GB2355000A

GB2355000A - Producing tubular packaging having an end closure

Info

Publication number: GB2355000A
Application number: GB0008688A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Lennie
Original assignee: BELL PACKAGING Ltd
Current assignee: BELL PACKAGING Ltd
Priority date: 1999-10-08
Filing date: 2000-04-07
Publication date: 2001-04-11
Anticipated expiration: 2020-04-07
Also published as: GB0008688D0; GB2355000B

Abstract

A package comprises a tubular body 25 having at least one open end and an end closure 16, a hollow plug 18 of the end closure being insertable in the tubular body 25 to close the open end of the tubular body 25. The end closure comprises a locking tab 20 presenting a pin 22 which is constructed to pierce the wall of the tubular body 25 and releasably engage in an aperture 24 in the plug to fasten the end plug to the tubular body. Pressure is applied to the locking tab 20 to drive the pin 22 through the wall of the tubular body 25 by a tool 26 having co-operating jaws 29, 30, one with a planar active surface 32 for applying pressure to the locking tab 20 and the other with a groove 34 in its active surface to accommodate the pin 22 when it is received in the aperture 24 in the plug.

Description

I 2355000 "Producing tubular packaging having an end closure" TfUS

RWENTION relates to packaging and, more particularly, to an end closure for a tubular package, to a tubular package including the end closure, to a method of attaching the end closure to a tubular body of a tubular package, and to a tool for use in carrying out the method.

Tubular packaging is used to package various products. Conventionally, a tubular package is manufactured from a plastics film material which has been folded along parallel longitudinal crease lines to form an elongate tubular body. The longitudinal edges of the film overlap one another and are sealed together to maintain the shape of the tubular body. A product to be packaged is placed within the resulting tubular body and the tubular body is then closed at each end by a plug-like end closure which is inserted into the respective end of the tubular body and fastened to the tubular body with one or more metal staples or rivets. However, once a product has been bought, the purchaser must remove these metal staples or rivets to gain access to the product within the package. This is a time-consuming and awkward practice which has led to criticisms concerning this method of closing tubular packaging.

A known alternative to the use of staples to fasten the end closure to the tubular body of the package is to use a locking end closure having projecting lugs which engage in holes punched into the end of the tubular body of the package. The lugs interlock with the holes in the end of the tubular body. VVThilst the use of such locking end closures is effective, the known locking end 2 closures can only be removed to gain access to the product in the package by destroying either the tubular body of the package or the locking end closure themselves. A further disadvantage of the use of locking end closures is that they are expensive to manufacture.

The present invention seeks to provide packaging with an end closure which does not suffer from the above-mentioned problems.

Accordingly, in one aspect, the invention provides an end closure for a tubular package having a tubular body having an open end, the end closure including a plug which is insertable into the open end of the tubular body of the package and a locking tab which presents a pin which is engagable with the plug through the tubular body to fasten the end closure to the tubular body, the pin being constructed so as to be able to pierce the wall of the tubular body and releasably engage the plug.

In another aspect, the invention provides a tubular package comprising a tubular body having an open end and an end closure which has a plug inserted in the open end of the tubular body and a locking tab presenting a pin which is engaged with the plug through the tubular body to fasten the end closure to the tubular body, the pin having pierced the wall of the tubular body and being releasably engaged with the plug.

In a finther aspect, the invention provides a method of attaching an end closure to a tubular body of a tubular package having an open end, comprising providing an end closure having a plug and a locking tab presenting a pin which is constructed so as to be able to pierce the wall of the tubular body, inserting the plug of the end closure into the open end of the tubular body, and applying pressure to the locking tab to force the pin through the wall of the tubular body 3 into releasable engagement with the plug and thereby fasten the end closure to the tubular body.

Preferably, the plug is hollow and the pin is constructed to engage in an aperture formed in the plug.

Desirably, the external cross-section of the plug and the internal crosssection of the open end of the tubular body conform to one another.

Advantageously, the plug and the locking tab are integrally formed.

Conveniently, the locking tab is hinged with respect to the plug.

Preferably, the end closure has a plurality of locking tabs.

Desirably, the end closure has two locking tabs located on opposite sides of the plug.

