ES2277114T3 - PRODUCT PACKAGING SYSTEM. - Google Patents

Abstract

A product containerisation system comprising a solid item having at least one hollow containing a secondary composition retained in said at least one hollow by a water soluble or water-dispersible polymeric film sealed to the solid item around the rim of said at least one hollow.

Description

Product packaging system.

This invention relates to a new system of product packaging that offers a packaging procedure simpler, greater protection against mechanical damage in transit, advantages at the presentation point of presentations and greater ease of dispensing by the user.

The packaging of many products requires more than A stage of packaging. These are described as primary packaging, secondary packaging, tertiary packaging, etc., as can be done illustrate with the example of packaging of pills that have to be protected against mechanical and environmental damage, that is, against breakage and against exposure to ambient humidity, respectively. To meet these needs, the pills are package as follows:

- The pills are packaged so flexible. Flexible packaging is the primary packaging, which protects the tablet from moisture absorption and offers protection Limited against mechanical damage. Until the container is opened primary, the user is protected against physical contact with the product, which is important when the product is dangerous, for example, irritating to the skin.

- Now, the way packed pills flexible require secondary packaging in a point packaging sale. Typically, the secondary package is a cardboard box printed, made of consistent cardboard or compressed cardboard curly.

- Next, the cardboard boxes knitted Sale are packed in a compressed cardboard packing box corrugated, tertiary packaging.

This example illustrates the number of procedures packaging required to offer the necessary protection to pills between its manufacture and its use. In this example, the tablet requires primary packaging (flexible packaging), a secondary packaging (the cardboard box of point of sale) and a tertiary packaging (the carton of packaging or transit). TO Despite these three levels of packaging the pills with packaging flexible receive only limited protection against damage mechanic. Since the flexible packaged tablets are packaged loose in the cardboard box of point of sale, any movement, especially if it is violent, will make the pills contained within the flexible container contact between Yes, leading to potential damage. When the pill is irritating or otherwise dangerous to the user, this, before being able to dispense a pill, you have to remove the barrier material from the flexible container, exposing himself or herself to danger potential. In addition, the barrier material of the flexible packaging is now a residue and has to be removed.

Packaging systems have been developed for products in which a product or products are attached to one side, in forward called upper side, of a flat sheet that subsequently it folds into a container: By this means, it They can combine several stages of packaging, thus eliminating at least one packaging procedure, as well as allowing a higher level of protection of products against mechanical damage and  an increased comfort for the consumer.

The document US-A-4411364 reveals a system of packaging of a liquid or semi-liquid product contained in a waterproof bag in which the bag is attached to a substrate of cardboard by means of a sheet. The bag is immobilized on the substrate by means of the sheet to eliminate or minimize the possibility of the bag losing or breaking due to the "action of wave "of the product because of the movement and shocks in the shipping and distribution cycle. The bag provides the container Primary product and sheet constitutes the secondary container. The sheet can be broken to make it possible for the bag with the product inside is removed intact and so that, subsequently, it can be broken to pour the product.

Statement of the invention

According to the invention, a product packaging system as defined in the claim 1.

Hard foil packaging is a term that will be easily recognized by the expert recipients of the specification and is a sheet forming procedure a polymeric material on the articles placed on a support sheet or cardboard.

As an example, which in no way is limiting of the preferred embodiment, the products may be tablets which are precisely placed in two groups of 8 tablets that They make a total of 16 plasticized cardboard pads. Then plasticized cardboard, already cut and folded according to needs, with the two groups of 8 tablets already ordered in positions predetermined, they are placed manually or automatically on a sheet packaging machine and a sheet of a suitable polymeric film soluble in water or dispersible in water, made substantially of polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), on the cardboard and the 16 pills. During the packaging procedure with sheet, the polymeric film is heated and then compresses on the tablets by means of a vacuum by extracting the air either from below or from the sides or from below and from the sides of the plasticized cardboard Due to the vacuum, the hot polymer sheet adheres to the contours of the pads forming a foil adjusted that simultaneously heat seal the coating heat activated on the surface of the plasticized cardboard. In European patent specification number EP0742778, entitled "Packaged with Foil", aspects of this have been described process.

The objective is to allow the user to withdraw hand the plasticized cardboard product, simply by applying a limited force in a twisting movement, which makes it possible that the product is detached almost along the plane in which The polymeric film is bonded to the flat sheet coating. Once the product is detached, the user is protected from contact with the sheet since the "plastic sheet" of the polymeric film will remain in position around the part of the product that is in contact with the user's hand. So soon as the user has removed the last product from the carton plasticized, plasticized cardboard becomes waste and, of According to the composition of the bonded polymeric film, it You can recycle or compost.

