FR3124496A1 - Bi-material packaging for packaging food products. - Google Patents

Abstract

Packaging packaging for food products comprising, on the one hand, a cardboard container (10) comprising a base and a peripheral wall, the upper edge of which defines the opening of the container (10), and, on the other hand, a lid (20) made of plastic material or other bio-sourced material. The lid (20) comprises a peripheral chute (21) whose outer side (22) has an outer surface of shape and orientation suitable for a fitted fitting connection in the inner face of the peripheral wall of the container (10), said outer side (22) of the chute (21) comprising a flange (23) capable of resting on the upper edge of said peripheral wall. Abstract Figure: Fig. 4

Description

Bi-material packaging for packaging food products.

The present invention relates to a packaging for the packaging and conservation mainly of food products, equipped with a cardboard container intended to contain said products and a lid for closing the volume of the container made of plastic, or any other organic material. -source.

The container is in fact a receptacle offering an interior space or volume delimited by a bottom and a peripheral wall, the upper edge of which defines the opening of the receptacle, which is closed by a lid in particular with a view to preserving the food contained in the packaging. . The lid in plastic or other bio-sourced material is provided transparent, so as to allow exposure to the consumer of the products sold and, if necessary, the control of their freshness.

We know that plastic allows great flexibility in developing the shapes and texture of the material (transparency) but, in keeping with the environmental logic of reducing the share of plastic in packaging advocated today, the rest of the packaging, that is to say the container, is entirely made of cardboard. It is also a recyclable material, hence its attractiveness in the field of invention.

In the configuration of the invention, the lid is secured to the container so that the assembly has a mechanical strength which makes it possible in particular to stack the packaging, for example for transport or storage purposes, while preserving the consistency of volume. of each package so as not to damage the products contained in the container.

Such cardboard container packaging provided with a plastic cover is already known, as evidenced for example by document FR 3 063 071. The configuration described therein has a cover attached to the container at discrete locations, typically located in the corners of the packaging. More particularly, tabs of the lid are provided to fit into corresponding slots in the sides of the container. The anchoring points of the lid on the container are limited, which makes it possible, if necessary, to organize aeration management involving the connection between the container and the lid. However, such a design with a deficient mechanical connection can have an impact on the overall mechanical strength of the container/lid assembly.

Document SP 2 277 726 presents a configuration of the same type, in which the lid is however flat, and designed so that its corners have lugs intended to be inserted into slots made in the wall facing the container. It is therefore again a container/lid interaction reduced to the corners.

In both cases, the choice of a mechanical connection between the container and the lid which is located in well-defined areas in the periphery of the container is not without consequences. Thus, with a view to offering a mechanical strength allowing in particular packaging to be stacked, the limited amplitude of the joining zones may force reinforcement either of the structures of the container and of the lid or in the materials themselves, whose thicknesses must then be provided at least locally greater. The need for reinforcement therefore has economic consequences, which are often unfavorable (increased quantity of material, more complex configuration, etc.).

In the aforementioned configurations, the limited nature of the sectors for attaching the lid to the container also results from the fact that the tabs clip into slots, requiring an elastic deformation of the walls of the container which is obviously easier to implement on an area narrow than on a wide periphery. Secondarily, for a number of products suitable for this type of packaging, a form of ventilation is desired, and one can in this respect and as mentioned previously take advantage of the portions devoid of mechanical connection located between the fixing sectors: this is the case for the configuration described in FR 3 063 071, which preserves a space between the upper edge of the walls of the container and the rim opposite the lid, allowing the passage of air on all sides of the packaging described.

The present invention deviates from the solutions for securing the lid to the container as shown in the cited documents, by proposing a solution that is easy to implement, robust and safe, both for the operation of securing the lid to the container and for the reverse manipulation to remove the lid to open the package.

To fulfill these objectives, as well as others which will be apparent on reading what follows, the packaging for packaging food products of the invention, conventionally comprising on the one hand a cardboard container comprising a bottom and a wall device whose upper edge defines the opening of the container, and on the other hand a lid made of plastic material or other bio-sourced material, is such that the lid comprises a peripheral chute whose outer side has an outer surface of shape and orientation suitable for a fitting connection fitted into the inner face of the peripheral wall of the container, said outer side of the chute comprising a rim capable of resting on the upper edge of said peripheral wall.

