boundary edge 23 andtop boundary edge 24 respective bottomtransversal sealing area 34 and toptransversal sealing area 35 configured to define bottomtransversal sealing band 18 and top transversal sealingband 19 ofpackage 1. -
Bottom crease pattern 28 is designed to producebottom panel 10 and bottom lateral flaps 11 ofpackage 1. In particular,bottom crease pattern 28 includes, in a known manner, fourlongitudinal crease lines transversal crease lines - Longitudinal crease lines 36b are the most internal ones, whilst
longitudinal crease lines 36a are located near opposite side boundary edges 22; the area betweenlongitudinal crease lines 36b as well as the areas delimited bylongitudinal crease lines 36a with the respective side boundary edges 22 are configured to definebottom panel 10 ofpackage 1. - In each of the areas delimited between
longitudinal crease lines bottom crease pattern 28 further includes twoadditional crease lines - In particular, the
additional crease lines transversal crease line 32 and opposite ends located at the intersection points betweentransversal crease line 25 andlongitudinal crease lines additional crease lines triangle 39 with the segment oftransversal crease line 25 comprised between theadditional crease lines - Each area between
longitudinal crease lines lateral flap 11 ofpackage 1. -
Top crease pattern 30 is designed to producetop panel 14 and toplateral flaps 15 ofpackage 1. In particular,top crease pattern 30 includes fourlongitudinal crease lines transversal crease lines - Longitudinal crease lines 40b are the most internal ones, whilst
longitudinal crease lines 40a are located near opposite side boundary edges 22; the area betweenlongitudinal crease lines 40b as well as the areas delimited bylongitudinal crease lines 40a with the respective side boundary edges 22 are configured to definetop panel 14 ofpackage 1.Removable portion 17 is formed in the area oftop region 29 comprised betweenlongitudinal crease lines 40b. - In each of the areas delimited between
longitudinal crease lines top crease pattern 30 further includes twoadditional crease lines - In particular, the
additional crease lines transversal crease line 33 and opposite ends located at, or adjacent to, the opposite ends of the respective inclinedtop side portion 26c oftransversal crease line 26. - In this way, each pair of
additional crease lines triangle 43 with the respectivetop side portion 26c of transversal creasedline 26. - Each area between
longitudinal crease lines lateral flap 15 ofpackage 1. - According to an important aspect of the present invention, the length of top
central portion 26a oftransversal crease line 26 is different from the length of bottomcentral portion 25a oftransversal crease line 25; in addition, the length of each ofbottom side portions 25c oftransversal crease line 25 is also different from the length of the projection R, parallel to longitudinal direction A, of each oftop side portions 26c oftransversal crease line 26 on a reference line S parallel totransversal crease line 25 and containing topcentral portion 26a. - In particular, the length of top
central portion 26a is smaller than the length of bottomcentral portion 25a; in a different manner, the length of each projection R is greater than the length of the correspondingbottom side portion 25c. - As visible in
Figure 6 , the length of bottomcentral portion 25a corresponds to the length of the segment oftransversal crease line 32 comprised betweenlongitudinal crease lines 36b; in a completely analogous manner, the length of topcentral portion 26a corresponds to the length of the segment oftransversal crease line 33 comprised betweenlongitudinal crease lines 40b. - The same applies to
bottom side portions 25c, whose lengths correspond to the lengths of the respective segments oftransversal crease line 32 comprised between each pair oflongitudinal crease lines transversal crease line 33 comprised between each pair oflongitudinal crease lines - It is important to note that the length of top front segment Q1 and top rear segment Q2 of top quadrilateral Q corresponds to the length of top
central portion 26a; in an analogous manner, the length of top side segments Q3 of top quadrilateral Q corresponds to the length of projections R. - In the embodiment shown in
Figure 6 ,intermediate region 31 includes a centraltransversal band 44 having a uniform structure, i.e. lacking any creasing or weakening, and crossing the areas of theintermediate region 31 itself designed to form the respectivelateral edge zones 7 ofside wall portions 6 ofpackage 1. - Preferably,
intermediate region 31 of basic unit M further comprises a plurality of V-shapedcrease lines 45 havingrespective vertices 46 located on or adjacent to thetransversal crease lines lateral edge zones 7 delimiting theside wall portions 6 ofpackage 1; each V-shapedcrease line 45 extends from and in proximity of the respectivetransversal crease line transversal band 44 and comprises twolegs 47 diverging from therespective vertex 46. - In particular, each V-shaped
crease line 45 extends from the respectivetransversal crease line transversal crease line intermediate region 31 measured parallel to the longitudinal direction A itself. - It is pointed out that, in the present description and in the claims, the term "total height of
intermediate region 31" corresponds to the total height of the package. - In practice, each V-shaped
crease line 45 extending fromtransversal crease line 25 and the corresponding V-shapedcrease line 45 extending fromtransversal crease line 26 are spaced apart parallel to longitudinal direction A. - Preferably, each V-shaped
crease line 45 has a size, parallel to longitudinal direction A, smaller than the maximum height ofbottom region 27 ortop region 29 measured parallel to the longitudinal direction A itself. - More preferably, each leg of the V-shaped crease lines 45 has a length smaller than the maximum length of the heights of