The parameters of the polymeric film and the foil container can be selected to create a film transparent but deliberately fragile once it has been Finished the procedure of packaging with sheet. The movie polymeric can be made fragile by different means to facilitate the extraction of the products. Some polymeric films are weak enough to be easily broken by the user although strong enough to constitute a suitable container to resist its life cycle. If a certain one is needed fragility or weakness of the polymeric film for a certain application, this can be achieved by a combination in film selection (polymer type, quality and thickness), depth of extraction of the polymeric film above the product and parameters time, temperature and air evacuation of the foil packaging procedure. One skilled in the art will be able to select the most suitable combination of film polymeric and procedure parameters to achieve the degree of fragility required in a given application. In this context, the degree of fragility required in a given application means that any user of the product would have the force to remove the product from the flat sheet by twisting Simply the product.

The product

In the example described below As the preferred embodiment, a tablet has been used as illustration of products that can be packaged using this invention. However, this invention is by no means limited to Packaging of a compact block or tablet. Any block Compact three-dimensional can be conveniently packaged using this invention, especially those whose protection and ease of use are beneficial and which are packaged for sale in multiple units

Nature of the Flat Plate

The flat sheet can be any material that be able to fold later to form a container. They are examples of materials that can be used as flat sheet the corrugated compressed cardboard, carton, carton for box Folding, a transparent or opaque polymeric sheet, an extrusion ribbed polymer such as that made of polypropylene and marketed under the trademark Correx®, or any other material that can be folded conveniently. It should be noted that these examples of materials that can be used as a sheet Flat comprise both porous and non-porous materials.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the flat sheet is a plasticized cardboard that, by way of example, It can be made of corrugated compressed cardboard that has been printed on one or both sides and then coated with a suitable thermo-activated coating on its upper side. He product or products to be packed are placed on the upper side of This plasticized cardboard.

When a point of sale box is required folded, the plasticized cardboard is printed on its surface lower, grooves and cuts in such a way that later It allows optimal folding and assembly.

Preferably, the product or products are joined to the flat sheet by means of sheet packaging using a water soluble or water dispersible polymeric film. A example of suitable cold water soluble film is known as L330 marketed by Aquafilm Limited.

When packaging is being practiced with sheet, the flat sheet can be made of a variety of materials, some of which are porous and others non-porous. It should be understood that the term non-porous in this context describes materials that do not allow air to pass by subjecting one side of the material at a vacuum with respect to the other side. Whether it is porous or if not, the flat sheet in the case of a sheet packaging will described herein as a plasticized cardboard.

When the product is designed for your dispensing to the user in a substantially aqueous environment,  the polymeric film is a water soluble film or water dispersible, preferably alcohol based poly. According to the properties of the film selected, the water soluble or water dispersible film is can dissolve or disperse any water completely temperature between 5ºC and 95ºC. In such an application, the tablet no longer requires its primary protective packaging, nor the Polymeric film has to be removed by the user since, Being soluble in water, it is not necessary. However, the pill It can be placed in all or part of its container, either in a dispenser (for example, in the case of a dishwasher), or in a situation where you will subsequently create a aqueous environment (for example, in the case of a machine washing machine) or directly in an aqueous environment (for example, in case of pesticide compositions dropped into a deposit of water spray). When the product comprises or contains a potentially toxic or harmful compound or harmful to the health, designed to be dispensed in an environment substantially aqueous, the soluble sheet will be especially convenient since the user will consequently not have Need to touch the product before dispensing.

Among the examples of products that can be conveniently packaged using this invention are the blocks of toilets, dyes, pesticide compositions, detergent compositions, cleaning compositions of concrete surfaces and additives, although these examples do not They are by no means exhaustive or limiting.

To practice the invention, preferably, These products will be presented in the form of compact elements three-dimensional, such as pills. However, it has discovered that, cupping the upper surface of the element three-dimensional compact to produce one or more holes, one or more compositions, such as a pill, a powder, a liquid or a Gel can fill the hole or gaps before packaging with foil.  For clarity, it should be noted that in the case of multiple holes, one can be filled with a liquid and the other with a gel, etc. In this embodiment, the three-dimensional compact element, or at minus its upper surface, which therefore includes surfaces comprising the gaps, may be coated with the same thermo-activated coating as the one that covers the cardboard plasticized or with a different one with the result that during The foil packaging procedure, the polymeric film The three-dimensional compact element is sealed around the edge of the hole or gaps, in the same way as if it were sealed at plasticized cardboard around the three-dimensional compact element. In this way, in the embodiment in which the polymeric film It is soluble in water or dispersible in water, it can be created within hollow or hollow a water soluble capsule or a series of said capsules containing each of said capsules a pill, a powder, a liquid or a gel composition. Subsequently, this capsule or capsules can be dispensed as part of a product of multiple components comprising the compact element three-dimensional and the capsule or capsules placed inside the hole or gaps as an integral unit. It should be noted that in this embodiment, the procedure described above of creating a capsule or a series of water soluble capsules of said capsules can be practiced without necessarily joining the element three-dimensional compact to a flat surface in it process. When the three-dimensional compact element does not join to a flat surface in the same procedure, in that case, the polymeric film can be trimmed around the perimeter of the product to leave the capsule or capsules attached to the element three-dimensional compact

