JP2017507852A - Packaging container with an opening device and method for manufacturing a packaging container with an opening device - Google Patents

Abstract

A packaging container for pourable food comprises a material laminate structure, first and second transverse seals, and a longitudinal seal extending from the first transverse seal to the second transverse seal. Having a front side. The opening device on the front side of the packaging includes a tab portion on the outer surface that is connected to the open strip portion via a bridge through the material laminate structure to tear the packaging container material and create an opening. An open strip portion is attached to the inner surface and extends along a substantial portion of the transverse dimension on the first side.

Description

  The present invention relates to a packaging container provided with an opening device.

  Consumable liquids or pasteurized foods are often sold in packages made from pasteurized packaging materials. Typical examples of such packaging are Tetra Brik (R) or Tetra Brik (R) Aseptic in the form of brick stone, or Tetra Fino (R) packaging which is like a pillow or sachet There is.

  The packaging material used for these packaging has a multilayer structure. One or more layers of plastic and aluminum foil (depending on the type of packaging) are laminated on both sides of the paperboard layer cardboard, and the paperboard layer has different stiffness, strength and thickness depending on the type of packaging Have

  This type of packaging is usually made with a fully automatic packaging machine, where a continuous tube is formed from the packaging material fed from the web, which is, for example, the web using a low voltage electron beam. It is sterilized inside the packaging machine by irradiation or by chemical disinfectants. The material is then folded in a sterile environment and sealed longitudinally to form a vertical tube.

  The tube is filled with sterilized or aseptically processed food, sealed across and later cut along equally spaced sections to form a pillow pack, sometimes as in the packaging described above Further processing into a substantially parallelepiped shaped package.

  Various solutions have been proposed to open the packaging described above. In the applicant's patent application WO 2009/000927 an alternative open device is presented. In this application, the spout and the corresponding membrane are injection molded directly onto the sheet of packaging material in the same molding step. Pillow-shaped packaging, such as Tetra Fino® Aseptic packaging, may include straw holes, or simple cut instructions, which are easily made with some thinness and therefore can be torn Is used.

International Publication No. 2009/000927

  Despite the differences in opening for different packaging, there is still a need for further differences, specifically a need for improved pour rates while reducing material consumption and production time.

  For purposes of the present invention, the terms container, packaging, and packaging container refer to the same structure. The terms material, material laminate structure, or packaging material also refer to a packaging material laminate structure used in a packaging container.

  The present invention proposes a packaging container for pourable food having a width, height and depth. The packaging container is closed by a first transverse seal in the upper part of the packaging container, closed by a second transverse seal in the lower part of the package and also closed by a longitudinal seal. In this respect, the term transverse seal refers to a seal that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal seal. Longitudinal seals typically extend substantially across the length or height of the package. In other words, the transverse seal extends across the width or depth of the packaging container.

  The opening device on the first side of the packaging container comprises at least a tab portion and an open strip portion. The tab portion is disposed on the outer surface of the first side and to the open strip portion through the material bridge through the material on the first side so that the opening device tears the material during opening of the packaging container. Combined with. Furthermore, the open part is attached to the inner surface of the first side material and extends along a substantial part of the first side, in particular along a substantial part of the width of the first side.

  According to the invention, the opening device is placed in the package, which can break the package open over its substantially full width. Thus, a relatively large opening is created and food can be poured quickly and efficiently. The open strip portion provides a predetermined tear line at which the packaging container is torn open, thereby preventing spurious opening (often problematic for packaging without such a predetermined line). Is done.

  In an embodiment of the invention, the open strip part may be arranged near the upper transverse seal, in particular above the height of the pourable food that is filled into the packaging container. This allows for quick opening and reduces the risk of spilling liquid food. In aspects of the invention, the transverse seal closer to the open device may be folded away from the open device. With such a configuration, it has been found that the packaging side expands outward and enlarges the opening.

