MXPA97002457A - Resella package - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a resealable package having a body portion substantially formed of flexible sheet material and defining an article receiving cavity, characterized in that the body portion comprises a first end defined by an end wall and tapering towards an end wall. second end separated from the first end, the body portion also comprising a face in which a dispensing opening is defined, a resealable sealing member secured to the body portion and, in a closed position, covering said opening and being in contact with sealed with the body portion around the periphery of the opening, and a plurality of sheet-like articles disposed within the cavity in the form of a stackable roll, with one end of the roll being able to extend through said roll. abertu

Description

RESELLARLE PACKAGE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a resealable package. This is intended in particular for use in the packaging of wet towels, but it should be understood that the invention is also applicable to the packaging of other articles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As is well known, wet towels are articles in the form of small sheets that are impregnated with a skin cleansing liquid and which are intended to be discarded after a single use. Wet towels are sometimes individually packed, in which case the package is discarded after it has been opened and the wet towels are removed from it. However, production of a package containing a plurality of wet towels is also known. In this case, the package must be provided with a resealable opening, since the cleaning liquid of the skin with which the towels are impregnated rapidly evaporates, and therefore the towels will dry unless the package can be resealed. appropriately after the towel is removed. Where a large number of wet towels, ie from 40 to 200, are to be kept in a pack, a rigid tube of cylindrical cross-section is conventionally used for this purpose. However, this is not the convenient way from the user's point of view, particularly where the package is going to be carried around, for example, a bag, and under such circumstances it would be preferable that the package be relatively flat, and preference, partially flexible slightly. It is an object of the present invention to provide a package that is a practical alternative to rigid pipes conventionally used.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention there is provided here a package having a body portion formed substantially of flexible sheet material and defining an article receiving cavity, the body portion having a face in which a dispensing opening is defined; a resealable sealing member secured to the body portion and, in a closed position, covering said opening and which is in sealing contact with the body portion around the periphery of said opening; and a plurality of sheet-like articles disposed within said cavity in the form of a stackable roll, with a roll end that is capable of extending through said opening. The body portion preferably has a thickness that is less than its length and that is less than its width, and preferably is in the general form of a parallelepiped. The body portion is preferably made of a flexible, sheet-like plastic material, and the sealing member is also preferably made of a flexible, sheet-like plastic material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One embodiment of the invention is shown diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view showing the side of the package in which the dispensing opening is provided, the closure member being in its position closed; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the package, • Figure 3 is a plan view of the package of Figure 2, again in its closed position; Figure 4 is a sectional view of the package of Figure 2, again in its closed position; Figure 5 is a view corresponding to the Figure 2, but with the closure member shown partially open; Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 3, but with a closure member open to a greater limit than in Figure 5; Figure 7 is a perspective view, with the closure member in the same position approximately as in Figure 6, and with the end of a wet towel projecting from the dispensing opening; Figure 8 shows, by way of example, six possible ways for the dispensing opening; Figure 9 is a cross section through the package; Figures 10a and 10b diagrammatically show a method for producing the package according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The illustrated package is intended to hold from about 40 to about 200 wet towels, each approximately 230 x 160 mm, and each impregnated with a skin cleansing liquid. The package comprises a body portion 1 which is formed of a flexible, sheet-like plastic material, for example a polyethylene film, a polypropylene film or a laminar unit consisting of, for example, polyethylene and polypropylene layers, optionally with a layer of paper between them. In the illustrated embodiment, the body portion is formed entirely of flexible, sheet-like plastic material. Alternately, however, the base of the body portion, which is at the lower end as seen in Figure 1, can be formed of a rigid material, for