In an embodiment of the invention, the tubular body has two open ends and two end closures, each for closing a respective open end of the tubular body.

In yet another aspect, the invention provides a tool for attaching an end closure to a tubular body of a tubular package having an open end, the end closure including a hollow plug formed with an aperture and a locking tab presenting a pin constructed to be able to pierce the material of the tubular body, which tool comprises pliers having a pair of pivotally connected handles formed with co-operating first and second jaws which present respective active surfaces for respectively engaging the outer surface of the locking tab and the 4 inner surface of the plug when the plug is inserted in the open end of the tubular body, whereby operation of the handles to bring the jaws together drives the pin of the locking tab through the wall of the tubular body into releasable engagement with the aperture of the plug, the active surface of the first jaw applying pressure to the locking tab and the active surface of the second jaw being a counter surface having a recess to accommodate the pin of the locking tab when received in the aperture of the plug.

In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional package comprising a tubular body and end closures; FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a square end closure for a tubular package embodying the present invention; FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the end closure of Figure 2 inserted in one end of a tubular body having a square cross-section; FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a pressure-applying tool for use in fastening together the end closure and the tubular body of Figure 3; FIGURES 5 and 6 are perspective views illustrating two stages during the use of the Figure 4 tool to fasten the end closure and the tubular body of Figure 3 together; FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of the tubular body and end closure fastened together; FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of a circular end closure for a package embodying the present invention; FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of the end closure of Figure 8 inserted in one end of a tubular body having a cylindrical cross-section; FIGURES 10 and 11 illustrate two stages during the use of the tool of Figure 4 to fasten the end closure and tubular body of Figure 9 together; and FIGURE 12 shows the end closure and tubular body of Figure 9 fastened together to form a package.

Referring to Figure 1, a known package 1 comprises a blank in the form of a rectangular sheet 2 of plastics film material, such as polyethylene, which has been folded along parallel longitudinal crease lines 3 to form an elongate tubular packaging body 4 having a square cross-section. Longitudinal edges 5 of the sheet 2 overlap one another and are sealed together to maintain the shape of the tubular body 4. In the conventional packaging shown in Figure 1, a plastics injected moulded end closure 6 is inserted in each open end of the tubular body 4 to close the tube. The end closures 6 are usually stapled to the ends of the tubular body 4. The end closures are in ection moulded from an opaque plastics material such as polyethylene. Each end closure 6 comprises a square base 7 which is formed with a peripheral Range 7A extending substantially perpendicular to the base 7 to form a hollow plug 8 and which is provided with a peripheral lip 9 extending substantially parallel to the base and projecting outwardly from the flange 8. The end closure 6 is adapted to fit 6 snugly into an open end of the tubular body 4, the cross-sections (square in the present example) of the tubular body 4 and the peripheral flange of the end closure conforming to one another. The plug 8 of the end closure 6 is inserted into the tubular body 4 until the end of the tubular body 4 comes into abutment with the lip 9 of the end closure 6. In this inserted position of the end closure 6, each side of the flange 7A lies adjacent an end region of a corresponding side wall 5 of the tubular body 4. The end plug 6 is fastened to the tubular body 4 by applying one or more staples through the peripheral flange 7A and the adjacent side wall 10 of the tubular body 4.

Packages embodying the present invention use the same kind of tubular body 4 as that shown in Figure I but employ different end closures. Figure 2 illustrates one example of an end closure 16 embodying the present invention. The end closure 16 is injection moulded from a relatively hard plastics material, such as polypropylene. The end closures 16 are made of opaque material but could, however, equally be transparent. Each end closure 16 comprises a square base 17 formed with a peripheral flange 17A extending substantially perpendicular to the base 17 to form a hollow plug 18. The plug 18 is provided with a peripheral lip 19 extending substantially parallel to the base 17 and projecting outwardly from the plug 18.

In addition, locking tabs in the form of wings 20 extend substantially parallel to the plane of the base 17 from the peripheral lip 19. In the illustrated embodiment, the wings 20 are located on three of the sides of the plug 18, although only two of the wings are visible in the drawing. The root end of each wing 20 is integrally formed with the peripheral lip 19 and tapers into a head portion 21. The head portion 21 carries an integrally formed pin 22 which projects perpendicularly from the wing 20, orthogonal to the plane of the base 17. The pin 22 is generally cylindrical with a substantially bullet shaped tip 7 22A. The wing 20 is hingeable with respect to the peripheral lip 19 about a hinge 23 formed at the root end of the wing 20 by a portion of the wing material which has a reduced thickness.

