MXPA05002490A - Packaged product comprising flexible, liquid-filled pouches. - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a packaged product comprising flexible liquid-filled pouches and an outer container for containing the liquid-filled pouches; wherein the outer container contains a plurality of flexible liquid-filled pouches whereby at least two or more of the flexible liquid-filled pouches are in mutual contact, and in that the outer container further comprises means for avoiding or minimizing rupture of the flexible liquid-filled pouches when the outer container is subject to shock. Said means can be a wrapping which tightly encloses the plurality of liquid-filled pouches, or a cushioning material.

Description

PACKAGED PRODUCT THAT COMPRISES FLEXIBLE AND FILLED LIQUID BAGS The present invention relates to a packaged product comprising flexible sachets and filled with liquid, for example, sachets with water-soluble liquid detergent in unit dosage form.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The flexible and liquid filled sachets are known as a convenient way to package consumer products as well as industrial and agrochemical products. The liquid can be provided in previously measured amounts intended to be used as a "unit dose". The flexible film that surrounds the liquid product, which forms the wall of the sachet, can optionally be water-soluble. A water-soluble film particularly suitable for this purpose is made from polyvinyl alcohol and, in this context, the invention is particularly suitable for packaging unit doses of liquid detergent. EP-A-0 347 219, published on December 20, 1989, discloses a container for liquid concentrates comprising an outer container and a water-soluble inner shell containing the concentrate. The external container has a cushioning base that is formed by joining the base part with the main body part by means of a corrugated or "S" shaped strip. The prior art does not address the problem that manifests itself when a plurality of flexible bags filled with liquids are packaged with a random orientation in an external container such as a box, carton or bucket. The bags with random orientation remain in contact with each other and if the external container is subjected to impact, it is likely that the bags will tear, crack or burst. The present invention provides a solution to these problems encountered with packaged products comprising a plurality of flexible sachets filled with liquid and an outer container for containing sachets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an external container containing a plurality of flexible and liquid-filled sachets wherein at least two or more of these flexible and liquid-filled sachets are in mutual contact, and wherein the outer container further comprises means for avoid or minimize the rupture of the flexible bags filled with liquid when the external container is subjected to an impact.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The flexible, liquid-filled sachets according to the present invention are preferably formed by sealing a liquid product inside a flexible film forming the sachet wall. The flexible film can optionally be water-soluble or alternatively the dosage of the liquid product can be achieved by opening the wall of the flexible film by means of a tearing or tearing. In this description, the term "filled with liquid" means that the sachets contain at least a certain amount of liquid. In almost all cases there will also be an air bubble inside the sealed bag. Moreover, the invention aims to cover the modalities where both liquids and other forms of product, such as, for example, granules, are packaged either together within the same sachet or of adjacent sachets or adjacent sections of the same sachet. A preferred water-soluble film is made from polymers, copolymers or derivatives thereof selected from polyvinyl alcohols, polyalkylene oxides, acrylic acid, cellulose, cellulose ethers, cellulose esters, polyvinyl acetates, polycarboxylic acids and salts, polyamino acids or peptides, polyamides, maleic / acrylic acid copolymers, polysaccharides including starch and gelatin, natural gums such as xanthum and carragum. More preferably, the polymer is selected from copolymers of polyacrylates and water-soluble acrylate, methylcellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, dextrin, ethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, maltodextrin, polymethacrylates, more preferably, polyvinyl alcohols, polyvinyl alcohol copolymers and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC). Preferably, the level of a type of polymer (eg, a commercial mixture) in the film material, for example the PVA polymer, is at least 60% by weight of the film. The polymer can have any weighted average molecular weight, between the following approximate ranges of least to greatest preference, 1,000 to 1,000,000, 10,000 to 300,000, 15,000 to 200,000 and 20,000 to 150,000. Mixtures or combinations of polymers can be used. More preferred is polyvinyl alcohol formed by extrusion, blow extrusion, blow molding or thin film casting. This film, preferably, has a thickness of 10 to 200 μ? T ?, more preferably 40 to 100 p. The most preferred material for making the flexible sachet is polyvinyl alcohol hydrosolubie, preferably where the polymer present in the film has a hydrolyzation between 60% to 98%, preferably 80% to 90% to improve the dissolution of the material. An example of a particularly suitable water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol film is marketed under the trademark M8630 from Mono-Sol of Gary, Indiana, USA. This particular film has a tensile strength of 281 kg / cm2; a modulus of elasticity of 105 kg / cm2; an elongation of 465%; a tear strength of 41 kg / mm and an impact resistance of 800 g. It is sold in thicknesses of 38, 50 and 76 pm. The water soluble film of the present invention may comprise other ingredients in addition to the polymer or polymeric material. For example, it may be beneficial to add plasticizers, for example glycerol, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, propylene glycol, propanediol, sorbitol and mixtures thereof, as well as water and disintegration aids. It can be considered useful that the sachet or water soluble film itself comprises a detergent additive that is released into the wash water, for example, organic polymeric stain release agents, dispersants, or dye transfer inhibitors. Optionally, the surface of the film of the sachet can be sprinkled with a fine powder to reduce the coefficient of friction. The aluminosilicate of sodium, silica, talc and amylose are examples of suitable fine