GB2595868A

GB2595868A - Tubular container

Info

Publication number: GB2595868A
Application number: GB2008629.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Beighton John
Original assignee: Acheson & Acheson Ltd
Current assignee: Acheson & Acheson Ltd
Priority date: 2020-06-08
Filing date: 2020-06-08
Publication date: 2021-12-15
Also published as: GB202008629D0

Abstract

A tubular container 200 comprising a sleeve 201 comprising polyethylene, a collar 202 comprising polyethylene, and a closure 203 comprising polypropylene. The tubular container 200 comprises a percentage by weight of polypropylene of not more than 20 wt%, wherein the percentage by weight of polypropylene is measured relative to the total weight of the tubular container, and wherein the sleeve 201 is integral with the collar 202. The sleeve may comprise low-density and high-density polyethylene at a ratio of from 6:4 to 9:1 of low-density to high-density polyethylene. The low-density polyethylene may comprise SLH118 and the high-density polyethylene may comprise SGF4950. The closure 203 may comprise a lid 206 attached to a plug by a hinge, and the hinge may be a living hinge.

Description

Tubular container

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to tubular containers. More particularly, but not exclusively, this invention concerns tubular containers comprising a polyethylene sleeve, a polyethylene collar and a polypropylene closure, wherein the total percentage by weight of polypropylene in the tubular container is not more than 20 wt %, wherein the percentage by weight of polypropylene is measured relative to the total weight of the tubular container, and wherein the sleeve is integral with the collar. The invention also concerns related methods, uses and further products.

Background of the Invention

Tubular containers are commonly used in the foodstuffs, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries for holding a product, for example a liquid or semi-liquid product such as a cream, a gel or the like. It is often desirable for such containers to be tightly closable to retain the product, thereby avoiding leakage.

Conventional tubular containers 100 generally comprise a sleeve 101, a collar 102, a cap 103 and a closure 104 (see Figure 1). The sleeve 101 typically takes the form of a hollow cylindrical or flattened cylindrical tube, sealed shut at a first end by means of heat welding. The second end of the sleeve 101 is typically attached to the collar 102. The collar 102 is also typically attached, on side distal to the sleeve 101, to the cap 103. The collar 102 desirably takes the form of a shoulder covering the second end of the sleeve 101, wherein the collar comprises an aperture 105. The cap 103 is attached to the collar 102 in such a way that an aperture 106 in the cap 103 aligns with the aperture 105 of the collar 102. For example, the cap 103 may be attached to the collar 102 by means of a screw thread 107. In use, a product contained within the sleeve 101 can be dispensed via these twin apertures 105 and 106. The closure 104 is attached to the cap 103 on the side of the cap 103 distal to the collar 102, in such a way that the closure 104 can be used to block the apertures 105 and 106 when the tubular container 100 is not being used to dispense the product. For example, the closure 104 may be attached to the cap 103 by means of a hinge 108, such as a living hinge. In this way, the container 100 remains tightly closed when not being used to dispense the product.

The sleeve of a tubular container is preferably flexibly deformable, for example the sleeve may be formed from a flexible plastic material or a thin deformable metal. Polyethylene sleeves are often used for this purpose, since polyethylene is inexpensive and can be used to make flexibly deformable sleeves. In use, a consumer may compress the sleeve in order to dispense a product through the aperture.

The collar of a tubular container is typically also made of a flexibly deformable material, for example flexible plastic material such as polyethylene, but is preferably less flexibly deformable than the sleeve. It is often desirable for the collar to be stiffer than the sleeve, so as to provide structural integrity to the tubular container.

The collar and sleeve are desirably attached to each other in such a way as to ensure the tubular container remains tightly closed when not in use.

The cap and closure are preferably much less flexibly deformable than the collar, in order to provide structural integrity to the tubular container. For this reason, the cap and closure are typically made from a stiffer plastic material than polyethylene, such as polypropylene. For example, this helps prevent buckling of the container and/or misalignment of the aperture of the collar and the aperture of the cap. An additional advantage of forming both the cap and the closure from polypropylene is that the hinge between the cap and closure can be a polypropylene living hinge.

