RU2214954C2 - Box end container, blank for container and pull lug and method of opening of such container - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: packing. SUBSTANCE: invention relates to containers in form of box with pull lug. Container is formed by bending inwards upper sections of two opposite side walls of container to form cross ridge structure on upper end of container for closing upper end of container. Container is provided with pull lug containing essentially flat member in free state and provided with axially extending stalk with proximal end section adapted for gripping and pulling by user, and distal end section with support members extending crosswise relative to each side of stalk. Stalk and support members in the free state are located mainly in one plane. Method of opening of container provides separation of connection between contact surfaces of material of dry walls at one end of ridge seam or bending of ridge seam ends to form ridge seam of curved, or T-shaped or Y-shaped outline and application of tension force to proximal end of pull lug to separate connection between contact surfaces of wet walls in ridge seam. EFFECT: facilitated separation of pull lug from container wall and separation of ridge seam. 16 cl, 10 dwg

Description

 The invention relates to a container, especially in the form of a box having a lug that facilitates opening the sealed end of the box.

 Many substances, especially flowable substances, such as milk or fruit juices, liquid detergents or fabric softeners, mineral or vegetable oils and powders, such as laundry detergents (hereinafter referred to for convenience as collectively referred to as flowing substances), are placed in sealed containers for transportation and storage before use, in which they open the container and release its contents. For this purpose, many types of containers are used, but one type of container is a thin-walled box made of thin cardboard or plastic sheet material and having a substantially square or rectangular cross section and generally a cube or brick shape. The contents of such a container are usually fed into the container through its open upper end, while the other end is closed by folding the bottom of the side walls to form a box-shaped end of the container. When the desired amount of substance is introduced into the container, the open top of the container is closed by forming transversely directed V-shaped folds in the upper portions of two opposite side walls, with the vertices of these “V” pointing inward towards each other. As a result, the upper sections of the other two side walls of the container come together with the formation of a “gable” or gable tent-like top having a scallop lying along the recess line of the V-shaped folds. Then, the scallop is heat-welded or otherwise processed to fasten together the opposite surfaces of the upper sections of the V-shaped bent and other side walls to form a single straight transverse strip of the seam on the container, with at least most of the seam being within the total horizontal cross-sectional area of the container.

 The sealed scallop is then often folded down along a transverse fold line extending approximately through the midpoint of one of the side walls of the gable top to form a flat box-shaped end of the container. In some embodiments, the implementation of such a seam along the line of the scallop include a tape, possibly reinforced with wire, for example, during the folding of the material of the scallop. This tape extends beyond the ends of the scallop to provide protrusions that can be bent to secure in place of the scallop bent downward by engaging the free ends of the tape under the flange formed along the edge of the box end where a V-shaped bent portion of the container wall is pressed. In an embodiment, after folding the scallop down, the free ends of said protrusions can be glued or otherwise attached to the side walls of the container to form its box-shaped end.

For convenience, the following terms will have the following meanings here:
openable containers with a box-shaped end are containers of the general type described above,
scallop seam - used to indicate a transverse straight seam between opposite surfaces of the upper end portions of the depressed and non-depressed side walls of the container,
scallop - used to indicate unprotected (approx. lane. Here, the word "exposed" refers to the insecurity of a section of a material that is generally protected by a plastic layer. However, on a section, the cardboard layer is not protected and is subject to moisture) the top edge of the comb seam or the edges of the wall material that were brought together before the formation of the scallop seam,
scallop structure - used to refer to the structure formed by bringing together the upper end portions of the side walls of the container that are bonded or to be bonded together by heat welding, welding, gluing or otherwise between opposing surfaces at the joints between these opposing surfaces to form a comb joint,
forceps end - used to indicate the structure formed at the upper end of the container by pressing the upper sections of the two opposite side walls of the container to form V-folds in the scallop structure,
gable end - used to indicate the end of the container with the scallop in the raised position before or after the formation of the scallop seam,
gable lateral walls [gable (gable)] - this term is used to refer to the upper sections (usually of three triangular parts) of two opposite side walls at the open end of the container, which are pressed by the formation of a V-shaped or other axial fold in the upper part of the side wall, so that the wall is pressed laterally inward with the formation of the gable end of the container,
gable end triangles - this term is used to refer to triangular walls forming unprotected surfaces on the gable end of the container,
gable side walls - used to designate two opposite side walls of the container, continuing between the gable side walls of the gable end of the container,
“wet” wall - used to indicate the inner surface of the container, which should be in contact with the contents of the container, including the upper sections of such walls, intended to be included in the scallop structure,
“dry” wall - is used here to indicate the outer surface of the container that is not in contact with the contents of the container, including the upper sections of such walls intended for inclusion in the scallop structure.

), чтобы увеличить разделяющее усилие, прикладываемое к шву на пересечении при надавливании на свободные концы крылышек.To open such an openable container with a box-shaped (lower) end, a seam is separated at the gable (upper) end of the container at the junction between opposite surfaces of the dry walls of the V-shaped fold at one end of the straight scallop seam. As a result of this, two wings are formed at the forceps end, so that the combed seam, when viewed from above, assumes a V-shape instead of the seam in one line. The upper edges of the wings forming the tip of this “Y” remain welded together, so that the container is still closed when the scallop seam adopts this configuration. Then, the wings are bent backwards to arrange them on one straight line, i.e. align with each other, so that the configuration of the scallop seam when viewed from above takes a T-shape with wings forming the crossbar of this "T". Then the free ends of the wings are pressed inward towards the center line of the legs of this “T” to apply a separating force to the seam at the intersection of the crossbar and the legs of this “T”. This is done in order to cause a separation of the seam between the opposite surfaces of the "wet" walls at the top of the container and the formation of an opening through which the contents of the container can be released. In some cases, it may be desirable to bend the wings even further beyond their direct configuration in order to form a Y-shaped configuration with an inverted tip (i.e.

