GB2302530A

GB2302530A - Sleeves for wrapping around trays

Info

Publication number: GB2302530A
Application number: GB9611196A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stephen Andrew Dunne; Peter Anthony Hackforth
Original assignee: CARTONMASTER
Current assignee: CARTONMASTER
Priority date: 1995-05-31
Filing date: 1996-05-29
Publication date: 1997-01-22
Also published as: GB9611196D0; GB9510979D0

Abstract

Sleeves 21 are provided for wrapping plastic trays, the sleeves being formed of paper-board material and having a caliper lower than is conventional, for example 200 microns or less. The sleeves may be prepared and supplied to an end-user in roll-form, the roll defining a plurality of sleeves with crease lines. Preferably a sleeve is cut from the roll, wrapped around and adhered to a tray by sealing strip 30, a portion 48 of each sleeve being adapted to be torn away so as to reveal, for example, a coupon underneath the sleeve or information 50 on the sleeve itself. The sleeves may carry printed matter transferred onto the sleeves by passing the roll through a machine. The sleeves may be provided in a rectangular form (Fig 2) or in a form with the base panel 38A, 38B shorter and narrower than the top panel (Fig 4).

Description

Improvements Relating to Packaging This invention relates to packaging, and in particular relates to the packaging of products, such as food products which are sold in trays such as plastics material trays to be placed in a microwave oven or a conventional oven for the cooking of same.

The tray forms the rigidity of the packaging, but in addition the tray will be contained in an outer sleeve of a material which is usually paperboard on which printed material is carried describing the nature of the product, the instructions for cooking and the like.

Microwavable food products are now sold in ever increasing numbers and in a wide variety of types and sizes. It is convenient to place each product, which may be made up of a number of individual pieces, in a tray which forms the rigidity of the packaging, and an outer sleeve which can carry the printed material. The sleeve is removed and disposed of when the product is to be cooked.

Heretofore, it has been acceptable to make use of a paperboard sleeve in this form of packaging, which is of the same paperboard material typically used for the manufacture of folding box cartons. Thus such material which typically has a thickness in the order of 400 microns and can in itself in the case of a folding box construction provide packaging of adequate rigidity for holding the package contents.

However, of late the price of paperboard has increased dramatically as companies emerge from the worldwide economic recession, and this has put considerable pressure on manufacturers of packaging, because the end user of the packaging material i.e. the packer of the packaged products has refused to pass on price increases to the customer.

Accordingly, packaging manufacturers, referred to as "converters" have had to endeavour to develop and modify their packaging materials and methods in order to deal with this economic squeeze.

The present invention introduces improvements in the provision of packaging sleeves, especially for the packaging construction described above.

Firstly, the present invention provides that instead of the use of paperboard material for the provision of sleeves for wrapping round plastic trays containing foodstuffs being of the conventional caliper, the material is made of a much lower caliper i.e. in the order of 200 micron or less, since it has been recognised that the sleeve does not have to provide any structural rigidity for the packaging, that being provided by the tray.

Typically, material of a caliper in the order of 185 micron can be used.

Also according to the invention, by the use of thinner gauge material (not necessarily 200 micron or less), the material can be produced in roll form, and can be supplied to the end user in this form, the roll defining a plurality of individual sleeves connected end to end, the material also preferably being creased to define crease lines in the sleeve which are required for the effective wrapping of the sleeve around the tray containing the product.

With the arrangement proposed, the converter will install an applicator machine especially designed for cutting and wrapping the individual sleeves around the trays containing the product and for sealing the overlapping ends of the sleeve to form a secure band.

This method of approach provides for considerable economies of production, because presently the individual sleeves of paperboard of a gauge similar to that used for producing folding box cartons are supplied printed, creased, pre-glued and flat to the packer and they are erected manually, and the trays containing the product are inserted manually to the erected sleeves.

In the invention, the packer purshases a roll of material in which the sleeves are defined, and arranges the material in the applicator equipment so that the roll will be unrolled, and the individual sleeves will be cut therefrom, applied by machinery to the trays containing the product, and then sealed.

The provision of a roll of material, especially with crease lines which facilitate the wrapping of the sleeves around the tray and which define the individual sleeves, is a novel and inventive approach to this form of packaging.

