RU2355618C2 - Container work piece and container production method from work pieces - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: packaging industry.

SUBSTANCE: work piece is provided with two panel sections from flexible packaging material, which adjoin each other. Besides, panel sections are limited by rim and interconnected along the rim length to form closed compartment. Besides the container work piece has the first end section, which is implemented so that at least one angular section of the container work piece could be bent inside to form the bottom surface as container work piece is filled up. The claimed group of inventions is also referred to a method of container production from the above-mentioned work piece. The claimed group of inventions provides for producing cardboard work piece, which can be made and delivered in the form of roll being wound-up equally along the whole its length. At the same time equal welding parametres are involved along the connection ensuring reliable joining.

EFFECT: group of inventions ensuring work piece production using existing but slightly modified equipment, low cost of work piece production and low container price.

11 cl, 12 dwg

Description

The present invention relates to a container blank and a method for manufacturing a container from such a container blank.

A container of flexible packaging material, intended primarily for containing liquid, is known, for example, from WO 99/41155, which describes a compressible type container comprising three wall sections, two of which form opposite side walls, and the third forms the bottom wall . These walls, made of plastic, are flexible and connected to each other to form a compartment, the volume of which depends on the relative position of these walls. This type of container is often used primarily for containing liquids such as food and cleaning products.

The bottom-forming wall may be a separate part inserted between two separate side walls and connected to them to form a compartment. With this production method, three separate webs of material are used, which are joined together in the process. The bottom-forming wall can also be made using a web of material folded W-shaped and attached to other walls to form a compartment. Such joining is preferably carried out by welding or gluing.

Such a container is very advantageous because it is made of container blanks, which can be stored as a rolled sheet containing a lot of container blanks before the filling and sealing operation, when, in fact, the container is formed. This container is relatively cheap, environmentally friendly and easy to use.

Regardless of which of these options can be selected to perform forming the bottom of the wall, there may be inconvenience when working with such container blanks. In those areas where the bottom-forming wall is attached to the side walls, four layers of material are formed, which means that the weld in these places will include all four layers of material, and in other areas only two layers of material. This creates problems during welding, since the required power, pressure and processing time will be different along the length of the seam of the container blank. In addition, it may be difficult to provide a sealed connection between the four and two layers of material, respectively.

When such a continuous web of blanks is rolled up, this also means that this roll along its width will have a surface with different windings. The thickness measured at a point above the connecting portion between the bottom-forming wall and the side walls, in which four layers of material are joined, will actually be twice the thickness measured at other points.

Therefore, there is a need to create another design of such a container, which, while retaining its function, would be produced from a workpiece that eliminates the problems of containers of this type.

An object of the present invention is to provide a container blank that can be made and delivered in the form of a roll with the same winding over its entire width.

Another objective of the invention is to provide a container blank that can be produced using the same welding parameters along the entire connecting section.

Another objective of the present invention is to ensure the production of a container blank that would have a reliable connection along the entire connecting section.

And another objective of the present invention is to provide a container blank, which could be released using existing equipment, possibly with minor reconstruction.

And another objective of the present invention is to provide a container blank, which could be produced at a low price.

And finally, another objective of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a container from such a container blank.

To solve the above and other problems, which will be clear from the following description, the present invention provides a container blank having such properties as stated in claim 1. In this case, preferred embodiments are set out in paragraphs 2-8. In addition, in claim 9, a method for manufacturing a container from such a container blank is claimed. Preferred embodiments of this method are set forth in paragraphs 10-11 of the claims. In one aspect, the present invention relates to a container blank which is characterized in that it has two flat panel portion adjacent to each other and are made of flexible packaging material, each of them is limited to the rim, and along these rims data panel portions are interconnected to the formation of a closed compartment, while this container blank has a first end section, which is designed so that at least one corner of this blank can be bent in ynera to form a bottom surface in connection with filling the contents of the container blank to form a container proper therefrom.

Such a container blank includes two panel sections and has a double material thickness over its entire surface. Thus, the connection obtained by welding is facilitated, since the same welding parameters can be used on the entire connecting section. This, in turn, means that the welding tool can be very simple.