  Another aspect of the invention deals with the width or length of the open device. In another embodiment, the distal end of the open strip portion is arranged substantially at the edge of the packaging container, ie at the longitudinal edge. Thus, the open strip portion may extend toward another seal of the packaging container substantially parallel to the seal.

  Alternatively and / or additionally, the material bridge portion and the proximal end of the open strip portion may be arranged near or substantially at the edge which is the longitudinal edge of the packaging container.

  In this regard, the term distal end refers to the end of the tab portion furthest away from the tab portion or material bridge. Thus, the proximal end of the open strip portion is the end closest to the material bridge.

  In embodiments, the open strip portion extends along more than 40% of the width of the package, in particular, extends more than 60%, or even more than 80%. In some embodiments, the open strip portion may extend substantially along the entire width of the packaging container that is reduced by the size of the tab portion.

  Another aspect of the invention refers to the placement of the open device in the packaging container. In an embodiment, the open strip portion is disposed near a first side transverse edge substantially parallel to the first transverse seal. The “transverse edge” is the edge of the package along the width of the package. As in such cases, the rim separates the packaging container into an upper part and a main part, and the open device, in particular the open strip part of the open device, may be arranged in the upper part. . Alternatively, the open strip portion may be placed directly on such an edge.

  In another embodiment, the packaging material comprises a laminated structure comprising a plurality of layers and a weakened region, where the bridge portion penetrates the material laminated structure. In the weakened region, the thickness of the material laminated structure is reduced. For example, one or more layers of the material stack are no longer weakened regions. The bridge and open device may be manufactured by injection molding or similar techniques. The material of the bridge part is injected into the material and penetrates the weakened area. If the material structure stack itself is sufficiently thin, the material bridge and the open device can be placed directly on the material without having a specific weakened area.

  Often, the material and thickness of a layer based on cardboard that is part of the material layer is critical to determining whether a weakened area is required.

  Yet another aspect refers to a predetermined tear line. In an embodiment, the opening device comprises an assisting portion to facilitate opening the package along a predetermined tear line provided by the opening strip portion. The support portion may be located on the outer surface adjacent to the area opposite the open strip portion. In an embodiment, the support portion may be located at the bottom of the packaging container or closer to the second transverse seal, similar to the open strip portion, but located on the outside of the package May be provided. In another embodiment, the support portion may avoid an open strip portion on both sides of the outer surface. Such a configuration of the support part provides a better opening and a predetermined tear line. By stabilizing the material during the opening process, the risk of liquid leakage may be reduced.

  In an embodiment, the distance (in the longitudinal direction) between the open strip portion and the support portion is in the range of 0.1 to 2 times the thickness of the material laminate structure. In other words, the support part is arranged very close to the open strip part. The open device, including all support portions and open strip portions, may be made from a plastic material.

  Another aspect relates to facilitating the formation of the created opening. In an embodiment of the invention, the packaging container, in particular the side on which the opening is arranged, is designed to facilitate the formation of the opening when applying pressure to the container with a component parallel to the transverse direction. One or more compression or crease lines may be provided extending from one piece.

  Different shapes and structures of such crease lines are possible. In an embodiment, the side of the packaging container is from near each edge of the open strip or from each edge of the open strip to a common intersection on that side or to the lower edge of the first side. There may be provided two compression lines extending as follows. In some embodiments, the side further comprises a third compression line extending substantially from or near the center of the open strip toward the second seal along the longitudinal direction.

  In an alternative embodiment, the side extends from substantially the center of the open strip or near its center towards the lower edge of the side or towards the side edge of the side. A compression line may be provided.

  Another aspect relates to a method for manufacturing a packaging container. The method includes providing a blank or web of packaging material having a crease line at which the container is folded and a weakened area. An opening device is attached to the packaging material blank, the opening device having a tab portion and an open strip portion that extends substantially parallel along a crease line separating the small panel sides for the upper closing panel side. The tab portion passes through the material laminate structure of the packaging material blank and is connected to the open strip portion via the bridge portion.