By providing a roll of the material, which preferably is of a gauge in the order of 185 micron, means that the base paperboard material can be printed on a continuous printing arrangement which involves taking the unprinted material in roll form, feeding it through an appropriate printing machine which will print one or more colours, followed by the reeling of the printed material into the roll form ready for sale to the packer.

In addition to the printing of the material, as it moves from reel to reel, it will also preferably be provided with transverse crease lines and a sealing strip in register with the print so that when the sleeves subsequently are cut from the roll, they can be wrapped around the trays, and sealed to retain same in position.

Heretofore, when continuous printing has been used for the printing of paperboard to form packaging items, typically folding box containers, the unprinted material is unwound from a reel, and is fed through the printing machine and a cutting and creasing forme, but at the end of the steps, the individual blanks are cut from the printed web, and are then stacked, but there has been no provision for winding the printed material back into the reel form for supply to the packer, the packer rather receiving a stack of pre-creased blanks.

The trays to which the sleeves are applied are largely of rectilinear shape having tapering side walls or that the tray top is of larger area than the tray base. If the sleeve is of constant width say equal to the width of the top so as to completely cover the top, there will be an overhang of material widthwise of the base. In the conventional sleeves, the overhang is usually provided with a folding arrangement so that the overhanging portions can be folded onto the adjacent sides of the tray, but the final result is unsightly, despite the fact that these folded portions perform a function of preventing the tray from sliding out of the sleeve.

The use of a roll of material as indicated above and in accordance with the invention, provides therefore the further advantage that by profiling the edges of the roll, the said overhangs can be eliminated. Thus, for a rectilinear, tapered sided tray, each sleeve, in the roll can be made up of a wide width portion to cover the tray top, a narrow width portion to cover the base, two tapering width portions to cover the ends, and the sealing strip.

Although this feature is best used in conjunction with the thin sleeve material mentioned above, it can be used with the thicker conventional material, when in roll form.

Additional benefits of this arrangement are that web utilisation is improved in that the sleeves can be nested across the web in head to toe configuration, and when the containers are stretch wrapped, the sleeves, by virtue of the profiling, are not damaged. The aesthetics of the finished pack are also improved.

In any embodiment, in order to prevent the tray from slipping from the sleeve, it may be tacked to the tray by a spot of adhesive, sealing or bending, which can be effected during the sleeve application press. The sleeves may in this connection be provided in advance of application with a spot of heat activated adhesive which is heated during or after application of the sleeve.

Alternatively, the adhesive sealing or bending can be effected entirely as part of the application to the containers process.

Finally, each sleeve may be provided with one or more tear lines to enable it to be torn away, or a section to be torn away when the tray contents are to be used/consumed.

The said tearing away may also serve to reveal promotion material such as a coupon, or other information such as a recipe, cooking instructions or prize draw material printed for example on the inner face of the sleeve or sleeve portion.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side view showing the operation of printing and creasing the unprinted web material to form a reel of sleeves ready for supply to a packer; Fig. 2 shows in perspective view a single blank according to one embodiment prior to the wrapping of same around a tray containing a food product; Fig. 3 shows in diagrammatic side view how a blank is wrapped around a tray containing a food product; Fig. 4 is a view of a blank according to another embodiment of the invention; and Figs. 5 and 6 show respectively in side and end elevation the blank of Fig. 4 when applied to a tray.

Referring to the drawings, and firstly to Fig. 1, a reel of unprinted paper board material of a thickness in the order of 185 microns is indicated by reference numeral 10. In order to print same and form sleeves therein, the paper board material 12 is unwound and is fed through a series of printing heads 14, 16, 18 etc in order to print the material with the appropriate number of colours. The material then passes through a creasing form arrangement 20 which imparts transverse creases therein in order to define a plurality of sleeves. The creasing is appropriately arranged in relation to the printing, i.e. in register therewith, so that the printing will appear effectively on the top, sides and base as required in the final sleeve.

If reference is made to Fig. 2, a single sleeve is illustrated, and it will be seen to comprise a rectangular piece of the material. The sleeve is indicated by reference numeral 21, and the crease lines by 22, 24, 26 and 28. The sleeve also has a sealing strip 30 so that in the sleeve are defined a top panel 32, side panels 34 and 36 and a base panel which is defined by the two end sections 38A and 38B.

The sealing strip will overlap the free edge of section 38A when the sleeve is wrapped around the tray, and the sealing strip will be adhered thereto by any appropriate adhesive means as illustrated in Fig. 3.