powders. In this description, the term "liquid" is used to include in its broadest definition, for example, mixtures, solutions, dispersions and emulsions from very low to very high viscosities including gels and pastes. The preferred viscosity may be up to 10,000 mPa-s, but preferably it is 100 to 1000 mPa-s and more preferably 300 to 500 mPa-s. The liquid may contain active ingredients suitable for various applications. Examples of these applications are the area of agrochemicals, for example pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides; industrial chemicals, for example materials used in the construction industry, materials used in photography, printing and textile industries; chemical products for water treatment, for example swimming pools, water heating systems, drainage and sewerage systems; health and beauty care products, for example cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications; consumer and household products, for example laundry treatment and cleaning; cleaning of dishes and hard surfaces, shampoo, and bath additives. Particularly preferred liquids are suitable for use as liquid detergents in the cleaning of clothes, tableware and other domestic surfaces. In accordance with the present invention, a plurality of flexible, liquid-filled sachets are contained with random orientation in an external container. In this description, the term "random orientation" means that the sachets are stacked in close proximity to each other and are not prevented from making contact with each other when packaging material, such as, for example, trays, vesicular packaging and other similar means. It is a requirement of the present invention that at least two flexible sachets are in close contact and it is contemplated that in practice several flexible sachets will be contained within the outer container and that each flexible sachet will be in contact with one, two, three or more of the adjacent sachets. There is an upper limit on the number of sachets that can be randomly packaged in this way, but approximately 100 sachets can be considered as a practical and reasonable upper limit. Preferably, from 2 to 50 sachets can be packaged in this way, more preferably from 8 to 30 sachets and more preferably from 10 to 20 sachets. The external container of the present invention can be a cardboard box, a box, a bucket or similar container. The outer container preferably comprises a closure system, such as a lid, to provide some protection from changing atmospheric conditions, humidity, etc., to the liquid-filled sachets inside. The lid can be of the tear and open type, but more preferably, the lid is suitable to be able to open and re-close the external container. A resealable lid allows the liquid-filled sachets to be removed one at a time and allows the outer container to be resealed between each use. A particularly preferred external container is provided by thermoforming or by an injection molding process. The preferred hub can be provided with a hinged lid or with a fully removable lid, for example a snap-fit cover. Suitable plastics for the container include polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, polystyrene as well as other plastics commonly used in the field of packaging. Cubes of this type are well known for packaging food products, especially ice cream. The problem with the random packing of the flexible and liquid-filled sachets with a certain degree of fragility in external containers of the type described above, is that the sachets can be damaged when the external container is subjected to mechanical impact. It is possible that these impacts occur during the packaging process and the distribution chain from the manufacturer to the reseller as well as when the external container reaches the hands of the final consumer. These impacts can cause the sachets to break. In this description, the term "breaking" encompasses tearing, bursting or searing or any other occurrence that results in the liquid product being released and distributed around the internal part of the outer container. In this case, the released liquid product contaminates the surfaces of the other sachets inside the outer container and also contaminates the internal part of the outer container. The result is unsightly, unpleasant and inconvenient. In the worst case, if the liquid product contains toxic chemicals, the user is exposed to toxic hazards. The present invention solves these problems by avoiding or minimizing the rupture of the flexible bags filled with liquid when the external container is subjected to impact. In a first embodiment of the invention, the liquid-filled sachets, in random orientation, are wrapped tightly within another wrapping material before the sachets are placed in the outer container. The additional wrapping material could be, for example, a bag, film or net. In order to achieve shrinkage of a tight wrap, a preferred process with a film or bag is to wrap in shrinkable plastic or wrap by stretch; A preferred process with a bag is the vacuum packaging and a preferred process with a net is to wrap by stretching whereby the elastic properties of the net contract the content inside it, in this case, the bags filled with liquid. It is contemplated that the final consumer will remove the additional packaging material before using the first sachet filled with liquid. A cutting line, such as a tear strip or perforated line, can facilitate the removal or opening of additional packaging material. In that case, the tightly wrapped sachets have a much lower chance of breaking during the packaging and dispensing processes, although obviously they are not protected after the additional packaging material has been removed by the final consumer. The liquid-filled sachets could be tightly wrapped in the additional packaging material and sold in this way as refills for consumers who already have the proper outer container. In a second embodiment of the present invention, the means for preventing or minimizing rupture comprise a cushioning material that is placed inside the outer container. The cushioning material can be foam, for example, a polymeric foam; or a table or paper with cellulose base. The packaging material commonly known as "bubble wrap" can also be used as the cushioning material. Particularly preferred cushioning materials are polyethylene foam and corrugated cardboard. Different damping materials can also be used together and in combination. Conveniently, the cushioning material can have dimensions that correspond substantially to the base of the outer container and can be placed on the base thereof before placing the flexible bags filled with liquid there.