  In an embodiment, the packaging material blank comprises a weakened region, the weakened region lacking one or more layers of the material laminate structure. The bridge portion connecting the tab portion and the open strip portion penetrates the weakened region.

  A blank with open tabs is folded at the bottom, filled and finally sealed. Alternatively, the blank is part of the web, in which case the web is folded into a tube and then sealed longitudinally before the liquid is filled into the tube. The tubes are sealed for the bottom and top seals and then separated.

  The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several aspects and embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of opening according to the present invention in a pillow-shaped package. FIG. 2 shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 after the opening has been performed by the consumer. FIG. 4 is a diagram of a second embodiment of the present invention using block-like packaging. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a second embodiment in an “open state”. FIG. 6 is a diagram of a third embodiment of the present invention using block-like packaging. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing respective cross-sectional views along the axis XX of the embodiment of FIG. FIG. 6 shows another embodiment according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a fifth embodiment according to the present invention.

  Similar features in the figures are accompanied by similar reference numerals. It should be noted that features in different embodiments can naturally be combined by those skilled in the art to form yet another alternative without departing from the concept of the present invention.

  1 and 2 are views of a first embodiment of the present invention for a pouch-like package. The packaging container 1 has a width extending along the transverse direction T and a length extending along the longitudinal direction L. The packaging container contains a food product that can be poured with a liquid and comprises a packaging material structure laminate made from a plurality of different layers. These layers comprise a cardboard layer for stability and one or more plastic material layers that act as a decorative layer to protect printing on the outside or as a gas barrier on the inside. In some cases, a light shielding layer, such as aluminum, is included for aseptic filling with a long shelf life.

  The child bag-shaped packaging container 1 is sealed at the upper and lower portions by the transverse seals 11 and 10, respectively, and is bent so as to form the front side 18 and the rear side 19. On the rear side, a vertical seal (not shown) is arranged from the upper transverse seal 11 to the lower seal 10.

  The sachet-shaped packaging container further comprises an opening device in the upper part 12 of the container. The opening device comprises a tab portion 14 on the front side 18 in the form of a drop that is somewhat corrugated for improved grasping and support portions 16 and 13. The support portion 16 surrounds the area around the tap portion, while the support portion 13 extends along the transverse direction T along almost all of the width of the package. The support portion 13 surrounds a small and elongated region 17 of material.

  The tab portions 14 are connected in the material lamination region 15 with the open strip portion 17a disposed on the inner surface of the front side 18. The open strip portion 17a shown in FIG. 2 extends as an elongated strip all the way to the distal end of the support portion 13. The open strip portion 17a is connected to the tab portion by a material bridge portion that penetrates the material stack, and a tear line is determined in advance.

  When opening the packaging container, the user pulls the tab portion toward the distal end of the support portion, as shown in FIG. The tab portion and the bridge portion are opened from the bridge portion in the region 15 by tearing the material stack. The support portion 13 facilitates and assists in tearing. The opening is located near the upper seal 11 in the upper part 12 so that leakage is reduced or even prevented.

  In this embodiment, the created opening extends along about 60% of the width of the package. By applying a small pressure at the longitudinal edge of the packaging container 1, the opening can be reshaped to form a circular or elliptical opening for improved pouring. A support part 13 made of plastic increases the stability for re-molding.

  3 and 4 show a second embodiment of the present invention using a block-shaped packaging container 2. FIG. The container 2 includes a front wall 20, two side walls 21, and a rear wall 29. The flap 22 is placed on the side wall by being folded after the upper portion 23 of the packaging container is sealed across. The transverse seal 24 is folded so as to face the front wall 20. Similarly, a flap is located at the bottom of the package (not shown). A longitudinal seal 22a is provided on the lower side of the packaging container.