In the sleeve shown, the top panel is the same width as the base panel but it is preferred as shown in Fig. 4 that the top panel be wider than the base panel so that the sleeve will take up a trapezium shape to conform to the trapezium cross sectional shape of the tray.

In the finished reel of material 40 as shown in Fig. 1, the sleeves are defined but are connected end to end, and they will only be cut from the reel by the packer.

Fig. 3 shows how the reel 40 is used by the packer. The printed and creased material is fed from the reel and then the individual sleeves 21 are cut therefrom by cutting mechanism 42. An appropriate applicator mechanism wraps the sleeve around the tray containing the product which is indicated by reference 44, at the same time ensuring that the sealing strip is adhered to the end panel section 38A in order to complete the wrapping to provide the final package which is sold to the consumer.

The invention provides that the converter can benefit insofar as the converter is not required to use heavier gauge material, whereby he saves costs and can meet the requirement of the packer, and the packer benefits because much of the manual operation with the usual attendant disadvantages is taken out of the packers' operation.

Referring now to Figs. 4, 5 and 6, a modified version of the sleeve 21 is shown. In these drawings the same reference numerals as have been used in Figs. 1 to 3 have been used.

The sections 38A and 38B (on consequently the sealing strip 30) are narrower and shorter, and the panels 34 and 36 have tapered ends so that the base 38 is not only shorter than the top 32, but it is also narrower, which avoids the overhang as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 6 and by reference numeral 50, present in conventional sleeves as discussed hereinbefore. Also, the base 38 is preferably adapted so that it is adhered for example in region 52 to the base of the tray 44 when it is applied to the tray 44 as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, to prevent the tray 44 from slipping out of the sleeve 21.

The said adhering may be achieved in any of the ways herein explained, or it may be achieved during the sealing of the strip 30 to the base section 38A after wrapping has taken place.

The sleeve may be provided with one or more tear lines to enable the sleeve or a portion thereof to be torn away and in one example as shown in Fig. 4 the top 32 is provided with a tear line 46 so that section 48 of the top 32 can be removed.

The section 48 may reveal a coupon, or it may carry a recipe, cooking instructions or other printed material 50 on the inner face.

Any of the features, where appropriate, of the Fig. 4 sleeve can be used in the Fig. 2 sleeve and vice versa, and the Fig.

4 sleeve can be produced and applied as described in relation to Figs. 1 to 3, except that the roll of material has to be appropriately cut to define the profiling of the web material edges to produce the tapered ends of panels 34 and 36 and the reduced width of panel 38.

The Fig. 4 embodiment is preferably used with the thin gauge material as described herein, but it can be used with the thicker conventional material, when produced in roll form.

As regards the tray which is used for the rigidity of the package, this can be of any form. It will probably but need not for example be of plastics; it could be of moulded paperboard or laminated material. The tray may be sealed by means of a foil or film to preserve the freshness of the product, and/or it may be wrapped with a shrink wrap film.

By way of comparison, whereas hand packing of trays into sleeves takes place at a speed in the order of 20 packs per minute, wrapping the trays in the sleeves in accordance with the invention can be expected to be effected at a rate in the order of 70 packs per minute.

The side of the board which faces the product can be coated with an appropriate barrier material to prevent migration of grease from the product through the sleeve material or to prevent penetration by moisture.

Claims

1. Sleeves for the wrapping of plastic trays wherein instead of the use of paperboard material for the provision of the sleeves for wrapping round plastic trays containing foodstuffs being of the conventional caliper, the material is made of a much lower caliper i.e. in the order of 200 micron or less, since it has been recognised that the sleeve does not have to provide any structural rigidity for the packaging, that being provided by the plastics material tray.

2. Sleeves as claimed in claim 1, wherein the material is of a caliper in the order of 185 micron.

3. Sleeves according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the material (not necessarily 200 micron or less), is in rolled form, and is supplied to the end user in this form, the roll defining a plurality of individual sleeves connected end to end, the material also preferably being creased to define crease lines in the sleeve which are required for the effective wrapping of the sleeve around the plastics material tray containing the product.

4. Sleeves according to Claim 3, wherein the edges of the rolled material are profiled to define in each sleeve a top panel, a base panel and side panels, of which the base panel is shorter and narrower than the top panel, and the side panels are tapered, making the sleeve suitable for wrapping trays which have tapered sides, so that there is no overhang.