Polypropylene is durable yet flexible enough to form a satisfactory living hinge. US 4,615,462 and EP0167661 Al disclose closures and caps comprising polypropylene. US 2010/0224646 Al discloses various sleeves, collars, closures and caps comprising polyethylene or polypropylene.

Generally in a conventional tubular container, the sleeve and collar comprise polyethylene, while the cap and closure comprise polypropylene. Thus the tubular container, taken as a whole, predominantly comprises polyethylene. However, the percentage by weight of polypropylene in conventional tubular containers (due to the presence of the cap and closure) is not low enough for the tubular container to be recycled, as one, in a polyethylene recycling stream. While a certain level of contamination can be tolerated, for example up to 20 wt (14) polypropylene in a polyethylene waste stream, the wt (1i0 of polypropylene in conventional tubular containers exceeds this tolerance threshold. For this reason, the sleeve and collar (comprising polyethylene) typically need to be separated from the cap and closure (comprising polypropylene) for recycling in polyethylene and polypropylene recycling streams respectively. However such separation, whilst superficially appealing presents its own problems when implemented in the real world, where material recovery facilities (IVIRFs) sort waste items according to their size. The smaller the waste item, the more likely it is to be rejected from the IVIRF polypropylene recycling stream. This is because small items tend to fall through MRF sorting grids and are thereby lost from the recycling steam. For this reason, disassembling the tubular container before recycling its components, thereby decreasing the size of the items to be recycled, is undesirable. There is a need for tubular containers that can be recycled as one, without first being disassembled. Moreover, in order to decrease the environmental impact of a tubular container, it is desirable to minimise the amount of material used to make it in the first instance.

Furthermore, in conventional tubular containers such as that of Figure 1, product, dirt, grease, water and the like generally accumulate in the space between the cap and the shoulder, such as in a screw thread joining the cap and the shoulder. For reasons of hygiene and in order to reduce product waste, there exists a need to find a way of preventing such accumulation of product, dirt, grease and water.

The present inventors have discovered a means of dispensing with the polypropylene cap altogether, without compromising the structural integrity of the container, which has the advantageous effect of minimising the amount of material overall in the tubular container. Furthermore, by dispensing with the polypropylene cap, the amount of polypropylene in the tubular container is minimised. The present inventors have thus developed a tubular container wherein the total percentage by -4 -weight of polypropylene in the tubular container is not more than 20 wt %, i.e not more than the tolerance threshold of polyethylene recycling streams.

Moreover, this cap-free configuration solves the problem of accumulation of product, dirt, grease or water between the cap and the closure. In this configuration, the closure is directly attached to the collar, for example by means of a closure plug configured to fit into a socket in the collar.

It might be thought that dispensing with the polypropylene cap altogether would compromise the structural integrity of the tubular container, for example leading to buckling of the container. In the present design field, it might be expected that dispensing with the cap would require compensatory changes to the collar, for example providing the collar with a plurality of reinforcing ribs on the surface of the collar proximal to the sleeve, or making the collar particularly thick and heavy. However, the present inventors have surprisingly found that the surface of the collar proximal to the sleeve may be configured with minimal or no, for example no more than two, reinforcing ribs, whilst maintaining the stiffness required for structural integrity, thereby further reducing the amount of material present overall. The avoidance or minimisation of ribs provides the further advantage of reducing the amount of product which is trapped by the ribs, thereby reducing product waste.

Summary of the Invention

Tubular container The present invention provides, in a first aspect, a tubular container, comprising: a sleeve comprising polyethylene; a collar comprising polyethylene; and a closure comprising polypropylene; wherein the tubular container comprises a percentage by weight of polypropylene of not more than 20 wt %, wherein the percentage by weight of polypropylene is measured relative to the total weight of the tubular container, and wherein the sleeve is integral with the collar, -5 -In certain embodiments, the tubular container may be configured to hold from 5 to 500 ml of a liquid, cream or gel. In certain embodiments, the tubular container may be configured to hold from 25 to 205 ml of a liquid, cream or gel.

The sleeve of the tubular container of the invention is integral with the collar.

