JPH04119209A - Device for combination forming junction, which can be overhauled, between adjacent surface member and manufacture of said device for combination - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To obtain an assembling device which can be manufactured easily by forming a separable connecting part between two adjacent surface elements having male and female connecting elements which are assembled together mutually supplementarily when both surface elements are assembled together. CONSTITUTION: Films or sheets 3, 4 to be assembled together are provided with male and female connecting elements 1,2. The connecting elements 1, 2 are formed by printing or embossing the sheets 3, 4. Accordingly, the sheets 3, 4 can be easily connected, separated and manufactured.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention provides at least two face members, one male and one male respectively, placed opposite each other so that they complement each other when assembled together. The present invention relates to a combination device for forming a removable connection between two adjacent surface members with connecting elements. The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing this device.

[0002] Many devices of the aforementioned type already exist, especially in the field of packaging. All closure devices of the scale type used in packaging, which are opened and closed again to prevent their contents from coming into contact with the outside atmosphere, are extruded at the same time as the packaging film or sheet, or It comprises a connecting element which is first injection molded and then fixed to the packaging sheet or film by gluing or welding.

[0003] When the connecting elements are extruded with a sheet or film, these connecting elements are formed along the edges of the sheet and then folded and curled to place the connecting elements in line with each other. formed from interconnecting ribs. The folded sheets are then welded transversely to create bags that are separated by tearing along the weld line. This well-known closure system can only be formed during sheet extrusion. Because of the ribbing, it is difficult to store the material in the form of large rolls. This is because the volume of a ribbed roll of a length of film or sheet is significantly larger than the corresponding volume of the same length of unribbed film or sheet. Packers therefore have difficulty making bags starting from sheet material for packaging and must use individually prefabricated bags. This bag is air conditioned packaging (co
The reason for this is that they are not commonly used for ``inditioned packing'' because they are not well suited to automation, where it is preferable to use sheet material to directly form the bag around the product to be packaged.

[0004] This is why materials to be protected from the atmosphere and moisture are packaged in sealed bags with welded connections. This type of closure allows conditioned product to be safely stored until the bag is opened. This type of bag cannot be resealed, so much of the product that is not consumed is no longer protected and deteriorates rapidly. The fact is that until now there has not yet been a cheap and simple solution to this problem, which is carried out by lightweight and effective technical means.

[0005] The aim of the present invention is to clearly define a solution of this kind.

[0006] To this end, the present invention has as its object a combination device for forming a releasable joint between adjacent surface members according to embodiment 1. Also, embodiments 16 to 19
．． Also of interest is a method of manufacturing this device.

[0007] A major advantage of this combination device lies in its manufacturing convenience, which can be manufactured at any time from simple film or sheet materials without the need for additional materials.

For example, it can be formed simultaneously with the production of the film or sheet material, or at a later time at a convenient time. This makes it possible, for example, to produce bags that can be opened and resealed for packaging the product, and which do not require more manufacturing costs than ordinary bags with welded seams of the type used to date. Since the sheet is not locally sensitive and the connecting elements are complementary to each other, the sheet on which the connecting elements are formed can easily be rolled and stored. Also, as will be seen below, the use of this combination device is of course not limited to bag closure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0008] The accompanying drawings schematically illustrate, by way of example, some of the combination devices that are the object of the present invention.

[0009] The combination device shown in Figure 1 comprises male and female connecting elements 1 and 2, respectively, of films or sheets 3 and 4 to be combined together. The seat 3 is provided with a row of male coupling elements 1 and the seat 4 is provided with a row of female coupling elements 2. The distance between the connecting elements corresponds to the distance between the female connecting elements.As can be seen in this example, the male and female connecting elements 1 and 2 are connected to the sheet 3, respectively. and 4. Preferably, the sheet is a thermoformable polymer, and the embossing is preferably effected by thermoforming using methods to be disclosed in detail below. Sheets 3 and 4 are thin;
For example, it may be between 40 and 100 μm. It is noted that the coupling elements 1 and 2 preferably have complementary cross-sectional dimensions which interlock and match each other. When separating the surfaces, sheets 3 and 4 are pulled together such that the male and female connecting elements are successively disassembled. During disassembly, the male and female interlocking elements are subject to strains in the sheet surfaces that create a wedge effect between the respective side surfaces of said interlocking elements that push them out of alignment and resist disassembly. undergoes deformation. This effect strengthens the retaining return pressure caused by the disassembly pull. Combination effects explain why the coupling strength of combination devices is so effective. This combination of two sheets along a row of combination elements is also sufficiently tight to form a suitable barrier to protect the contents from, for example, external influences under ambient pressure.

[00101 In this disclosure, the term "sheet" should be understood to include any more or less flexible material of any given thickness.