In the solution recommended by the invention, the lid is therefore recessed, that is to say that it is fitted inside the peripheral wall of the container which rises from the bottom. The mechanical connection is made, for the cover, at the level of the peripheral chute and, for the container, near the upper edge of the peripheral wall. The exercise of the efforts to hold the lid in the container is therefore carried out over all or almost all of the circumference of the packaging, the interlocking in this case assuming an adjustment such that a slight pressure is exerted between said chute and an upper strip of the peripheral wall close to the upper edge of the container.

The rim, which is also preferably peripheral, also leads to an "overflow" of the lid towards the outside, which allows it to rest on the upper edge of the peripheral wall, thus preventing the lid from sinking into the interior volume of the container.

Preferably, the interlocking connection of the lid in the container takes place over the entire periphery of the container and of the lid. The mechanical strength thus provided is optimal due to the existence of adjustments generating symmetrical antagonistic forces between opposite parts on the periphery of the lid and the container, regardless of the location on said periphery.

According to one possible configuration, the upper edge of the container is contained in a plane, so that the edge of the lid is also integrated into a plane, simplifying the drawing of the line of contact and support between the upper edge of the container and the rim of the lid. Preferably again, said plane is parallel to the plane of the bottom of the container. This is of course a possible configuration, which does not exclude configurations with non-planar upper edges, for example crenelated.

To facilitate handling, the lid may include a tab protruding from the rim and extending towards the outside of the packaging, forming in practice a gripping member of said lid, accessible from the outside and allowing it to be separated from the container. The idea is to be able to exert a directional action perpendicular to the lid and in a direction resulting in moving it away from the container, in order to separate the peripheral chute from the upper band from the peripheral wall of the container close to the upper edge.

According to the invention, the outer side of the chute may also comprise means for locking the lid in the container. It should be noted that even in the presence of such means, the tab for gripping and separating the lid is functional and usable.

Said locking means may consist of a plurality of protrusions protruding outwards from the outer side of the chute and capable of being inserted into windows made in the peripheral wall. The protrusions are provided to elastically deform the upper strip, that is to say the upper portion, of the peripheral wall of the container before clipping into the windows, when they arrive opposite the orifices constituting said windows.

More specifically, according to one possible configuration, the protrusions may comprise an inclined ramp gradually deviating from the outer side of the chute in the direction of the rim, and connected via a rounded top edge to a return surface rising towards said outer side of the chute. . In this case, according to the invention, the upper edge of the windows is straight. The windows are then for example provided rectangular or oblong, that is to say that they have a shape close to that of the base of the protrusions. The two inclined surfaces and the rounding of the top edge make it possible to smoothly manage the relative movements of the lid and the container, for locking as well as for unlocking.

Thus, when the lid is pushed into the container, the adjustment of one inside the other naturally operates a centering, and the ramps of the distal protrusions of the rim gradually deform the upper part of the peripheral wall portions in front of which they are located above the windows, until they arrive in front of the latter, in which they then penetrate. The stopper during the downward movement does not depend on the protrusions, but on the edge of the lid, when it comes to rest on the upper edge of the container.

In the reverse movement, when the lid is detached from the container by pulling on the protruding tab, the return surface of each protuberance, proximal to the rim, slides against the upper edge of the window, deforms the portion of wall located immediately at the above the window and pulls out of the window. The lid is released.

It has previously been mentioned that the mechanical connection between the lid and the container applies, in the invention, to the entire periphery of the packaging, which leaves no room for slots and other interstices of ventilation at this location. This is the reason why the peripheral wall of the container may include ventilation holes. These can be made in the peripheral wall, in the bottom – depending on the products contained in the container – and/or straddling the bottom and the peripheral wall.

Alternatively or additionally, the cover can also have at least one ventilation hole. These can for example be provided in inclined sections connecting on the one hand a main flat surface of the lid, parallel to the bottom when the packaging is closed, and on the other hand an intermediate height of the inner wall of the peripheral chute. . These inclined planes are actually a kind of chamfer interrupting, in the vicinity of said orifices, the edge connecting the flat surface of the lid and the inner wall of the chute.

According to a very common configuration for packaging according to the invention, the bottom is for example polygonal and the peripheral wall of the container comprises flat sections whose upper edges define a polygon of the same nature as the polygon of the bottom. This type of configuration is not limiting, and other geometries can be envisaged, but the manufacture of the container from a cardboard blank makes polyhedra common, with a virtually infinite number of variations, whether dimensional , in number of faces, with or without cut sides, etc.