In some embodiments, the sleeve may be fused with the collar. In some embodiments, the sleeve may be bonded to the collar. In some embodiments, the sleeve may be welded to the collar. The sleeve and collar may be welded together using conventional techniques. For example, in some embodiments, the sleeve may be welded to the collar by hot gas welding, speed tip welding, contact welding, hot plate welding, injection welding, laser welding or solvent welding.

In some embodiments, the sleeve may be adhered to the collar, by means of an adhesive, for example by means of a hot melt adhesive. The sleeve may be adhered to the collar by means of a conventional epoxy, polyurethane or silicone adhesive.

Optionally, before applying the adhesive, a pre-treatment step and/or a primer step may be used to prepare the surfaces for adhesion. For example, one or more of chemical etching, flame treatments and a corona discharge may be used in the pretreatment step.

Unlike conventional tubular containers, the tubular container of the first aspect of the present invention does not comprise a cap. In conventional tubular containers such as that shown in Figure 1, there is a tendency for product, dirt, grease, water and the like to accumulate in the space between the cap and the collar, such as in the ridges of a screw thread joining the cap and the collar. The present invention provides a tubular container configured without a cap, thereby avoiding the unhygienic build-up of product, dirt, grease, water and the like between the cap and the collar.

By dispensing with the cap, the amount of plastic overall in the tubular container of the first aspect of the present invention is reduced, thereby reducing the environmental impact of manufacturing the tubular container of the invention compared to conventional tubular containers -6 -Conventional tubular containers, comprising a sleeve and collar formed from polyethylene and a cap and closure formed from polypropylene, typically comprise more a percentage by weight of polypropylene of more than 20 °,O, measured relative to the total weight of the tubular container. As a result, conventional tubular containers typically comprise more than 20 wt % polypropylene, such as more than 25, 30, 35 or 40 wt % polypropylene.

In the polyethylene recycling stream of material recovery facilities (1\4RFs) a certain level of contamination can be tolerated, for example up to 20 wt % polypropylene in a polyethylene waste stream. It will be appreciated that the wt % of polypropylene in conventional tubular containers exceeds this tolerance threshold.

Conventional tubular containers therefore need to be disassembled for recycling their component parts in separate polyethylene and polypropylene streams. However, a disadvantage of disassembling the container is that the smaller the plastic part, the more likely it will fall through MRF sorting grids and are thereby lost from the recycling steam. For this reason, disassembling the tubular container before recycling its components, thereby decreasing the size of the items to be recycled, is undesirable. There is a need for tubular containers that can be recycled as one, without first being disassembled.

Unlike conventional tubular containers having a polypropylene cap, the tubular container of the first aspect of the present invention comprises a percentage by weight of polypropylene of not more than 20 wt %, wherein the percentage by weight of polypropylene is measured relative to the total weight of the tubular container. The present inventors have found that the tubular container of the first aspect of the invention, which does not include the typical polypropylene cap of conventional tubular containers, can be recycled as one in a polyethylene recycling stream.

In certain embodiments, the tubular container of the first aspect of the present invention comprises a percentage by weight of polypropylene of not more than 19.9 wt %, not more than 19.8 wt °O, not more than 19.7 wt °O, not more than 19.6 wt %, not more than 19.5 wt %, not more than 19.4 wt %, not more than 19.3 wt %, not more than 19.2 wt %, not more than 19.1 wt wo, not more than 19. Owt %, not more than 18.9 wt %, not more than 18.8 wt %, not more than 18.7 wt %, not more than 18.6 wt %, not more than 18.5 wt %, not more than 18.4 wt %, not more than 18.3 wt %, not more than 18.2 wt °,10, not more than 18.1 wt %, not more than 18.0 wt %, not -7 -more than 17.9 wt °Ai, not more than 17.8 wt %, not more than 17.7 wt %, not more than 17.6 wit not more than 17.5 wit %, not more than 17.4 wit not more than 17.3 wit %, not more than 17.2 wit %, not more than 17.1 wit %, not more than 17.0 wit %, not more than 16.9 wt %, not more than 16.8 wt %, not more than 16.7 wt %, not more than 16.6 wt %, not more than 16.5 wt %, not more than 16.4 wt %, not more than 16.3 wt (liO, not more than 16.2 wt (liO, not more than 16.1 wt (liO, or not more than 16.0 wit %, wherein the percentage by weight of polypropylene is measured relative to the total weight of the tubular container. In certain preferred embodiments, the tubular container comprises a percentage by weight of polypropylene of not more than 19.9%, wherein the percentage by weight of polypropylene is measured relative to the total weight of the tubular container. In certain preferred embodiments, the tubular container comprises a percentage by weight of polypropylene of not more than 19.1 %, wherein the percentage by weight of polypropylene is measured relative to the total weight of the tubular container. In certain preferred embodiments, the tubular container comprises a percentage by weight of polypropylene of not more than 18.2 %, wherein the percentage by weight of polypropylene is measured relative to the total weight of the tubular container. In certain preferred embodiments, the tubular container comprises a percentage by weight of polypropylene of not more than 16.8 %, wherein the percentage by weight of polypropylene is measured relative to the total weight of the tubular container.