When using a container blank having the same material thickness over its entire surface, a very smooth twisting of the continuous blank web is achieved, from which container blanks are then made, since the resulting roll will have the same winding over its entire width. Such uniform winding is important to prevent bending, which may make it difficult to fit it correctly in packaging machines. This uniform winding also means that the workpiece rolls can be safely stored in a lying position. This represents a significant difference compared to container blanks made according to the prior art, which includes both sections with four layers of material and sections with two layers of material, resulting in a very heterogeneous winding. In addition, a roll of a certain diameter can hold about two times more container blanks than a roll of the same diameter containing conventional container blanks.

Panel sections can be represented by a sheet folded once. This sheet, which in the preferred embodiment is a continuous web of material, is bent once (V-shaped), thus forming a central fold line. This sheet has rims, of which this fold is one rim and which together form these panel sections. In other words, two panel sections are formed on each side of the fold. It should be noted that in industrial production it is much faster to perform a single sheet bending than to bend this sheet in a W-shape. This results in the biggest cost savings.

Panel sections can also be represented as two separate sheets. These two sheets, which preferably consist of two separate sheets of material to be joined together, are flat and adjacent to each other. These sheets have rims that together form these panel sections.

Preferably, said rims form at least one corner. In the process of preparing the container blank to form the container, the folding operation actually occurs to form the bottom surface of the container. Such an operation requires folding of at least one corner portion to form a prismatic bottom surface.

Preferably, the container blank comprises scored lines at its first end portion. The scalloped lines facilitate the bending process, while at the same time providing a clearer shape of the bottom surface, which, in turn, makes the container more stable and aesthetically more attractive.

Preferably, said compartment is also sterile. With the compartment closed, sterility is maintained until the compartment is opened for filling with the intended contents, when a container is formed from the container blank.

Preferably, the rim at the second end portion also forms a filling channel. A second end portion may be formed, for example, at an end opposite the first end portion. The filling channel is intended to facilitate the filling operation. This filling channel can also be used as a drain hole in an open container.

For the continuous production of container blanks and also further operations with these container blanks, preferably the individual container blank is one constituent element in a whole series of mutually connected container blanks. Such a continuous web of blanks can be presented in the form of a roll, which is easy to handle and transport. In addition, the processing of container blanks is simplified in the machine, which is later used for the operation of making fully formed containers from container blanks.

According to another aspect, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a container from a container blank having the features claimed in claims 1 to 8 of the claims, which include the steps of: making an opening communicating the compartment with the environment; filling the compartment through said opening with contents, after which this opening is sealed; bending said corner portion located at an end portion of a given container blank to form a bottom surface; and fixing said curved corner portion.

Preferably, said curved corner portion is attached to said bottom surface. Such an attachment is preferably carried out by hot melt adhesive.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a container, which is characterized in that it has two panel sections which are made of flexible packaging material and which are limited by rims along which the panel sections are mutually connected, involving at least a part of said rims, they are interconnected by sealing at the connecting portion, and the two panel sections constituting the end portion in the first section are bent to form a bottom surface.

Thanks to this design solution, the total thickness of the material at the place where the rims of these panel sections are connected is the same throughout the connecting section, which means that the risk of defects in the connection can be reduced or completely eliminated. If the connection is made by welding, then the same parameters can be used on the entire connecting section, such as the duration of welding, power and pressure, as a result of which both these parameters and welding tools can be easily operated in the optimal mode.

When the number of layers of material at the connecting section is the same over the entire surface of the container blank, and the bottom forming area of the container is half compared with the prior art containers, then a roll with such blanks has about twice as many container blanks. As a result, the number of shutdowns of the equipment for changing rolls during the production process can be reduced by half. This reduces the cost of each unit of container.

Moreover, existing machines designed for the production of containers of the prior art, after minor reconstruction can be involved in this case.

Preferably, the panel portions in the first indicated section comprise scribed lines. These scored lines help to make the bottom surface of the pains clear, which makes the container more stable and aesthetically more attractive. These scoring lines also facilitate the folding operation that is required to make the bottom surface.

Preferably, the bottom surface is rectangular. However, it is understood that, if desired, the bottom surface can be imparted to a prismatic shape when bent. By prismatic form is meant a two-dimensional form with angles.

Preferably, the panel portions upon folding form valves attached to said bottom surface.

Such a container may further include a gas-filled tube handle. This handle is preferably carried out along one side of the container and forms a roller when it is filled with gas, which is convenient to hold in hand and which simultaneously gives the container rigidity.

