NZ272287A - Article package and method of wrapping in which an article is placed on a sheet of material, the sheet then being folded and its edges joined by a closure member - Google Patents

Description

2722 87 Patents Form # 5 NEW ZEALAND Patents Act 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION AFTER PROVISIONAL NO : 272287 DATED: 6 June 1995 /< V ^ ^ji C 17JUL 1996 *jj ;*"0 . fJLyJ: TITLE: A method of wrapping an article or set of articles and/or a wrappedTaFticle • -—/ We,: Minigrip Flexible Packaging Limited Address: 27 Ross Reid Place, East Tamaki, Auckland, New Zealand Nationality: New Zealand hereby declare the invention, for which I/we pray that a patent may be granted to me/us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: PF05.JWP FEE CODE - 1050 272 2 87 This invention relates to a method of wrapping an article or set of articles and/or a wrapped article or set of articles which has been devised particularly though not necessarily solely for use in wrapping articles in the nature of a block such as a block of 5 cheese.

There exists a need to provide methods of wrapping articles, particularly articles such as blocks, for example, a block of cheese which will allow the article to be wrapped in a simple, effective and inexpensive way but will enable the packaging to be opened and 10 the article to be removed for later use and restored to the packaging in an at least somewhat sealed manner.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of wrapping an article or set of articles and/or a wrapped article or set of articles which will go at least 15 some way towards meeting the foregoing desiderata in a simple yet effective manner or which will at least provide the public with a useful choice.

Accordingly in one aspect the invention consists in a method of wrapping an article or set of articles comprising the steps of: providing a sheet of wrapping material having at least two opposite edges, placing an article or set of articles on said sheet of wrapping material, folding said sheet of wrapping material about said article or set of articles so that said opposite edges are adjacently positioned, and joining said edges through a closure member including a two part elongated 25 inter-engaging reclosure element.

Preferably said closure member comprises an elongated channel having two arms, one part of the reclosure element being provided on each arm and the longitudinal axis of said channel being substantially parallel to the axis of the reclosure element parts.

Preferably said article comprises an article in the form of a block or said set of articles comprises a small number of blocks.

Preferably said article is placed closer to one edge of said sheet of wrapping material 35 then the other edge of said sheet of wrapping material. 8642ICS1.696/CW/ iv 27 2 2 8 7 Preferably said method further includes the step of sealing the sheet of wrapping material between adjacent articles or adjacent sets of articles.

Preferably said method further includes the step of evacuating the material during the formation of the package.

Preferably said method further includes the step of gas flushing the package during the step of forming the package.

In a further aspect the invention consists in a wrapped article or wrapped set of articles when wrapped according to the method of any one of the preceding paragraphs.

To those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, many changes in construction 15 and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. The disclosures and the description herein are purely illustrative ad are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

One preferred form of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a first step in a method of wrapping according to a preferred form of the invention, Figure 2 is a view as in figure 1 showing the next step in the process, Figure 3 is a view as in figures 1 and 2 showing a further step in the process of the invention, Figure 4 is a view as in figures 1 to 3 showing a final step, and Figure 5 is an enlargement of part of figure 4 Referring to the drawings in the preferred form of the invention a sheet of wrapping material 1 is provided which may comprise an elongated sheet having a length and a 8642ICS1.696/CW/iv 27 22 87 width, the width being apparent from figure 1. Onto the sheet is positioned an article or set of s ^icles 2 which may be, for example, a block of cheese or other item or items as desired.

Usually the article 2 will be positioned closer to one edge of the sheet 1 than the other.

The sheet of wrapping material 1 is then folded so as to provide a bottom face 3, a rear face 4 and an upper face 5.

In thf; embodiment of the invention described the faces 3 and 5 have portions 6 and 7 are somewhat adjacent and extend beyond the adjacent side face 8 of the article 2. The positioning of the article 2 on the sheet 1 is preferably such that the edges 6 and 7 extend from the article 2 a substantially equal distance. The edges 6 and 7 are then 15 joined by a closure element 10 which may take the form of an elongated channel, again of a desirable wrapping material, which includes elongated closure members at 11. Thus the edge portions 6 and 7 are sufficiently adjacent for the closure element to engage both edge portions 6 and 7 and span between them. The closure members may take the form of a plastics channel and bulbous rib which can be snapped into the 20 channel and from the channel by means of the inherent resilience of the materials. The closure member is adhered to the edges 6 and 7 in any suitable manner, such as heat bonding, the use of adhesives or otherwise. The wrapping materi ./ 1 can be any material such as any plastics material used to wrap articles such as the article 2. Similarly the elongated channel 10 and appropriate materials will be well known in any 25 particular industry.

In some instances it may be desired to provide the re-close elements 11 at a position other than as above described. In such a case the article(s) 2 are located at other positions than as above described.

The reclosure elements could be provided on two separate parts but in the preferred form are provided on the two arms of the channel 10. The extreme part 12 of the channel 10 can be removed, for example, along line 13 if desired. Or alternatively the packaged article can be provided in the form shown in figure 4 and can be opened, for 35 example, by the consumer cutting along the area as shown by the line 13 or by the provision of some opening means such as a tear strip. 6642ICS1.696/CW/iv : 7 22 3 7 The channel 10 can be formed in a flat state, ie. with the two reclosure parts affixed thereto in spaced apart parallel relationship, so that the channel 10 is formed by folding the base on which the re-closure elements are provided.

During the procedures desirably the interior of the package so formed is evacuated and/or gas flushed and this can be achieved using known techniques. The effect of evacuation will of course be to draw the packaging material onto the block 2, for example, as shown in figure 4.

The use of the invention is as follows.

In use an article such as, for example, a block of food such as a block of cheese or a set of such articles are assembled and wrapped as above described. As part of the 15 manufacturing procedure seals will usually be formed transversely across the width of the sheet of material between articles or sets of articles, to form individual packages which in the preferred form have been evacuated and gas flushed if necessary.

The articles thus formed can then be disseminated, for example, stored and sold. A user 20 is able to open a package, remove the article or one or more of a set of articles and use part thereof returning the article or some of the set of articles to the bag formed by the procedure described above which is able to be reclosed by means of the reclosure elements 11.

Thus it can be seen that a method of packaging is provided which at least in the preferred form has the advantage that a relatively large article such as a block of cheese can be packed in a simple yet effective and cost efficient manner. The article can be removed from the bag partly re-used and returned to the bag for further storage in a substantially sealed manner as required which is advantageous. 8642ICS1.696/CW/iv 272287

Claims (10)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A method of wrapping an article or set of articles comprising the steps of: providing a sheet of wrapping material having at least two opposite edges, placing an article or set of articles on said sheet of wrapping material, folding said sheet of wrapping material about said article or set of articles so that said opposite edges are adjacently positioned, and joining said edges through a closure member including a two part elongated inter-engaging reclosure element.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said closure member comprises an elongated channel having two arms, one part of the reclosure element being provided on each arm and the longitudinal axis of said channel being substantially parallel to the axis of the reclosure element parts.

3. A method as claimed in either one of claims 1 and 2 wherein said article comprises an article in the form of a block or said set of articles comprises a small number of blocks.

4. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said article is placed closer to one edge of said sheet of wrapping material than the other edge of said sheet of wrapping material.

5. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further including the step of sealing the sheet of wrapping material between adjacent articles or adjacent sets of articles.

6. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further including the step of evacuating the material during the formation of the package.

7. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further including the step of gas flushing the package during the step of forming the package.

8. A method of wrapping an article or set of articles substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 8642ICS1.696/CW/iv -7- 11 2 2 8 7 75 20

9. A wrapped article or wrapped set of articles when wrapped according to the method of any one of the preceding claims. 10

10. A wrapped article or set of articles substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. JAMES W PIPER & CO Attorneys for the Applicant MINIGRIP FLEXIBLE PACKAGING LIMITED 25 30 '•j ^ & 3 •V ^ JUL m %. /■ 35 8642XCS1.696/CW/iv