GB2310199A

GB2310199A - Carton with closure means

Info

Publication number: GB2310199A
Application number: GB9603456A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Harry Gilding; Stuart Haslam
Original assignee: FCP Europa Carton Faltschachtel GmbH; FCP Robinson Cartons Ltd
Current assignee: GPI Frankfurt and Augsburg GmbH; FCP UK Ltd
Priority date: 1996-02-19
Filing date: 1996-02-19
Publication date: 1997-08-20
Also published as: GB9603456D0

Description

Collapsible packing carton with emptying means The invention relates to a collapsible packing carton comprising an emptying means according to the preamble of claim 1.

From the EP 0 393 025 B1 a packing carton of the type mentioned before has become known. In contrast to any constructions using glue compounds there should be saved material and achieved a better tightness. For this purpose, the carton material should be provided with a resin or plastic coating and the cut pieces should be fixable to each other by heat sealing, preferably by ultrasonic sealing. The tab should be defined by a sealing of the pouring means adapted to be pulled out while closed. Besides, it should be defined such that it forms a handle for the pouring means when closing the latter again. The flat cover wall comprises collapsible end faces and upper lateral faces joined thereto which can be connected to one another along the center of the upper lateral faces.Closing and sealing of the packing carton by means of ultrasonic sealing should only make a slight overlapping of the carton material necessary. By this, considerable material savings of 12 to 20% are supposed to result. Fixing and sealing of the carton after folding by bonding the plastic or resin coating are said to be outstanding advantages.

The disadvantage of this construction is that the upper portion of the packing carton needs to be formed before filling, in which case expensive ultrasonic sealing means are used. After filling the bottom of the packing carton is to be sealed in a similarly expensive way by applying ultrasonic sealing. Consequently, it is not possible to use this packing carton for any conventional cartoning equipment ("vertical standard cartoning equipment") Taking these facts as a basis, it is the object of the invention to provide a collapsible packing carton comprising an emptying means adapted to be closed again which can be used for any conventional cartoning equipment and which provides a better tightness.

This problem is resolved by a collapsible packing carton comprising the features according to claim 1. Any advantageous embodiments of said collapsible packing carton are mentioned in the subclaims.

The inventive collapsible packing carton in its upper portion is not only closed by means of the connecting tab. In addition, it includes a closing tab on the cover wall, which closing tab partly overlaps the emptying front tab of the emptying means. The closing tab may be arranged below or above said emptying front tab. In both cases it improves the tightness of the packing carton within the critical area between the emptying means and the cover wall. By this, even if applying any conventional bonding techniques, especially if using hotsetting adhesive, a tightness is achieved which is sufficient for many fields of application.

For further improving the sealing within the upper area the two cover wall portions preferably cover each other completely. For this purpose, a dust tab may be connected to the front wall opposite to the emptying means, which dust tab partly overlaps the cover wall. If the dust tab is folded between the cover wall portions a gapless connection of the latter can be reached by means of debossings and embossings. In addition, the sealing within the upper portion is enhanced by an all-over bonding of the cover wall portions to one another or to the dust tab.

A purposeful or exactly dosed pouring is supported by an embodiment, according to which the lateral emptying tabs are connected to folding lines being inclined towards the bottom wall and the closed emptying front tab is correspondingly inclined towards the bottom. Folding the lateral emptying tabs under the emptying front tab is supported by the diagonal folding lines.

Preferably, the connecting tab of the emptying means is arranged beneath the cover wall or can be put under the cover wall for the purpose of closing the packing carton again. To facilitate insertion it may have a compact arrow shape. The closing tab may be connected to the upper cover wall portion and partly overlap the emptying front tab, especially with the connecting tab being put under the cover wall. Preferably, the closing tab includes an adhesive joint to the emptying front tab. To adapt it to an inclination of the emptying front tab it may be connected to the cover wall. This may be realized by providing a tear-off line which defines an originality seal. Opening of the packing carton is supported by a wedge-shape of the closing tab, especially if the latter comprises a rounded tear-off edge.

To ensure a satisfactory bottom-sided seal the bottom wall may be formed by bottom wall portions folded one upon the other and bottom-sided dust tabs. The tightness can be further improved by causing the bottom wall portions to overlap completely, folding the dust tabs between the bottom wall portions, providing cuts of the bottom-sided dust tabs towards the open side of the recess as well as debossings or embossings of the bottom wall portion receiving the bottom-sided dust tabs.

Between the head and the bottom the packing carton may be tightly sealed by means of an adhesive tab provided between a sidewall and a front wall.

Bonding may be advantageously made with the aid of any conventional machines by means of hot-setting adhesive.

The invention will be more detailedly explained hereinafter with the aid of an example of embodiment illustrated in the drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a flat deployed cut of the collapsible packing carton in plan view; Fig. 2 to 11 show the collapsible packing carton in various states of putting it upright and closing it in a perspective side view each.