Sleeve In certain embodiments, the sleeve may comprise one or more of low-density polyethylene and high-density polyethylene.

Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is a thermoplastic polymer formed from ethylene monomers. LDPE typically exhibits a density of from 0.917 to 0.930 g LDPE is typically not reactive at room temperature (except in the presence of strong oxidising agents). LDPE may be used as a component of sheets of plastic. For example, sheets comprising LDPE and having a thickness of not more than 5 mm, such as not more than 1 mm, are generally found to be flexibly deformable. For this reason, LDPE is considered to be suitable for use as a component of the sleeve of the tubular container of the present invention. -8 -

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is a polymer formed from ethylene monomers. HDPE exhibits less branching of the polyethylene chains than LDPE, and therefore exhibits stronger intermolecular forces, greater tensile strength, and greater resilience than LDPE. Also, because HDPE molecules are more tightly packed (due to fewer side branches) HDPE tends to exhibit a higher density than LDPE. HDPE typically exhibits a density of from 0.930 to 0.970 g cm'. HDPE may be used as a component of sheets of plastic. For example, sheets comprising HDPE and having a thickness of not more than 5 mm, such as not more than 1 mm, are generally found to be flexibly deformable. For this reason, HDPE is considered to be suitable for use as a component of the sleeve of the tubular container of the present invention.

In certain embodiments, the sleeve may comprise low-density polyethylene and high-density polyethylene, and wherein the ratio by weight of low-density polyethylene to high-density polyethylene is in a range of from 6:4 to 9:1. The present inventors have found that by providing a mixture of LDPE and HDPE in the sleeve, the flexibility and resilience of the sleeve can be optimised. Advantageously, the sleeve can be compressed by a user (in order to dispense product from the tubular container) before returning to its original shape, on a repeat basis, without exhibiting signs of wear.

In certain embodiments wherein the sleeve comprises low-density polyethylene, the low-density polyethylene may comprise linear low-density polyethylene. Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) is a substantially linear polymer formed from ethylene monomers, with many short branches. LLDPE is commonly formed by copolymerising ethylene with longer-chain olefins. LLDPE differs structurally from LDPE, because the long-chain branching exhibited by LDPE molecules is typically absent in LLDPE. LLDPE typically exhibits a density of from 0.915 to 0.925 g In certain embodiments, the linear low-density polyethylene may comprise SLH118. SLH 118 is a type of LLDPE originally developed for blown film extrusion applications. SLH118 is typically formed by copolymerising ethylene with 1-hexene. The minimum bio-based content (i.e. content derived from renewable biological resources) of SLH118 is 84%, determined according to ASTM International Standard -9 -Test Method D6866. SLH118 contains antioxidant additives. SLH118 meets the requirements for olefin polymers of Title 21 of the US Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) section 177.1520, issued by the US Food and Drug Administration. SLH118 typically has an average density of about 09.16 g cm-3. SEH118 may be obtained from a range of commercial sources, such as from Braskem, 120 Rua Lemos Monteiro, Edificio Odebrecht, Sao Paulo -Butanta, 05501-050, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.

In certain embodiments wherein the sleeve comprises high-density polyethylene, the high-density polyethylene may comprise 50F4950. 56F4950 is a type of HDPE originally developed for blown molding applications.