The outer face of the sections of the peripheral wall and/or of the bottom may comprise at least one printable surface making it possible to personalize the packaging, for example according to the products it contains, or even for more general communication purposes.

Other aims and advantages of the present invention will appear during the description which will follow, relating to embodiments which are given only by way of indicative examples. The understanding of this description will be facilitated in particular by reference to the drawings attached in the appendix and in which:

shows a perspective view of a possible configuration of a rectangular container with canted sides according to the present invention, shown without the lid made of plastic or other bio-sourced material;

shows in perspective view the lid which is intended to cooperate with the container of the previous figure, in the insertion position;

shows a side view of the lid, showing the lid locking protuberances from another angle; And

shows the complete packaging, lid closed on the container.

With reference to the , the cardboard container 10 of the invention is produced by means of a single pre-cut and pre-scored cardboard blank in order to constitute a single volume container as shown in the figure, once three-dimensionally shaped and glued. In the configuration shown, the bonding takes place more particularly at the two longitudinal ends of the container 10, at the level of the flats 4 of the peripheral wall. The container 10 comprises a bottom 5 and a peripheral wall consisting, in addition to the two end faces 4, of two side faces 6 and of four cut faces 7. In the case illustrated by the figures, the upper edge 1 of the container 10 is an octagon located in a plane parallel to the plane of the bottom 5.

The container 10 being made of cardboard, and obtained from a flat blank, the outer faces of the sides 4, 6 and of the bottom 5 are easily printable in order to communicate information specific to the products contained in the packaging.

The lid 20 appearing in FIGS. 2 and 3 comprises a peripheral chute 21 which runs over the entire periphery of said lid 20, and the outer side 22 of which has a surface allowing fitted fitting in the upper portion of the peripheral wall of the container 10 appearing in . This upper portion of constant height in fact constitutes a kind of upper surface strip whose orientation and shape are taken up by the outer side 22 so as to make the adjustment, carried out more or less tightly according to the dimensions chosen at the manufacture, of the lid 20 in the container 10. Preferably, when setting up the lid 20, there may be a slight resistance at the time of the adjustment of one into the other.

A peripheral rim 23 develops towards the outside of the cover 20, substantially perpendicular to the orientation of the outer side 22 of the peripheral chute 21. Due to the aforementioned adjustment, this rim 23 bears, at the end of the depression of the cover 20, on the upper edge 1 of the container 10, and therefore serves as a stop for the positioning of the cover 20. A lug 24 projects from the rim 23 at a location of the cover located at one of the cut sides 7 of container 10, that is to say in one of the corners of the package. This tab 24 is mainly used when opening the packaging, it actually serves as a gripping member aimed at exerting a separating force to remove the lid 20 from the container 10.

Protuberances 25, particularly clearly visible in , protrude from the outer side 22 of the chute 21, acting as means for locking the cover 20 by cooperation with windows 8 formed in the container 10. These windows 8 are located in the upper band of the peripheral wall of the container 10 which is intended to be in contact with the outer side 22 of the peripheral chute 21 of the cover 20. Said protrusions 25 are in this case positioned in the parts of the chute 21 corresponding to the cut sides 7 of the container 10. They are configured to accompany optimal relative movements container 10 / lid 20, so that they remain as fluid as possible while ensuring proper locking. The word locking is understood in this case with a sense of blocking, of immobilization, which is one of its main meanings, knowing that it is not a question of making it difficult to close or open the 'packaging.

The shape given to said protrusions 25 is therefore provided to allow smooth accompaniment of movements, by using surfaces inclined in two opposite directions. So, as shown in , a first ramp 2, proximal to the bottom of the chute 21, is inclined so as to gradually move away from the outer side 22 of the chute 21 going up towards the rim 23. It is mainly used when inserting the cover 20 in the container 10, since it makes it possible to gradually deform the part of the upper band of the peripheral wall of the container 10 located above the windows 8, until arriving in front of the latter, in which the protuberances 25 end up engage to block and immobilize the lid 20 in the container 10.