The cut according to Fig. 1 comprises a side wall 1, a front wall 2, a further side wall 3, a further front wall 4 and a connecting tab 5. They are connected to each other by means of vertical folding lines in the order of enumeration. The side walls 1, 3 are considerably wider than the front walls 2, 4 which in return are considerably wider than the connecting tab 5.

Cover wall portions 6, 7 are connected to horizontal portions of the upper edges of the side walls 1, 3. The cover wall portion 6, substantially, is rectangular and is connected to a closing tab 8 at its inner vertical edge. The closing tab 8 substantially is wedge-shaped and comprises a rounded tear-off edge 9 at the wider end thereof.

At its other end the cover wall portion 6 includes an embossing 10 inside.

The further cover wall portion 7 is defined rectangularly and, with the exception of the closing tab 8, is congruent with the cover wall portion 6. The further cover wall portion 7 comprises a debossing 11 on the upper side thereof.

The further front wall 4 includes a dust tab 12 at its upper edge. Said dust tab 12 comprises a cut 13 at its edge adjacent to the cover wall portion 7.

The front wall 3 is not as high as the front wall 4. An approximately rectangular shaped emptying front tab 14 is connected to the upper edge of the front wall 2. At its upper edge said emptying front tab 14 is joined to a connecting tab 15 in the form of a truncated arrow.

The upper edge of the side walls 1, 3 is inclined between the emptying front tab 14 and the cover wall portions 6, 7. To these edge portions and the emptying front tab 14 lateral emptying tabs 16, 17 are connected which are approximately shaped like isosceless triangles and are separated by diagonally extending folding lines 18, 19.

To the lower horizontal edges of the side walls 1, 3 bottom wall portions 20, 21 are connected which are complementary rectangular in shape. The bottom wall portion 20 comprises embossings 22, 23 on both sides below. The bottom wall portion 21 comprises debossings 24, 25 on both sides above.

To the lower edges of the front walls 2 and 4 bottomsided dust tabs 26, 27 are connected. On their side facing the bottom wall portion 21 they include cuts 28, 29. The bottom-sided dust tabs 26, 27 are defined complementarily to the debossings 24, 25 and the embossings 22, 23.

The cuts can be delivered to a packer while lying flat one upon the other. Bonding of the adhesive tab 5 to the free edge portion of the side wall 1 may be made by the manufacturer or by the packer.

According to Fig. 2, the packing carton prebonded in such a way can be lied or transported flat one upon the other.

According to Fig. 3, it for packing is put upright by exerting pressure on both the outer vertical edges so that the side- and front walls 1 to 4 surround the filling volume.

According to Fig. 4, the bottom wall portion 21 is then folded into the lower opening. Thereafter, as shown by Fig. 5, the bottom-sided dust tabs 26, 27 are folded against the debossings 24, 25 of the bottom wall portion 21 from below and bonded thereto In a next step, the bottom wall portion 20 is folded against the dust tabs 26, 27 and the bottom wall portion 21 from below and bonded thereto as well (Fig. 6). The packing carton is bottom-sided closed and ready for filling then.

According to Fig. 7, the packing carton is moved through 180" by a filling head for filling.

After filling an upper orifice 30 of the packing carton defined adjacent to the front wall 2 first is closed by pressing in the lateral emptying tabs 16, 17 and folding back the emptying front tab 14. This state is shown in Fig. 8. The connecting tab 15 then projects into the further upper opening area.

The latter is closed then by first causing the cover wall portion 7 to move into said opening area so as to cover it (Fig. 9). Preferably, the cover wall portion 7 is not bonded to the connecting tab 15. According to Fig. 10, the upper dust tab 12 then is moved over the debossing 11 of the cover wall portion 7 and bonded to the latter.

Finally, according to Fig. 11, the cover wall portion 6 is moved over the cover wall portion 7 and the dust tab 12 and is bonded to them, the dust tab 12 being provided in the embossing 10. Besides, the closing tab 8 is moved against the emptying front tab 14 and is bonded to the latter.

The packing carton is tightly sealed now. For taking out a product the sealing of the closing tab 8 is opened and the latter is separated from the cover wall portion 6 along its connection to the same defined as a tear-off line. The emptying front tab then can be put upright by keeping hold of the lateral edges, whereby the connecting tab 15 below the cover wall portions 6, 7 is pulled out and the lateral emptying tabs are put upright. In this way, the orifice 30 is laid open.

To close the orifice 30 again the emptying front tab is moved into the opening plane again, the lateral emptying tabs 16, 17 being folded therebelow. Besides the connecting tab 15 is put below the cover wall portions 6, 7 to, in this way, seal the emptying means 14, 16, 17 in its closed position.

