GB2432142A

GB2432142A - Closure for comestible product packet

Info

Publication number: GB2432142A
Application number: GB0523138A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andrew Farish; Christopher Bryson Garcin
Original assignee: SMARTBOXES Ltd
Current assignee: SMARTBOXES Ltd
Priority date: 2005-11-12
Filing date: 2005-11-12
Publication date: 2007-05-16
Anticipated expiration: 2025-11-12
Also published as: GB2432142B; GB0523138D0

Abstract

A lid or cover (1) of rigid, semi-rigid or stretchable material is provided to close an opened end of a packet (2) of a stack of rigid comestible items such as biscuits or wafers in a thin film or foil wrapper (4). The top of the lid is shaped to embrace the opened end of the wrapper and at least the end-most item (3) of comestible product within the wrapper, thereby to close and to substantially seal the wrapper to maintain the freshness of the remaining stack of items within the item. The lid embraces and is held in place by the end-most item and its surrounding wrapper when placed over them. The top (1A) of the lid or cover may be domed to accommodate any excess (5) of the wrapper (4) once the packet has been opened.

Description

CLOSURE FOR COMESTIBLE PRODUCT PACKET

This invention relates to a closure for a comestible product packet and more particularly to a lid or cover to close an opened end of a comestible product wrapper containing a stack of rigid comestible items such as biscuits or wafers.

Taking the example of a packet, prior to sale, of stacked items such as biscuits in a sealed packet by sheet material surrounding the stack of biscuits, it is difficult to maintain the freshness of the packet of biscuits once the packet has been opened and so often the biscuits are emptied from the packet and placed in an airtight container such as a biscuit barrel or biscuit tin.

An alternative way of packing the biscuits or wafers for sale is by placing them in a cylindrical tube which is permanently closed at one end and is closed by an insertable lid at the other end. This can have certain disadvantages compared with the wrappers of sheet material, in terms of product expense and the amount of material required to produce the tube and end closures.

According to the present invention, there is provided a lid or cover to close an opened end of a comestible product wrapper containing a stack of rigid comestible items such as biscuits or wafers, the lid having a top with a wall depending from the perimeter of the top shaped to embrace the opened end of the wrapper and at least the end-most item of comestible product within the wrapper, thereby to close and substantially seal the wrapper to maintain the freshness of the remaining stack of items within the wrapper, the lid being designed to embrace the end-most item and its surrounding wrapper when so placed over them and to be held in position thereby.

The comestible product wrapper may comprise a packet of biscuits or wafer snacks.

Preferably, the wrapper itself is made of flimsy sheet material such as a plastics film or a foil wrapper.

Preferably, the wall of the lid extends around the entire perimeter of the top of the lid.

Preferably, the top of the lid, which is, of course, the top of the lid when viewed from the outside, is domed so as to provide a void within in order to accommodate excess wrapping such as may be found when the wrapper is twisted after one or two items have been removed from the wrapper.

The material of the lid can be a plastics material or a rubbery material and can have a variety of qualities. For example, it may be rigid, semi-rigid or rubbery and stretchable.

The doming of the lid also provides a way of evacuating air from the lid and the contents of the packet.

The invention also extends to the combination of a lid as defined above and a packet of comestible product, including an opened or un-opened wrapper closed by the lid.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawing, in which:-Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of a lid or cover to close an open end of a comestible product wrapper, and Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic side view, partly cut-away, of an opened comestible product packet with the lid or cover in place on it.

The drawing shows a lid or cover 1 with a circular periphery, a domed top 1A and a wall lB depending from the perimeter of the top 1A.

Also shown is a packet 2 of items of comestible products such as biscuits or wafers 3, the packet being formed from a thin film or foil wrapper 4.

Once the packet 2 has been opened by opening the wrapper 4 at one end, one or two of the biscuits, for example, are taken out for consumption, the opened end of the packet wrapper is twisted as shown at 5 to produce a form of excess wrapping and then the cap or lid 1 is placed over the opened end of the packet 2 so that the wall lB of the lid 1 embraces at least the end-most biscuit or wafer 3 and its surrounding wrapper 4 and is held in position by them, whilst accommodating the excess 5 of the wrapper within a void 6 produced by the domed top 1A.

It will be appreciated that, by pushing the lid or cover 1 over an opened packet of biscuits or the like, the air is expelled from the opened end of the packet in order to inhibit the contents from going stale and therefore the present lid or cap enables a film-wrapped packet of biscuits or the like into a "biscuit tin" without the need for a tin. It also avoids the requirement to provide a rigid tube or other container with a separate lid. In other words, the present lid is able to work with the geometry of the contents of the packet to be supported on the open end of the packet, whilst embracing the wrapper in order to seal it again.

It will be appreciated that the present lid or cover can be adapted to re-seal packets of pasta, spaghetti and the like.

Claims

cLAIMS 1. A lid or cover to close an opened end of a comestible product

wrapper containing a stack of rigid comestible items such as biscuits or wafers, the lid having a top with a wall depending from the perimeter of the top shaped to embrace the opened end of the wrapper and at least the end-most item of comestible product within the wrapper, thereby to close and substantially seal the wrapper to maintain the freshness of the remaining stack of items within the wrapper, the lid being designed to embrace the end-most item and its surrounding wrapper when so placed over them and to be held in position thereby.

2. A lid or cover according to claim 1, wherein the wall of the lid extends around the entire perimeter of the top of the lid.

3. A lid or cover according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the top of the lid, when viewed from the outside of a packet upon which it is placed, is domed so as to provide a void within in order to accommodate excess wrapping such as maybe found when the wrapper is twisted after one or two items have been removed from the wrapper.

4. A lid or cover according to claim 1, 2 or 3 and being of a plastics or rubbery material.

5. A lid or cover according to any one of the preceding claims, and being rigid, semi-rigid or stretchable.

6. A lid or cover to close an open end of a comestible product wrapper, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

7. In combination, a lid or cover according to any one of the preceding claims and a packet of comestible product, including an opened or un-opened wrapper closed by the lid.

8. A combination according to claim 7, wherein the packet is a packet of biscuits, wafer snacks, pasta, spaghetti and the like.

9. A combination according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the wrapper itself is made of flimsy sheet material such as plastics film or is a foil wrapper.

10. A combination according to claim 8, 8 or 9, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows:

CLAIMS

1. A lid or cover to close an opened end of a comestible product wrapper containing a stack of rigid comestible items such as biscuits or wafers, the lid having a top with a wall depending from the perimeter of the top shaped to embrace the opened end of the wrapper and at least the end-most item of comestible product within the wrapper, thereby to close and substantially seal the wrapper to maintain the freshness of the remaining stack of items within the wrapper, the lid being designed to embrace the end-most item and its surrounding wrapper when so placed over them and to be held in position thereby; the top of the lid, when viewed from the outside of a packet upon which it is placed, being domed so as to provide a void within in order to accommodate excess wrapping such as may be found when the wrapper is twisted after one or two items have been removed from the wrapper.

2. A lid or cover according to claim 1, wherein the wall of the lid extends around the entire perimeter of the top of the lid.

3. A lid or cover according to claim 1 or 2 and beinq of a plastics or rubbery material.

4. A lid or cover according to claim 1, 2 or 3, and being rigid, semi-rigid or stretchable.

5. A lid or cover to close an open end of a comestible product wrapper, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

6. In combination, a lid or cover according to any one of the preceding claims and a packet of comestible product, including an opened or un-opened wrapper closed by the lid.

7. A combination according to claim 6, wherein the packet is a packet of biscuits, wafer snacks, pasta, spaghetti and the like.

8. A combination according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the wrapper itself is made of flimsy sheet material such as plastics film or is a foil wrapper.

9. A combination according to claim 6, 7 or 8, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.