5. Sleeves according to any preceding claim including means enabling the sleeves to be adhered to the trays when in wrapping arrangement in relation thereto.

6. Sleeves according to any preceding claim, including one or more tear lines enabling the sleeve or a portion thereof to be torn away.

7. Sleeves according to Claim 6, wherein a portion of said sleeve is adapted to be torn away and it either conceals a coupon or the like, or carries written information on its inner side, said information comprising a recipe, cooking instructions or the like.

8. The use of sleeves according to any preceding claim, wherein the end user uses an applicator machine especially designed for cutting and wrapping the individual sleeves around the plastic trays containing the product.

9. The use according to claim 8, wherein the end user purshases a roll of material in which the sleeves are defined, and arranges the material in the applicator equipment so that the roll will be unrolled, individual sleeves cut therefrom, applied by machinery to the trays containing the product, and then sealed.

10. A method for preparing the sleeves in a roll of the material, which preferably is of a gauge in the order of 185 micron, sleeve base paperboard material is printed on a continuous printing arrangement which involves taking the unprinted material in roll form, feeding it through an appropriate printing machine to print any number of colours, followed by creasing the material and reeling of the printed material into the roll form ready for retail to the end user.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the material as it moves from reel to reel, has defined therein a glue strip so that when the sleeves subsequently are cut from the roll, they can be wrapped around the plastic trays, and glued to retain same in position.

12. Sleeves for the wrapping of plastics or the like trays, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13. The use of sleeves for the wrapping of plastic or the like trays substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14. A method of preparing sleeves in roll form, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1. The combination of a sleeve for the wrapping of a plastic or the like tray and the tray itself, wherein instead of the use of paperboard material for the provision of the sleeve for wrapping round plastic tray being of the conventional caliper, the material is made of a much lower caliper i.e. in the order of 200 micron or less, since it has been recognised that the sleeve does not have to provide any structural rigidity for the packaging, that being provided by the plastics material tray.

2. Sleeves for the wrapping of plastic or the like trays wherein instead of the paperboard material for the provision of the sleeves for wrapping round plastic trays containing foodstuffs being of the conventional caliper, the material is made of a much lower caliper i.e. in order of 200 micron or less but is still provided with precreasing to define where the sleeve folds around the tray edges, it having been recognised that the sleeve does not have to provide any structural rigidity for the packaging, that being provided by the plastics material tray.

3. Sleeves according to claim 2, wherein the material (not necessarily 200 micron or less), is in rolled form, and is supplied to the end user in this form, the roll defining a plurality of individual sleeves connected end to end, the material also being creased to define the crease lines in the sleeve which are required for the effective wrapping of the sleeve which are required for the effective wrapping of the sleeve around the plastics material tray containing the product.

4. Sleeves according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the edges of the sleeve or sleeves is or are profiled to define in the or each sleeve a top panel, a base panel and side panels, of which the base panel is shorter and narrower than the top panel, and the side panels are tapered, making the sleeve suitable for wrapping trays which have tapered sides, so that there is no overhang.

8. Sleeves as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the material is of a caliper in the order of 185 micron.

9. The use of sleeves according to any preceding claim, wherein the end user uses an applicator machine especially designed for cutting and wrapping the individual sleeves around the plastic trays containing the product.

10. The use according to claim 9, wherein the end user purchases a roll of material in which the sleeves are defined, and arranges the material in the applicator equipment so that the roll will be unrolled, individual sleeves cut therefrom, applied by machinery to the trays containing the product, and then sealed.

11. A method for preparing the sleeves in a roll of the material, which preferably is of a gauge in the order of 185 micron, wherein sleeve base paperboard material is printed on a continuous printing arrangement which involves taking the unprinted material in roll form, feeding it through an appropriate printing machine to print any number of colours, followed by creasing the material and reeling of the printed material into the roll form ready for retail to the end user.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the material as it moves from reel to reel, has defined therein a glue strip so that when the sleeves subsequently are cut from the roll, they can be wrapped around the plastic trays, and glued to retain same in position.

13. Sleeves for the wrapping of plastic or the like trays, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14. The use of sleeves for the wrapping of plastic or the like trays substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

15. A method of preparing sleeves in roll form, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.