example, a rigid plastic material. The body portion is generally paralaleped, although not exactly so. One end of the body portion is provided by an end wall 2, and the other end of the body portion is provided by a flat seam 3. The edges of the body portion are provided by the flat seams 4 and 5. The body portion has larger faces 6 and 7, and a dispensing opening 8 is provided in the face 6. The dispensing opening 8 can have a variety of shapes, and some of these are illustrated by means of the example in Figure 8. Each one of these comprises a main opening portion 8a connected by a groove 8b to a much smaller opening portion 8c or, in the example case of Figure 8, by 2 grooves 8b to 2 small opening portions 8c. Having 2 opening portions 8c in theory, allows the user to pull the wet towels from the package in any of the 2 directions. However, because the opening portion 8c in addition to the tongue 9a may in practice be difficult to use, this opening portion may be omitted, while the adjacent grooves 8b are retained. Figures 1 to 7 show the use of example E. The reason for using dispensing openings of the shape shown in Figure 8 will be apparent from the description given below for the use of the package. The dispensing opening 8 is covered by a sealing member 9 which, in its closed position, is sealed to the adjacent face 6 around the total periphery of the dispensing opening. The sealing member 9 is made of a flexible, sheet-like plastic material, for example a polypropylene film or a paper / polyethylene, paper / polypropylene or polyethylene / polypropylene film unit. The member 9 is, however, provided with a tongue 9a which is not sealed to the face 6, and which can be grasped by the user. The adhesive used to seal the member 9 to the face 6 is such that the sealing member 9 can be repeatedly opened and resealed, to expose and close the opening. For example, an acrylic-based adhesive or a rubber-based adhesive may be used. If desired, when the main opening portion 8a is formed on the face A, the cut formed for this purpose may not be made completely continuous deliberately, with the result that the portion of the face 6 that would otherwise have been divided from there, remain attached to it at the end where, as seen in Figure 6, it is at the end of the left side, by means of a small bridge of material. This portion is partially visible in Figures 5, 6 and 7 where it is denoted by the reference number 10. As can be seen more clearly in Figure 1, at its left-side end the sealed member 9 has two grooves 11 formed there, each of these is in the form of an L-shaped groove having a hook-shaped portion at one end, and extending towards the edge of the sealing member 9 at its other end. The purpose of these slots will become apparent from the following description of the use of the package. As you can see from Figure 9, the body portion 1 defines a cavity 12 within which a roll 13 is received consisting of wet towels joined end to end by perforated regions (not shown). The longitudinal axis of the roll extends generally parallel to the length of said body portion. The roller has internal and external free ends, and the inner free end 14 is pulled lengthwise of the roll. During the manufacture of the package, in such a way that it extends slightly from the end of the rest of the roll, while it does not extend through the dispensing opening 8. When the roll 13 is loaded into the body portion during manufacture, it is substantially cylindrical, but during use the flexibility of the body portion tends to allow the roll to become flattened, an effect which is advantageous because the package is then less bulky. If the base of the body portion is rigid, it should not be extended until the flattening is prevented. The manner in which the package described above is used is as follows. When the user wishes to remove a wet towel from the package, he grasps the tab 9a and uses it by pulling the sealing member 9 away from the dispensing aperture 8. By doing so, the portion 10 remains adhered to the reverse side of the closure member, as shown in FIG. it can be seen in Figures 5, 6 and 7. It reaches a stage in which the part of the closure member that remains adhered to the adjacent face 6 of the body portion, is that to the left of line AA shown in the Figure 1. The continuous stretching on the tongue 9a has the effect that the portion of the member 9, between the grooves 11 ceases to be adhered to the face 6, while the outward portions of the groove 11, remain adhered to the face 6. However, when the non-adhered portions reach the line BB, ie the left side of the slots 11, the user experiences a greatly increased resistance for the continuous separation of the closing member 9 from the face 6. In truth, Further separation is virtually impossible without tearing the sealing member. As a result, under all but special circumstances, the user will stop pulling on the tab at this point and the portion of the sealing member 9 to the left of line BB will remain attached to the face 6. Then the user grasps the exposed end of a roll of wet towels and pull it at an angle as soon as it emerges through the opening portion 8c. Once a wet towel has emerged, the continuous drawing to which the opening portion 8c has