US20130233912A1 - Packaging system - Google Patents

Packaging system Download PDF

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Publication number
US20130233912A1
US20130233912A1 US13/583,483 US201113583483A US2013233912A1 US 20130233912 A1 US20130233912 A1 US 20130233912A1 US 201113583483 A US201113583483 A US 201113583483A US 2013233912 A1 US2013233912 A1 US 2013233912A1
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
outer cover
packaging container
flexible bag
inner flexible
outlet part
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US13/583,483
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English (en)
Inventor
Christian Piotrowski
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
VITA PAK GmbH
VITA PAK UG
Original Assignee
VITA PAK UG
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by VITA PAK UG filed Critical VITA PAK UG
Assigned to VITA PAK GMBH reassignment VITA PAK GMBH ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: PIOTROWSKI, CHRISTIAN
Publication of US20130233912A1 publication Critical patent/US20130233912A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D77/00—Packages formed by enclosing articles or materials in preformed containers, e.g. boxes, cartons, sacks or bags
    • B65D77/04—Articles or materials enclosed in two or more containers disposed one within another
    • B65D77/06—Liquids or semi-liquids or other materials or articles enclosed in flexible containers disposed within rigid containers
    • B65D77/062—Flexible containers disposed within polygonal containers formed by folding a carton blank
    • B65D77/065—Spouts, pouring necks or discharging tubes fixed to or integral with the flexible container
    • B65D77/067—Spouts, pouring necks or discharging tubes fixed to or integral with the flexible container combined with a valve, a tap or a piercer
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D11/00—Containers having bodies formed by interconnecting or uniting two or more rigid, or substantially rigid, components made wholly or mainly of plastics material
    • B65D11/02—Containers having bodies formed by interconnecting or uniting two or more rigid, or substantially rigid, components made wholly or mainly of plastics material of curved cross-section
    • B65D11/04—Bottles or similar containers with necks or like restricted apertures designed for pouring contents
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B1/00—Packaging fluent solid material, e.g. powders, granular or loose fibrous material, loose masses of small articles, in individual containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, or jars
    • B65B1/02—Machines characterised by the incorporation of means for making the containers or receptacles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B3/00—Packaging plastic material, semiliquids, liquids or mixed solids and liquids, in individual containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, or jars
    • B65B3/02—Machines characterised by the incorporation of means for making the containers or receptacles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D21/00—Nestable, stackable or joinable containers; Containers of variable capacity
    • B65D21/02—Containers specially shaped, or provided with fittings or attachments, to facilitate nesting, stacking, or joining together
    • B65D21/0201—Containers specially shaped, or provided with fittings or attachments, to facilitate nesting, stacking, or joining together stackable or joined together side-by-side
    • B65D21/0204—Containers specially shaped, or provided with fittings or attachments, to facilitate nesting, stacking, or joining together stackable or joined together side-by-side and joined together by interconnecting formations forming part of the container, e.g. dove-tail, snap connections, hook elements
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D21/00—Nestable, stackable or joinable containers; Containers of variable capacity
    • B65D21/02—Containers specially shaped, or provided with fittings or attachments, to facilitate nesting, stacking, or joining together
    • B65D21/0233—Nestable containers
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D71/00—Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans or pop bottles; Bales of material
    • B65D71/0085—Packaging elements adhered to the articles, e.g. a carton sheet
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D77/00—Packages formed by enclosing articles or materials in preformed containers, e.g. boxes, cartons, sacks or bags
    • B65D77/04—Articles or materials enclosed in two or more containers disposed one within another
    • B65D77/06—Liquids or semi-liquids or other materials or articles enclosed in flexible containers disposed within rigid containers
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D77/00—Packages formed by enclosing articles or materials in preformed containers, e.g. boxes, cartons, sacks or bags
    • B65D77/04—Articles or materials enclosed in two or more containers disposed one within another
    • B65D77/06—Liquids or semi-liquids or other materials or articles enclosed in flexible containers disposed within rigid containers
    • B65D77/062—Flexible containers disposed within polygonal containers formed by folding a carton blank
    • B65D77/065—Spouts, pouring necks or discharging tubes fixed to or integral with the flexible container
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
    • Y10T29/00—Metal working
    • Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
    • Y10T29/49815—Disassembling

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a packaging system for pourable liquids, powders, and granules, particularly pourable food products.