It should be noted that, in the case where the upper surface of the three-dimensional element has been recessed to produce one or more holes, each filled with one or more compositions, the integrity of the capsule or capsules soluble in water is maintained when the three-dimensional compact element is detaches from plasticized cardboard.

Folding and Assembly

In the preferred embodiment, the cardboard plasticized complete with plasticized products with a film polymer is then presented to an assembly machine of cardboard boxes on which it is mounted to form a cardboard box. This cardboard box can be designed for use as a suitable point of sale to be presented on a shelf of supermarket or for any other purpose.

So, the plasticized cardboard complete with plasticized pads are mounted to form a cardboard box in a single online procedure, combining, in this way, the Primary and secondary packaging stages of a procedure typical packaging The assembly and filling of a box is eliminated Typical cardboard as in this invention, secondary packaging has been carried out in the same procedure as the primary packaging, which offers the possibility of reducing manufacturing cost and, at the same time, facilitate the use of the pills by the Username.

Alternatively, plasticized cardboard with products attached to it can be closed by folding it in the form of "roll" of open square or rectangular products. Each panel The roll can have at least one product mounted on it. However, depending on the size and shape of the product and on the roll form required, the panels can be arranged with alternative panels that have products mounted on the same.

Through these procedures, which are not limiting under this invention, each element may be protected against mechanical damage thanks to the fact that items packed in foil cannot come into physical contact each other, also being protected against damage environmental.

In the preferred embodiment, the cardboard box which contains the plasticized elements can be folded manually  or automatically using conventional assembly procedures. This can be described with reference to figures 1 and 2.

Figure 1 shows the scheme of the box cardboard with X elements already attached at selected sites carefully.

Figure 2 shows the same cardboard box, with X elements already joined, in a semi-state. To facilitate the understanding of the assembly procedure, this figure does not show the products X.

1. Panel b bends along line 2 up to 90º regarding panel d

2. Panel f bends along line 4 up to 90º regarding panel d

3. Panel i bends along line 14 to 90º regarding panel d

4. The cc tab bends along line 7 until 90º with respect to panel i. During this movement it is placed inside of the ccc cut that allows to block the cc tab behind the cut ccc formed, thus preventing the cc tab from detach

5. The ff tab bends along line 10 until 90º with respect to panel i. During this movement it is situated analogously inside the ccc cut which results in a tray with Three sides closed.

6. Panel h bends along line 13 to 90º regarding panel d.

7. The bb tab bends along line 6 until 90º with respect to panel h and during this movement it is placed inside of the bbb cut, thus preventing the bb tab from detach

8. Tab ee bends on line 9 until 90º with respect to panel h and during this movement it is placed analogously within the eee cut, which results in a tray with Four sides closed.

9. Panel a bends along line 1 to 90º regarding panel c.

10. Panel e bends along line 3 up to 90º regarding panel c.

11. Panel 9 bends along line 11 until 90º with respect to panel c.

12. Tab aa bends along line 5 until 90º with respect to panel g, and during this movement it is placed inside of the cut aaa preventing in this way that it is detached.

13. The dd tab is folded along line 8 until 90º with respect to panel g, and during this movement it is placed inside of the ddd cut, preventing it from coming off.

14. This forms a second tray with three closed sides.

15. The box now has two complete trays with three closed sides joined together in the center by the panel h.

16. Next, the end of the tray shown as panel c, it is folded along line 12 up to 90º of panel h, bending panels a and e on the outside of the panels b and f, making it possible in this way that the two trays close to form a container.

17. At the time of closing, it can be applied an adhesive, for example, in small specks on the outer side of the panel i. Conventional procedures of box closure.

18. Once the trays are folded together, the adhesive adheres to both the outer side of the panel I as on the inner side of panel g, forming a closure of the proper packaging that gives security and prevents the trays from open and packaged items are damaged.

