ES1294962U - Packaging for food products (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Container for food products, constituted from the development of a die-cut cardboard sheet with cut and fold lines that define a central rectangular sector that determines the bottom (1) of the container, from whose smaller sides emerge two determining inverted isosceles trapezoidal sectors of the smaller side walls (2) of the container and from whose larger sides emerge two separate inverted isosceles trapezoidal sectors determining the larger side walls (3) characterized in that: - From the smaller sides of the larger side walls (3) two separate sectors emerge scalene triangles (4) next to which a right triangular sector (5) is arranged, which in turn is attached to the smaller sides of the inverted isosceles trapezoidal sectors of the smaller side walls (2), so that in the assembly of the container, both triangular sectors, scalene (4) and straight (5), are superimposed and adhered to the inverted isosceles trapezoidal sectors two determinants of the smaller side walls (2), so that both triangular sectors (4, 5) collaborate with the matching parts of the respective side walls (2, 3) in the formation and sealing of the corners of the container; - The larger side walls (3) and the smaller side walls (2) are finished off at their free edge with tabs (6-7), which when assembling the container are folded orthogonally outwards, defining a perimeter sealing tab of the mouth of the container, having provided that both the tabs (6) of the larger sides (3) and the tabs (7) of the smaller sides (2) of the container have a folding line (8) arched in an external direction; - The tabs (6) of the larger side walls (3) are extended laterally in appendages (9) that, when assembling the container, face the side edges of the tabs (7) of the smaller side walls (2), being one and the other tabs (6-7) not joined together in the assembly. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

DESCRIPTION

Packaging for food products

TECHNICAL SECTOR

The present invention relates to a container for food products, such as prepared meals or other foods, of the type used in refrigeration equipment at service stations, supermarkets, etc.

The object of the invention is to provide a sealed container, which prevents liquids from escaping in a horizontal position and which is also ecological, obtained from cardboard, with a structure that allows it to be easily assembled and sealed in an automated manner.

It is also an object of the invention that the container obtained has perimeter flaps that, being independent from each other, that is to say without being joined, maintain the horizontal position when assembled in order to facilitate a heat-sealing process.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the field of practical application of the invention, it is common for certain types of food to be supplied in sealed and heat-sealable containers in the form of a tray, made of plastic materials, such as PET or PP, which entails a serious environmental problem.

Containers or trays made of die-cut and thermoformed sheet of paper or molded cellulose are also known. These last 2 need a plastic coating or varnish to maintain waterproofing for over 2 hours.

Trying to solve the environmental problem posed by the use of plastic containers, some solutions have been developed that use paper or cardboard as raw material, but all of them present the problem that the four flaps that determine the perimeter overhang of the mouth of the container on which the sealing sheet is applied, are joined at the ends forming a continuous cantilever. This configuration prevents them from being formed in a standard tray assembler and therefore the molds become very expensive.

EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

The container for food products that is recommended has a novel configuration that fully satisfactorily solves the aforementioned problems, based on a simple but effective solution.

For this, and more specifically, the container of the invention is constituted from the development of a die-cut cardboard sheet with fold lines in which a rectangular central sector is defined, from whose larger sides emerge two inverted isosceles trapezoidal sectors that will determine the largest sidewalls. Likewise, from the smaller sides of the central sector, two inverted isosceles trapezoidal sectors emerge, which will determine the smaller side walls.

Two scalene triangular sectors emerge from the ends of the larger side walls, next to which there is a right triangular sector which in turn is attached to the smaller sides of the inverted isosceles trapezoidal sectors of the smaller side walls. In the assembly of the container, both triangular sectors, scalene and straight, are superimposed and adhered to the inverted isosceles trapezoidal sectors that determine the smaller side walls. This configuration makes it possible to obtain a sealed container with folds that do not allow liquids to escape in the horizontal position.

Tabs emerge from both the larger side walls and the smaller side walls which, when assembling the container, fold orthogonally outwards, defining a perimeter sealing tab for the mouth of the container.

The flanges of the larger side walls extend laterally in appendages that, when assembling the container, face the lateral edges of the flanges of the smaller side walls, leaving the flanges of the larger and smaller side walls not joined together in the assembly. . That is to say, the tabs in the assembly remain in the same horizontal plane, adjacent to each other, but with freedom of movement with respect to each other. This special configuration means that the container can be assembled in a conventional tray assembler.

A very relevant aspect of the present invention is related to ensuring that the perimeter flanges are maintained in the appropriate horizontal position from the time the cardboard container is assembled, until the packer fills it and then heat-seals it.

On the other hand, the slit or fold line of the curved flaps has been configured as a half-cut knife slit, thus favoring folding.

The sum of these two technical characteristics: the curvature of the flaps and the transformation of the crease into a half-cut blade, is what allows the desired effect of the flaps to always remain taut.

If in the initial hit of the mounter they go over 90° when bending them, the tension of the curve keeps them persistently above 90°. On the other hand, if for the introduction of the food product the container is opened to better fit it, the flaps continue to rotate up to almost 180°, instead of returning to the vertical position. And when the container enters the mold and it presses the belly of the curve generated in the filling, the tension of the flap automatically takes it to the horizontal, thus allowing the application of the plastic by the heat-sealing machine.

It is important to note that the flat flaps intended for heat sealing are not joined at the ends and, even so, it is possible (thanks to the aforementioned technical characteristics) that they remain above 90° until heat sealing.

Finally, it only remains to point out that the cardboard sheet, depending on the food product to be housed within it, is likely to present a coating of a biodegradable and recyclable material with the cardboard, which waterproofs the cardboard and is suitable for contact with food. , such as quick-drying aqueous varnishes, intended for application on cardboard on natural fiber. In an alternative embodiment, the possibility of including a plastic sheet is contemplated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description that is going to be made below and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to a preferred example of its practical embodiment, a set of plans is attached as an integral part of said description. where, by way of illustration and not limitation, the following has been represented:

Figure 1.- Shows a plan view of a container for food products made in accordance with the object of the present invention, in which the gluing/fixation areas provided at the strategic points of the container are represented by shading.