triangles transversal crease lines - In the example shown, each V-shaped
crease line 45 has a size, parallel to longitudinal direction A, substantially equal to one fourteenth of the total height ofintermediate region 31 measured parallel to the longitudinal direction A itself. - As visible in
Figures 1 to 4 , V-shapedcrease lines 45 are the only crease lines present inintermediate region 31 at the areas designed to definelateral edge zones 7 betweenside wall portions 6 ofpackage 1. - Due to the absence of continuous longitudinal crease lines between
transversal crease lines package 1 presents a round configuration alonglateral edge zones 7. V-shapedcrease lines 45 perform the function of easing folding of thepackaging material 2 at the corners betweenlateral edge zones 7 ofside wall portions 6 and bottomperipheral outline 8 and topperipheral outline 9 without affecting the round configuration oflateral edge zones 7. - In the example shown,
legs 47 of each V-shapedcrease line 45 are rectilinear or straight; as a possible alternative not shown,legs 47 of each V-shapedcrease line 45 may also be curved, preferably with their concavities facing one another. - Preferably,
legs 47 of each V-shapedcrease line 45 delimit an angle comprised between 45° and 90°. - Number 1' in
Figure 7 indicates as a whole a different embodiment of a sealed package according to the present invention and obtained by a basic unit M' (Figure 8 ) ofsheet packaging material 2. Package 1' being similar topackage 1, the following description is limited to the differences between them, and using the same references, where possible, for identical or corresponding parts; the same applies for basic units M' and M. - In particular, package 1' differs from
package 1 only in thatlateral edge zones 7 betweenside wall portions 6 are defined by respectivelongitudinal crease lines 50 extending betweentransversal crease lines central portion 25a and topcentral portions 26a oftransversal crease lines bottom side portions 25c oftransversal crease line 25 and respective projections R on reference line S. - In this case, there is no need for V-shaped crease lines, which are therefore absent.
-
Number 1" inFigure 9 indicates as a whole a different embodiment of a sealed package according to the present invention and obtained by a basic unit M" (Figure 10 ) ofsheet packaging material 2.Package 1" being similar topackage 1, the following description is limited to the differences between them, and using the same references, where possible, for identical or corresponding parts; the same applies for basic units M" and M. - In particular,
package 1" differs frompackage 1 only by having a top panel 14'' that extends horizontally and parallel tobottom panel 10. - In greater details,
top panel 14" is delimited by a topperipheral outline 9" (formed byedges 9a", 9b", 9c") parallel to bottomperipheral outline 8 and deriving by atransversal crease line 26" also parallel totransversal crease line 25 and to transversal direction B. - In this case,
top panel 14" extends entirely on reference plane P and therefore the projection oftop panel 14" on this latter plane, i.e. top quadrilateral Q, coincides with the top panel 14'' itself. - The same applies to the projections R of
top side portions 26c" oftransversal crease line 26" on reference line S, which coincide with thetop side portions 26c'' themselves; in fact, in this case, reference line S coincides with toptransversal crease line 26" . -
Number 1‴ inFigure 11 indicates as a whole a different embodiment of a sealed package according to the present invention and obtained by a basic unit M‴ (Figure 12 ) ofsheet packaging material 2.Package 1‴ being similar topackage 1", the following description is limited to the differences between them, and using the same references, where possible, for identical or corresponding parts; the same applies for basic units M‴ and M". - In particular,
package 1‴ differs from package 1'' only in thatlateral edge zones 7 betweenside wall portions 6 are defined by respectivelongitudinal crease lines 50 extending betweentransversal crease lines longitudinal crease lines 50 are slightly slanted with respect to longitudinal direction A due to the different lengths between bottomcentral portion 25a and topcentral portion 26a'' oftransversal crease lines bottom side portions 25c andtop side portion 26c" of the sametransversal crease lines - Thanks to the presence of
longitudinal crease lines 50, there is no need for V-shaped crease lines, which are therefore absent. - The advantages of
packages 1, 1', 1'', 1‴ and basic units M, M', M'', M‴ ofpackaging material 2 according to the present invention will be clear from the above description. - In particular, all the solutions of
packages bottom portions 3 slightly different from the top portions 4. In this way, it is possible to optimize filling of the transport pallets with thefinished packages 1, 1' , 1'', 1‴, which present high flexibility in their dimensions without imparting relevant changes in their appearance. For instance, aslimmer bottom portion 3 than the top portion 4 permits to compensate the bulging effect produced by gravity on the pourable product contained in the package when placed in the upright position, which product tends to accumulate in the bottom portion of thepackage - Clearly, changes may be made to
packages 1, 1', 1'', 1‴ and basic units M, M', M", M‴ ofpackaging material 2 as described and illustrated herein without, however, departing from the scope of protection defined in the accompanying claims. - The following paragraphs, listed in alphanumeric order for reference, are non-limiting example modes of describing this invention.
- A1. A sealed
package 1, 1', 1'', 1‴ containing a pourable food product and comprising abottom portion 3, a top portion 4 and amain portion 5 interposed between saidbottom portion 3 and said top portion 4 and including a plurality ofside wall portions 6; - wherein said
main portion 5 is divided from saidbottom portion 3 and said top portion 4 respectively by a bottomperipheral outline 8 and a topperipheral outline 9, 9'' , each having an endless configuration and extending transversally with respect to a longitudinal direction A, along which the total height of thepackage 1, 1', 1'', 1‴ is defined; - wherein each of said bottom
peripheral outline 8 and said topperipheral outline 9, 9'' has a broken-line shape and is formed by a plurality ofcontour edges - wherein said
bottom portion 3 comprises aquadrilateral bottom panel 10 delimited by said bottomperipheral outline 8 and extending orthogonal to said longitudinal direction A; and - wherein said top portion 4 comprises a quadrilateral
top panel 14, 14'' delimited by said topperipheral outline 9, 9'' and extending transversally to said longitudinal direction A; - wherein the area of the
bottom panel 10 is different from the area of a top quadrilateral Q obtained by projecting, along said longitudinal direction A, saidtop panel bottom panel 10, crossing thepackage contour edges peripheral outline - A2. The package according to paragraph A1, wherein said reference plane P contains at least a top
front edge contour edges peripheral outline - A3. The package according to paragraph A1 o A2, wherein the area of said
bottom panel 10 is smaller than the area of said top quadrilateral Q. - A4. The package according to any one of the foregoing paragraphs, wherein said contour edges of said bottom
peripheral outline 8 include a bottomfront edge 8a, a bottomrear edge 8b and two bottom side edges 8c and wherein said top quadrilateral Q includes a top front segment Q1, corresponding to said bottomfront edge 8a, a top rear segment Q2, corresponding to said bottomrear edge 8b, and two top side segments Q3, respectively corresponding to said bottom side edges 8c. - A5. The package according to paragraph A4, wherein said bottom side edges 8c have the same length and said top side segments Q3 have the same length; and wherein the length of said bottom side edges 8c is different from the length of said top side segments Q3.
- A6. The package according to paragraph A5, wherein said length of said bottom side edges 8c is smaller than said length of said top side segments Q3.
- A7. The package according to any one of paragraphs A4 to A6, wherein said bottom
front edge 8a and said bottomrear edge 8b have the same length and said top front segment Q1 and said top rear segment Q2 have the same length; and wherein the length of said bottomfront edge 8a and said bottomrear edge 8b is different from the length of said top front segment Q1 and said top rear segment Q2. - A8. The package according to paragraph A7, wherein said length of said bottom
front edge 8a and said bottomrear edge 8b is greater than said length of said top front segment Q1 and said top rear segment Q2. - A9. The package according to any one of the foregoing paragraphs, wherein said
top panel 14 is slanted with respect to saidbottom panel 10, said reference plane P and said longitudinal direction A. - A10. The package according to any one of paragraphs A1 to A8, wherein said top panel 14'' is parallel to said
bottom panel 10 and wherein said top quadrilateral Q coincides with said top panel 14''. - A11. The package according to any one of the foregoing paragraphs, wherein each of said
side wall portions 6 is delimited by two roundedlateral edge zones 7 convex outward. - A12. The package according to any one of paragraphs A1 to A10, wherein each of said
side wall portions 6 is delimited by two straightlateral edge zones 7. - A13. A sheet packaging material M, M', M'', M‴ for producing a sealed
package 1, 1', 1'', 1‴ containing a pourable food product, said packaging material M, M', M", M‴ having a rectangular or square configuration with twoboundary edges 22 parallel to a longitudinal direction A and two other boundary edges 23, 24 parallel to a transversal direction B orthogonal to said longitudinal direction A; said packaging material M, M', M", M‴ comprising at least a bottomtransversal crease line 25 and a toptransversal crease line - a
bottom region 27 containing abottom crease pattern 28 and configured to form abottom portion 3 of saidpackage - a
top region 29 containing atop crease pattern 30 and configured to form a top portion 4 of saidpackage - an
intermediate region 31 contained between said bottomtransversal crease line 25 and said toptransversal crease line 26, 26'', interposed between saidbottom region 27 and saidtop region 29 and designed to form amain portion 5 of saidpackage side wall portions 6; - wherein said bottom
transversal crease line 25 and said toptransversal crease line 26, 26'' are configured to define a bottomperipheral outline 8 and a topperipheral outline package 1, 1', 1'', 1‴ respectively dividing saidbottom portion 3 and said top portion 4 from saidmain portion 5; - wherein said bottom
transversal crease line 25 extends parallel to said transversal direction B and includes a bottomcentral portion 25a, designed to define a bottomfront edge 8a of saidpackage bottom side portions 25c, extending on opposite sides of said bottomcentral portion 25a and designed to define respective bottom side edges 8c of saidpackage - wherein said top
transversal crease line central portion front edge package top side portions central portion package - wherein said
bottom crease pattern 28 is configured to define aquadrilateral bottom panel 10 of saidpackage top crease pattern 30 is configured to define a quadrilateraltop panel 14, 14'' of saidpackage - wherein the length of said top
central portion transversal crease line central portion 25a of said bottomtransversal crease line 25. - A14. The packaging material according to paragraph A13, wherein the length of each of said
bottom side portions 25c of said bottomtransversal crease line 25 is different from the length of the projection R, parallel to said longitudinal direction A, of each of saidtop side portions transversal crease line transversal crease line 25 and containing at least said topcentral portion - A15. The packaging material according to paragraph A14, wherein said length of each of said
bottom side portions 25c is smaller than said length of the corresponding said projection R. - A16. The packaging material according to any one of paragraphs A13 to A15, wherein said length of said bottom
central portion 25a of said bottomtransversal crease line 25 is greater than said length of said topcentral portion transversal crease line 26, 26''. - A17. The packaging material according to any one of paragraphs A13 to A16, wherein said
top side portions 26c of said toptransversal crease line 26 are inclined with respect to both said longitudinal direction A and said transversal direction B and converge towards said topcentral portion 26a. - A18. The packaging material according to any one of paragraphs A13 to A16, wherein said top
transversal crease line 26" is parallel to said bottomtransversal crease line 25 and coincides with said reference line S, and wherein said projections R of saidtop side portions 26c"' on said reference line S coincide with saidtop side portions 26c". - A19. The packaging material according to any one of paragraphs A13 to A18, and further comprising a plurality of
longitudinal crease lines 50 extending between said bottomtransversal crease line 25 and said toptransversal crease line 26, 26'' and configured to define respectivelateral edge zones 7 of theside wall portions 6 of saidpackage 1', 1‴. - A20. The packaging material according to paragraph A19, wherein said
longitudinal crease lines 50 are slightly slanted with respect to said longitudinal direction A.
Claims (16)
- A sealed package (1, 1') containing a pourable food product and comprising a bottom portion (3), a top portion (4) and a main portion (5) interposed between said bottom portion (3) and said top portion (4) and including a plurality of side wall portions (6);wherein said main portion (5) is divided from said bottom portion (3) and said top portion (4) respectively by a bottom peripheral outline (8) and a top peripheral outline (9), each having an endless configuration and extending transversally with respect to a longitudinal direction (A), along which the total height of the package (1, 1') is defined;wherein each of said bottom peripheral outline (8) and said top peripheral outline (9) has a broken-line shape and is formed by a plurality of contour edges (8a, 8b, 8c; 9a, 9b, 9c) joined to each other;wherein said bottom portion (3) comprises a quadrilateral bottom panel (10) delimited by said bottom peripheral outline (8) and extending orthogonal to said longitudinal direction (A); andwherein said top portion (4) comprises a quadrilateral top panel (14) delimited by said top peripheral outline (9) and extending transversally to said longitudinal direction (A);wherein said top panel (14) is slanted with respect to said bottom panel (10), said reference plane (P) and said longitudinal direction (A);wherein the area of the bottom panel (10) is different from the area of a top quadrilateral (Q) obtained by projecting, along said longitudinal direction (A), said top panel (14) on a reference plane (P) parallel to said bottom panel (10), crossing the package (1, 1') and containing at least one (9a) of the contour edges (9a, 9b, 9c) of said top peripheral outline (9).