) to increase the separating force applied to the seam at the intersection by pressing on the free ends of the wings.

 However, the separation of the seam at this intersection is often incomplete and / or the wings are wrinkled, so that the user can no longer apply a separating force to the seam. Therefore, the user is usually forced to insert a fingertip, knife tip, or other device into the initial opening formed at the indicated intersection to help achieve complete separation of the seam and subsequent widening of the opening to form an outlet in the container.

 In many cases, the initial separation of the seam between the “wet” walls at the intersection of the crossbeam and the “T” leg is insufficient to form a hole in which the user could insert a fingertip. Then the user is forced to pinch the dry wall material in the region of this intersection, trying to pull the wall outward to cause the seam to separate at that intersection. Such seam separation can occur suddenly, causing the contents of the container to spill, and the need for such additional scallop seam separation operations is inconvenient.

 Despite these problems associated with openings in the container and which are especially acute for elderly or sick people and children, the openable box-end containers provide a simple and effective container for storing and transporting a variety of fluid substances and are still widely used.

 Many attempts have been made to solve problems when opening such containers by turning on exhaust threads or the like. in the straight seam of the gable end of the container, see, for example, US patents 4883222, 4821950 and 4874126, European application 0695264 A and UK patent 2010212 A. However, in all cases one or more additional components must be included in the scallop structure. This creates the problem of accurately positioning such a component and securing it in place. This also introduces an additional element between the walls, which must be welded together with the formation of the scallop seam, which can lead to a weakening of the seam in this place with the associated risk of premature depressurization of the scallop seam. In addition, the material from which the additional component is formed is often fused (with another) when heated, when a comb seam is formed by heat welding. This can cause fusion of the additional component itself and / or its fusion with the exposed surfaces of the container wall, causing the component to tear off when it is pulled back and / or to create an additional seal adjacent to the scallop seam to be separated to open the container. This additional component is often attached in alignment with the element that should become a spout in an open container. In this case, the contents of the container flows through this component, which may be exposed to dirt, grease or other substances and, thus, may cause contamination of the contents of the container. In addition, to include additional component (s) in the scallop seam, a significant modification of the assembly, filling and sealing of the box is necessary, which increases the capital and operating costs necessary to implement such proposals. None of these proposals have found industrial application.

 In addition, it was proposed, for example, in US Pat. No. 3,520,464, PCT Applications WO 96/29253 and WO 97/44255, and in UK Patent 2,253,608 A to attach a lashing eye and the like. to one or more surfaces of the triangular walls of the gable end of the container. Although such a proposal could overcome the problems of attaching an additional component in the comb structure, such proposals were not accepted. This is due to the fact that when pulling the eyelet to open the container, the attachment of the eyelet to the container wall is destroyed, even if the scallop seam is already partially divided with the adoption of a T-shape in plan, as described above. As a result, the lug ear is separated from the container until the scallop seam is separated and the container remains sealed. Even if you increase the area of the support of the drawback eye with which it is attached to the container wall, the maximum area that can be achieved is limited by the available area of the triangular wall (s) to which the support element is attached, and the maximum size of the drawback eye, which can be acceptable up to as long as it does not interfere with the mechanical manipulation of the box during its filling and transportation, and at the same time, removal of the eyelet before separation of the scallop seam takes place.

 Instead of using additional components to provide the abalone, it was proposed, for example, in European application 0087839 A and in PCT application WO 82/03370 to provide extension ears in the form of axial extensions of part of the walls of the container. However, such extensions are usually located on what subsequently becomes the spout of the open container, which, as mentioned above, leads to contamination of the contents of the container. In addition, if such axial extensions are bent so that they lie flat on the outer wall of the container in order to prevent containers from hooking onto forming and filling equipment, then when sealing the container, at least part of such extension will be included in the scallop structure and will be fused into the scallop seam sealing the container. This can weaken the drawback eye so much that it comes off the comb and / or fuses with it. This can lead to the formation of additional seals that will have to be separated to open the container.

 It was also proposed to loosen the adhesion in the scallop joint, so that less force was required to separate the joint and, therefore, to open the container. For example, it was proposed to apply a release agent to parts of the “wet” walls in the comb structure so that they would not adhere or only weakly adhere to each other during the container sealing operation. However, the use of release agents requires accurate placement of the appropriate amount of such a substance in the desired places in the comb structure, so that only a very weak seam is formed on the forceps end. This requires additional operations and costs for the manufacture of the sealed container and inevitably carries the associated risk of premature destruction of the seam during storage, transportation of the container or when handling it by the end user. To mitigate this risk, US Pat. No. 4,946,041 proposes the use of a special welding fixture designed to pass through certain areas within the scallop seam when sealing. However, this requires the use of complex additional welds and the exact formation of unsealed areas and also carries the associated risk of premature destruction of the scallop.

 It has also been proposed, for example, in U.S. Patent 3204850 and U.K. 689204, not to form a scallop seam by joining opposing surfaces together in a scallop structure, but to form a labyrinth mechanical seal by folding the scallop structure and securing the curved structure in place with a wire or adhesive. Such offers are prone to leaks because the container does not have an associated seam. In addition, such proposals require the use of special bending equipment and cannot be carried out on conventional equipment for the manufacture of containers.

 Instead of loosening the scallop seam or incorporating additional components into the scallop structure, it was proposed to form weakened lines or even through cuts in the container wall and cover them with a removable cover strip (see, for example, U.S. Patent 2,253,608 A and U.S. Patents 3,456,328 and 2,678,740). When removing the cover strip, an incision or a weakened line is exposed, which can then be divided to form an opening in the container. In an embodiment of such proposals, the container wall is partially cut so that the wall can be torn in this place to form a spout without the need to separate the scallop seam or to form a pull eye from the container wall, which can then be used to separate the scallop seam (see, for example, U.S. Patent Nos. 2,470,199; 5,067,613; and 5,516,037). Such intentional weakening of the container wall carries the associated risk of premature destruction of the container.

 However, none of the above proposals was technically or commercially viable, and as a result, in the industry there is no satisfactory way to open the gable end of the box-end container. Despite the well-known and much discussed problems associated with opening a box-end container, such containers are still widely used due to their simplicity, low cost, ease of manufacture, and general consumer acceptance.

 The authors found that if the abutment support attached to the wall of the container is attached to it in a special way, then the problems associated with the separation of the abutment from the container wall to the separation of the scallop seam can be reduced.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a box-end container having one end closed by a transverse scallop seam and carrying a pull eye, a separating force can be applied to the scallop seam of the sealed container so as to separate at least a portion of the scallop seam and thus open the container and allow the issuance of its contents, while the lug ear contains a substantially flat element having an axially extending stem with a proximal (proximal) end portion, flush for gripping and pulling by the user, and a distal (distant) end part having supporting elements extending transversely to each side thereof, the main and supporting elements being located essentially in the same plane with each other; supporting elements, a lashing eye is attached externally to the container wall on or adjacent to the scallop seam of the container, characterized in that:
a) the support elements are attached essentially symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the eye stem to the container wall and / or to that part of the wall that is included in the scallop suture,
b) the lug eye has a pivot point around which the eye stem is able to bend relative to the supporting elements when the proximal end of the stem is pulled when the container is opened and which is located longitudinally relative to this stem, essentially in combination with the connection of the stem with the proximal (proximal) edges of the supporting elements,
c) the fastening of each of the supporting elements to the container wall is carried out by means of the fastening means, which is the edge proximal (proximal) to the pivot point, and this edge has such a configuration that at least part of it extends perpendicular to the line passing from the specified proximal edges to the indicated pivot point and intersecting the specified edge between its ends.

 The term "edge" is used here in relation to the fastening means to indicate the periphery of the fastening means located in the plane of the container wall.

 Preferably, the fastening is made by means of a weld between the surface layers of the wall of the container and the material of the pull eye. The authors found that such welds can be in the form of linear seams instead of seams extending over all areas of opposite surfaces of the container wall and the supporting elements of the pull eye. The most unexpected is that the reduction in the area on which the support element is attached to the container wall does not lead to a weakening of the fastening of the lug eye to the container.

 Accordingly, the present invention also provides a box-end container having a drawback eye attached externally to the wall of the container on or adjacent to the scallop structure of the container, while a separating force can be applied to the scallop seam of the sealed container, characterized in that the distal (distal) end of the ear is attached externally to the outer wall of the container, and that the attachment of the distal end is at least two attachment lines, one on each side of the longitudinal axis of the otti stem Nogo tab, each of these fastening lines has at least a portion having a configuration such that it extends perpendicular to the line extending from the pivot point of the stem tie-down tab and intersecting the attachment line between its ends. The authors believe that this configuration ensures that the part of the attachment line closest to the stem turning point is oriented essentially at right angles to the forces transmitted from the eye stem to the support elements, and thus acts as an obstacle for any peeling mounts from the container wall.

 In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the support elements are attached to the container wall so that the mounting area of each support element extends longitudinally both above and below the pivot point of the eye stem. The authors found that this form of attachment reduces the risk of gradual peeling of the attachment when the proximal end of the pull tab is raised from the plane of the container wall and tension is applied to it.

 Accordingly, the present invention also provides a box-end container, characterized in that the distal end of the pull tab is attached to the container wall by one or more attachment areas, at least one attachment area lies on each side of the longitudinal axis of the ear stem, and the attachment areas extend longitudinally each side of the pivot point of the lug eye. The attachment areas preferably extend a distance d above the pivot point (distal behind it) and a distance d 'below the pivot point (proximally in front of it), and the d: d' ratio has a value of from 10: 1 to 1:10, preferably from about 1 : 3 to 3: 1, and especially about 1: 1.

 The authors believe that the drawback eye having the configuration required to achieve this form of attachment to the container wall is new. Therefore, the invention also provides a drawback eye for use on a container that contains a substantially flat element having a proximal portion adapted to be gripped and retracted by a user, a longitudinally extending stem and a distal section that the drawback eye can attach to the container wall or to the workpiece used in the manufacture of the container, characterized in that the distal section is equipped with two supporting elements extending laterally (i.e. sideways) to each side of the longitudinal axis and the stem, and each supporting element extends proximal and distal longitudinally to both sides of the pivot point of the stem.

 In addition, the authors found that the provision between the supporting elements of the area not attached to the container wall may be preferable, since this allows the eye stem and the junction of the eye stem and supporting elements to rise from the surface of the walls when they form V-shaped folds during sealing the container. This facilitates the effect of the bending to which the lug ear is to be subjected and reduces the bending in the lug material, which could affect the nature of the transfer of the tensile force exerted on the proximal end of the lug ear to the support members. The lack of attachment between the support elements also allows them to move laterally to each other when applying a pulling force to the proximal end of the ear. This causes the supporting elements to apply two opposing forces acting along the line of the scallop so that successive delamination of the scallop seam occurs. The application of such a delaminating force provides an easier separation of the scallop seam than the application of shear.

 Accordingly, the present invention also provides a box-end container having a pull-off ear attached externally to the wall of the container on or adjacent to the scallop structure, wherein a separating force can be applied to the scallop seam of the sealed container, characterized in that the distal end of the pull-off ear is attached to the outer wall of the container and that the fastening of the distal end is made by means of two laterally spaced sections of the distal end portion of the eye with an intermediate non-attachment a section located between the attached parts, whereby when the user pulls the eyelet, the pulling eye applies two oppositely directed forces to that section of the comb seam which is axially aligned with the indicated non-attached intermediate section.

The lashing eye for this application contains a stem having a proximal end, by which the user can grab and pull the tongue, and a distal portion by which the stem is attached to the container. The transverse size of the abalone stalk is increased in its distal section to provide laterally extending support elements attached to the container. The intermediate region of the distal end of the stem may or may not be attached to the container. Supporting elements usually extend 1-5 cm from each side of the eye stem and at any suitable angle to the stem, providing the required d: d 'ratio for attachment areas in which the supporting elements are attached to the container wall. The authors found that the internal angle between the proximal edges of the support elements and the longitudinal edges of the stem should be less than 90 ^o , preferably 15-80 ^o , especially about 45 ^o so that the forces exerted on the support elements when pulling the stalk of the ear of the user, did not lead to peeling mounts from the container wall. Such angles also allow the edges of the regions or attachment lines to take a predetermined orientation within the area of the support elements.

 The longitudinal edges of the stalk of the eye can cross at an acute angle the line of the proximal edge of each supporting element. However, it is preferable to provide a radius-curved intersection extending 1-5 mm along the longitudinal length of the stem. This rounding creates an obstacle for any rupture of the material of the abalone eyelet in this place and also allows the material of the abalone ear to deform in this place during the formation of V-shaped folds on the gable end of the container, and also reduces the rise of the proximal edge of the supporting elements and, thus, reduce peeling force acting on the fastening of the supporting elements to the container wall. When determining the position of the turning point of the abalone stem, it is necessary to make an allowance for such a rounding.

 In general, the authors believe that when determining the appropriate shape of the pulling eye, the location of the pivot point can be considered satisfactory in the middle between the longitudinal points along the axis of the stem, where the rounding begins and ends. However, it will be appreciated that when the user lifts and pulls the eyelet, the pivot point will move distally toward the end of the curve, so that the pivot point has its original position and end position when used, substantially aligned with the distal end of the curve.

 Therefore, the expression "pivot point" is considered to include both positions - both the initial and the extreme position when used.

It is particularly preferred that the eyelet is made in the form of a substantially T-shaped flat element having a triangular finger grip ring at its proximal end, connected by a stem to a pair of essentially triangular support elements that extend substantially at the same distance from each side of the point in which the support element is connected to the stem of the eyelet. The opposite edges of the gripping ring and support elements are substantially parallel to each other and tilted substantially 45 ^° to the longitudinal axis of the eye stem.

 It is also preferable that the proximal section of the ear with a hole for the finger (i.e., the grip ring) be provided with a corrugation or other means by which the user can grip the lug eye. Such forms of the abalone can be obtained using traditional equipment and technology of cutting, stamping or other processing.

The lashing eye can be made of a number of materials, depending on the method used to attach the supporting elements to the container wall. The lashing eye is preferably attached by heat sealing or ultrasound, and therefore it is preferable to make it from a material that is easily welded to the wall of the container. So the eye can be cut from a sheet of polyethylene or other thermoplastic having a low melting point. If the eyelet is attached to the container wall using hot melt glue, pressure sensitive glue, or double-sided adhesive tape, it may be desirable to corrode the polyethylene or otherwise treat it to make it susceptible to the adhesive. However, the authors found that polyethylene may not have the required tensile strength to apply sufficient force to the container seam without tearing the polyethylene itself. A particularly preferred material is a laminated material having one open surface formed of polyethylene, which can be thermally bonded to the container wall material, and one or more layers of a material with high tensile strength, for example polyester. It is particularly preferred that the other exposed surface of the laminated material is formed from a material that has a melting point higher than the melting temperature of the surface layer of the container wall, preferably at least 40 ^° C, so that this surface does not undergo significant melting during the formation of the scallop joint of the container. Particularly preferred is a polyester having a melting point of about 100 ^{° C.} higher than that of polyethylene. The use of such a laminated material reduces the risk of bonding the open surfaces of the eye with each other and / or with the wall of the container during heat sealing of the scallop seam.

 The lug eye can be attached to the container anywhere on the wall of the container or within the scallop portion of the structure, on which the attached sections of the lug eye can exert a separating force on the section of the scallop seam axially aligned with the lug eye. However, in order for the force exerted on the stem when the user pulls the pullback eye to exert sufficient force on the scallop stitch, it is preferable to attach the tab within 2.5 cm from the base of the scallop stitch. Thus, the lug eye can be attached to the inclined side wall at the gable end of the sealed container or to the open side wall of the straight scallop seam. However, it is particularly preferable to attach the eyelet to the gable wall of the corresponding end of the container so as to open the container in a manner similar to opening a traditional package. For convenience, the invention is described based on this preferred mounting location.

 The distal end of the lug ear can be included in the scallop structure. Since the distal parts of the eyelet are attached to the opposite surfaces of the “dry” walls of this section of the comb seam, they do not violate the integrity of the seam between the opposite “wet” walls of the comb seam. However, fixing the eyelet in the scallop structure may lead to excessive wrinkling of this part of the distal end of the eye within the V-shaped fold of the scallop suture. This may require the use of a release agent or other means to prevent the intermediate portion of the eyelet from sticking to the opposite areas of the scallop structure during its heat sealing when the container is closed after filling. Therefore, it is preferable that the laterally extending support elements of the drawback eye are attached to one or more sections of the gable wall of the corresponding end of the container below the scallop seam itself. This fastening can be carried out to the central triangular part of the gable end wall. This may require that the attachment point be at a certain distance axially from the base of the scallop seam, and thus the force exerted by the drawback ear will not directly affect the scallop stitch, and its effect on the scallop stitch will be reduced. Therefore, it is particularly preferable that the lashing eye is attached to the lateral triangular walls of the gable end, and not to the central triangular wall of the gable end. If the extension eye is attached in such a way, then after the end of the straight scallop seam is divided, as described above for the initial stage of opening the box with the formation of a T-shaped or Y-shaped seam when viewed from above, then the force exerted by the extension eye to the scallop seam, has a delaminating effect on the scallop at the point of intersection of the leg and the upper part (the tip in the Y-shaped or crossbar in the T-shaped) configuration, as a result of which the scallop seam is easily divided at this point. A force is also created across the line of the scallop suture, bending out the gable end wall to form a spout in the container and gradually separating the scallop suture on each side of the intersection point. As a result, the lashing eye attached in this way turned out to be more resistant to separation from the container wall than the lug attached to the central triangular gable wall or within the scallop structure, as was proposed in the prior art.

 Accordingly, in another aspect, the present invention provides a container with a box-shaped end, characterized in that the supporting elements of the drawback eye are attached to the triangular lateral (inclined) portions of the gable end of the container. The portion of the distal end of the eye stem between the support elements is preferably not attached to the wall of the container.

 The container may be made of a wide variety of materials, for example, wax coated cardboard, polymer coated cardboard, or laminated plastic sheet material. However, the invention is further described with respect to a conventional gable-end container made of cardboard laminated with polyethylene or another thermoplastic polymer. Such containers can be made by bending and securing the respective opposite edges of the flat workpiece using conventional technology and equipment. Although the lashing eye can be installed at any suitable time during the manufacture of the container, or its preform, or during filling and sealing of the assembled container, it is preferable to attach the eyelet to the preform before assembling the container using the conventional heat seal fastening method.

 Thus, the invention also provides a blank for use in the manufacture of an openable container according to the invention, which comprises a series of connected panels configured to bend and attach to each other to form a container, while the end sections of two of the blank panels are adapted to form the gable end walls of the assembled container, characterized in that on or adjacent to the end section of one or more panels forming these walls, a lashing eye is attached, rusting a substantially flat element having a proximal end adapted to be gripped and retracted by the user, an axially extending eye stalk and a distal end portion having support elements that extend laterally to each side thereof and by which a lashing eye is attached to the blank wall by means of attachment, characterized in that the fastening means has an edge proximal to the pivot point of the eye stem and made so that at least part of the edge extends perpendicular to the line, stalks of the turning point and intersects the edge between its ends.

 Each of these end sections of these two blank panels preferably serves to form the gable walls of the top of the container and is provided with substantially symmetrical fold lines forming a V-shape having its vertex at or adjacent to the central point of the end edge of the corresponding blank panel and its base at or adjacent the future base of the gable wall of the gable end and defining two laterally external triangular regions and an intermediate triangular region of the specified end part ka; and the supporting elements of the lug eye are attached to each of the laterally external triangular regions of at least one of said end sections.

 The drawback eye is preferably located axially symmetrical to the center line of the corresponding panel of the workpiece, essentially aligning it with that part of the end section of the panel, which should form the top of the V-shaped folds on the gable end of the assembled container.

 The drawback eye can be applied to the container blank using any suitable technology, for example, rotational or linear labeling using sticky seam, adhesive or other means of initial fastening the drawback eye in place, after which the eyelet is fixed in place with a subsequent full weld. However, it is usually desirable to fix the eyelet in place only with a full weld in one pass during the application and fixing of the lug eye.

 For convenience, the attachment of the eyelet to the container will be described in relation to the heat sealing of the supporting elements of the eyelet with the corresponding areas of the workpiece from which the container is subsequently made. Heat welding is preferably performed by conventional heat welding technology.

 As indicated above, the weld can extend over the entire area of the support element, but preferably it is made in the form of one or more linear welds between the support elements and the container wall material. The possibility of using linear welds to attach the supporting elements to the container wall reduces the risk of thermal damage to the pull eye and allows you to apply the pressure necessary for heat sealing in small areas, thereby reducing the amount of energy consumed by the heat sealing device. Such linear seams can be simple continuous or discontinuous straight lines, or they can form a rectangle, or have a different shape spanning the welded area. Welds may also extend along curved lines, and a particularly preferred shape of the line of the weld is an arc centered at the pivot point of the abalone stalk, so that all the forces created by pulling the proximal end of the abalone abut are applied substantially perpendicular to the line of the weld. If desired, several linear welds can be formed with gradually increasing distances from the turning point.

As indicated above, the welding regions preferably extend longitudinally both above (i.e., proximal) and below (i.e., distally) the pivot point of the lanyard. Preferably, at least one welding region on each side of the longitudinal axis of the stem of the pull eye continues continuously from a location above the pivot point to a place below it and has an edge proximal (proximal) to the pivot point and forming at least a portion of its length an internal angle with a longitudinal the axis of the stem of the eye, comprising from 20 to 80 ^o , preferably about 45 ^o . It is particularly preferred that the edges of the attachment lines or regions are adjacent and substantially parallel to the fold lines defining the boundaries between the three triangular portions of the gable end of the container, so that the forces exerted on the ear act directly on the seam of the ear.

 The optimum fastening shape can be easily determined based on the above indications using simple experimental methods.

 To facilitate separation of the scallop seam, it may be preferable to provide reduced adhesion between opposite surfaces of the dry walls in at least a portion typically comprised of 10 to 50% of the indentation of the V-folds within the scallop seam. This can be achieved by applying a release agent to selected areas of opposing “dry” walls, which should be included in the scallop joint. In another embodiment, such a weakening of the scallop suture can be achieved by partially or completely locating the distal end of the eye stem and / or side support elements in the scallop structure. However, the authors found that the placement of the attachment point of the pull eye on the lateral triangular surfaces of the gable end adjacent to the slopes usually allows a sufficient separating force to be applied to the scallop joint without the need for a release agent or other joint weakening agent, thereby reducing the risk of premature joint separation and container leakage. .

 The above-described preferred embodiment of the container is easily opened by partially separating one end of the straight scallop seam formed by conventional sealing of the container by heat sealing, and then applying tension to the proximal end of the pull eye.

 Accordingly, the invention also provides a method for opening a box-shaped opening of the inventive container according to the invention, comprising splitting the seam between the “dry” walls at the end of the scallop seam of the container adjacent the lug, or bending the ends of the scallop seam to give it a curved or T-shaped, or Y- shaped configuration and apply a tensile force to the proximal end of the pull eye so as to divide the seam between the "wet" walls of the seam, preferably at the intersection of the legs and the crossbar in the T-mod heat or legs and the tip Y-shaped seam configuration.

 The authors believe that at least initially, the force exerted on the “wet” walls of the scallop seam by means of a pulling eye is delaminating and acting in this place along the line of the scallop seam. However, this force will usually also include a component perpendicular to the line of the seam, which acts at least partially upward towards the lower edge of the scallop seam and provides upward delaminating force applied to the scallop seam, which further facilitates the separation of the scallop seam. Further application of tension to the lug eye causes a gradual separation of the seam substantially along the entire length with the formation of a pouring nozzle in the container. If desired, the container may be provided with one or more cut lines or fold lines to facilitate folding of the walls of the gable top and the associated side walls of the container to facilitate separation of the scallop suture and opening of the outlet in the container. Such lines can be formed using traditional technologies and equipment.

 The surfaces of the pouring nozzle in contact with the contents of the container being discharged are wet wall surfaces that were bonded together when the container was sealed and were not exposed to external contamination during storage and transportation of the container until it was opened. In addition, since the eyelet is attached to the container from the outside and does not form part of the edge of the spout, the product flowing through the spout will not come into contact with the eye and thus will not be contaminated with grease, dirt, etc. Therefore, the containers of the invention can be used for packaging food products and other substances that require sterile conditions and which should be subject to minimal contamination during discharge from the container. In addition, since the container and the pulling eye can be manufactured without the use of any metal components, the containers of the invention can be heated in a microwave. Consequently, the containers of the invention can be used to contain soups or other foods that require heating before consumption. Since the containers open easily and simply, the risk of spilling hot food on the user is reduced.

 Thus, the invention provides a simple and effective solution to the problem of opening an openable container with a box-shaped end, which does not require a substantial modification of the manufacturing and filling process, which allows the invention to be applied to conventional equipment. In an embodiment, the eye can be applied to an assembled or sealed container using any suitable machine located at the end of the assembly line, sealing or filling the container.

For a better understanding of the invention, the preferred embodiment is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an openable container with a box end in a fully enclosed configuration with a drawback eye;
FIG. 2, 3 and 4 show the container of FIG. 1 with a scallop seam partially opened, bent back to form an inverted “Y” configuration and divided to form a pouring spout of the container,
FIG. 5 is a plan view of a workpiece for use in assembling the container of FIG. 1,
FIG. 6 is a view of an embodiment of a preform having additional fold lines to facilitate the formation of a spout to the full length of the side wall of the container,
Fig.7 shows the location of the edge of the heat-welded area, attaching the supporting elements of the pull eye to the container wall, relative to the pivot point of the eye stem,
8-10 show alternative forms of linear seams for use in the present invention.

 The container comprises a substantially rectangular or square body 1 having a bottom closed with folds or other means conventional for forming the box, and which contains milk, fruit juice or other liquid or flowing powder. The container is made of paper or cardboard coated with wax or plastic, so that it can be easily folded by folding along the cut lines, etc., formed in the sheet blank from which the container is made, and in the assembled configuration, the container is fixed by heat sealing or other adhesive the overlap of the edge sections of the assembled container. In an embodiment, the container may be blown or extruded to form suitable plastic so that the container is formed as an entire product with an open top.

 When the container is made of a flat billet, it is bent and fixed in a predetermined assembled form by heat sealing, gluing, or other bonding method. For convenience, the invention is further described in connection with the use of cardboard coated with polyethylene or other thermoplastic, which is usually used in the manufacture of such containers.

 The upper end portions of the side walls of the container are stacked one on top of the other to form a conventional box-shaped end. In such an operation, a V-shaped fold is formed in each of two opposite side walls with the apex of each V-shaped fold directed toward the center line of the container. The result of this is to bring together the upper edges of the other two side walls with the formation of the gable end of the container. The upper edges of the side walls lie against each other with the formation of a scallop 2 located along a transverse line extending along the indentation line of the V-shaped folds. The edges are sealed by applying heat and pressure using a traditional thermal seal bar or the like. for the formation of a relatively deep transverse sealing joint along the scallop 2. The depth of this scalloped seam is sufficient to include the upper edges of the V-shaped bent walls to provide a fluid tight seal.

 The depressed portion of the end of the container is the gable end 3 and carries a pull eye 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the gable end wall A contains two fold lines 4 and 5, forming a triangle with an apex at the point at which the gable top of the container is formed Wall A bends to form a V-fold. On each side of these lines are areas B in the form of inverted triangles, which should form inclined surfaces (slopes) on the gable end of the assembled container, and the bases of which are located along the base of the upper end portion of wall A, which should be included in the scallop suture 2. Between these triangular regions B has another region C in the shape of an inverted triangle. These areas can be seen on the blanks shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

 The lashing eye, cut out of polyethylene-polyester laminated material, has a ring 11 at the proximal end of the stem 12. Two symmetrical triangular supporting elements 13 laterally extend from the stem of the eye. These elements are attached with a plastic layer to triangular sections B on each side of section C by heat sealing or in another way for example by gluing or riveting. The attachment continues along the shaded areas shown in the drawings, and, as will be noted, it does not extend into the intermediate section D of the stem between the supporting elements 13. The central portion of the pull tab formed from the stem 12 and ring 11 is not attached to the container wall, but may to bend freely from the container during the formation of the gable end of the container and during sealing of the scallop seam. If desired, the proximal end of the ring 11 may be temporarily attached by welding or otherwise to the wall of the container for transportation and storage until use.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the ring 11 is pulled, the stem of the pulling eye bends around point D. This point is a pivot point. The edge of the welds between the supporting elements 13 and the walls B proximal (proximal) to the pivot point D is located adjacent to the bend lines 4 and 5 and substantially parallel to them, so that the included angle between the edge of the weld and the longitudinal axis of the stem of the lug ear is about 45 ^o . A line drawn from the pivot point perpendicular to the edge of the weld seam crosses this edge between its ends, and the seam acts as a barrier to prevent seam separation. The heat-welded region extends both distally beyond the pivot point and proximal in front of it, and the d: d 'ratio is approximately 1: 1.

 Such a container can be assembled from the blank shown in FIG. 5 using conventional technologies and equipment.

 In use, a sealing joint between opposing “dry” walls along the scallop 2 is separated at the end that abuts the pull tab 10 as in a conventional container to give the scallop a T-shape in the plan view shown in FIG. 2 having a U leg and the crossbeam (wings) W in the head of the T-shaped configuration. The seam between the opposite “wet” walls of the wings is still intact, and thus the container remains sealed. If desired, the scallop in the head of the T-shaped configuration is bent backward, as shown in Fig. 3, to give the scalloped shape the Y inverted top view. Then, the user pulls on the ring 11 to cause the scallop seam to separate at the point of intersection X of the legs U and wings W and the formation of a pouring nozzle 15. The lug 10 remains below the edge of the pouring nozzle and does not contact the contents of the container, thereby reducing the risk of contamination of the contents of the container when it is discharged from the container.

 As shown in FIG. 4, spout 15 is relatively short. Therefore, it may be desirable to use additional fold lines 20, which, as shown in FIG. 16, extend from the top of region C to the base of the container, allowing the entire side wall of the container to be bent outward to form an opening extending along the entire height of the container, thereby facilitating smooth flow product from the container.

 Due to this arrangement and orientation of the welds, the support elements 13 are difficult to separate from the wall material, and thus, the user can exert considerable force on the comb joint without separating the support elements from the wall. On the contrary, when the extension eye was in the shape of T, so that the welds securing the head part “T” to the container wall did not extend close to the pivot point D, the extension eye easily peeled off the wall before the scallop seam was separated.

 As shown in Fig. 8, the support elements are attached to the wall by linear seams 20, and the lines E from the turning point, perpendicular to the line of the welds, intersect the linear seam between its ends. This method of attachment ensures that the pull tab remains attached to the container wall when the comb seam is already divided. In Fig.9 shows a group of linear seams 30 and 31, corresponding to the shape of the contour of the solid weld used in figure 1; figure 10 shows the arcuate welding seam 40. In figure 10, the dotted line also shows an embodiment of the support elements 13, which are cut in accordance with the arcuate shape of the welding seam 40. All of these embodiments of the welding seam in Fig.8 provide good fastening of the tightening abalone to the container wall.

Claims (16)

 1. A box-end container formed by folding inwardly the upper portions of two opposite side walls of the container to form a transverse scallop structure at the upper end of the container and thereby close the upper end of the container, this sealing structure being held closed by joining the material contact surfaces together walls in the scallop structure with the formation of a transverse scallop seam of the container, and the container carries a pull eye, while a separation force can be applied to the scallop seam of the sealed container so as to separate at least a portion of the scallop joint connection and thus open the container to allow release of its contents, characterized in that a) the pull tab contains a substantially flat element in its free state, having an axially extending stem with a proximal end portion adapted to be gripped and retracted by the user, and a distal end portion having supporting elements extending transverse to each side of the stem, by which the lug eye is attached to the container, the stem and supporting elements in their free state are essentially in the same plane with each other, b) the lug eye is attached by supporting elements to the outer surface of the comb structure of the container and / or to the outer the wall of the container adjacent to the scallop structure, c) the stem of the pull eye has a pivot point around which the stem of the ear bends relative to the supporting elements when applied to the proximal end of the stem traction when opening the container, wherein this pivot point is located longitudinally to the eye stem substantially in alignment with the proximal connection of the stem and support elements, and d) the support elements are attached to the container by attachment means having attachment areas that extend substantially symmetrically about the longitudinal axis of the stem and which extend longitudinally at a distance d distally beyond the pivot point and a distance d proximal to the pivot point, and the d: d ratio is from 10: 1 to 1: 10.  2. The container according to claim 1, characterized in that the fastening of each of the supporting elements to the container wall is carried out using fastening means, which are the edge proximal to the pivot point and which is made so that as it part extends perpendicular to the line passing from the specified proximal edge to the specified turning point, and the specified line intersects the specified edge between its ends.  3. The container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the fastening of the supporting elements is made by means of one or more heat sealing seams.  4. The container according to claim 3, characterized in that the heat sealing seams are in the form of linear seams.  5. A container according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the supporting elements are attached to the container by laterally spaced attachment areas, at least one such area being located on each side of the longitudinal axis of the stem of the pull eye, with an intermediate, non-attached area located between such areas attachment, while the pulling eye creates two opposite forces on that portion of the scallop seam, which is in axial alignment with the specified intermediate non-attachment ennoy area when the user pulls the tie-down eye.  6. The container according to any preceding paragraph, characterized in that the supporting elements are attached to the gable end triangular walls of the gable end of the container.  7. A workpiece for use in the manufacture of a container with a box-shaped end, comprising a series of side-connected panels adapted for folding and fastening to each other so as to form a container, the end sections of two non-adjacent panels of these being adapted to form the gable end walls of the assembled container, this blank has a lug attached to the end section of one or more wall panels or adjacent to this section, characterized in that a) the lug tab contains there is a flat element having an axially extending stem with a proximal end portion adapted for gripping and pulling by the user, and a distal end portion having supporting elements extending transversely to each side of the stem, by which the pulling eye is attached to the container, the stem and supporting elements in their in a free state are located essentially in the same plane with each other, b) the lug eye is attached by supporting elements to the outer surface of the workpiece panel or on the decree panel, which is adjacent to that portion of the panel that forms the scallop structure of the container assembled from this preform, c) the stalk of the pull eye has a pivot point around which the stalk of the eye bends relative to the supporting elements when tension is applied to the proximal end of the stem when opening the container, this pivot point is located longitudinally to the stalk of the eyelet, substantially aligned with the proximal connection of the stem and support elements, and d) the support elements are attached to the container by means fastenings having fastening areas that extend substantially symmetrically around the longitudinal axis of the stem and which extend longitudinally at a distance d distally beyond the pivot point and a distance d proximal to the pivot point, and the d: d ratio is from 10: 1 to 1: 10.  8. The preform according to claim 7, characterized in that the lug eye is attached to that portion of the panel that will form the gable end wall of the assembled container.  9. A lashing eye suitable for use with a container with a box-shaped end or with a blank according to any preceding paragraph, containing in its free state a substantially flat element having a proximal end section adapted to be gripped and pulled by a user, a longitudinally extending stem and a distal section, whereby the lashing eye should be attached to the wall of the container or to the workpiece for use in the manufacture of the container, characterized in that a) the distal section contains m supporting elements extending laterally to each side of the stem, by means of which the lug eye can be attached to the container or to the workpiece, while the stem and supporting elements in their free state are essentially in the same plane with each other, b) the stem of the lug eye has the pivot point around which the stem bends relative to the support elements when tension is applied to the proximal end of the stem when the container is opened, wherein the pivot point is longitudinally disposed to the stem with combining with the proximal connection of the stem and supporting elements, and c) the supporting elements extend substantially symmetrically around the longitudinal axis of the stem and extend longitudinally to a distance d distally beyond the pivot point and to a distance d 'proximally before the pivot point, and the ratio d: d' is from 10: 1 to 1: 10. 10. A lashing eye according to claim 9, characterized in that the included angle between the proximal edge of the support element and the longitudinal axis of the stem is from 15 to 80 ^o . 11. The lug according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the lug is made of laminated material of two polymeric materials, one of which has a melting point of at least 40 ^{° C.} above the melting temperature of the other.  12. A lashing eye according to claim 11, characterized in that it is made of a laminated material of polyester and polyethylene.  13. The method of opening an openable container with a box-shaped end according to any one of paragraphs. 1-6, providing for the separation of the connection between the contacting surfaces of the material of the dry walls at one end of the scallop seam or bending the ends of the scallop seam so as to form a scallop seam having a curved, or T-shaped, or Y-shaped configuration, and applying tension to the proximal end the abalone eye so as to divide the connection between the contacting surfaces of the wet walls in the scallop seam.  14. The method according to p. 13, characterized in that the connection of the wet walls in the scalloped seam is first divided at the intersection of the rack and the head of the T- or Y-shaped configuration of the seam.  15. The method according to p. 13, characterized in that it provides for the separation of the seam between the dry walls at the end of the scallop seam of the container, which is adjacent to the pulling eye, so as to form a scallop seam having the configuration of the inverted Y, and applying tension to the proximal end of the pull abalone so as to divide the seam between the wet walls of the scallop seam in the head of this inverted Y. 16. The method according to p. 15, characterized in that the shoulders of the head part Y are inclined at an angle from 120 to 180 ^{o to} each other.

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