considerable strength causes the wet towel held by the user to be separated from the rest of the roll along a perforation line, and leaves a portion of the next wet towel that extends there from side to side. This can be seen in Figure 7. Then, the user bends the exposed end portion of the next wet towel back through the opening 8 where it is ready to be grasped the next time when the package is used, and reseals the sealing member 9 to the face 6. The body portion of the package according to the invention can be produced starting from a plastic sheet as indicated in Figure 10a, it summarizes that a face that is visible in the drawings is that which it is provided outside of the body portion. The sheet is folded along the fold lines F, such that the end portions E both move downward as seen with reference to the plane of the paper. Also the sheet is folded along the fold line G by folding the portion of the sheet between the lines F towards the plane of the paper. As a result, the sheet assumes a configuration that, as seen from the profile, has a flattened appearance. The adjacent portions of the sheet are then sealed together over the areas indicated for shading. Figure 10 illustrates steps (i) to (vii) when going from the empty body portion to the final package, as follows: (i) The empty body portion, (ii) A cutter 20 cuts off the opening 8. (iii) A sealing member 9 is applied over the opening 8 half a strip to which a plurality of sealing members They are attached removably. (iv) The body portion plus the sealing member. (v) A roll of wet towels 13 is inserted into the body member, after a larger roll of 21 has been impregnated with a wet towel liquid by a spray device 22 and separated into a number of rolls shorter. (vi) The body portion plus the sealing member plus the roll of wet towels. (vii) The open end of the body portion is closed by a sealing device 23. However, it should be noted that the order of the stages (i) and (ii) can be inverted, and is preferably preferably, i.e., the openings 8 are cut into the material of which the body portion of the bag forms before the material is made in the portion of the bag. body. This avoids any possibility of cutting through both sides of the bag, optionally, the area where the opening 8 is to be formed, may have a reinforcement layer applied to the reverse side thereof, with the cutter cutting through both the bag materials and the reinforcement layer. This makes it possible to use thinner material such as bag material.

Claims (13)

1. CLAIMS 1. A package having a body portion formed substantially of sheet material, flexible, and defining an article receiving cavity, the body portion containing a face on which a dispensing opening is defined; a resealable sealing member secured to the body portion and, a closed position covering said opening and which is in sealing contact with the body portion around the periphery of said opening; and a plurality of sheet-like articles disposed within said cavity in the form of a stackable roll, with one end of the roll that is capable of extending through said opening. 2. - A package according to claim 1, further characterized in that the body portion is elongated and has a thickness that is less than its length and that is less than its width. 3. - A package in accordance with the claim 1 or 2, further characterized in that the body portion is in the general form of a paralalepiped. 4. - A package in accordance with the claim 2 or 3, further characterized in that the roll is aligned with its longitudinal axis extending generally parallel to the length of said body portion. 5. - A package according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the body position is made of a plastic material. 6. - A package according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the seal member is made of a sheet, flexible plastic material. 7. - A package according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the roll is so accommodated that said one end is the radially internal end thereof. 8. - A package according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the dispensing opening comprises a main opening portion and at least a smaller opening portion connected to said main opening portion by a slot. 9. - A package according to claim 8, further characterized in that there are 2 of said portions of smaller openings each connected to the main opening portion by a respective slot. 10. A package according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the sealing member has a first end which is provided with a tongue that is not sealed to the body portion and can be grasped by a user. A package according to claim 10, further characterized in that the sealing member has a second, remote end of said first end, which is provided with at least one slot there from side to side defining a portion of the member sealing which is adapted to remain in sealing contact with the body portion, and prevents complete removal of the sealing member from the body portion. 12. - A package according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the roll is a roll of wet towels. 13. - A package according to claim 12, further characterized in that the wet towels are connected to each other by perforated regions.