  The container 2 further comprises an opening device 200 arranged at the edge separating the front wall 20 from the upper part 23. The opening device extends from the upper outer corner 27 of the packaging container along the substantially full width in the transverse direction T to the weakened area 209 near the other upper outer corner and edge 28. Two support strips extend along the width of the package, with a first support strip on the upper part of the packaging container on the right side adjacent to the edge and a second support on the front wall adjacent to the edge There is a strip 203. Thereby, the two strips surround the edge of the packaging container separating the front wall 20 from the upper part 23. The opening device comprises a tab 201 in the form of a zipper-like pull tab, which is arranged flat on the upper part 23. The tab 201 is connected to the open strip portion (not shown) arranged inside the package along the edges up to the corner 27 via the material bridge.

  The packaging container further comprises two crease lines 25 extending from the upper corners 27 and 27a to a common central position 26 at the lower edge of the packaging. A central crease line 29a extends from a central position 210 at the upper edge to a common central position 26.

  The form of opening the package is shown in FIG. An open strip portion 202 located on the inner surface of the wall 20 tears the material, creating a small elongated opening. By applying pressure to the sidewalls, the crease lines 25 and 29a are folded to provide a V-shaped opening to facilitate pouring. The support strip 203 is provided with a small weak part in the region 210 for stabilizing the opening and for better bending or folding. The top in this embodiment remains flat, but can be bent up or down depending on the folding of the transverse seal 24.

  FIG. 5 shows yet another embodiment of the present invention. The packaging container 3 is a block having a shape in which the upper seal 34 is bent without facing the front side. Longitudinal seals 32a are arranged on the upper, lower and rear sides of the container 3. The container 3 is provided with a different opening device on its front side 30. The tab 301 disposed on the front side 30 is connected to an open strip portion 302 disposed on the inner surface on the front side in a circular weakened region 309. The open strip portion extends from about one end 38 of the packaging container to about the other end 38 substantially parallel to the upper edge 38a. A small distance D is between the open strip portion and each edge 38.

  Two support portions 305 and 306 are arranged on the outer surface of the front side 30. The support portion includes a weakened region 309 and surrounds the region and the entire open strip portion on the inner surface defined as the region 306. The support portion 305 includes an elongated strip that extends in parallel between the upper edge 38a and the open strip portion. The second support portion 306 is centrally located and has a first portion with an increased thickness (referred to as a dimension in the longitudinal direction) and an adjacent 2 of approximately the same thickness as the support portion 305. With two small parts. The bridge part connects both support parts 304 and 305. The transition between the central thickness region and the thinner adjacent region is S-shaped, but other shapes may be used as well. The central thickness region improves the pouring functionality after the packaging container is opened. Thus, the central thickness region can act as an aid to pouring. The lower support portion 304 includes a small recess 310 located in the center, which acts as a bending position. The recesses are aligned with two crease lines 25 that extend in a curved manner from the recesses to the two longitudinal edges 38. When pressure is applied to open the package, the front side 30 bends forward so that the top bends due to the folding of the upper transverse seal, thereby creating a large opening.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the open strip portion at region 306 on the inner surface extends about 90% of the width of the packaging container. The open strip portion is slightly spaced from the upper edge 38a, and it is possible to extend the open strip portion around the longitudinal edge 38 on the side wall of the container. As a result, the weakened area is arranged on the side wall of the package near the longitudinal edge, with the open strip portion extending around the edge along the main panel to the other side wall.

  FIG. 5A shows a cross section through the axis XX of FIG. Starting from the upper edge 38 a, a support portion 306 as a thin strip is disposed on the outer surface of the first wall 30. The open strip portion 302 is disposed on the inner surface at a distance d in the longitudinal direction from the support portion 305. The distance d may be smaller than the thickness M of the front material laminated structure. For example, the distance d may be 0.1 to 0.5 times the thickness M of the material. The small longitudinal distance between the support portions 304, 305 on the outer surface and the open strip portion on the inner surface facilitates the predetermined tear line, thus improving the opening process. The height h of the support portion is higher than the height of the open strip line 302.

  FIG. 6 shows yet another example of the present invention. In this embodiment, the upper transverse seal 44 is folded apart for the transverse seal 42a so that the upper portion 43 bends up. The open device of this embodiment includes a tab portion 401 that is connected to the open strip portion through the material stack via a bridge portion in the weakened region 409. The open strip portion extends about 80% of the package parallel to the upper edge 402. The open strip portion is positioned very close to the upper edge so that when the package is opened, the created opening is directly adjacent to the upper edge 402. Below the open strip portion toward the bottom of the package, the open device includes a support portion 404 having a centrally located ledge and a smaller end disposed adjacently. The bulge of the support portion 404 is centered around a small recess that acts as a weakening for improved bending along the crease line 45. The crease line 45 extends in a s-shaped fashion from a central location adjacent to the open strip portion in the area covered by the support portion 404 to the lower corner of the packaging container. When the package is opened and pressure is applied to the side wall of the packaging container, the front side protrudes forward, creating a bell mouth shaped opening for improved pouring. Such bell-mouth or funnel-shaped opening can be realized by various crease lines extending from an area close to opening to the edge or corner of the package.

  An alternative embodiment is shown in FIG. The package comprises a transverse seal 54, a folded flap 52, a longitudinal seal 52a on the back side 59 of the package, and an opening device on the front side of the package. The front opening device comprises an open strip portion 502 on the front inner surface that is centrally located at a distance D from each longitudinal edge 58 of the package at a distance somewhat less than the upper edge. The somewhat smaller distance is selected so that when the package is opened, the height of the liquid is below a predetermined tear line defined by the open strip 502. The transverse dimension (dimension along the transverse direction T) is about 50% of the width of the package.

  The opening device further comprises a tab portion that is disposed flat on the packaging wall and connected to the open strip portion via a material bridge through the weakened region 509. The open strip portion 502 and the predetermined tear line are surrounded from all sides by the support portions 500 and 500a. More specifically, the support portion surrounds the weakened area 509 and the open strip portion. The lower part 503 of the support part also acts as a support part for pouring after opening the package. The front side further comprises two crease lines 55 extending from the outer edge of the support part towards the centrally located position 56, which is offset upwards by a distance Ld from the lower part of the package. A centrally located crease line extends from the center of the support portion toward a central location 56 substantially parallel to the edge.

  When the packaging container is opened and pressure is applied to the side wall, the front triangular portion surrounded by the crease line 55 and the support portion bend forward to form a funnel-shaped outlet. The support part facilitates proper pouring without leaking.

  All features shown in the various embodiments herein may be combined in different ways without departing from the inventive concept. Depending on the shape and size of the opening in the front or upper part, different crease lines or support parts may be used in the opening device. The shape of the support portion, the opening tab and / or the crease line can vary and may include aesthetic aspects and may not include purely technical functions.

1, 2, 3 Packaging container
10 Bottom transverse seal
11 Upper transverse seal
12 Upper part
13, 16 Support part
14 Tab part
17 areas
17a Open strip part
18 Front page, first side
20, 30, 40, 50 Front page, first side
22 flaps
22a, 32a, 42a Vertical seal
22, 32, 42 flaps
23, 33 Upper part
24, 34, 44 Upper transverse seal
26 Center position
27, 27a corner
38a Upper edge
200 open devices
201 tab
203 Support strip
304, 305 Support part

Claims (19)