An aperture 24 is formed in the peripheral flange 17A at a position such that, when the wing 20 is hinged with respect to the lip 19, the pin 22 engages in the aperture 24. The pin 22 and the aperture 24 are dimensioned such that the pin 22 is a push fit in the aperture 24 so as to releasably lock the pin 22 in the aperture 24. The pin 22 is also removable from the aperture 24 without damaging the pin 22 or the aperture 24.

Turning now to Figure 3, the end closure 16 is arranged to fit snugly into an end of a tubular packaging body 25 of square cross-section to form a package. The tubular body 25 is made of a relatively soft plastics material, such as polyethylene, and the pin is so constructed that it is capable of piercing the material of the tubular member. The hollow plug 18 the end closure 16 is inserted into the tubular body 25 until the end of the tubular body comes into abutment with the lip 19 of the end closure 16. In this inserted position of the end closure 16, each side of the flange 17A lies adjacent an end region of a corresponding side wall 26 of the tubular body 25.

To fasten the inserted end closure 16 to the tubular body 25, the wings 20 are hinged about the peripheral lip 19 and pressed against the tubular body 25, so that the pins 22 pierce the material of the tubular body 25 and engage in the apertures 24 of the end closure 16. The wings 20 are thus releasably secured to the hollow plug of the end closure 16 located within the tubular body 25 and can be released by pulling the pins 22 out of the apertures 24 without damaging either the tubular body 25 or the end closure 16. Accordingly, the end closure 16 can readily be reused after removal of the end closure 16 has afforded access to the contents of the tubular body 25.

To ensure that the pins 22 engage securely in the apertures 24, a pressure-applying tool in the form of specially adapted pliers 26 may be used to drive the pins 22 through the wall of the tubular body 25 and into the apertures 24. This tool 26 is illustrated in Figure 4 and comprises a pair of pivotally connected handles 27 and 28 provided with the usual grips 27A and 28A. First and second jaws 29 and 30 formed at the ends of the handles 27 and 28 are closed together in conventional manner by squeezing the handles 27 and 28 together against the force of a return spring 31 which normally biases the jaws into the open position shown in Figure 4. The first jaw 29 has a completely plane active surface 32 while the jaw 30 has a plane active surface 33 formed with a recess in the form of a groove 34.

The use of the tool 26 to fasten the end closure 16 and the tubular body 25 together is illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. As shown in Figure 5, the hollow plug of the end closure 16 is inserted into the tubular body 25 until the end of the tubular body comes into abutment with the lip 19 of the closure 16, so that each side of the flange 17A lies ad acent to an end region of a corresponding side wall of the tubular body 25. The tool 26 is then applied to the end of the package, so that the flange 17A is positioned between the jaws 29 and 30 with the jaw 30 inside the hollow plug 18 and with the jaw 29 outside the end closure and the tubular body 25 and aligned with the wing 20 on that edge of the closure 16. Squeezing the handles 27 and 28 together then drives the pin 22 through the wall of the tubular body 25 and into the aperture 24 in the plug 18. The groove 34 in the jaw 30 is deep enough to accommodate the portion of the pin 22 which projects into the hollow end closure 16 through the aperture 14, so that the pin 22 is not damaged during this operation.

9 It should be appreciated that by using an appropriate number of crease lines, other shapes of tubular body can be produced from a rectangular sheet of material. For example, two crease lines would provide a substantially flat package; six crease lines would provide a package of hexagonal section; and no crease lines would provide a package of oval or cylindrical section. The cross-section of the end plug can be customised to fit the shape of the tubular body.

By way of further example, Figures 8 to 12 show the formation of a cylindrical package using a tubular body 125 formed with no creases and circular end closures 116. Parts of the embodiment of Figures 8 to 12 which correspond to like parts in Figures 2 to 7 are identified by the same reference numerals but with the addition of 100. In the case of this second example, only two locking tabs 120 are provided on the end closure 136 at diametrically opposite locations on the perimeter of the flange I I 7A..

An end closure having a locking tab that is releasably engagable with a part of the end closure through a portion of the tubular body enables the provision of a package which allows easy and convenient access to packaged goods without requiring destruction of either -the tubular body or the end closure.

In the present specification "comprise" means "includes or consists of' and "comprising" means "including or consisting of '.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

1. An end closure for a tubular package having a tubular body with an open end, the end closure including a plug which is insertable into the open end of the tubular body and a locking tab which presents a pin which is engagable with the plug through the tubular body to fasten the end closure to the tubular body, the pin being constructed so as to be able to pierce the wall of the tubular body and releasably engage the plug.

2. An end closure according to Claim 1, wherein the plug is hollow and the pin is constructed to engage in an aperture formed in the plug.

3. An end closure according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the cross-section of the plug and the cross-section of the open end of the tubular body conform to one another.

4. An end closure according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the plug and the locking tab are integrally formed.

5. An end closure according to any preceding Claim, wherein the locking tab is hinged with respect to the plug.

6. An end closure according to any preceding Claim having a plurality of locking tabs.

7. An end closure according to Claim 6 having two locking tabs located on opposite sides of the plug.

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8. A tubular package comprising a tubular body having an open end and an end closure which has a plug inserted in the open end of the tubular body and a locking tab presenting a pin which is engaged with the plug through the tubular body to fasten the end closure to the tubular body, the pin having pierced the wall of the tubular body and being releasably engaged with the plug.

9. A package according to Claim 8, wherein the plug is hollow and the pin is constructed to engage in an aperture formed in the plug.

10. A package according to Claim 8, wherein the cross sections of the plug and the open end of the tubular body conform to one another.

11. A package according to any one of Claims 8 to 10, wherein the plug and the locking tab are integrally formed.

12. A package according to any one of Claims 8 to 11, wherein the locking tab is hinged with respect to the plug.

13. A package according to any preceding claim, wherein the end closure has a plurality of locking tabs.

14. A package according to Claim 13, wherein the end closure has two locking tabs located on opposite sides of the plug.

15. A package according to any preceding claim, wherein the tubular body has two open ends and two end plugs, each insertable in a respective open end of the tubular body.

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16. A method of attaching an end closure to a tubular body of a tubular package having an open end, comprising providing an end closure having a plug and a locking tab presenting a pin which is constructed to be able to pierce the wall of the tubular body, inserting the plug of the end closure into the open end of the tubular body, and applying pressure to the locking tab to force the pin through the wall of the tubular body into releasable engagement with the plug and thereby fasten the end closure to the tubular body.

17. A method according to Claim 16, wherein the plug is formed with an aperture and the pressure applied to the locking tab forces the pin through the wall of the tubular body into a push fit engagement with the aperture in the plug.

18. A tool for attaching an end closure to a tubular body of a tubular package having an open end, the end closure including a hollow plug formed with an aperture and a locking tab presenting a pin constructed to be able to pierce the material of the tubular body, which tool comprises pliers having a pair of pivotally connected handles formed with co- operating first and second jaws which present respective active surfaces for respectively engaging the outer surface of the locking tab and the inner surface of the plug when the plug is inserted in the open end of the tubular body, whereby operation of the handles to bring the jaws together drives the pin of the locking tab through the wall of the tubular body into releasable engagement with the aperture of the plug, the active surface of the first jaw applying pressure to the locking tab and the active surface of the second jaw being a counter surface having a recess to accommodate the pin of the locking tab when received in the aperture of the plug.

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19. A tool according to Claim 18, wherein the recess in the counter surface of the second j aw is a groove.

20. An end plug substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 2, 3 and 5 to 7 or Figures 8 to 12 of the accompanying drawings.

21. A package substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 2, 3 and 5 to 7 or Figures 8 to 12 of the accompanying drawings.

22. A method of attaching an end closure to a tubular body of a tubular package substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 2, 3 and 5 to7 or Figures 8 to 12 of the accompanying drawings.

23. A tool for attaching an end closure to a tubular body of a tubular package substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.

24. Any novel feature or combination of features described herein.