Claims

1. A collapsible packing carton comprising an emptying means, especially for dry products adapted to be poured, being composed of a cut of a collapsible flat material, preferably carton, comprising cover- and bottom-, frontand lateral walls, said cover wall (6, 7) including cover wall portions (6, 7) folded one upon the other and connected to said lateral walls (1, 3), said emptying means (14, 16., 17) comprising, in addition to an orifice (30) in the cover wall (6, 7), an emptying front tab (14) connected to a front wall (2) as well as lateral emptying tabs (16, 17) connected to said emptying front tab (14) and said lateral walls (2, 3), and said front emptying tab (14) including a connecting tab (15) which is detachably connected to said cover wall (6, 7), with said lateral emptying tabs (16, 17) being folded into said orifice (30) and said emptying front tab (14) being folded over said lateral emptying tabs (16, 17) and closing said orifice (30), characterized in that, on the side of said emptying means (14, 16, 17), said cover wall (6, 7) comprises a closing tab (8) partly overlapping said emptying front tab (14).

2. The collapsible packing carton according to claim 1, characterized in that the two cover wall portions (6, 7) cover each other completely.

3. The collapsible packing carton according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said front wall (4) opposite to said front wall (2) including said emptying front tab (14) is connected to a dust tab (12) partly overlapping said cover wall (6, 7).

4. The collapsible packing carton according to any of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said dust tab (12) is folded between said cover wall portions (6, 7), is cut in on the side facing the connection of the underlying cover wall portion (7), which cut starts at the connection to said front wall (4), and said underlying cover wall portion (7) comprises a debossing (11) complementarily to said dust tab (12) above, and/or said overlying cover wall portion includes an embossing (10) complementarily to said dust tab (12) below.

5. The collapsible packing carton according to any of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said cover wall portions (6, 7) are all-over bonded to one another or to said dust tab (12).

6. The collapsible packing carton according to any of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the connection of said emptying front tab (14) to said front wall (2) is closer to the bottom (20, 21, 26, 27) than the connections of said cover wall portions (6, 7) to said side walls (1, 3), that between the aforementioned connections said connections of said lateral emptying tabs (16, 17) to said side walls (1, 3) are inclined towards said bottom wall (20, 21, 26, 27) so that said emptying front tab (14) includes a corresponding inclination when closing said orifice (30).

7. The collapsible packing carton according to any of the claims 1 to 6, characterized in that between their connections to said emptying front tab (14) and said side walls (2, 3) said lateral emptying tabs (16, 17) comprise folding lines (18, 19) extending diagonally each.

8. The collapsible packing carton according to any of the claims 1 to 7, characterized in that said connecting tab (15) of said emptying means (14, 16, 17) can be folded or put under said cover wall (6, 7).

9. The collapsible packing carton according to any of the claims 1 to 8, characterized in that said connecting tab (15) is formed like a truncated arrow.

10. The collapsible packing carton according to any of the claims 1 to 9, characterized in that said closing tab (8) is connected to said upper cover wall portion (6) and partly overlaps said emptying front tab (14).

11. The collapsible packing carton according to claim 10, characterized in that said closing tab (8) includes an adhesive joint to said emptying front tab (14).

12. The collapsible packing carton according to any of the claims 1 to 11, characterized in that said closing tab (8) is connected to said cover wall (6, 7).

13. The collapsible packing carton according to any of the claims 1 to 12, characterized in that said closing tab (8) is connected to said cover wall (6, 7) by means of a tear-off line.

14. The collapsible packing carton according to any of the claims 1 to 13, characterized in that said closing tab (8) is wedge-shaped.

15. The collapsible packing carton according to any of the claims 1 to 14, characterized in that said closing tab (8) includes a rounded tear-off edge (9).

16. The collapsible packing carton according to any of the claims 1 to 15, characterized in that said bottom wall comprises bottom wall portions (20, 21) connected to said side walls (1, 3) and folded one upon the other, and bottom-sided dust tabs (26, 27) connected to said front walls (2, 4) and partly overlapping said bottom wall portions (20, 21).

17. The collapsible packing carton according to claim 16, characterized in that said bottom wall portions (20, 21) cover the cross section of the packing carton as well as one another completely.

18. The collapsible packing carton according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that said bottom-sided dust tabs (26, 27) are folded between said bottom wall portions (20, 21), are cut in each on the side facing the connection of said underlying bottom wall portion (21), which cuts start at their connections to said front walls, and said underlying bottom wall portion (21) comprises debossings (24, 25) above, provided complementarily to said bottom-sided dust tabs (26, 27), and/or said overlying bottom wall portion (20) comprises embossings (22, 23) below, provided complementarily to said bottom-sided closing front tabs (26, 27).

19. The collapsible packing carton according to any of the claims 16 to 18, characterized in that said bottom wall portions and said bottom-sided dust tabs are bonded to one another completely.

20. The collapsible packing carton according to any of the claims 1 to 19, characterized in that one side wall (1) and said front wall (4) opposite to said front wall (2) including said emptying front tab (14) connected thereto are bonded one to another by means of an adhesive tab (5) extending over all the edge.

21. The collapsible packing carton according to any of the claims 1 to 20, characterized in that one cover wall portion (6) includes a folding line extending parallel to said side walls (1, 3).

22. The collapsible packing carton according to any of the claims 1 to 21, characterized in that said bondings are made with the aid of hot-setting adhesive.

23. The collapsible packing carton substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.