ES2456867T3 - Heat-sealed container and a container starting piece to form the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A heat-sealed package (1) made of a polymer-coated fiber-based material, such as paper or cardboard, comprising a bottom part (2), side and end walls (3, 4, 5), as well as a bottom part upper part (6), and which has been formed by folding a blank container piece (9) provided with corresponding segments (2a - 6a), characterized in that the container (1) has been formed by folding a piece of blank (9) of a rectangular package, comprising edge flaps (7a), which extend continuously around the blank and in which the package has been closed by heat sealing together the edge flaps (7a) of the blank (9) that rest against each other in such a way that the fins form a ridge (7) codirectional with the side walls (3) of the container and protruding from the upper part (6) of the container, the ridge constituting the single sealing line to hold the pack together.

Description

Heat-sealed container and a container starting piece to form the same

The invention relates to a heat-sealed container made of a polymer-based fiber-based material, such as paper or cardboard, comprising a bottom, side and end walls, as well as a top, and which has been formed by folding a package starting piece provided with corresponding segments. In addition, the invention relates to a package starting piece intended for the formation of such a container.

Particularly milk, cream, sour milk products, juices, and wine are normally packaged in so-called two-sided canopy-type cardboard containers shaped like a parallelogram or crowned with a crest, which are heat sealed in cardboard coated with polymer. The starting parts are supplied to a packaging machine in a continuous band, which the machine first curves and seals forming a tube into which the product to be packaged is introduced, and then cuts the tube to form the individual packages, while closing the containers while sealing them on the bottom and top. In a vertical joint present on one side of the package, the edges of a starting piece overlap, and at the ends of the package, the segments of a starting piece corresponding thereto are folded to achieve a flat bottom, as well as to a flat upper part in the parallelogram shaped container or with a crested upper part of the gable roof type container, depending on the shapes, folding lines, and the dimensioning of the starting piece. Therefore, the closed container develops three sealing lines, on a vertical side of the container and on each end of the container. Packaging of this type and the packaging technology required for this lend themselves very well to factory-scale packaging with a packaging machine. On the other hand, they are not suitable for small-scale packaging in which the product packaged not in a circulating liquid, but in a solid matter, possibly with considerable solid pieces, and in which, unlike in liquid containers , the container is not filled to the brim.

US Patent Publication No. 5,314,112 describes a portfolio in the form of a parallelogram folded from a piece of cardboard, which is intended to store sheets of paper or documents. The portfolio is of a construction such that in its permanent mounted condition does not require sealing or other fasteners. The sheet of starting material, from which the portfolio can be folded, is rectangular in shape and therefore considerably simpler in terms of its shape and folding lines compared to those required by the sealed containers of liquids as described above.

Publication WO 99/16675 describes a cube-shaped cardboard box, which is foldable simply from a quadratic starting piece, in which the folding lines define a diagonal cross that constitutes a bottom and a vertical side for the box, and the triangular corners of the starting piece are foldable to form an upper part of the box. The cube-shaped box is not sealed and its purpose is, in fact, to open and unfold for use, for example, as a game board. On the other hand, the design of the box and the starting piece is such that the closing of the box by heat sealing would not even be possible.

Document GB 504528 A, on which the preambles of independent claims 1 and 7 are based, describes a package starting piece obtained by removing portions of the edges of a rectangular piece of uncoated paper, so that it has fins ends separated from each other by trimmed sections. The starting piece is folded to form a container, in which the end fins form an upper ridge to close the container. It could be said that the container cannot be made completely impermeable to gases, since the cuts in the starting piece form sections prone to leaks to the root of the closing ridge.

US 2002/0192405 A1 discloses a carton-type carton of gabled paper or polymer-coated paperboard. A carton of this type has at least three sealing lines, the first one extending along the upper ridge, the second through one of the side walls, and the third through the bottom of the packaging. paperboard. The starting piece that must be folded and sealed to form the cardboard container is not rectangular, but has a more complicated shape.

Accordingly, there is a demand for a rectangular contour starting piece for a collapsible container, which can be closed by a simple process, of a single heat sealing step of the panels of the starting piece that rest against each other. Another objective within the scope of the invention is to find an application, in which a regular rectangle-shaped starting piece is foldable and heat sealable to form a hermetically sealed container whose liquid and gas tightness is defined by the properties of barrier of a coating polymer.

A heat-sealed package of the invention, as defined in independent claim 1, is characterized in that the package has been formed by folding a rectangular package starting piece, comprising edge fins, which continuously extend around the part starting and because the container is closed by heat sealing each other the edge fins of the starting piece that are supported in such a way that the

fins form a co-directional ridge with the side walls of the container and protrude from the top of the container, the crest being the only sealing line to hold the container together.