The minimum bio-based content (i.e. content derived from renewable biological resources) of SGF4950 is 96%, determined according to ASTM International Standard Test Method D6866 SGF4950 meets the requirements for olefin polymers of Title 21 of the US Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) section 177.1520, issued by the US Food and Drug Administration. SGF4950 typically has an average density of about 0.956 g cm-2. SGF4950 may be obtained from a range of commercial sources, such as from Braskem, 120 Rua Lemos Monteiro, Edificio Odebrecht, Sao Paulo -Butanta, 05501-050, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.

Closure The closure is made from a stiffer material (comprising polypropylene) than the collar and sleeve (both of which comprise polyethylene). In this way the closure contributes to the structural integrity of the tubular container as a whole.

In certain embodiments, the closure may comprise a lid and a plug, wherein the lid is attached to the plug by a hinge.

In certain embodiments, the lid of the closure is formed from a substantially flat, substantially circular piece of material, comprising polypropylene. When the tubular container is closed, the lid covers the side of the collar distal the sleeve, thereby sealing the tubular container to prevent seepage. In use, the lid can be lifted away from the collar by means of the hinge, thereby opening the tubular container in order to dispense product -10 - In certain embodiments, the shape of the plug may substantially be that of a hollow polyhedron, having one or more open faces, and optionally having one or more ridges or other surface features which modify one or more of the flat faces of the polyhedron. The shape of the plug may substantially be that of a uniform or non-uniform polyhedron. For example, the shape of the plug may be substantially that of a prism having one or more open faces and having one or more ridges or other surface features present on one or more surfaces of the remaining closed faces. The shape of the plug may be substantially that of a frustum having one or more open faces and having one or more ridges present on one or more surfaces of the remaining closed faces.

In certain embodiments, the hinge may be a living hinge. A living hinge is a think, flexible hinge (sometimes known as a flexure bearing) made from the same material (such as a plastic, for example polypropylene) as the two rigid pieces of material it connects. A living hinge is typically of a smaller thickness than the rigid pieces of material it connects, thereby allowing the rigid pieces to bend along the line of the hinge. Living hinges exhibit minimal friction and low levels of wear, as well as being inexpensive and easy to manufacture.

Collar In certain embodiments, the collar of the tubular container may comprise high-density polyethylene.

In certain embodiments, the surface of the collar proximal to the sleeve may comprise not more than two, preferably no, reinforcing ribs projecting therefrom Reinforcing ribs are conventionally used to provide structural integrity to plastic components of tubular containers, for example polyethylene components, particularly the collar. Reinforcing ribs typically take the form of linear raised ridges of plastic material on the surface of a flat plastic component, generally from one edge of the flat component to another. Where several raised ribs are present on a given surface, these may intersect with each other, for example to form a lattice of raised ribs. One reason why reinforced ribs are used may also be for ease of manufacture, since moulding a plastic component can often be accomplished more easily if raised ribs are included as part of its structure.

However, the inclusion of raised ribs in components of tubular containers, particularly in collars thereof, increases the amount of material used to form the container, thereby increasing the environmental impact of manufacturing the container.

The present inventors have found that the need for reinforcing ribs is reduced or avoided entirely in the tubular container of the present invention. The tubular container of the present invention, configured without a cap, exhibits structural integrity even when the surface of the collar proximal to the sleeve comprises not more than two, more preferably no, reinforcing ribs projecting therefrom.

In certain embodiments wherein the closure comprises a lid and a plug, the collar may comprise a socket configured to receive the plug of the closure It will be appreciated that in such embodiments, the shape of the socket is complementary to the shape of the plug. The plug and socket are configured such that when the plug is placed in the socket, the plug remains firmly in place and does not easily fall out of the socket. For example, the plug would not fall out of the socket due to the force of gravity alone In certain embodiments, the force required to break the living hinge may be greater than the force required to remove the plug from the closure. For example, when a user pulls the closure apart from the collar, the plug may be released from the socket such that the entire closure, comprising the lid attached to the plug by the hinge, is pulled apart from the collar. That is, the living hinge is not broken by the act of pulling apart the collar and the closure, but rather remains intact.

Method of disassembling the tubular container of the invention The present invention provides, in a second aspect, a method of disassembling a tubular container according to the first aspect of the invention, the tubular container having a closure comprising a lid and a plug, wherein the lid is attached to the plug by a hinge (optionally, a living hinge) and the collar comprises a socket configured to receive the plug of the closure. The method of the second aspect of the invention -12 -comprises removing the plug from the socket, wherein the living hinge remains intact while the plug is removed from the socket It will of course be appreciated that features described in relation to one aspect of the present invention may be incorporated into other aspects of the present invention. For example, the method of the invention may incorporate any of the features described with reference to the tubular container of the invention and vice versa.

Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings of which: Figure 1 shows a schematic side view of a conventional tubular container of the

prior art,

Figure 2 shows a schematic side view of a tubular container according to the invention; Figure 3a shows a schematic front view of a plug and socket arrangement of a tubular container according to the invention; Figure 3b shows a schematic front view of an alternative plug and socket arrangement of a tubular container according to the invention, Figure 4 shows a schematic bottom view of a closure of a tubular container according to the invention.

Detailed Description

Whilst the present invention has been described and illustrated with reference to particular embodiments, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention lends itself to many different variations not specifically illustrated herein By way of example only, certain possible variations will now be described.

In Figure 2, a tubular container 200 is shown comprising a sleeve 201, a collar 202 and a closure 203. The tubular container 200 is shown in a partially open configuration. An open configuration is the configuration of the tubular container 200 during use, when dispensing product.

The sleeve 201 desirably takes the form of a hollow cylindrical or flattened cylindrical tube, sealed shut at a first end 201a. The second end 201b of the sleeve 201 is attached to the collar 202 in such a way that the sleeve 201 is integral with the collar 202. For example, the sleeve 201 may be fused, bonded, welded or adhered to the collar 202.

The collar 202 desirably takes the form of a flat shoulder covering the second end 201b of the sleeve 201, wherein the flat shoulder comprises an aperture 204. The collar 202 also comprises a socket 205. The surface of the collar 202 proximal to the sleeve 201 comprises not more than two reinforcing ribs (not shown) projecting from its surface.

The closure 203 comprises a lid 206, a plug 207, and a hinge 208 connecting the lid 206 and plug 207, wherein the hinge 208 may be a living hinge.

The collar 202 is attached, on a side of the collar 202 distal to the sleeve 201, to the closure 203. The closure 203 is attached to the collar 202 by means of the plug 207, which is inserted into the socket 205. When the tubular container 200 is not in use, the lid 206 of the closure 203 clips onto the collar 202 to close the tubular container 200. In this closed configuration, stopper 211 blocks the aperture 204, preventing seepage of product.

During use, the lid 206 of the tubular container 200 is unclipped from the collar 202. In this way, the aperture 204 is unblocked and so product can be dispensed from the tubular container 200. The user can compress the sleeve 201 in order to dispense a product through the aperture 204.

In certain circumstances, it may be desirable to separate the closure 203 from the collar 202 by pulling apart the plug 207 and socket 205. The force required to pull apart the plug 207 and socket 205 in this way is smaller than the force required to break the hinge 208.

Figure 3a shows an enlarged front view of a closure 303 and the socket 305 of a collar, according to the present invention In Figure 3a, a closure 303 is shown -14 -comprising a lid 306 attached to a plug 307 by means of a hinge 308, which may be a living hinge. In Figure 3a, the plug 307 is shown inserted into the socket 305 of a collar 302. The plug 307 is secured within the socket 305 by means of surface features 309a, 309b, 310a and 310b. Surface features 309a and 309b are small ridges projecting from the surface of the socket 305. Surface features 310a and 310b are small depressions in the surface of the plug 307. These surface features 309a, 309b, 3 10a and 310b enable the plug 307 to be placed securely in the socket 305, so the plug 307 will not fall out of the socket 305. For example, the plug 307 will not fall out of the socket 305 under gravity alone. However, surface features 309a, 309b, 310a and 3101) will not prevent a user being able to pull the plug 307 out of the socket 305 if desired, without breaking the hinge 308.

It will be appreciated that surface features 309a, 309b, 310a and 310b may be provided in different forms while still achieving a secure fit between the plug 307 and the socket 305. In this connection, Figure 3b shows an enlarged front view of an alternative configuration of the closure 303 and socket 305 of Figure 3a. In Figure 3b, surface features 309a and 309b are small depressions in the surface of the socket 305. Surface features 310a and 310b are small ridges projecting from the surface of the plug 307.

Figure 4 shows a bottom view of a closure 403 of a tubular container according to the invention when detached from the collar of the tubular container (collar not shown). The closure 403 comprises a lid 406 connected to a plug 407 by a hinge 408. The hinge 408 may be a living hinge. The closure 403 is shown in a configuration wherein the angle made by the hinge 408 is 180 degrees, such that the lid 406 and plug 407 lie substantially in the same plane.

The plug 407 is configured to fit into a complementary socket in the collar of the tubular container (not shown). The plug 407 comprises surface features 410a and 410b. In Figure 4, surface features 410a and 410b take the form of small ridges projecting from the surface of the sides of the plug 407, the ridges being configured to fit into small depressions in the socket of the tubular container (not shown). The complementary surface features of the plug 403 and socket enable the plug 403 to fit securely into the socket. For example, the plug 403 will not fall out of the socket due to gravity alone. However, a user may pull the plug 403 out of the socket if desired, without breaking the hinge 408. It will be appreciated that surface features 410a and 410b may be provided in a different form, while still achieving a secure fit between the plug 407 and the socket.

The collar 403 further comprises a stopper 411. When the closure 403 is attached to the collar of a tubular container (not shown) the lid 406 of the closure 403 can be placed in a closed configuration wherein it is clipped to the collar, such that the stopper 4!! blocks the product-dispensing aperture in the collar. In this way, seepage of product is avoided when the tubular container is not in use.

Where in the foregoing description, integers or elements are mentioned which have known, obvious or foreseeable equivalents, then such equivalents are herein incorporated as if individually set forth. Reference should be made to the claims for determining the true scope of the present invention, which should be construed so as to encompass any such equivalents. It will also be appreciated by the reader that integers or features of the invention that are described as preferable, advantageous, convenient or the like are optional and do not limit the scope of the independent claims. Moreover, it is to be understood that such optional integers or features, whilst of possible benefit in some embodiments of the invention, may not be desirable, and may therefore be absent, in other embodiments.

Claims

-16 -Claims 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
A tubular container, comprising: a sleeve comprising polyethylene; a collar comprising polyethylene; and a closure comprising polypropylene; wherein the tubular container comprises a percentage by weight of polypropylene of not more than 20 wt %, wherein the percentage by weight of polypropylene is measured relative to the total weight of the tubular container, and wherein the sleeve is integral with the collar.
The tubular container of claim 1, wherein the sleeve comprises one or more of low-density polyethylene and high-density polyethylene.
The tubular container of claim 2, wherein the sleeve comprises low-density polyethylene and high-density polyethylene, and wherein the ratio by weight of low-density polyethylene to high-density polyethylene is in a range of from 6:4 to 9:1 The tubular container of claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the low-density polyethylene comprises linear low-density polyethylene.
The tubular container of claim 4, wherein the linear low-density polyethylene comprises SLH118.
The tubular container of any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the high-density polyethylene comprises SGF4950.
The tubular container of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the collar comprises high-density polyethylene.
The tubular container of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tubular container is configured to hold from 5 to 500 ml of a liquid, cream or gel.-17 -
9 The tubular container of claim 8, wherein the tubular container is configured to hold from 25 to 205 ml of a liquid, cream or gel
10. The tubular container of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the surface of the collar proximal to the sleeve comprises not more than two, preferably no, reinforcing ribs projecting therefrom.
11. The tubular container of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the closure comprises a lid and a plug, wherein the lid is attached to the plug by a hinge.
12. The tubular container of claim 11, wherein the hinge is a living hinge.
13. The tubular container of claim 11 or claim 12, wherein the collar comprises a socket configured to receive the plug of the closure.
14. The tubular container of claim 13, wherein the force required to break the living hinge is greater than the force required to remove the plug from the closure A method of disassembling the tubular container of claim 13, comprising removing the plug from the socket, wherein the living hinge remains intact while the plug is removed from the socket.