- The package as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reference plane (P) contains at least a top front edge (9a) of the contour edges (9a, 9b, 9c) of said top peripheral outline (9).
- The package as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the area of said bottom panel (10) is smaller than the area of said top quadrilateral (Q).
- The package as claimed in any one of the foregoing claims, wherein said contour edges of said bottom peripheral outline (8) include a bottom front edge (8a), a bottom rear edge (8b) and two bottom side edges (8c) and wherein said top quadrilateral (Q) includes a top front segment (Q1), corresponding to said bottom front edge (8a), a top rear segment (Q2), corresponding to said bottom rear edge (8b), and two top side segments (Q3), respectively corresponding to said bottom side edges (8c) .
- The package as claimed in claim 4, wherein said bottom side edges (8c) have the same length and said top side segments (Q3) have the same length; and wherein the length of said bottom side edges (8c) is different from the length of said top side segments (Q3).
- The package as claimed in claim 5, wherein said length of said bottom side edges (8c) is smaller than said length of said top side segments (Q3).
- The package as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein said bottom front edge (8a) and said bottom rear edge (8b) have the same length and said top front segment (Q1) and said top rear segment (Q2) have the same length; and wherein the length of said bottom front edge (8a) and said bottom rear edge (8b) is different from the length of said top front segment (Q1) and said top rear segment (Q2).
- The package as claimed in claim 7, wherein said length of said bottom front edge (8a) and said bottom rear edge (8b) is greater than said length of said top front segment (Q1) and said top rear segment (Q2).
- The package as claimed in any one of the foregoing claims, wherein each of said side wall portions (6) is delimited by two rounded lateral edge zones (7) convex outward.
- The package as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein each of said side wall portions (6) is delimited by two straight lateral edge zones (7).
- A sheet packaging material (M, M') for producing a sealed package (1, 1') containing a pourable food product, said packaging material (M, M') having a rectangular or square configuration with two boundary edges (22) parallel to a longitudinal direction (A) and two other boundary edges (23, 24) parallel to a transversal direction (B) orthogonal to said longitudinal direction (A); said packaging material (M, M') comprising at least a bottom transversal crease line (25) and a top transversal crease line (26) extending transversally to said longitudinal direction (A) and dividing the packaging material (M, M') into:- a bottom region (27) containing a bottom crease pattern (28) and configured to form a bottom portion (3) of said package (1, 1');- a top region (29) containing a top crease pattern (30) and configured to form a top portion (4) of said package (1, 1'); and- an intermediate region (31) contained between said bottom transversal crease line (25) and said top transversal crease line (26), interposed between said bottom region (27) and said top region (29) and designed to form a main portion (5) of said package (1, 1') having a plurality of side wall portions (6);wherein said bottom transversal crease line (25) and said top transversal crease line (26) are configured to define a bottom peripheral outline (8) and a top peripheral outline (9) of said package (1, 1') respectively dividing said bottom portion (3) and said top portion (4) from said main portion (5);wherein said bottom transversal crease line (25) extends parallel to said transversal direction (B) and includes a bottom central portion (25a), designed to define a bottom front edge (8a) of said package (1, 1'), and two bottom side portions (25c), extending on opposite sides of said bottom central portion (25a) and designed to define respective bottom side edges (8c) of said package (1, 1');wherein said top transversal crease line (26) includes a top central portion (26a), designed to define a top front edge (9a) of said package (1, 1'), and two top side portions (26c), extending on opposite sides of said top central portion (26a) and designed to define respective top side edges (9c) of said package (1, 1');wherein said bottom crease pattern (28) is configured to define a quadrilateral bottom panel (10) of said package (1, 1') and said top crease pattern (30) is configured to define a quadrilateral top panel (14) of said package (1, 1');wherein said top side portions (26c) of said top transversal crease line (26) are inclined with respect to both said longitudinal direction (A) and said transversal direction (B) and converge towards said top central portion (26a)wherein the length of said top central portion (26a) of said top transversal crease line (26) is different from the length of said bottom central portion (25a) of said bottom transversal crease line (25).