In practice, both the first and the second modalities described above can be combined together in a single package. Preferred processes for forming the liquid-filled sachet include vertical forming / filling / sealing, commonly referred to as VFFS (vertical-form-fill-sealing), and thermoforming or vacuum forming processes. These latter two processes are usually combined as a single vacuum thermoforming process, these processes are exemplified in U.S. Pat. no. A-3,218,776, filed on November 23, 1965 and assigned to Cloud Machine Corporation; and in WO02 / 60758, published on August 8, 2002 and assigned to The Procter & Gamble Company, both incorporated herein by their sole mention. The general state of the art for forming sachets is described in the document "Packaging of Pesticides and potentially Hazardous Chemicals for Consumer Use" (Packaging of pesticides and potentially dangerous chemicals for use by consumers), Edwards, David B., 1995, published by PIRA (ISBN 1 85802 102 2), incorporated herein by reference. Sachets made by processes such as those described above are transferred to a packaging station where they can optionally be tightly closed in another wrapping material, as suggested by the first embodiment of this invention, and / or packaged in the outer container with a damping material as suggested in the second embodiment of the invention.

In order to ensure quality standards, you can reject some imperfect sachets. It is preferred that these rejected sachets be recovered by first passing the sachet through a mixing device that breaks the sachet, for example, a bursting device. A Sibus brand "power divider" is suitable for this purpose. Within the "power divider" rotates a shank at 20.9 (200) at 209 rad / s (2000 rpm). The shank carries the blades and break bars that break the sachets by mechanical action. The released liquid sits inside the essentially cylindrical chamber and exits through the bottom of the chamber through a mesh. The remaining material of the sachet is transported by the mechanical action of the rotating rod, the bars and breaking vanes towards the output end of the "power divider" where they are collected. Subsequently, the reclaimed liquid can be re-mixed and reused, and the material recovered from the sachet can be further processed and recycled for later use.