Figure 2.- Shows a top perspective view of the container of Figure 1 duly assembled.

Figure 3.- Shows a view similar to that of figure 1, but corresponding to a variant embodiment of the container with a rectangular bottom that is longer than that of figure 1.

Figure 4.- Shows, finally, a top perspective view of the container of Figure 3 duly assembled.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In view of the figures outlined, it can be seen how the container of the invention is constituted from the development of a die-cut cardboard sheet with fold lines in which a central rectangular sector is defined that determines the bottom (1), whose smaller sides emerge two respective inverted isosceles trapezoidal sectors determining the smaller side walls (2) of the container.

On the other hand, from the larger sides of the bottom (1) two separate inverted isosceles trapezoidal sectors emerge, determining the larger side walls (3) from whose smaller sides two separate scalene triangular sectors emerge (4) next to which there is a right triangular sector (5) which in turn is attached to the smaller sides of the inverted isosceles trapezoidal sectors of the smaller side walls (2). In the assembly of the container, both triangular sectors, scalene (4) and straight (5), are superimposed and adhered to the inverted isosceles trapezoidal sectors that determine the smaller side walls (2). According to this configuration, both triangular sectors (4,5) collaborate with the matching parts of the respective side walls (2,3) in forming and sealing the corners of the container;

In accordance with the essence of the invention, tabs (6-7) emerge from the free edge of the larger side walls (3), as well as the smaller side walls (2), which in the assembly of the container fold orthogonally outwards, defining a perimeter flange for sealing the mouth of the container. These tabs have a fold line (8) arched externally.

These tabs make it possible to seal the container by means of a sheet of film once it has been filled with the food product in question.

The flanges (6) of the larger side walls (3) extend laterally in appendages (9) that will face the lateral edges of the flanges (7) of the smaller side walls (2) when assembled, being relevant to note that one and the other tabs (6-7) are not joined to each other in the assembly. That is to say, the tabs (6-7) in the reinforcement remain in the same horizontal plane, adjacent to each other, but with freedom of movement with respect to each other.

The arched configuration of the folding lines (8) is obtained by means of a half-cut blade to further facilitate its turning.

Thanks to the curvature of the fold lines (8) and the execution of the crease by means of a half-cut blade, the tabs (6-7) are always tensioned, which ensures their correct horizontal position when applying the plastic sheet on the mouth of the container by the heat-sealing machine.

Finally, it should be said that the cardboard sheet in which the container is obtained, depending on the type of food to be received inside, is capable of optionally presenting a coating of a biodegradable and recyclable material with the cardboard, which makes the cardboard waterproof and It is suitable for contact with food, such as quick-drying aqueous varnishes, intended for application on cardboard on natural fiber, although it could also include a coating of a plastic nature, etc.

Acrylic varnishes that fulfill a barrier function of low odor and low migration and that serve as a temporary barrier to oil, grease and water will preferably be used. In addition, they must be varnishes that allow heat sealing with a PE film.

Coating efficiency depends on the smoothness of the substrate surface and the grams applied. Efficiency is improved by applying 2 coats, as the second coat covers holes in the initial coat. Obviously it must be varnishes with approved use for the food sector that allow direct contact with food. By way of example, and without being an exclusive list, we can mention the following products currently known on the market: Novaset® 4705/50 manufactured by FLINT; Hi-Coat W2085 Barrier ® manufactured by HitechCoating; or those manufactured by Sun Chemical: SunStar® Range: SPEF053 or FCDEV940.

Claims (4)

1 Container for food products, constituted from the development of a die-cut cardboard sheet with cut and fold lines that define a central rectangular sector that determines the bottom (1) of the container, from whose smaller sides emerge two inverted isosceles trapezoidal sectors that determine the the smaller side walls (2) of the container and from whose larger sides emerge two separate inverted isosceles trapezoidal sectors determining the larger side walls (3) characterized in that: - Two scalene triangular sectors (4) emerge from the smaller sides of the larger lateral walls (3) next to which there is a right triangular sector (5) which in turn is attached to the smaller sides of the inverted isosceles trapezoidal sectors of the smaller side walls (2), so that in the assembly of the container, both triangular sectors, scalene (4) and straight (5), are superimposed and adhered to the inverted isosceles trapezoidal sectors that determine the smaller side walls (2 ), so that both triangular sectors (4,5) collaborate with the matching parts of the respective side walls (2,3) in the formation and sealing of the corners of the container; - The larger side walls (3) and the smaller side walls (2) are finished off at their free edge with tabs (6-7), which when assembling the container are folded orthogonally outwards, defining a perimeter sealing tab of the mouth of the container, having provided that both the tabs (6) of the larger sides (3) and the tabs (7) of the smaller sides (2) of the container have a folding line (8) arched in an external direction; - The tabs (6) of the larger side walls (3) are extended laterally in appendages (9) that, when assembling the container, face the side edges of the tabs (7) of the smaller side walls (2), being one and the other tabs (6 7) not joined together in the assembly. 2. Container for food products, according to claim 1, characterized in that the folding line (8) for the tabs (6-7) is obtained by means of a half-cut blade. 3. - Container for food products, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cardboard sheet in which the container is obtained incorporates an aqueous coating or varnish suitable for heat sealing and determining a temporary barrier to oil, fat and water, suitable for contact with food. 4. - Container for food products, according to any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that it internally incorporates a coating based on a plastic sheet and determinant of a temporary barrier to oil, fat and water, suitable for contact with food.