A second ramp 3, also called the return surface, is located closer to the rim 23 and acts rather when the lid 20 is extracted from the container 10. It is inclined, much more frankly than the previous one, so as to rise slightly towards the rim 23 while approaching the outer side 22 of the chute 21. When the cover 20 and the container 10 are separated, by pulling on the tab 24, it is this second ramp 3 which interacts with the upper side of the window 8 and gradually pushes it back to extract the protrusion 25 from said window 8. The blockage is then removed, and the lid 20 can be easily detached from the container 10. The two ramps 2, 3 are connected via a rounded top edge which improves again the fluidity of the movements in contact with the peripheral wall of the container 10.

For such a type of protrusion 25, the windows 8 are for example rectangular, or oblong, or more generally of a shape close to that of the base of the protuberance 25 at the level of its attachment to the outer side 22 of the chute 21 (see below). figures 1 and 4). The rectangular or oblong shape is not a functional requirement for windows 8 with protuberances 25 as described, but it is at the very least necessary that the upper edge of window 8 be straight to achieve correct blocking.

The association of the container 10 and the lid 20 in the closed state is more particularly shown in , in which the adjustment of the lid 20 - via the chute 21 - in the container 10, adjustment present on the entire periphery of the packaging, is clearly apparent. Similarly, in the foreground, in the cutaway 7, the protrusion 25 protruding from the window 8 is clearly visible.

The products to be packed in this type of packaging often require ventilation, i.e. a possibility for the ambient air to circulate in the packaging. The figure shows in this respect orifices 9 made in the side panels 6 of the container 10. At the interface between the bottom 5 and the panels 4, 6 of the peripheral wall, other orifices 11 are present on two planes, straddling said bottom 5 and said sides 4, 6. Other orifices 12, resulting from the cutting of the initial blank, equip the bottom of the cut sides 7.

There are also holes 26 in the lid, in the configuration shown in which the main flat surface 27 of the lid 20 is substantially at the same level as the edge 23, in this case slightly higher. The edge separating the peripheral chute 21 from the surface 27 is interrupted in several places by a sort of inclined chamfer 28 in which the oblong orifices 26 are made.

The configuration example which is the subject of the figures should not be considered as exhaustive of the invention, which on the contrary encompasses the shape variants to which reference has been made previously: shapes and angles of inclination of the sections 4, 6 ; number of sections forming the peripheral wall; locations and shapes of the orifices 9, 11, 12, 26; existence or not of canted sides, shape of windows 8, etc.

Claims (12)

Packaging packaging for food products comprising on the one hand a cardboard container (10) comprising a bottom (5) and a peripheral wall whose upper edge (1) defines the opening of the container (10), and on the other hand a cover (20) made of plastic material or of another bio-sourced material, characterized in that the cover (20) comprises a peripheral channel (21) whose outer side (22) has an outer surface of suitable shape and orientation to a fitted fitting connection in the internal face of the peripheral wall of the container (10), the said external side (22) of the chute (21) comprising a rim (23) capable of resting on the upper edge (1) of the said peripheral wall. Packaging packaging for food products according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the interlocking connection of the lid (20) in the container (10) takes place over the entire circumference of the container (10) and of the lid (20). Packaging for food products according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper edge (1) of the container is contained in a plane. Package for packaging foodstuffs according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the said plane is parallel to the plane of the bottom (5) of the container (10). Packaging packaging for food products according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lid (20) comprises a tab (24) projecting from the rim 23 and extending towards the outside of the packaging. Packaging packaging for food products according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer side (22) of the chute (21) comprises means for locking the lid (20) in the container (10). Package for packaging foodstuffs according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the said locking means consist of a plurality of protuberances (25) projecting outwards from the outer side (22) of the chute (21) and capable of being insert into windows (8) formed in the peripheral wall. Packaging packaging for food products according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the protrusions (25) comprise an inclined ramp (2) gradually deviating from the outer side (22) of the chute (21) in the direction of the rim (23) , connected via a rounded top edge to a return surface (3) rising towards said outer side (22) of the chute (21), and in that the upper edge of the windows (8) is straight. Package for packaging foodstuffs according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the peripheral wall of the container (10) has ventilation orifices (9, 11, 12). Packaging packaging for food products according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lid (20) has at least one ventilation orifice (26). Packaging packaging for food products according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bottom (5) is polygonal and the peripheral wall of the receptacle (10) comprises flat sections (4, 6, 7) whose upper edges define a polygon of the same nature as the background polygon (5). Packaging packaging for food products according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the external face of the sides (4, 6) and/or of the bottom (5) comprises at least one printable surface.