[0011] The combined resistance to separation of the sheets and the ability to seal in the lines of the connecting means is such that the connecting elements of one row are connected to the other by connecting two parallel rows of connecting means 5 and 6 as shown in FIG. This can be increased by placing them staggered with respect to the connecting elements of the rows. The total frictional area increases and therefore the force separating sheets 7 and 8 from each other also increases. In both rows 5 and 6, the connecting means are given as rectangles;
The staggered shape therefore also improves tightness.

[0012] It is clear that combination devices do not provide perfect airtightness and in some cases it is desirable to achieve an impermeable seal, ie, vacuum packaging. For this purpose, the two sheets 3 and 4 forming the bag are sealed by a weld S outside the line of the connecting element. These elements are illustrated in Figure 1, for example.
It is the same as and parallel to numbers 1 and 2 of .

To open the bag, the sheets 3 and 4 are cut between the weld line S and the line of the connecting elements 1 and 2 to gain access to the inside of the bag. The bag can then be closed again using the connecting element,
The contents of the bag are protected until completely used.

[0013] The variant shown in FIG. 4 comprises male and female coupling elements 9 and 10 in the form of truncated cones or truncated pyramids, respectively. In this variant, the coupling element is preferably used in combination with a pressure sensitive adhesive which coats the joint surfaces of the male and female sealing elements 9 and 10. This type of adhesive is, for example, ElvaX (7) sold by DuPont.
An ethylene/vinyl acetate polymer may be used.

[0014] Figures 5 and 5 show that the female connecting element is formed by an opening 11 in the wall 12 and that the thickness of the wall is the thickness of the embossed wall 13 with the male connecting element 14. Here is an example of a change that is larger than . A ring-shaped flange 14a is provided on the front surface of each connecting element 14, the cross section of which is slightly larger than the size of the opening corresponding to the rare element 11. The face of the sheet 13 with the male element 14 and the flange 14
a corresponds substantially to the thickness of the wall 12, so that when the sheet 13 is pressed against the wall 12 and then assembled, the flange 14, which is temporarily deformed when passing through the opening 11, , as shown in FIG. 6, presses the surface of the wall 12 a certain distance from the surface adjacent to the sheet 13 and stops. This combination of modes improves the resistance to separation of the walls 12 and 13, since the locking action is due to the grasping of the male element 14 within the cap element 13 rather than as a result of frictional resistance.

[0015] In the modified example shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the combination of the sheets 15 and 16 is almost the same as that in FIGS. 5 and 6. The only difference is the thickness of sheets 15 and 16, both of which are the same, ie on the order of about 40-100 μm. Since the axial length of the opening 17 forming the female fixing element is greater than the thickness of the sheet, this sheet 16 is stamped to provide a wall 16a aligned with the opening 17 obtained by punching. Ru. Thereafter, when a male fixing element 18 similar to that designated by the number 14 in FIGS. 5 and 6 is pushed into the opening 17, its annular flange 18
a fixes itself at the outlet of the hole formed by wall 16a.

[0016] The variations of FIGS. 5, 6, 7, and 8 are of particular interest for packaging powdered contents. This is because, when the powder is removed from the bag, a portion of it enters the hollow cap coupling element of the type shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 and prevents the subsequent closing of the bag. In the case of the openings shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the powder does not fill the female part. When the sheet of wall 12 is of a material that is not thermoformed, ie a relatively strong material, it is advantageous to have openings 11 without deformation of the base layer.

[0017] The modified example of FIG. 9 is a print with a cross section of a polygon (square in this example) forming the female element.
2 shows the fit of a cylindrical male element 19 into 0. The use of a differently shaped male element than a female element facilitates the evacuation of air when both elements are pressed together. In this regard, the female element may be cylindrical and the male element may have a polygonal cross section that matches the circle of the female element. In these two variants, the respective dimensions of the cross-section of the male and female reconnecting elements are chosen in such a way as to ensure some deformation thereof when they are fitted together.

[0018] The use of the above combination device is not limited to bag closures, but can also be adapted to other types of containers as shown in FIG. 10, in which the female connecting element of the combination device 1 shows a tray 21 with a rim 22 formed with a number of openings 23 functioning as a tray. Male connecting element 2
Tray 21 embossed on the edge to form 5
A seat 24 for closing is also provided.

[0019] Because some force is required to bring the male and female interlocking elements together, the thickness of the sheet used to form the female embossing must be sufficient to resist that force. It won't happen. If the material of the sheet is too thin, the sheet 26 can be folded back on itself and a connecting element formed thereon as shown in FIG. 11 to increase its resistance.

[0020] As previously indicated, at least one of the connecting elements is formed by embossing an essentially thermoformable polymeric sheet material. The simplest method for embossing is to heat the area to be embossed to molding temperature, align this area with a stamping die that has a recess in the shape of the desired embossment, and then place the sheet in the stamping die. It is sufficient to advance the softened sheet material into the hollow part of the mold, and the steps of cooling the area of the molded sheet and removing it from the mold are carried out. include. This method is simple and quick. In some cases, suction to advance the softened thermoformable material into the matrix may be replaced using a punching operation that deforms the material and advances it into the matrix.

[002] The female coupling means can be made in the same way as in the modifications of FIGS. 1 to 4 and 9, with the openings being punched in the case of FIG. 5 and stamped in the case of FIG. , that is, deformation and punching are performed simultaneously.

[0022] It is also possible to combine different molding methods of making the current connecting element, such as combining vacuum forming and mold stamping.

[0023] Additionally, in another modification, the embossed connecting element can be made by cold open forming of a deformable sheet material.

[0024] The combination devices disclosed herein are not limited to using sheet materials to form bags or tray lids as shown in FIG. 15. The elements of the device to be assembled are in the form of strips, tabs 31, of a width slightly greater than the width of the embossed part, and the surface 32 after which this strip is to be assembled with another.
Can be welded or glued to. For example, paper bags can be provided with a system of this type.

[0025] The strip of material with the female connecting element may be similar to the strip 31 with holes initially punched in the surface to be bonded. This strip material with female elements can also be formed from a strip having a thickness greater than the thickness of the strip 31. Finally, a system is also possible in which the male element matches a simple opening in the sheet similar to the opening 11 of FIG. 5 cut directly into the face to be combined with the strip of male element.

[0026] The sheet material used to create at least one of the elements includes:
Either as a simple film or as a multilayer, ie with multiple layers of polyolefins of a combination of one or more different polymers. Up to this point, embodiments of combination devices have been illustrated as comprising a number of combination elements arranged in at least one row.

In other cases, as shown in FIG. 12, there is only one long male element 27, which fits within the complementary female element 28.

Owing to the widened cross-sectional profile of said elements 27 and 28, a trapping effect occurs which directs them towards each other. Due to the presence of the prong, the contour is temporarily distorted during repeated attachment and detachment.

[0027] In the modification of FIGS. 13 and 14, the male and female elements 29 and 30 have complementary shapes and are formed of circular cross-section elements with truncated conical portions 29a, 30a. When the pine-shroom stud 29b of the male element 29 is pressed to place it within the socket 30b of the female element 30, the pressure causes the tip 29b to contract and pass through the tapered neck portion 30c of the female element; The combined state shown in FIG. 14 is obtained.

[0028] It is possible to combine any of the foregoing variants with a heat-reactive adhesive that allows the combined facing members to be finally separated, at least by separating the facing members in the form of sheets or films. . This type of sealing is commonly known as a "peel seal" and can be accomplished by mixing two components sold by DuPont under the tradenames Surlyn and Bynal. The proportions of the components in the mixture depend on the properties subsequently required.

[0029] To bond, one of the surfaces to be joined is coated with a suitable mixture of Surlyn and Baynel and brought together with the other surface, after which the combination is heated. In the present invention, the heating step is advantageously combined with thermoforming of the embossed connecting element. This type of fixation can replace the weld line S in FIG. In order to separate both combined surface members, the adhesive force between them must be overcome. after that,
Both surface members can be closed by well-fitting male and female connecting elements.

[0030] As mentioned above, this combination device is capable of closing pouches, bags, and securely securing a flexible lid onto a container of somewhat rigid material, thus creating a separable joint. It is useful as a means of fixation in all required instruments.

[0031] The embodiments of the present invention will be explained as follows.

[0032] 1. Two pieces each having at least two connecting elements, one male and one rare, placed opposite each other so that they interlock complementary to each other when the surface members are assembled together. a combination device for forming a separable connection between adjacent face members, wherein at least one of the face members is made of sheet or film material, a portion of which forms at least the male connecting element; and the male connecting element has a closed periphery.

[0033] 2. The device according to embodiment 1, wherein the female connecting element is also formed by an embossed portion of sheet or film material.

[0034] 3. Device according to embodiment 1, in which each adjacent surface member comprises a number of coupling elements [0035] 4. 4. A device according to embodiment 3, wherein the female coupling element comprises a face member having a hole extending through its thickness.

[0036] 5. The device according to embodiment 1, wherein the cross-sections of the male and female coupling elements have matched shapes of substantially complementary dimensions.

[0037] 6. The external contours of the male and female transverse cross sections of the connecting elements are circular on one side and polygonal on the other side, and the dimensions of such contours are such that the frictional force is reduced in mutual combination of the male and female connecting elements. A device according to embodiment 1 for generating.

[0038] 7. The device according to embodiment 1, wherein the embossed portion has a side surface, at least a portion of which is perpendicular to the surface of the surface member on which it is formed.

[0039] 8. The device according to embodiment 2, wherein the embossed portion has a side surface, at least a portion of which is perpendicular to the surface of the surface member on which it is formed.

[0040] 9. The device according to embodiment 1, wherein the cross-sectional dimension of the male coupling element is greater away from the face member than at the base.

[0041] 10. The device according to embodiment 1, wherein the connecting elements form an array of multiple parallel rows on each of the surface members.

[0042] 11. The device according to embodiment 10, wherein the coupling elements of a row are staggered with respect to adjacent rows.

[0043] 12. The device according to embodiment 1, wherein the face member having fewer connecting elements is of thermoformable material.

[0044] 13. Embodiment 12 The face member of thermoformable material at least in the embossed portion comprises multiple layers.
device by.

[0045] 14. The device according to embodiment 12, wherein the face member of thermoformable material in at least the embossed portion comprises multiple layers of at least two different polymers.

[0046] 15. Embodiment 3, wherein the surface member provided with at least one connecting element is in the form of a strip applied to another surface.
device by.

[0047] 16. A method of manufacturing a connecting element of a device according to embodiment 1, comprising: heating a region of at least one side of a thermoformable polymer sheet to its softening temperature; and providing a contour to be imparted to said side. The heated area is placed so that it is aligned with the matrix formed by a concave copy, and the sheet is pressed against the matrix and negative pressure is applied to the sheet from the matrix side. This negative pressure causes the sheet material to conform to the outline of the matrix. a method which is sufficient to allow the sheet to be combined and includes the steps of: cooling at least the embossed areas of said sheet below its thermoforming temperature; and removing the sheet from the master mold.

[0048] 17. A method of manufacturing a connecting element of a device according to embodiment 1, comprising: heating a region of at least one side of a thermoformable polymer sheet to a softening temperature; A heated region is placed between a matrix formed by a concave copy and a stamp having a convex contour corresponding to the concave contour of the matrix, and the stamp is moved into the mold in such a way as to deform the heated material. proceeding to the step of cooling the sheet below its thermoforming temperature, removing the stamp from the mold, and removing the embossed areas of the sheet from the master mold.

[0049] 18. The method according to embodiment 17, further comprising applying negative pressure to the heated sheet from the matrix side when the heated sheet is between the matrix and the stamp.

[0050] 19. A method of manufacturing a device coupling element according to embodiment 4, comprising punching a hole through the thickness of the female coupling element.

[0051] 20. A method of manufacturing a coupling element of a device according to embodiment 1, comprising cold forming the coupling element from a deformable material.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

[Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a combination device.

[Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a modified example of FIG. 1 .

[Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another modification of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the profile of the closure element of the combination device;

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of another variant of the profile of the closure element shown in the uncombined and combined state, respectively;

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of another variant of the profile of the closure element shown in the uncombined and combined state, respectively;

7 is a side sectional view of another modified example of the contour in the same state as FIGS. 5 and 5; FIG.

8 is a side sectional view of another modified example of the contour in the same state as FIGS. 5 and 5; FIG.

[Figure 9] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of yet another modification of this profile.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the application of a closure device for containers that do not straddle. FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a modification of the coupling element of the device.

[Figure 12] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of yet another modification of the device.

FIG. 13 is a side sectional view of a final variant of the profile of the closure element shown in the uncombined and combined state, respectively;

FIG. 141 is a side sectional view of a final variant of the profile of the closure element shown in the uncombined and combined state, respectively; FIG. 15 is a perspective view of one particular use of the device.

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Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. Two connecting elements each having at least two connecting elements, one male and one female, placed opposite each other so that they interlock complementary to each other when the face members are assembled together. a combination device for forming a separable connection between adjacent face members, at least one of the face members being made of sheet or film material, a portion of which forms at least the male connecting element; and the male connecting element has a closed periphery. 2. A region of at least one side of a thermoformable polymeric sheet is heated to its softening temperature so that the contour to be imparted to said side is aligned with a matrix formed by a concave copy. pressing the sheet against the matrix and applying negative pressure to the sheet from the matrix side, the negative pressure being sufficient to align the sheet material with the contours of the matrix, and at least the embossed area of said sheet. A method of manufacturing a connecting element of a combination device comprising the steps of cooling the processed area below its thermoforming temperature and removing the sheet from the matrix. 3. A matrix in which a region of at least one surface of a thermoformable polymer sheet is heated to a softening temperature, the contour to be imparted to said surface being a copy of the concave shape, and a concave contour of the matrix. placing a heated region between the stamp and the stamp having a convex profile corresponding to the stamp, advancing the stamp into the mold so as to deform the heated material, and cooling the sheet below its thermoforming temperature;
A method of manufacturing a connecting element of a combination device comprising the steps of removing a stamp from a mold and removing an embossed area of a sheet from a matrix.