In addition, these two panel sections can form opposite side walls on their second section, that is, these side walls can be mutually connected to form a closed bag-shaped compartment using a bent bottom surface. This second section may also preferably comprise means for forming an opening, which, for example, may consist of a tear-off element or have an opening provided with a plug. The means for forming an opening in the form of a tear-off element is most easily performed on the corner portion where a spout opening in the form of a spout is formed.

In accordance with another aspect, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing container blanks, comprising the steps of providing two flat panel sections adjacent to each other, made of flexible packaging material and defined by rims, these rims forming at least one corner of these panel sections ; and restrictions on the enclosed compartment by connecting these panel sections along said rims.

The present invention will now be described in more detail using an example of a presently preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figa and 1b, respectively, a side view and a bottom view of the container according to the invention.

Figure 2 - schematic view of the workpiece according to the invention.

Figa-3d - schematic views of the stages of manufacturing a workpiece according to the invention.

Figa-4d are schematic views of the stages of the manufacture of the container from the workpiece.

Figa and 1b show the container 1 according to the invention. The container 1 is shown in a closed state and filled with liquid contents. The container 1, in particular, is intended for liquid food products such as milk, water, juice or wine. Of course, the container 1 can also be used for non-fluid products and non-food products.

The container 1 is a container of a compressible type, that is, its volume depends on the relative position of its side walls, which means that the volume of this compartment depends on the degree of filling. The container 1 includes two flexible panel sections 2, which form the side walls 3 of the container. Each panel section 2 is bounded by rims 4. These panel sections are mutually connected through connecting sections 5 extending along said rim 4 to form a closed compartment 6. Panel sections 2 are preferably mutually connected by welding along connecting sections 5.

These two flat panel sections 2 form the first section 7, which constitutes the end section 26. At this end section 26, which in the shown embodiment makes up the lower part of the container 1, two opposite corner sections 8 belonging to the two panel sections 2 are transversally bent relative to the connecting section 5, thus forming the bottom surface 9 of the container 1. The bottom surface 9 extends in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis L of the container 1. As shown, the bottom surface 9 formed by curved sections, may, in accordance with the type of material used and its thickness, be limited by scoring lines (fold lines) 10. Scoring lines 10 are also preferably performed to form valves 11 obtained by folding the corner sections 8. Valves 11 are bent towards the bottom surface 9 and attached to it with hot melt glue. It is understood that the valves 11 can just as well bend outward in the direction of the side walls 3 of the container 1 and be attached to them or else be arranged in some other way.

The container 1 shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b further has an end portion 14 in the second section 12. At this second end portion 14, the container 1 has an angled portion 15 that is adapted to be removed, for example, by cutting or tearing, to open the container 1. As a result of this operation, a spout forms in the container.

In the shown embodiment, the panel sections 2 in the second section 12 form opposite side walls that are mutually connected at the periphery.

The container 1 has a gas-filled channel 13 at the connecting portion 5, extending along one side of the second section 12. The gas-filled channel 13 is made in the form of a handle-roller, which is convenient to take. This gas-filled channel 13 also gives the container 1 rigidity.

The container 1 is preferably made of a material including a mineral filler and a polyolefin as a binder. The mineral filler is preferably chalk (calcium carbonate).

The container 1, as described above, is made from the blank of the container 16, which will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3a-3d. The blank of the container 16 may include two flat panel sections 2 that are adjacent to each other and are connected by two separate paintings of material 17 or sheets, see figa, or alternatively includes two flat panel sections 2 or sheets that are adjacent to each other friend and are performed with a single fold of the canvas material 17 (V-shaped), see figa. The resulting bend 18 thus forms a rim 4. In Fig. 1b, the bend 18 is preferably performed on the first end portion 26 of the blank of the container 16, that is, so that the bend 18 in the completed container 1 is on the bottom surface 9 of this container.

Thus, these two panel sections 2 are mutually connected along their rims 4 to form a closed compartment 6, and the rims 4 form the contour of the container blank 16 from the outside. This connection can also be performed either by a combined operation, including bending and welding, or only by welding. Welding is the preferred method of joining, as it is a quick and easy process. However, it is positive that gluing can be used, for example.

In figure 2, these two panel sections 2 form, with their rims 4, an almost rectangular figure on the container blank 16 shown, whose geometry is represented by the front boundary line 19, the rear boundary line 20, the upper boundary line 21 and the lower boundary line 22.

The rear boundary line 20, that is, the boundary line of the side that is intended to form the manual grip surface in the completed container 1, together with the intermediate boundary line 23 forms a channel 13 ', intended for filling with gas. The front boundary line 19 is connected to the rear boundary line 20, the upper boundary line 21 and the lower boundary line 22, respectively. The upper boundary line 21 is designed so as to completely or partially separate before filling the blank of the container 16, and then be re-formed for sealing after filling. The transition between the front boundary line 19 and the upper boundary line 21 forms an angular portion 15, which must be removed to open the container 1 so as to form a spout. To facilitate this separation, a special tear line (not shown) can be made on the container blank 16.

The lower boundary line 22 and the intermediate lower boundary line 24 together with the lower parts of the front boundary line 19 and the rear boundary line 20, respectively, form a region which, when bent, is intended to form the bottom surface 9 of the fully completed container 1. The bottom surface 9 was described above when describing the container 1 and is clearly shown in fig.1b.

As can be seen in figure 2, the intersection lines A, B, C, D between the rear boundary line 20, the upper boundary line 21 , the front boundary line 19 and the intermediate lower boundary line 24 are the angular portions of the parallelogram having an angle of inclination α relative to the longitudinal axis L container blanks 16. In this parallelogram, the front boundary line 19 forms an angle that is sharp relative to the intermediate lower boundary line 24. Thus, the front boundary line 19, the upper boundary line 21, the intermediate boundary line The line 23 and the intermediate lower boundary line 24 form a central portion 25 of the compartment 6, having the shape of a substantially symmetrical truncated cone. The angle α in combination with the shape of the truncated cone does not allow the container 1 made of the blank of the container 16 to lean forward due to the shifted center of gravity. Since the possibility of tilting is reduced, any risk of bending the container 1 along the front boundary line 19 is also reduced, as can be seen in FIG. 1a. The selected value of the angle α depends on such parameters as the height, width and stiffness of the material the container is made of, so it seems difficult to give a specific value of this angle. Another important factor for choosing the angle is the geometric section of the compartment 6, which is formed by the panel sections 2 and the bottom surface 9, respectively, with the filled state of the container 1.

In order to facilitate said bending to provide a bottom surface 9, as well as to reduce material stress caused by bending, the first end portion 26 may include scribed lines 10. Scored lines 10 may be provided along some or all of the bending lines.

The blank of the container 16, shown in figure 2, is intended for the production of the container 1 with a rectangular bottom surface 9.

Next, with reference to figa-d will be described a method of manufacturing a blank container 16.

Starting with fig.3d, container blanks are preferably made in the form of a continuous web of blanks 27, including a large number of container blanks 16, which are arranged one after the other and rolled up into a roll 28 for further processing. Container blanks 16 can, of course, also be executed one after another from the material presented in the form of sheets.

The continuous web of blanks 27 can be made either from two separate cloths of material 17, as shown in FIG. 3a, which are joined together to form two flat cloths of material adjacent to each other, or, as shown in FIG. 3a ', once bending the continuous web of material 17 to form a central longitudinal bend 18.

Cloth blanks 27 is fed to the processing site, see fig.3b, where using the welding operation 29, or alternatively by means of the gluing operation, two sheets of material 17 are joined together. This connection runs along geometric lines corresponding to the outer contour, that is, along the rims 4 of the blank of the container 16, which means that each blank of the container 16 will now include two flat panel sections 2 adjacent to each other and limited by the rims 4.

 As a result of welding, the rims 4 form a closed compartment 6 in each blank of the container 16. This means that the compartment 6 will be sterile in the manufacture of the blank of the container 16 and that this sterility will be maintained until the container blanks 16 are opened before filling to form a container one.

The rims 4 give the preform of the container 16 such a contour that at least one corner portion 8 is formed. In fact, at least one corner portion 8 is required to bend the container blank 16 to form said bottom surface 9 .

In Fig. 3c, the creasing lines 10 are conveniently located on the panel sections along some or all of the bending lines, which are configured to form a bottom surface during subsequent bends. In Fig. 3c, the creasing lines 10 are performed in a separate operation after welding. However, it is understood that scored lines 10 may be made before or after welding, or alternatively, on the same equipment that is used for welding. The scoring lines can even be made in advance on the web or webs of material that is used to produce container blanks. This operation may also not be performed.

On fig.3d now the finished continuous web of blanks 27 is rolled up into a roll 28. Since each blank of the container 16 includes only two layers of material, the roll 28 will have the same winding over its entire width. However, it is clear that the thickness of the material in place above the welded rims will be slightly less, but this difference is inevitable and insignificant. Equal winding means that rolls 28 can be stored without problems.

In connection with the folding of the blanks into a roll, excess material, that is, material extending beyond the rims, can be cut with cutting equipment. Of course, such cutting can also be performed earlier or in the process of preparing the formation of containers 1.

The formed web of blanks 27 can, of course, also be immediately sent to the machine for the direct production of containers instead of rolling the manufactured web into a roll 28.

Now with reference to figa-4d will be described a method of manufacturing a container 1 from the above blanks of the container 16.

In Fig. 4a, a blank web 27 with container blanks 16 is fed into a sterile room 30, where the blank of the container 16 opens preferably along the upper boundary line 21 , as a result of which the compartment 6 communicates with the environment. Then, a filling mouthpiece 31 is inserted through the hole, after which the container blank 16 is filled with the intended contents and finally sealed again. The specified hole can be made in the filling channel (not shown) at the second end portion 14 of the container blank. In connection with this operation, the channel 13 'for filling with gas is preferably filled with gas through the schematically indicated mouthpiece 32.

After filling, the container blank 16 will resemble a filled bag 33, see Fig. 4c.

Depending on how the equipment used is designed, it is clear that before or after filling it can separate individual container blanks, in which case they are processed one after another. Preferably, this separation occurred before filling.

The filled bag 33 is transferred to a new processing location (not shown), where this bag is initially compressed to squeeze the contents from the first end portion 26, which, when the container is completed, is intended to form a bottom surface 9.

Then, the corner portions 8 are bent to form a bottom surface 9. Thus, the corner portions 8 form valves 11, which can be bent either under the bottom surface 9 or upward to the side walls 3 of the container 1. In order to facilitate bending and so that the bottom surface 9 has a sharper geometric shape, it is preferable that the preform of the container 16 includes the scoring lines 10 described above.

And finally, the bent valves 11 are attached, as shown in the example, to the bottom surface 9. These valves can also be attached in another way or to another surface. It seems convenient to carry out the attachment of hot melt adhesive.

As a result of the above steps, a completely finished container 1 is obtained.

If the container blank 16 includes the above-mentioned additional channels (not shown) that are integrated into the double walls of the panel portions 2, they are filled with gas, if possible, together with the operation of filling the compartment with contents or, alternatively, together with the re-sealing operation after completion of filling, or together with the gas filling of the channel 13 'for the possible formation of the handle.

It should be appreciated that said folding of the bottom surface 9 can be performed before filling the container blank 16 with the intended contents. However, the advantage of bending the preform of the container 16 in the filled state is that its side walls 3 are separated from each other by the contents, thereby facilitating the bending process.

Although the above is a description of the container preform and methods for producing a container from such a preform, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the options and steps of the production method given here. Various modifications and variations are possible, therefore, the scope of the present invention is determined solely by the claims.

Claims (11)

1. A container blank, characterized in that it has two flat panel sections (2) adjacent to each other, made of flexible packaging material and bounded each by a rim (4) along which the panel sections (2) are mutually connected to form a closed compartment (6), wherein the container blank (16) has a first end portion (26) that is configured to allow inward folding of at least one corner portion (8) of the container blank (16) to form a bottom surface (9) ) due to filling iem container blank (16) for the container (1). 2. The container blank according to claim 1, in which the panel sections (2) are provided from a once folded sheet. 3. The container blank according to claim 1, in which the panel sections (2) are provided in the form of two separate sheets. 4. The container blank according to claim 1, wherein said rims (4) form at least one corner. 5. The container blank according to claim 1, in which the first specified end section (26) contains scored lines (10). 6. The container blank according to claim 1, wherein said compartment (6) is sterile. 7. The container blank according to claim 1, wherein the rim (4) at the second end portion (14) forms a filling channel. 8. The container blank according to claim 1, which is made as one in a row of mutually connected blanks (16) of containers, forming a roll (28). 9. A method of manufacturing a container from a preform (16) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising the steps of:
making holes communicating compartment (6) with the environment;
filling this compartment (6) with contents through said opening, and then sealing this opening;
bending said angular portion (8) located at an end portion (26) of the workpiece (16) to form a bottom surface (9); and
attaching said curved corner portion (8). 10. The method according to claim 9, in which the specified curved corner portion (8) is attached to the specified bottom surface (9). 11. The method according to claim 9, in which the specified curved corner section (8) is attached with hot melt glue.

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