Examples In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the liquid is a liquid detergent for use in cleaning clothes, tableware and other domestic surfaces. Specific examples of these liquid detergent compositions are provided in US-A-4,929,380, filed May 29, 1990 and assigned to Henkel KgaA and in U.S. Pat. no. A-4,973,416, filed on November 27, 1990 and assigned to The Procter & Gamble Company, both incorporated herein by reference. Another specific example of a liquid detergent composition is provided in the following Table 1: Weight% linear alkyl 22% non-ionic surfactant 18.7% Amidopropyldimethyl amine C8-C10 1.8% Propanediol 15.7% Monoethanolamine 11% Citric acid 1.6% Fatty acid 16.6% Polisher 1.2% Enzymes 1.0% Perfume 1.2% Polymers 3.2% Phosphonate chelator 0.9% Formic acid 1 .1% Water up to csp (~ 4%) Table 1 The composition of Table 1 is transformed into flexible bags filled with liquid using a horizontal vacuum forming process described in WO 02/60758. Each sachet contains approximately 50 ml of liquid product with a viscosity of 300 mPa-s (measured at 20 ° C and a friction rate of 21s "1) .The film used is M8630®, marketed by Mono-Sol LLC, with a thickness of 76 pm. Example 1: External containers are provided in the form of plastic buckets with snap-on caps, slightly tapering from top to bottom, with average internal dimensions of 160 mm long X 65 mm wide X 140 mm high, without buffer layers. 12 sachets filled with liquid are placed in a bag that shrinks by vacuum around the sachets so that they are tightly enclosed. Each outer container is filled with a sleeve containing 12 sachets. Example 2: Other external containers of the same shape and dimensions are provided with a cushion layer consisting of 5 layers of polyethylene foam each 2 mm thick and a density of 20 kg / m 3 which is cut to fit freely within the base of each bucket. Each external container is filled, in random orientation, with 12 sachets. Comparative Example A: External containers are filled without additional damping in random orientation with 12 sachets, but without additional packaging material to protect sachets. The packaged products of Example A are illustrated in Applicant's British Design Record No. 2,106,584 filed on November 30, 2001. Results: Prior packages containing the sachets were subjected to drop test where the containers are repeatedly dropped from a height of one meter on a solid surface to simulate mechanical impacts, the test is again performed with a sufficient amount of containers to obtain statistical accuracy. After 5 falls, the bags inside the sleeve inside the external containers (Example 1) failed only 20% of the time; after 5 falls, the external cushioned vessels (Example 2) failed only 30% of the time; while comparative packaging, without protection (Example A) failed in more than 80% of the tests. (Note: It is considered that a "failure" has occurred if one or more of the sachets has been broken).

Claims (9)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. A packaged product comprising: flexible bags filled with liquid; and an external container for storing the sachets filled with liquid; characterized in that the outer container contains a plurality of flexible and liquid-filled sachets, whereby at least two or more of the flexible sachets filled with liquid are in close contact, and wherein the outer container further comprises means for preventing or minimizing the rupture of the flexible bags filled with liquid when the external container is subjected to an impact.

2. The packaged product according to claim 1, further characterized in that the flexible bags filled with liquid comprise a flexible film that forms the wall of the bag, and wherein the flexible film is water-soluble.

3. The packaged product according to any of claims 1 or 2, further characterized in that the means for preventing or minimizing the rupture comprise an additional wrapping material whereby the additional wrapping material firmly encloses the plurality of sachets filled with liquid .

4. The packaged product according to claim 3, further characterized in that the plurality of liquid-filled sachets is enclosed with the additional wrapping material by a shrinkable or vacuum packed plastic.

5. The packaged product according to any of claims 1 or 2, further characterized in that the means for preventing or minimizing the rupture comprise a dampening material.

6. The packaged product in accordance with the claim 5, further characterized in that the cushioning material is selected from the group consisting of: foam, bubble wrap and cardboard or cellulose-based paper.

7. The packaged product in accordance with the claim 6, further characterized in that the cushioning material is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene foam and corrugated cardboard.

8. The packaged product according to any of claims 1 or 2, further characterized in that the outer container is a plastic cube molded by injection or thermoformed.

9. The packaged product according to claim 8, further characterized in that the outer container is provided with a reclosable lid.