When the consumer requires the use of a Closed container element, must break the adhesive described in (17) above and open the point of sale cardboard box for discover its content by unfolding on line 12. Next, The container can be closed again to protect its contents.

Another embodiment is illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 in which the cardboard is folded forming a square "roll" of elements with open ends. Although figures 3 and 4 illustrate a square roll of elements, this is by no means limiting, and a rectangular roll of elements.

Figure 3 shows the flat outline of the box with X elements already joined in selected places carefully.

In this embodiment, the cardboard box that Contains the X elements folded in the following order:

1. Panel A bends along line 1 to 90º regarding panel B.

2. Panels A and B are folded along line 2 up to 90º with respect to panel C.

3. Panels A, B and C are folded along line 3 up to 90º with respect to panel D. Since the dimensions of the panels A, B, C and D are identical, this results in a roll of square elements.

4. Panels A, B, C and D are folded by the line 4 to 90º with respect to panel E.

5. Panel A is now parallel and internal to panel E.

6. Panel F bends along line 5 to 90º regarding panel E.

7. Panel G bends along line 6 to 90º regarding panel F.

8. Finally, panel H bends along the line 7 to 90º with respect to panel G.

9. This results in the H being parallel and inside panel D.

Next, the square roll of elements such as a container by conventional means, that is, by means of, for example, locking tabs, adhesive or Velcro®, in a suitable site between panels D and H.

It should be noted that panels E, F, G and H are choose carefully and deliberately so that they are sufficiently greater than the transverse dimension of panels A, B, C and D with so that the first square or rectangular "roll" of X elements can be mounted later within a second square roll of X elements without the X elements attached to the first square roll of elements touch the opposite side of the cardboard comprising the second square roll of elements. Whether requires, the carton can be extended beyond panel H to make possible the inclusion in the package more square rolls of elements, and that in each case, the transverse dimension of the 4 panels of successive square rolls have to be sufficiently larger than the previous square roll.

In this way a package is created that comprises a square roll of elements like the one shown in figure 4, with plasticized elements clearly visible through any of the open ends of the roll.

Figure 5 is a schematic view of the roll square of elements of figure 4. Loa panels A, B, C, D Interiors are polished in greater detail. The 101 polymeric film Covers X products and one side of the flat sheet, usually 103, by a sheet packaging procedure. He product twist X around an axis 105 transverse to sheet 103 shears film 101 around perimeter 107 of product X adjacent to the flat sheet. The detail is not illustrated of the polymeric film in the rest of the square roll, but the recipient expert will realize that it extends over all X products illustrated.

In each of the illustrated examples, the Extraction of each product from the backing board is done grabbing the product and the film that covers it and twisting them around an axis transverse to the backing board so that the film is sheared around the perimeter of the product next to the cardboard.

Claims (10)

1. A product packaging system created by joining at least one product (X) to one side of a flat sheet (103), superimposing a polymeric film (101) on the product (X) and on one side of the sheet ( 103) flat by a sheet packaging process and then folding the flat sheet (103) to form an assembled package or package, characterized in that the polymeric film (101) is water soluble or water dispersible and constitutes the primary container of the product (X) in which the polymeric film (101) is selected and arranged in such a way that the twisting of the product (X) and the superposition of the film (101) about an axis (105) transverse to the sheet (103) flat shear the polymeric film (101) generally around the perimeter (107) of the product (X) adjacent to the flat sheet (103). 2. A product packaging system for according to claim 1 wherein the film (101) polymer is fragile or otherwise weakens in order to facilitate the shearing of the polymeric film (101) and the product extraction (X). 3. A product packaging system for according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the film (101) polymeric is made substantially of a polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) 4. A product packaging system for according to any one of the preceding claims in the flat sheet (103) is corrugated compressed cardboard, a box of cardboard or a folding cardboard box. 5. A product packaging system for according to any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the flat sheet (103) is non-porous to the passage of air when one side of the Flat sheet (103) is subjected to vacuum. 6. A product packaging system for according to claim 5 wherein the non-porous sheet (103) it is a polymeric sheet or a ribbed extrusion of a material polymeric 7. A product packaging system for according to any one of the preceding claims in which the flat sheet (103) comprises a series of panels (A-H) arranged in a row, having a plurality of said panels (A - D) at least one product (X) mounted on them, and in the that each panel (A - H) folds with respect to its adjacent panel to form a square or rectangular roll shaped container. 8. A product packaging system for according to claim 7 wherein the flat sheet (103) It comprises at least five panels (A - H). 9. A product packaging system for according to claim 7 or 8 wherein each of the series of panels (A - D) has a product (X) mounted on the same. 10. A system for preparing a container of according to any one of the preceding claims.