GB2432822A

GB2432822A - Packaging container

Info

Publication number: GB2432822A
Application number: GB0601934A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jonathan Brian Marx; Mark Fillingham
Original assignee: Robinson Paperboard Packaging Ltd
Current assignee: Robinson Paperboard Packaging Ltd
Priority date: 2005-12-05
Filing date: 2006-01-31
Publication date: 2007-06-06
Also published as: GB0524793D0; GB0601934D0

Abstract

A packaging container 1 comprising: a substantially rigid generally tubular enclosure 2 for receiving an article to be packaged; and a plastics film sleeve 3. The film sleeve 3 includes a tubular lower portion 5 in which the tubular enclosure 2 is received and an upper portion which defines a mouth 4 through which an article may be inserted into the tubular enclosure 2 and handles 7 by which the packaging container may be carried. The top of the sleeve may have sealing means 9 which may be reclosable, or non-reclosable so as to provide tamper evidence. The tubular portion 5 may be a shrink fit on the enclosure 2. The upper part of the sleeve may have a central notch (13, Figure 2) to facilitate deliberate tearing of the plastics film. The article in the tubular enclosure 2 may be a chilled bottle of beverage.

Description

PACKAGING CONTAINER

This invention relates to a packaging container, that is to say a container in which a product may be packaged for transport and/or sale. The preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a packaging container particularly suitable for the transport of a chilled bottle of beverage, but the invention is not limited to such applications.

Our United Kingdom patent application GB-A-24 10322 discloses a thermal insulating device, particularly suitable for bottles of beverage. The present invention may incorporate such a thermal insulating device, but may also be used with other rigid packaging elements, for example non-insulated paperboard tube containers.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a packaging container comprising: a substantially rigid generally tubular enclosure for receiving an article to be packaged; and a plastics film sleeve which includes a tubular lower portion in which the tubular enclosure is received and an upper portion which defines a mouth through which an article may be inserted into the tubular enclosure and handles by which the packaging container may be carried.

In the particularly preferred embodiment of the invention the tubular lower portion of the plastics film sleeve substantially completely encloses at least the side walls of the tubular enclosure. Preferably, the tubular lower portion includes an inwardly extending lower extremity which extends under the walls of the tubular enclosure to prevent the tubular enclosure from slipping out of the tubular lower portion.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the tubular lower portion is a shrink-fit on the tubular enclosure so as to present a smooth cylindrical exterior appearance to the lower portions of the packaging container. Such an arrangement is particularly advantageous because point of sale information, brand names, promotional material, etc can conveniently be printed on the plastics film sleeve and will be presented in an attractive manner when the plastics film sleeve is shrunk onto the tubular enclosure.

Preferably, the upper portion of the plastics film sleeve includes sealing means which, in use, can seal the mouth. The sealing means may be re-closable in which case the sealing means provide a convenient method of opening and re-closing of closing the mouth when required, or may be non-reclosable in which case the closing means provide a degree of tamper evidence for the packaging container.

It is envisaged that, in general, because of the sealing means provided by the plastics film sleeve, a bung type top closure may not be required for the tubular enclosure, in the manner proposed in GB-A-24 10322.

In a further embodiment of the invention the upper portion of the plastics film sleeve is divided to form two separate handle portions. Preferably, the handle portions are shaped so that they meet at an acute angle relative to each other thereby forming a notch in the plastics film material. By grasping the separate handles and pulling them away from each other the plastics film material will tend to tear from the notch. Such an arrangement facilitates easy removal of the plastics film sleeve from the tubular enclosure.

The invention will be better understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, given by way of example only, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a side view schematically illustrating the first embodiment of the invention; and Figure 2 is a side view rotated 90 from the side view of Figure 1, illustrating a second embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to Figure 1 of the drawing there is illustrated the packaging container I comprising a rigid generally tubular enclosure 2 and a plastics film sleeve 3. The rigid tubular enclosure 2 may be a thermally insulated device as disclosed in GB-A-24 10322 or may be any other suitable rigid generally tubular enclosure, for example a paperboard tube having a metal, paperboard or plastics bung base or a metal tube. The rigid generally tubular enclosure has an open mouth 4 which may, if desired, be closed by means of a push in bung -type closure which may be of metal, paperboard or plastics.

The plastics film sleeve 3 comprises a lower tubular portion 5 which is a close fit over the exterior of the tubular enclosure 2. The required close fit may be conveniently effected by shrink fitting the plastics film sleeve over the tubular enclosure 2 or by making the tubular portion of a size which is a close sliding fit with the tubular enclosure. The inter-fit between the lower tubular portion 5 and the tubular enclosure can be a sliding fit or an interference fit. The important characteristic is that the exterior surface of the tubular lower portion 5 should present a smooth appearance from the exterior so that point of sale information, trade marks, advertising material, etc, printed on the outer surface of the tubular lower portion 5 is presented neatly to the exterior of the packaging container. Preferably, the lower extremity 6 of the lower tubular portion 5 extends under the base of the tubular enclosure 2 for some distance to ensure that the tubular enclosure is unable to slide out of the tubular lower portion. The required arrangement can readily be obtained if the plastics film sleeve is formed of a suitable heat shrinkable material and is heat shrunk into close engagement with the material of the tubular enclosure 2.

At the upper end of the packaging container the plastics film sleeve 3 extends to provide handles 7 which are defined above apertures 8 through which the fingers can be inserted. In the region above the mouth 4 the plastics film sleeve may continue as a cylindrical sleeve or may be split into two flat portions each of which may, if desired, be reinforced by means conventional in the plastic carrier bag art.

Below the opening 8 a zone 9 is provided in which the opposite sides of the plastic film sleeve are provided with means which can be sealed to each other to close the mouth 4 from the exterior. Sealing means 9 may be readily separated and re-sealed to provide a re-sealable closing, or maybe such that when separated they cannot be re-sealed in order to provide a degree of tamper evidence.

In use, either the packaging container is pre-fihled with an article to be sold and the seal 9 is closed, or empty packaging containers are provided at a checkout point and after purchasing an article, for example a chilled bottle of wine, the article is placed through the mouth or into the tubular enclosure 2 and the sealable region 9 is sealed by suitable means, for example adhesive or welding.

Referring now to Figure 2, a second embodiment of the invention is shown.

Many of the features of the first embodiment are repeated in the second embodiment, and these features are identified by the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment. Accordingly, the second embodiment includes a rigid tubular enclosure 2 located in the lower tubular portion 5 of a plastics film sleeve 3A. The upper portion of the plastics film sleeve includes handles 7 defined by through apertures 8. In the case of the embodiment of Figure 2 the upper portion of the plastics film sleeve 3A is divided on diametrically opposite sides thereof by a valley 10. The lower portion of the valley is formed by sides 11, 12 which form an acute angle to each other and meet at a notch 13. The effect of this arrangement is that if the handles 7 are grasped and pulled away from each other a high level of stress concentration is formed at the notch 13 and if the plastics film material is of a suitable type the material will tend to tear from the notch in a downward direction. This arrangement simplifies removal of the plastics film sleeve from the tubular enclosure.

Sealing arrangements similar to those illustrated and described in the context of the embodiment of Figure 1 may be applied to the embodiment of Figure 2.

The plastics film material from which embodiments of the invention are formed may be an opaque material or may be clear. If a clear material is used it may or may not be overprinted. The advantage of a clear material is that the tubular enclosure will be visible and if the tubular enclosure itself carries promotional or technical information this will be visible through the material of the sleeve. Thus, a sleeve of clear material may be particularly desirable for branded products, for example containers of spirits. If desired, however, an opaque material may be used and such material may be desirable to allow printing thereon of material promotions of the retail outlet through which the product is sold, rather than the product itself, although, of course, opaque material may also be printed with brand specific indicia.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1 A packaging container comprising: a substantially rigid

generally tubular enclosure for receiving an article to be packaged; and a plastics film sleeve which includes a tubular lower portion in which the tubular enclosure is received and an upper portion which defines a mouth through which an article may be inserted into the tubular enclosure and handles by which the packaging container may be carried.

2. A packaging container according to Claim 1 wherein the tubular lower portion of the plastics film sleeve substantially completely encloses at least the side walls of the tubular enclosure.

3. A packaging container according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the tubular lower portion includes an inwardly extending lower extremity which extends under the walls of the tubular enclosure to prevent the tubular enclosure from slipping out of the tubular lower portion.

4. A packaging container according to any preceding claim wherein the tubular lower portion is a shrink-fit on the tubular enclosure.

5. A packaging container according to any preceding claim wherein the upper portion of the plastics film sleeve includes sealing means which in use can seal the mouth.

6. A packaging container according to Claim 5 wherein the sealing means are reclosable.

7. A packaging container according to Claim 5 wherein the sealing means are non-reclosable and provide tamper evidences.

8. A packaging container according to any preceding claim wherein the upper portion of the plastics film sleeve is divided into two zones which meet at a notch to facilitate deliberate tearing of the plastics film material.

9. A packaging container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.