Therefore, in terms of its construction, the package is a package gathered around its edges, whose integrity is due to heat sealing of a polymer coating present at the edges. If the packaging material is coated with polymer on both sides, all layers of the material of the sealing line should be joined together with each other over the entire surface area thereof, in the same way as a laminate. In addition, since the starting piece is rectangular in shape, its edges extend all the way to the crest of the container constituted by a sealing line, whereby the container is closed in a liquid and gas-tight manner by the sealing.

Since the number of sealing lines needed for a package is only one, the package lends itself to a post-filling closure procedure by means of a simple heat sealer established by heated jaws that press against each other. The closed container can be opened by tearing open the sealing line, starting at any end of the container. If the sealing gasket is only partially opened, the container forms an emptying opening in the form of a roof with two pouring waters, so that the contents of the container do not need to be emptied all at the same time. If the packaging material comprises a thin polymer coated paper, its opening can also be implemented by partially or totally tearing the crest of the container formed by the joint. If the sealing gasket is opened by tearing it to its full extent, the container opens extending and exposes all its contents at the same time. This is particularly useful in the case of lunch containers containing, for example, sandwiches or similar snacks.

The sealed packages of products according to the invention are suitable for industrial manufacturing, but a particularly beneficial application of the invention can be found in stores, kiosks and other similar points of sale and distribution, in which the packages can be filled and Closed in small production batches or even one at a time, according to customer orders. Notable products to be packaged in accordance with the invention include snacks and travel lunches, so that a single package can be adapted to contain even several different products or ingredients, including cutlery, disposable plates, and small bags of condiments and flavors. The contents of the package may also consist of a single dry product, mentioning, for example, coffee, tea, spices, sweets, cereals, popcorn, etc.

Depending on the measurements of the various segments included in a starting piece that constitutes a package of the invention, the starting pieces that basically comprise corresponding segments and the folding lines can be used to form a parallelogram-shaped container or a package of type of gable roof with crest in the upper part, in which the upper part consists of inclined side panels interconnected by a sealed upper crest. A particularly preferred embodiment of a container of the invention comprises a gable roof type package, which has its bottom part provided with a longitudinal folding line co-directional with the side walls of the container and the container possesses its gable roofs provided of vertical and inclined fold lines to make the container collapse through its gabled roofs. This makes it possible for the starting piece of the package to be folded in a manner consistent with the package and then that it can be flattened to allow stacking of the starting pieces in such a flattened condition. Such pre-folded starting pieces look like bags, which makes filling and closing them particularly convenient at a point of sale or distribution. An additional benefit is that, when emptying progresses, the package collapses to a more flattened condition that requires less space, and a half-empty container is easy to carry, for example, in a pocket.

The package according to the invention is folded and sealed from a rectangular package starting piece. Such starting parts can be supplied to a store or distribution point where the packages are manufactured, preferably in the form of a continuous rolled web. Therefore, the lines between the successive starting pieces must be provided with perforations or other weakening lines to facilitate the separation of the starting pieces. The band of the starting pieces can also be folded to form a zigzag-shaped stack or the starting pieces can come in separate stacked sheets.

Another advantage of the rectangular package starting piece is that, in the process of folding a starting piece to form a container, the edge of the starting piece is turned upwards along its entire length to extend along the length of the sealing line that forms the crest of the container. Since the packaging material has a polymer coating on both sides thereof, the edges of the starting piece are sealed with each other in their entire length to achieve a leak-proof seal. The adjusted container resulting from the liquid and the aroma is particularly suitable for dry powder products, such as coffee, tea or condiments, which can be subjected to prolonged storage before the container is opened.

A package starting part of the invention according to independent claim 7, which is made of a polymer-based fiber-based material, such as paper or cardboard, and which is provided with segments corresponding to a bottom, walls side and roof gable, as well as an upper part of the container and separated from each other by folding lines, as well as with fins that rest against each other.

others in the process of folding the starting piece and being able to be sealed with each other to close the package, it is characterized in that the starting piece is rectangular in shape, comprising a continuous edge flap that extends around the starting piece and in the supported condition it constitutes a ridge, which protrudes from the top of the container and constitutes the only sealing line that holds the container together.

The invention will now be described in more detail by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

Figure 1 shows a rectangular shaped container starting piece of the invention, together with its folding lines and segments defined in this way,

Figure 2 shows a gable roof type container formed from the starting piece of Figure 1 by folding and sealing,

Figure 3 shows a gable roof for the container of Figure 2,

Figure 4 shows, in the same way as Figure 3, a gable roof for a parallelogram-shaped container of the invention,

Figure 5 shows a rectangular shaped container starting piece according to a second embodiment of the invention,

Figure 6 shows a collapsible container formed from the starting piece of Figure 5, and

Figure 7 shows a gable roof for the container of Figure 6.

