GB2053131A - Pack of sheets of packaging material - Google Patents

Abstract

A pack (10) of packaging material comprises a plurality of sheets (11, 12 13, 14) each folded into a tubular conformation and with the sheets relatively co-axially disposed and axially staggered (18, 19, 23). The outermost sheet (11) has one end (25) folded over and provided with a transverse seam (15) to form a bag. The axial length (16) of the sheets (11, 12, 13, 14) is preferably uniform. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Pack of sheets of packaging material The invention relates to a pack comprising a pile of folded sheets of packing material. Large sheets can be reduced to manageable sizes by folding, but it is often difficult to release one of the folded sheets for use without disturbing the other folded sheets in the pile. The process becomes more difficult if a sheet has to be taken from the middle of the folded pile.

According to the invention there is provided a pack of sheets of packaging material wherein the individual sheets of the pack are each folded into a tubular conformation and are relatively co-axially disposed in an axially staggered arrangement, an outermost one of the sheets is formed as a container surrounding, in the manner of a sleeve, the folded conformations of all the other sheets, is closed at one end by a transverse end seam and has its longitudinal edges joined together to form a bag and each inner sheet extends axially further outwards than the next outward sheet thereto in a longitudinal staggered arrangement at the other end of the pack.

Such a pack, for example a sales pack, can reliably be kept in an orderly state. If a desired sheet is removed for use, the cohesion of the pack can be maintained while the removal of the desired sheet can be easy and overseeable.

Such a pack can be produced fully automatically and thus very cheaply, after appropriate conversion of a machine for manufacturing a tubular intermediate bag product. The outermost sheet, completed to form a bag-like container, can hold all the other sheets permanently together, in a longitudinal positive staggered arrangement projecting from its free end. The longitudinal staggering makes it possible to see from the projecting ends what types and quantities of sheets are contained in the pack. It also provides a clearly visible palette of the available sheets, which may - in groups or individually - be of different materials such as sheets of plastics, aluminium-laminated webs, plastics-coated webs of paper or layers of paper.Each selected sheet can be pulled out easily and without any complications, this being achieved by the tube-like folding and nesting of the various sheets, which surround one another layer by layer in the manner of a sleeve. In this way any sheet can be pulled out of the available tubular palette without disturbing the position of the other sheets.

Thus the sales pack is particularly suitable to provide for motor vehicles, particularly for car drivers.

Depending on requirements, a more or less tear proof or waterproof sheet can be taken from the sales pack to meet the driver's particular requirements, e.g. for lining a luggage compartment of a car for transporting purposes, for collecting rubbish or for convering a surface on which to lie, as when carrying out repairs under a vehicle.

It is possible to complete the tube-like folding of at least some of the sheets, particularly the innermost one, by constructing the innermost sheet as a ring closed in itself and e.g. by letting it comprise a tube of plastics which may further be closed at the bottom if required.

It is advisable from the point of view of manufacturing technique and use for the individual, longitudinally staggered. sheets to be substantially equal in axial length. With the positive longitudinal staggering at the free end of the tubular pack, there is therefore a corresponding complementary, negative staggering at the concealed inner end of the folded sheets.

For the purpose of the above mentioned modification and changing of the sheets into tubes and/or bags, it is advisable to include a universal adhesive strip, inserted between two tubular layers, the strip then being used optionally. If the strip is inserted in an axial direction, this can be carried out fully mechanically in producing the sales pack as described. From the manufacturing point of view it is advisable to make the projecting end of the adhesive strip extend approximately to the end edge of the folded tubular sheet which is immediately inward of the strip.

The invention is diagrammatically illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective, partly cut away view of a pack of sheets of packaging material according to the invention; Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line ll-ll of Figure 1, the scale of the cross-section being greatly exaggerated; and Figure 3 is a plan view of the other side of the pack to that shown in Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing, a pack 10 comprises four sheets of packing material 11,12,13, 14 which can be used as desired; the sheets can of course differ from one another in their material, position and finish. What is common to all those sheets is that they are in a tubular shape, having either being made in tubular form like the sheet 14 which is innermost and is formed by a tube of plastics possibly even without a longitudinal seam; or having a tube-like folded conformation like the two middle sheets 12, 13; or having such a tube-iike folded conformation which has been closed onto itself in a ring shape by a longitudinal seam 15, as with the outermost sheet 11. The pack has the innermost tube of plastics 14 of a defined axial length 16.A sheet 13 is folded co-axially around it in a tube-like arrangement, with its two edges 17 overlapping. The sheet 13 may comprise a web of paper laminated to aluminium. This should desirably have the same axial length 16, as illustrated in Figure 1, but the ends of the tubes of the two layers 13, 14 are axially staggered longitudinally with respect to one another, so that the innermost tube of plastics 14 has a portion 18 projecting at the free end. As can be seen from the greatly exaggerated crosssectional view in Figure 2, the two layers 13, 14 are suited to one another in respect of the width of the tube, so that they fit one into the other without crumpling so that the whole sales pack 10 can be laid flat.