A packaging container having a height and a width for a pourable food,
A first side (18, 20, 30, 40, 50) having a material laminate structure with an outer surface and an inner surface adapted to face said pourable food;
A first transverse seal (11, 24, 34, 44) in the upper portion of the package;
A second transverse seal (10) in the lower part of the package;
A longitudinal seal (22a, 32a, 42a) extending from the first transverse seal to the second transverse seal;
An opening device on the first side of the packaging container or on a second side substantially perpendicular to the first side,
A tab portion (14, on the outer surface) coupled to an open strip portion (18, 202, 306) via a bridge through the material laminate structure to tear open the packaging container material. 201, 301), wherein the open strip portion (18, 202, 306) is attached to the inner surface and extends along a substantial portion of the width of the first side (14, 201). , 301)
A packaging container comprising:   2. A packaging container according to claim 1, wherein the open strip portion extends along more than 40% of the width of the first side, in particular along more than 80%.   The open strip portion extends from the first side transverse edge (38, 48) substantially parallel to the first transverse seal (11, 24, 34, 44). 2. The packaging container according to 2.   The opening device is arranged near or at the transverse edge of the package separating the first side into a main part (20, 30) and an upper part (23, 33) The packaging container according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   5. A packaging container according to claim 4, wherein the tab portion of the opening device is disposed on the upper side portion.   6. The packaging container according to claim 1, wherein the material laminated structure includes a plurality of layers and a weakened region, and the bridge portion penetrates the material laminated structure in the weakened region.   The packaging container according to claim 6, wherein the weakened region lacks at least one layer of the plurality of layers.   The open strip portion of claim 1, wherein the open strip portion is disposed near the first transverse seal in the upper portion that exceeds a height of pourable food that is filled into the container. The packaging container as described in any one.   A packaging container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first transverse seal (34) is bent away from the longitudinal seal.   The opening device comprises a support portion (13, 203, 304) to facilitate opening the packaging along the open strip portion, the support portion being opposite the open strip portion 10. The packaging container according to claim 1, which is disposed on the outer surface adjacent to a region on the outer surface.   11. Packaging container according to claim 10, wherein the support part (13, 203, 304) is arranged closer to the second seal than the open strip part (18, 202).   12. A packaging container according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the support portion extends in a transverse direction, extends substantially parallel to the open strip portion, and has a length at least equal to the length of the open strip portion.   The support portion comprises a first strip and a second strip, and both the strips are such that the distance between the two strips is greater than or equal to the longitudinal dimension of the open strip portion. 13. The packaging container according to any one of claims 10 to 12, which is arranged in parallel with the open strip portion.   14.The distance in the longitudinal direction between the open strip portion and the support portion is in the range of 0.1 to 2 times the thickness of the material laminate structure, according to any one of claims 10 to 13. Packaging containers.   One or more compression lines extending from the open strip portion so that the first side forms an opening on the first side when applying pressure to the container having a component parallel to the transverse direction. 15. The packaging container according to any one of claims 1 to 14, further comprising:   The first side is near each edge of the open strip or from each edge of the open strip to a common intersection on the first side or on the first side. 16. A packaging container according to any one of claims 1 to 15, comprising two compression lines extending to the lower edge.   The first side further comprises a third compression line extending from or substantially near the center of the open strip toward the second seal along a longitudinal direction. Or the packaging container of 16.   The first side is from substantially the center of the open strip or from near the center toward the lower edge of the first side or toward the side edge of the first side. The packaging container according to any one of claims 1 to 15, comprising at least two compression lines extending. A method of producing a packaging container from a blank or web of packaging material,
Providing a blank or web of packaging material, wherein the blank or web includes the plurality of crease lines for folding the blank or web along a plurality of crease lines to form the packaging container. Having a step;
Providing an opening device in the packaging material blank or web, the opening device penetrating a tab portion, an elongated strip piece portion, a blank or web of packaging material, A bridge portion connected to the open strip portion, wherein the elongated open strip portion is substantially parallel along a crease line separating the main panel from an upper closure panel of the packaging material blank. Extending, steps,
Folding the packaging material blank and filling the container with liquid to form a lower part of the container, or
Folding the web of packaging material into a tube, sealing the tube in the longitudinal direction, sealing the lower side of the tube, and filling the tube with liquid;
Sealing the top of the tube of the blank of packaging material or the web of packaging material.

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