The gable roof type container 1 shown in Figures 2 and 3 comprises a horizontal bottom part 2, vertical side walls 3 and end walls 4, triangles of the gable roof 5, a top part consisting of two inclined side panels 6, as well as an protruding ridge 7 at a vertex formed by the side panels 6. The bottom part 2 of the package, the side walls 3, the vertical end walls 4, and the side panels 6 of the top they are rectangular in shape, and the triangles of the gabled roof 5 consist of triangular segments folded inwardly defined by folding lines 8. The package 1 consists of a bilaterally extrusion coated packaging material, the coating of which comprises a heat sealable polymer, such such as polyethylene. The package is closed in a water and air tight manner by sealing the layers of packaging paper that form the ridge 7 with each other.

The package starting part 9 shown in Figure 1, from which the package 1 of Figures 2 and 3 is foldable and heat sealable, consists of a rectangular shaped sheet of packaging paper. The starting piece 9 comprises segments 2a-7a, which corresponds to the parts 2-7 of the package and are defined by the folding lines 8. The edge fin 7a which extends around the starting piece 9, has its segments pleated on top of each in the folding process and joined together in the heat sealing process in the same way as in a laminate, which results in the protruding ridge 7 holding the container together. The segments 10a, present in the corners 9 of the starting piece, are pleated inside the package in the process of folding the container 1.

The dimensions of the package, that is, its width, height, the inclination of the upper part 6, and the projection of its crest 7, can be varied by modifying the measurements of the different segments 2a-7a of the starting piece 9. In In the extreme case that the segments 6a of the upper side have an area that is half the area of the lower part 2, the package is made in the form of a parallelogram as shown in Figure 4.

Figures 5-7 illustrate, as in Figures 1-3 respectively, a second embodiment of the invention, which differs only from that shown in Figures 1-3 in the sense that the package has its bottom 2 provided with a longitudinal folding line 8 'codirectional with the side walls 3, and the container has its end walls 4 provided with inclined folding lines 8 "and vertical folding lines 8"'. This results in a transversely foldable container in the direction of the end walls 4, in which the end walls 4, provided with the folding lines 8 '' and 8 "', are folded inwards. The empty container is You can compress to complete your flatness and allow stacking in this condition.

It is obvious to one skilled in the art that the embodiments of the invention are not limited to the described examples, but that variations can be made within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (8)

1. A heat-sealed container (1) made of a polymer-based fiber-based material, such as paper or cardboard, comprising a bottom (2), side and end walls (3, 4, 5), as well as an upper part (6), and which has been formed by folding a piece of container (9) provided with segments 5 corresponding (2a - 6a), characterized in that the container (1) has been formed by folding a starting piece (9) of a rectangular package, comprising the edge fins (7a), which extend continuously around of the starting piece and because the package has been closed by heat sealing together the edge fins (7a) of the starting piece (9) that rest against each other in such a way that the fins constitute a co-directional crest (7) with the side walls (3) of the container and protruding from the upper part (6) of the 10 container, the crest being the only sealing line to hold the container together.

2.

A package as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that it is a gable roof type container (1), in which the upper part consists of sloping side panels (6) interconnected by the sealed upper ridge ( 7).

3.

A package as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that the lower part (2) of the package

15 has a longitudinal folding line (8 ') codirectional with the side walls (3) of the container and the peaks (4) of the container have vertical and inclined folding lines (8 ", 8"'), so that the container It is foldable in its gable roofs. 4. A package as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the package is in the form of a parallelogram. A package as set forth in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is a container of coffee, tea, condiments, sweets, snack or lunch.

6.

A package as set forth in any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that it is a liquid and flavor-tight food container.

7.

A starting piece (9) of package that is intended for the manufacture of a package (1) as set forth in

Any one of the preceding claims and which is made of a polymer-based fiber-based material, such as paper or cardboard, and which is provided with segments (2a-6a) corresponding to a lower part (2), side walls and end (3, 4, 5), as well as an upper part (6) of the container and separated from each other by folding lines (8), as well as with fins (7a) that rest against each other in the folding process of the starting piece and being heat sealable with each other to close the container, which 30 is characterized in that the starting piece is rectangular in shape, comprising a continuous edge fin (7a), which extends around the starting piece (9) and in a supporting condition constitutes a crest (7), which protrudes of the upper part of the container (6) and which constitutes the only sealing line that holds the container together. 8. A starting piece as set forth in claim 7, characterized in that the segments (2a, 4a), 35 which constitute the lower part of the package (2) and the end walls (4), are provided with folding lines (8 ', 8 ", 8"') to allow a roof type container to collapse to two waters. 9. A starting piece as set forth in any one of claims 7-8, characterized in that the starting piece (9) is made of a fiber-based packaging material with a polymer coating on both sides thereof.