A further sheet, e.g. a web of paper 12, is wrapped around the aluminium-laminated sheet 13 in a tubular arrangement, so that it is also positioned co-axially with the layers 13, 14. The same axial length 16 is used again, and a longitudinal distance 19 is left atthe end 20 of the tube to form a further step in the axially staggered arrangement. Here again the tube-like folded conformation is without a longitudinal seam, so that the two free longitudinal edges 21 of the web of paper 12 lie freely above one another. In cross-section this sheet is accordingly over-dimensioned, forming a sleeve-like cover for all the inner sheets 14, 13 without any transverse compression.

In the illustrated example, the outermost sheet 11 is now wrapped co-axially around in a tube shape.

As already mentioned, its longitudinal edges are joined at the longitudinal seam 15. The sheet 11 is made of a plastics-coated paper 11, lying co-axially with a longitudinal axis 22 of the pack 10 (indicated by a dash and dot line). Here again the above mentioned longitudinal staggering relative to the other sheets is used, so that the web of paper 11 is set back by the longitudinal distance 23. The same axial length should again desirably be used, but this outside tube has a marginal zone 25 folded back at its inner end 24 and is closed by a transverse seam 26, e.g. by welding or sewing.The sheet 11 thus forms a bag-like container for the whole sales pack 10, from which container the ends of the other sheets 12, 13, 14 encased therein project in longitudinal steps 23, 19, 18, separated in a shelf-like arrangement. A sheet selected from the projecting steps can be taken hold of and pulled out.

One or more adhesive strips 27 can if desired be added to the sales pack 10; their most appropriate arrangement can be seen from Figure 3. The strip 27 runs parallel with the longitudinal axis 22 of the sales pack 10 and is inserted between the two sheets 11 and 12 folded into a tube-like arrangement. The sheet 11 forming the bag-like container also receives the adhesive strip 27. Where the construction is produced fully automatically, the adhesive strip 27 runs in with the other materials and its length is made to correspond to the above-mentioned axial measurement 1-6. The end edges of the strip 27 are aligned with the ends of the second sheet 12, folded into a tube shape. The strip 27 projects clearly visibly from the container 11, by the above-mentioned staggered distance 23 and can conveniently be taken hold of and pulled out.It may possibly be stuck to the sheet 12 below at one or a few points, so that it cannot readily shift and drop out.

As already mentioned, the illustrated embodiment is only an example of the invention since the number of sheets used and the type of material chosen may be different. It would be possible, e.g. for the innermost web also to be closed at the bottom; the adhesive strip 27 offers appropriate applications in such cases. Finally, itwould not be too difficultfrom the point of view of pulling out the material if-the middle webs were constructed as closed tubes, either being made tubular from the start or having their free edges 17,21 closed with longitudinal seams.

As can be seen particularly from Figure 2 but also from Figure 3, the longitudinal edges 17,21,15 of the nested tube-like folded sheet conformations 13, 12, 11 are laterally offset from one another. In this way the joins do not lie in the same part of the tube, which is an advantage from the point of view of manufacturing, folding, arranging and removing the sheets,

Claims (9)

1. A pack of sheets of packaging material wherein the individual sheets of the pack are each folded into a tubular conformation and are relatively coaxially disposed in an axially staggered arrangement, an outermost one of the sheets is formed as a container surrounding, in the manner of a sleeve, the folded conformations of all the other sheets, is closed at one end by a transverse end seam and has its longitudinal edges joined together to form a bag and each inner sheet extends axially further outwards than the next outward sheet thereto in a longitudinal staggered arrangement at the other end of the pack.

2. A pack according to claim 1, in which some of the innner sheets, particulariy, the innermost one of the sheets has its longitudinal edges joined together to form a tube.

3. A pack according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the transverse end seam of the outer most one of the sheets is formed after folding over the end of the tubular sheet at said one end.

4. A pack according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the individual, longitu.dinally staggered sheets have substantially the same axial length.

5. Apack according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the sheets, either individually or in groups, are formed of different materials, for example as a sheet of plastics, a web laminated with aluminium and a paper sheet coated with a plastics.

6. A pack according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in which a universal adhesive strip is inserted between two adjacent sheets.

7, Apack.according to claim 6, in which the adhesive strip extends in an axial direction.

8. A pack according two claim 6 or claim 7, in which the projecting end of the adhesive strip extends approximately to the end edge of the folded tubular sheet which is immediately inward thereof.

9. A pack.ofsheets of packaging material substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawing.