ITBO960117A1 - CONTAINER BLANK FOR LIQUID, GRANULAR OR POWDERING PRODUCTS AND METHOD FOR USING THE SAME BLANK IN THE - Google Patents

Description

DIE-CUT CONTAINER FOR LIQUID PRODUCTS, CI-GRANULES OR POWDERS AND METHOD FOR USING THE SAME

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is part of the technical sector concerning the packaging of liquid, granular or powdery products, both food and non-food.

In particular, the present invention relates to a blank and to a method for manufacturing containers of liquid, granular or powdery products mainly of the semi-rigid type.

The blanks known up to now for the realization of these containers consist of a sheet of semi-rigid material, for example polythene cardboard with or without an aluminum foil, mainly in the shape of a parallelepiped and suitably pre-engraved by four longitudinal creasing lines in correspondence with the which the blank is folded in order to define both the longitudinal edges of the container formed therefrom and the relative two opposite sides and the two side walls, also opposite. Each of these blank also provides at least four other transverse creasing lines, two internal and two external, which are orthogonal to the longitudinal creasing lines and which allow the blank to be folded during the phase of volume-up of the container and the creation of the bottom and of the head of the latter. The bottom and the head are made thanks to the presence of a further four oblique creasing lines, at the bottom and the same number of the head, which extend from the point of intersection of the four longitudinal creasing lines with the two internal transversal creasing lines, and which converge two by two at the common point of intersection with the external transverse lines.

The external transverse creasing of the blank, corresponding to the head of the container, has four flaps, of which the opposite ones are dimensionally the same, and protruding from the side walls and from the sides of the container so that those relating to the sides protrude more than those corresponding to the side walls .

At least one flap also protrudes from the external transverse creasing, corresponding to the bottom of the container formed by a known blank.

This flap can be made as a continuation of a container face if the bottom sealing is achieved with a welding line parallel to the welding line present on the container head.

Instead, there are two opposite flaps, protruding from the blank in correspondence with the side walls of the container formed by the relative blank, in the case in which the bottom sealing of the container is orthogonal to that made when closing the head of the container itself.

From known blanks it is possible to make parallelepiped-shaped containers according to known methods which provide for the tubular reclosing of the blank in sequence, its volume up according to known techniques and means (sucker actuators, air jets, "sabers", seats cooperating with fixed and / or mobile strikers, etc.), the insertion of a striker in said tubular, the realization of the bottom of the container by means of welding means that cooperate with this striker, the extraction of the latter from the container, the eventual application of a cap at the head of the container, the filling of the latter and finally the sealing of the container at its head.

The major disadvantages presented by known blanks are found both in the fact that the containers made by them have exclusively the parallelepiped shape, and that the blanks have at least one flap at the bottom of the container, and that the volume of each container foresees The insertion in the latter of a fixed abutment during the stage of making the bottom of the container itself.

The main object of this invention is therefore to propose a blank capable of obviating the aforementioned drawbacks and in particular of not providing any flap protruding from the external transverse creasing, at the bottom of the container.

Another object is to propose a blank from which it is possible to make a container which, while retaining a basically parallelepiped shape, allows an easy and easy grip by the user.

Another object of the invention is to propose a method for setting the container up to volume which does not require, in the step of inserting it into the latter, a fixed abutment for the realization of its base.

A further object of the present invention is to propose a blank of simple manufacture, and an extremely simplified and efficient method of manufacturing the corresponding container thanks to which it is possible to obtain a high production capacity.

The above objects are achieved in accordance with the content of the claims.

The characteristics of the present invention are highlighted below with reference to the attached drawing tables, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a plan view of the blank object of the present invention;

Figure 1A illustrates a partial view of the blank of Figure 1 relating to a second embodiment thereof;

Figure 2 illustrates a partially folded and welded blank and shaped like a flattened tubular;

- figure 3 illustrates a container placed in volume starting from the blank of figure 1;

Figure 4 illustrates a third embodiment of the blank object of the present invention;

Figure 5 illustrates a container made with the blank of Figure 4;

figure 6 shows a partial view of the blank of figure 1 according to a fourth embodiment thereof;

- figure 7 illustrates a mass container with volume starting from the blank of figure 6;

Figures 8 to 11 schematically illustrate the various steps of the method for manufacturing a container starting from the blank object of the present invention.

With reference to Figures 1 to 3, 1 indicates a blank consisting of a sheet of laminar material, preferably semi-rigid polythene cardboard with or without metal foil, used to make a container 10 for liquid, granular or powdery products.

The blank 1 is affected by a series of longitudinal 2 creasing lines, mutually parallel, and transversal 6, orthogonal to the latter, and oblique 9, between the longitudinal 2 and transverse creasing lines 6. The blank is also provided of two lateral longitudinal flaps 15, of a bottom flap 16 and of a head flap 17.

The longitudinal creasing lines 2 are six in number making up two groups, each of which comprises an internal creasing line 2a, an intermediate 2b and an external 2c, respectively with respect to the median axis of the blank 1. In other words, these lines of creasing 2, divide the blank 1 longitudinally into a first face 3, close to the center line of the blank itself, to which two side walls 4 are bilaterally constrained, each of which is included between the internal longitudinal creasing lines 2a and external 2c. To the side of each of these side walls 4 there is a portion of a second facade 5, identified respectively with 5a and 5b, capable of being welded, as will be explained below, in order to create the second facade 5.

The intermediate longitudinal creasing lines 2b are preferably made at the center line of each side wall 4.

The transversal creasing lines 6 are also six in number and can be grouped into two series, each of which is respectively constituted by an internal creasing line 6a, an external one 6b and a marginal 6c, with respect to the transversal median line of the blank 1 The transverse creasing lines 6 are arranged orthogonally with respect to the longitudinal creasing lines 2 and the two series are grouped in such a way as to define a head portion 7 and a bottom portion 8 of the blank 1.

The marginal transverse creasing line 6c, present in the head portion 7 of the blank 1, constitutes the free outer edge of the head portion itself, and therefore of the head flap 17, in correspondence with the side walls 4, while defining a flap 11 respectively at each of the first 3 and second 5 sides.

The remaining marginal transverse creasing line 6c, located in proximity to the bottom portion 8, substantially identifies the free outer edge of this portion of the blank 1, that is, the free edge of the bottom edge 16.

Referring now in particular to Figure 1, the oblique creasing lines 9 are eight in number and are coupled two by two so as to define four pairs, two of which are located near the bottom edge 16 and the remaining two of the head 17. In each of these pairs the oblique creasing lines 9 are constituted, with respect to the first side 3, of a first internal creasing 9a and an external 9b, having one end in common which originates from the point of intersection of the intermediate longitudinal 2b and external transverse 6b creasing line. The remaining ends of the lines 9a and 9b originate from the intersection respectively of the internal longitudinal creasing line 2a with the internal transverse one 6a, and of the external longitudinal creasing line 2a with the internal transverse one 6a.

Figure 1A illustrates a second embodiment of the blank l with respect to the preferred arrangement of the oblique creasing lines 9, on the basis of which the common point of the two internal 9a and external 9b oblique lines is the point of intersection between the line internal transversal 6a and the intermediate 2b, while the remaining ends depart respectively from the point of intersection between the internal longitudinal creasing line 2a and the external transversal line 6b, and from the intersection between the external longitudinal creasing line 2a and the external transversal one 6b.

Other variants of the blank 1, relative to the arrangement of the oblique creasing lines 9a and 9b for each single pair, have not been illustrated because they can be easily deduced from the combination of the preferred embodiment with the variant just described. In other words, it is possible to combine in the same blank 1 the two pairs of oblique creases 9 of the preferred embodiment, corresponding to the head portion 7 of the blank itself, with the two pairs of creases 9 of the second embodiment, corresponding to the portion bottom 8 of the blank 1. It is also evident and possible to combine the pairs in an opposite way with respect to the above in order to obtain a further variant of the blank 1.

The blank 1 also comprises a creasing 12, preferably circular in shape and preferably made in a median position of the first face 3, near the head portion 7, so as to be included between the transverse creasing lines, respectively internal 6a and external 6b. This creasing 12 defines a dispensing opening 13 of the container 10 made from the blank 1 and is suitably sized in such a way as to allow the application of suitable closing devices 40, see for example Figure 9, of the container 10.

Without departing from the scope of the present invention, and on the basis of the particular closing device 40 adopted, said creasing 12 is a pre-billing line or defines the very edge of the dispensing opening 13, which, in this case, consists from a through hole.

With reference to Figures 4 and 5, a third embodiment of the blank 1 is described.

The blank 1 of the preferred embodiment has a further shaped creasing line 14 associated to both sides of each longitudinal creasing line, both internal 2a and external 2c. Each of these shaped creases 14 is constituted by a rectilinear central segment 14a arranged parallel to the corresponding longitudinal creasing line 2 and at a predetermined distance from it, and by a pair of extreme segments 14b, preferably straight, joining the ends of this central segment 14a with the point of intersection of the relative internal transversal creasing lines 6a with the longitudinal crease 2. A pair of shaped creasing 14, associated with a specific longitudinal creasing line 2, defines an elongated diamond symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal creasing itself.

With particular reference to Figure 5, by making the container 10 starting from the blank 1 of this third embodiment and according to the method described below, it can be seen that the longitudinal creasing lines 2, internal 2a and external 2c, cooperate with the corresponding shaped creasing lines 14 in order to make the longitudinal edges of the container 10 rounded. The above is particularly highlighted when the container 10 is filled with product, since in this condition the pressure exerted by the product packaged therein on the walls of the container considerably facilitates The "rounding" of the four longitudinal edges of the container 10 and of the side walls 4, thus giving the container itself a rounded shape particularly in correspondence with its median portion that is gripped by the user: this configuration allows an easy and easy socket of the container itself.

Figure 6 illustrates a fourth embodiment of the blank 1 which does not require either the presence of any flap 11 and therefore coincidence of the marginal transverse creasing line 6c with the free edge of the head flap 17, and the creation of the creasing 12, preferably circular, in a median position of one of the side walls 4 below the internal transverse creasing line 6a. This creasing 12 can also be constituted by a pre-fractured line, as already explained above, in relation to the type of closure that will be applied to the container 1, so as to define the dispensing opening 13 of the container 10 made from the blank 1 .

On the basis of this embodiment it is therefore possible to realize the container 10, illustrated in figure 7, according to the method described below in such a way that it has a flat head and the dispensing hole placed on one of its side wall 4 in proximity of the head itself.

It should be noted that by using the various embodiments of the blanks described above it is possible to achieve a considerable saving of sheet material since, especially with the blank of the fourth embodiment, some flaps 11 protruding from the walls are not provided. side 4 and front 3 and 5 of blank 1.

With the aid of Figures 8 to 11, a method is described for using the blanks 1 in the various embodiments described above, in order to produce the containers 10 of Figures 3, 5, and 7 which are provided at least of a head 7a and a bottom 8a.

The method first involves folding the blank 1 onto itself along the two creasing lines. longitudinal elements 2b, as is clearly illustrated in Figure 2, therefore provides, for example, the superposition of a lateral longitudinal flap 15 on the corresponding one facing it and then their mutual welding in order to obtain a flattened tubular blank 20, illustrated in a plan view in figure 2 and a side view in figure 8. In this way the second face 5 of the blank 1 is constituted by the union of the first portion 5a to the second portion 5b. It should be noted at this point that, in the figures shown, these portions are for example the same size, while the scope of the present invention does not depart from the scope of the present invention if, for example, the first portion 5a consists of a simple flap, not shown, while the second portion 5b is dimensionally equal to the first face 3 so that the tubular welding of the blank 1 takes place in proximity to an external longitudinal creasing line 2c. A similar result is obtained, for example, even if the two portions, first 5a and second 5b, are of different widths, provided that they are equal in width to the first facade 3 once they are mutually welded.

The method therefore provides for the welding, by means of welding members 30 schematically represented in Figure 8, such as for example thermal grippers in the case of heat sealing, of the bottom flaps 16 which are superimposed in correspondence with the folding of the blank 1 on itself.

Figure 10 is therefore schematically illustrated, the volume of the tubular 20 by yielding the longitudinal creasing lines 2, in particular of the internal 2a and external 2c lines, and the folding of the oblique creasing lines 9 at the bottom 8a of the container in such a way as to form corresponding fins 18. The folding of the latter, according to the direction indicated by the arrows P of figure 10, takes place by means of known and not illustrated members which further weld or glue said fins 18 to the bottom 8a.

At this point, the container 10 has the bottom 8a already formed and is normally erected at a dosing station 50 of the product to be packaged, as illustrated in Figure 11, and therefore the method first envisages this dosage and finally the sealing reclosure. of the aforementioned container 10, according to known methods and also known and not illustrated organs, in order to obtain the containers illustrated in Figures 3, 5 and 7.

The method also provides for a variant consisting of a step of welding the closure device 40, for example a cap provided with a union as illustrated in Figure 9, to the aforementioned container 10 to be carried out upstream of the volume of the container itself. It should be noted that the sealing of the closing device 40 takes place in correspondence with the creasing 12 suitably provided on the blank 1.

A further variant of this method provides that the step of welding the closing device 40 to the container 10 is carried out downstream of the volume up of the container itself.

The fundamental characteristic of the invention is therefore that which derives from the use of such a blank 1 and from the method for making the relative container 10. In fact, the intermediate longitudinal creasing lines 2b of the blank 1 give a sort of camber (see figure 3) of the relative side walls 4 of the container 10 made by making the blank 1 up to volume. Even more evident is the rounding of the longitudinal edges of the container 10 of figure 5 in which the cross-sectional line A precisely highlights the effect round shape of the side and front walls of the container itself.

A further intrinsic characteristic of the method, as it uses the particular blank, lies in the possibility of forming the bottom of the relative container even before putting the blank in the shape of a flattened tubular in volume by acting with known means keeping the tubular in any spatial orientation, and in particular both flat and vertically.

The main advantage of the present invention is that of providing a blank capable of not having any flap protruding from the side and front walls both at the bottom and at the head of the container.

Another advantage is that of providing a blank from which it is possible to make a container which, while retaining a basically parallelepiped shape, allows an easy and easy grip by the user.

Another advantage is that of providing a manufacturing method from a blank of a container which allows the bottom to be sealed even before it is put up to volume and which can therefore be carried out both horizontally and vertically.

A further advantage of the invention is that of providing a blank that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and an extremely simplified and efficient method of manufacturing the corresponding container, thanks to which it is possible to obtain a high production capacity.

The invention in question has obviously been described, with reference to the attached drawings, purely by way of non-limiting example, and it is therefore evident that all those modifications or variants suggested by the practice as well as by its implementation and use can be made to it, however included in the scope defined by the following claims.

Claims (20)

CLAIMS 1. Blank consisting of a sheet of laminar material, preferably semi-rigid polythene cardboard, intended for making a container 10 for liquid, granular or powdery products provided with a head 7a and a bottom 8a, said blank 1 providing a series of longitudinal 2, transversal 6 creasing lines, orthogonal to the latter, and oblique 9 included between said longitudinal 2 and transversal 6 creasing lines and also providing longitudinal lateral edges 15 and bottom flaps 16, being said blank 1 characterized in that: said longitudinal creasing lines 2 are constituted by two groups of internal 2a, intermediate 2b and external 2c creasing lines, respectively, capable of longitudinally dividing the aforementioned blank 1 into a first facade 3 bilaterally flanked by two lateral walls 4, to the side of each of which relative portions of a second facade 5 are respectively constrained, each of said intermediate longitudinal creasing lines 2b preferably made in correspondence with the median longitudinal line of each said side wall 4; said transversal creasing lines 6 consist of two groups of internal 6a, external 6b and marginal 6c creasing lines, respectively, arranged orthogonally with respect to the aforementioned longitudinal creasing lines 2 and capable of defining a head portion 7 and a bottom portion 8 of the aforementioned blank 1; said oblique creasing lines 9, in correspondence with the aforementioned head 7 and bottom 8 portions, extend in height between each said internal transverse creasing line 6a and external 6b, and in width between each said internal longitudinal creasing line 2a and intermediate 2b and between each cited external creasing line 2c and intermediate 2b. 2 . Blank according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that said portions of the aforementioned second facade 5 consist of a first portion 5a and a second portion 5b dimensionally equal or in any case of transversal dimensions such as to be equal to the transversal dimensions of the aforementioned first facade 3 once these last portions, first 5a and second 5b, have been longitudinally associated. 3. Blank according to claim 1 characterized in that said portions of the aforementioned second face 5 consist of a first portion 5a consisting of a flap and a second portion 5b dimensionally equal to the aforementioned first face 3. 4. Blank according to claim 1 characterized in that said marginal transverse creases 6c substantially identify both the free outer edge of the aforementioned bottom portion 8 of said blank 1, and the free outer edge of the aforementioned head portion 7 in correspondence with the aforementioned side walls 4 , that a flap 11 respectively in correspondence with each of the aforementioned first and second sides 3 and 5. 5. Blank according to claim 1 characterized in that said marginal transverse creases 6c coincide respectively with the outer edge of the aforementioned bottom portion 8 and of the aforementioned head portion 7. 6. Blank according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that said oblique creases 9 are coupled two by two and that each pair consists of a first internal crease 9a and an external 9b, one end of which converges at the point of intersection of the cited relative intermediate longitudinal creasing lines 2b and external transversal 6b, while the remaining ends depart respectively from the point of intersection of the aforementioned internal longitudinal creasing line 2a with the internal transverse creasing line 6a, and from the point of intersection of the aforementioned longitudinal creasing line external 2a with the internal transversal one 6a. 7. Blank according to claim 1 characterized in that said oblique creases 9 are coupled two by two and that each pair consists of a first internal crease 9a and an external 9b, one end of which converges at the point of intersection of the mentioned relative intermediate longitudinal creasing lines 2b and internal transversal 6a, while the remaining ends depart respectively from the point of intersection of the aforementioned internal longitudinal creasing line 2a with the external transverse one 6b, and from the point of intersection of the aforementioned external longitudinal creasing line 2a with the external transversal one 6b. 8. Blank according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that said oblique creases 9 are coupled two by two and that each pair consists of a first internal creasing 9a and an external 9b intersecting in a vertex facing the outside of the blank itself for the couples involving the aforementioned head portion 7 of the aforementioned blank 1, while said vertex is turned towards the interior of the latter for the couples affecting the aforementioned bottom portion 8 of the blank itself. 