- The packaging material as claimed in claim 11, wherein the length of each of said bottom side portions (25c) of said bottom transversal crease line (25) is different from the length of the projection (R), parallel to said longitudinal direction (A), of each of said top side portions (26c) of said top transversal crease line (26) on a reference line (S) parallel to said bottom transversal crease line (25) and containing at least said top central portion (26a).
- The packaging material as claimed in claim 12, wherein said length of each of said bottom side portions (25c) is smaller than said length of the corresponding said projection (R).
- The packaging material as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein said length of said bottom central portion (25a) of said bottom transversal crease line (25) is greater than said length of said top central portion (26a) of said top transversal crease line (26).
- The packaging material as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 14, further comprising a plurality of longitudinal crease lines (50) extending between said bottom transversal crease line (25) and said top transversal crease line (26) and configured to define respective lateral edge zones (7) of the side wall portions (6) of said package (1').
- The packaging material as claimed in claim 15, wherein said longitudinal crease lines (50) are slightly slanted with respect to said longitudinal direction (A).
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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EP18168373 | 2018-04-20 | ||
EP19169271.4A EP3556673B1 (en) | 2018-04-20 | 2019-04-15 | A sealed package containing a pourable food product and a sheet packaging material for producing a sealed package containing a pourable food product |
Related Parent Applications (2)
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EP19169271.4A Division-Into EP3556673B1 (en) | 2018-04-20 | 2019-04-15 | A sealed package containing a pourable food product and a sheet packaging material for producing a sealed package containing a pourable food product |
EP19169271.4A Division EP3556673B1 (en) | 2018-04-20 | 2019-04-15 | A sealed package containing a pourable food product and a sheet packaging material for producing a sealed package containing a pourable food product |
Publications (2)
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EP4279408A2 true EP4279408A2 (en) | 2023-11-22 |
EP4279408A3 EP4279408A3 (en) | 2024-03-20 |
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EP19169271.4A Active EP3556673B1 (en) | 2018-04-20 | 2019-04-15 | A sealed package containing a pourable food product and a sheet packaging material for producing a sealed package containing a pourable food product |
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EP19169271.4A Active EP3556673B1 (en) | 2018-04-20 | 2019-04-15 | A sealed package containing a pourable food product and a sheet packaging material for producing a sealed package containing a pourable food product |
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EP (2) | EP4279408A3 (en) |
JP (2) | JP7436384B2 (en) |
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ES (1) | ES2963263T3 (en) |
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WO2019201860A1 (en) * | 2018-04-20 | 2019-10-24 | Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. | A sealed package containing a pourable food product and a sheet packaging material for producing a sealed package containing a pourable food product |
ES2898241T3 (en) * | 2018-07-16 | 2022-03-04 | Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance | Sheet packaging material for producing sealed containers for pourable food products, sealed container for pourable food products and method of manufacturing a sealed container for pourable products |
EP4328143A1 (en) * | 2022-08-02 | 2024-02-28 | Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. | Packaging blank for forming a package and package formed from a packaging blank |
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2019
- 2019-04-15 WO PCT/EP2019/059680 patent/WO2019201860A1/en active Application Filing
- 2019-04-15 MX MX2020010758A patent/MX2020010758A/en unknown
- 2019-04-15 BR BR112020018388-1A patent/BR112020018388A2/en active Search and Examination
- 2019-04-15 EP EP23194824.1A patent/EP4279408A3/en active Pending
- 2019-04-15 JP JP2020557909A patent/JP7436384B2/en active Active
- 2019-04-15 EP EP19169271.4A patent/EP3556673B1/en active Active
- 2019-04-15 US US17/048,958 patent/US20210237925A1/en active Pending
- 2019-04-15 ES ES19169271T patent/ES2963263T3/en active Active
- 2019-04-17 CN CN201920518124.7U patent/CN210761729U/en active Active
- 2019-04-17 CN CN201910315669.2A patent/CN110386317A/en active Pending
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JP2021522114A (en) | 2021-08-30 |
EP3556673B1 (en) | 2023-10-11 |
EP3556673C0 (en) | 2023-10-11 |
MX2020010758A (en) | 2020-11-09 |
JP2024045472A (en) | 2024-04-02 |
EP3556673A1 (en) | 2019-10-23 |
BR112020018388A2 (en) | 2020-12-22 |
US20210237925A1 (en) | 2021-08-05 |
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ES2963263T3 (en) | 2024-03-26 |
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