9. Blank according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that said oblique creases 9 are coupled two by two and that each of the pairs consists of a first internal crease 9a and an external 9b intersecting in a vertex facing towards the inside of the blank itself to the pairs involving the aforementioned head portion 7 of the aforementioned blank 1, while said vertex faces outwards of the latter for the couples affecting the aforementioned bottom portion 8 of the blank itself. 10. Blank according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that it further comprises a creasing 12, preferably circular and preferably made in a median position of the aforementioned facade 3, comprised between the aforementioned internal 6a and external 6b transverse creasing lines involving the aforementioned head portion 7 of the aforementioned blank 1, said creasing 12 being intended to define a dispensing opening 13 of the aforementioned container 10 made from the aforementioned blank 1. 11. Blank according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that it further comprises a creasing 12, preferably circular and preferably made in a median position of one of the aforementioned side walls 4, below the aforementioned internal transverse creasing line 6a and in proximity to the aforementioned portion head 7 of the aforementioned blank 1, said creasing 12 being intended to define a dispensing opening 13 of the aforementioned container 10 made from the aforementioned blank 1. 12. Blank according to claim 10 or claim 11 characterized by the fact that said creasing 12 is a pre-billing line. 13. Blank according to claim 10 or claim 11 characterized by the fact that said creasing 12 defines the edge of the aforementioned dispensing opening 13, identified by a through hole. 14. Blank according to one of the preceding claims characterized by the fact that the aforementioned intermediate longitudinal creasing lines 2b of the aforementioned blank 1 give a sort of convexity to the relative aforementioned side walls 4 of the aforementioned container 10 made by putting the aforementioned blank 1 in volume. 15. Blank according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that bilaterally to each of said longitudinal creasing lines, internal 2a and external 2c respectively, a further shaped creasing line 14 is formed which departs from the intersection points of the relative aforementioned creasing lines internal transverse 6a and longitudinal 2, both internal and external 2c, and departs from the latter starting from the aforementioned intersection points. 16. Blank according to claim 15 characterized in that each of said shaped creases 14 is constituted by a rectilinear central segment 14a arranged parallel to the aforementioned relative longitudinal creasing line 2 and at a predetermined distance therefrom, and by a pair of extreme segments 14b joining the ends of the aforementioned central segment 14a with the points of intersection of the related internal transverse creasing lines 6a and longitudinal 2. 17. Blank according to claim 15 characterized in that the aforementioned longitudinal creasing lines 2, internal 2a and external 2c, cooperate with the aforementioned corresponding shaped creasing lines 14 so that the longitudinal edges of the aforementioned container 10 made by placing volume of the aforementioned blank 1. 18. Method for using blanks 1 in making containers 10 for liquid, granular or powdery products, each of which is provided with a head 7a and a bottom 8a, with each of said blanks 1 consisting of a sheet of laminar material , preferably semi-rigid polythene cardboard, and provided with a series of longitudinal 2, transverse 6 creasing lines, orthogonal to the latter, and oblique 9 included between said longitudinal 2 and transversal 6 creasing lines and also provided with longitudinal lateral edges 15 and bottom flaps 16, said method being characterized by providing: folding on itself of the aforementioned blank 1 along two intermediate longitudinal creasing lines 2b of the aforementioned series of longitudinal creasing lines 2; welding of the aforementioned lateral longitudinal flaps 15 in order to obtain a flattened tubular blank 20; welding, by means of welding members 30, of the aforementioned bottom flaps 16 which are superimposed in correspondence with the aforementioned folding of the blank 1 on itself; making the aforementioned tubular 20 up to volume by yielding the aforementioned longitudinal creasing lines 2 and folding the aforementioned oblique creasing lines 9 in correspondence with the aforementioned bottom 8a; the dosage of the product to be packaged in the aforementioned container 10; the sealing of the aforementioned container 10. 19. Method according to claim 18, characterized in that it further provides for the welding of closing devices 40 to the aforementioned container 10 upstream of the volume of the container itself. 20. Method according to claim 18, characterized in that it further provides for the welding of closing devices 40 to the aforementioned container 10 downstream of the volume-up step of the container itself.