  • Containers are known from the state of the art that are generally made from a plurality of different materials, or that have such complex designs that commercial application is not possible for cost reasons.
  • a packaging container produced from polyethylene and aluminum and having a laminated tube-shaped multilayer packaging material is described in DE 69910428 T2.
  • a further problem for packaging containers from the state of the art can be seen in that when the packaging is opened, air flows into the packaging, and the contents of the packaging container come into contact with the surrounding air, setting various chemical processes in motion, particularly for liquid food products, which can lead to a reduction in shelf life and thus more rapid spoilage of the liquid contents.
  • Packaging does indeed exist that folds together when emptied, thus preventing the entry of air, but said packaging is difficult to stack, requires an unnecessarily large amount of space for transport, and is insufficiently resistant to external compressive forces.
  • a form of sack-like packaging containers is disclosed in EP 0 746 507 B1, made of only the flexible bag and comprising no outer cover, difficult to stack and insufficiently resistant to compressive forces, because the containers are loose in the carton and therefore cannot support any load, but that largely prevent the entry of air into the containers.
  • the object of the present invention is thus to provide a packaging system for pourable liquids, powders, and granulates, particularly pourable food products, that allows simple return to the recovered substance cycle after use and potentially lower-cost production.
  • the shelf life of the contents of the packaging container should be increased for some embodiments. In this manner, the known problems with packaging containers according to the state of the art are to be overcome.
  • the packaging container according to the invention preferably comprises an outer cover partially or completely enclosing the inner bag, preferably a carton or a hard shell but also possibly made from fabric or other natural materials or plastics, an inner bag having an outlet opening, and an outlet part connected thereto.
  • the inner flexible bag can be separated from the outer cover either by pulling on the outlet part connected thereto, or can be separated out of or removed from the hard shell by opening the same or by means of special tear open or separating mechanisms.
  • the outlet part is preferably integrally connected to the flexible bag, particularly welded.
  • the outlet part therefore also advantageously comprises no further sealing devices such as sealing ribs or sealing rings that generally can only cause leaks.
  • the preferred integral embodiment of the flexible bag having the outlet part makes such planned tearing sites and further sealing devices unnecessary.
  • the outlet part can preferably be inserted in at least one track disposed on the outer cover. It can thus be ensured that the outlet part is securely seated and does not rotate when turning to open, for example.
  • the track is advantageously not round, but particularly preferably rectangular in design, so that any rotational motion of the outlet part can be prevented.
  • the outlet part is advantageously formed so as to be able to engage in the tracks of the outer cover in a complementary manner.
  • No valve is advantageously provided in the area of the outlet opening.
  • the advantage thereby is that the packaging container according to the invention can be produced substantially less expensively and more simply.
  • a valve is required in order to prevent the escape of liquids and to prevent environmental air contaminated by germs from flowing into the container after dispensing.
  • the packaging container according to the present invention has the advantage that dispensing is possible without subsequent inflow of air contaminated by germs even without a valve, because the flexible inner bag collapses during dispensing and therefore no vacuum whatsoever that could cause inflow of air contaminated by germs occurs in the packaging container.
  • the wall thickness of the outer cover is advantageously in a range from 0.1 to 2 mm, particularly in a range from 0.15 to 1 mm. If the wall thickness is less than said range, then there is a risk that the packaging container will be easily pressed inward when picking up the packaging container. If the wall thickness is greater than said range, then the container becomes heavier and more expensive to produce due to the greater material thickness.
  • the wall thickness of the flexible bag is advantageously in a range from 0.02 to 0.5 mm. Below said range, mechanical influences can more easily cause damage to the bag, and thereby cause a leak. Above said range, it is possible for the greater wall thickness and thus the greater rigidity of the flexible bag to prevent complete emptying, such as by collapsing the bag.
  • the packaging container preferably comprises a size in a range from 5 to 50 cm, calculated using the two points of the packaging container that are spaced furthest apart from each other.
  • the packaging container is thereby particularly well suited for products such as foods or cosmetics intended for end consumers.
  • the inner flexible bag preferably comprises 2 to 3 layers made of plastic or metal. Said layers are preferably laminated or foil-clad. It can thus be prevented that the layers shift relative to each other when a bag is partially emptied and prevent emptying.
  • the outlet part advantageously makes direct contact with the outer cover, or with tracks formed integrally on the cover.
  • the flexible bag On the side opposite the outlet opening, the flexible bag preferably comprises an integral rigid component comprises a diameter at least at one location that is greater than the outlet opening. It can thus be prevented that the flexible bag pops out of the outlet opening when pouring out the bulk product, such as a liquid.
  • the material of the outer cover is preferably cardboard or carton or a plastic.
  • the outer cover preferably does not comprise a coating or a closed coating or film on the inside thereof that would seal the inner side relative to liquids.
  • the advantage therein is that, relative to known containers from the state of the art, a further processing step as well as costs can be saved.
  • the outer can furthermore be designed to be permeable to air or liquids in this manner, so that mold growth in the interior of the outer cover between the flexible bag and the outer cover can be prevented.
  • the packaging container for pourable liquids, powders, and granulates preferably comprises an inner flexible bag having an outlet opening, and outlet part, and an outer cover, wherein the inner flexible bag is fixedly connected to the outlet part, the outer cover encloses the inner flexible bag, the inner flexible bag is separably connected to the outer cover by means of the outlet part inserted in a cutout, the outer cover is made of at least two swing-open hard shells connected to each other for swinging open by means of at least one hinged joint and having a releasable closure mechanism.
  • the invention relates to a packaging container, for example, having an inner flexible bag made of a flexible fabric or a flexible film, a laminated fabric, or a laminated film, wherein the inner flexible bag can also be produced from natural materials such as corn.
  • the inner flexible bag is, for example, relatively impervious or impervious to the exchange of gases or liquids, either by itself or after appropriate treatment. Impervious or relatively impervious to the exchange of gases or liquids means that for a 1 L packaging container filled with one liter of water, stored for 170 days at 23° C. and normal humidity and air pressure, no more than 0.3 vol % of water escapes from the flexible bag through the bag material.
  • a film can also be selected for which the barrier requirements are adjusted specially to the bulk material and perhaps even a desired air exchange can and should thereby take place.
  • Said flexible properties of the inner bag are a great advantage, especially in production. By using single materials, replacement can be made very simple, for example, and does not need to be considered beforehand in production processes. This also saves storage costs.
  • the inner flexible bag is preferably fixedly connected to the outlet part. Controlled pouring is thereby made possible.
  • the connection can takes place by means of a weld seam, by means of an adhesive connection, by clamping, by casting, or by means of introducing a guide wire or strip made of other materials as well.
  • the welding seam is preferably generated by laser welding.
  • the outlet part can have the shape of a screw closure, a cover, a reclosable cap, a valve, or a suitable stopper or cork.
  • the outlet part is preferably mounted in the lower or upper third of the packaging container.
  • the outer cover partially or completely encloses the inner flexible bag, for example, except for the area of the outlet part.
  • a cutout is introduced in said area of the outer cover, for example.
  • the outlet part having the inner flexible bag attached thereto can be attached at the area about said cutout in the outer cover.
  • the connection can take place by means of a welding seam, a glued connection, a punching process, a plug connection, a clamping device, or by means of introducing a guide wire, including made of other materials. It can also be that the tear open seam is located at a completely different location (see Figures) due to certain clamping connections, and the container can then be more easily separated from the inner bag by releasing said tear open seam. This version can thus also be applied.
  • connection by means of an adhesive connection or a clamped connected is preferred.
  • the connection must ensure the required minimum level of stability for the packaging container, while said connection must be easily separated by pulling on the outlet part with little exerted force when disposing of the components of the packaging container after use.
  • Said inner flexible bag is preferably not connected to the outer cover over the entire surface thereof.
  • the outer cover can provide the shape and stability and can also serve for printing advertising and product information.
  • Connection of the inner bag to the outer cover not over the entire surface preferably means punctiform and/or linear adhesion or interlocking, wedging, or pinching.
  • the inner bag is connected to the outer cover at 1-20 places in a punctiform or linear manner. It is also possible that the bag is not connected to the outer cover at all, and that the stability arises solely due to the shape of the bag, for example, such as for a side fold bag that can be ideally inserted in cuboid containers without rotating or collapsing.
  • a preferred embodiment of the inner flexible bag is the tubular bag.
  • Said tubular bag does not necessarily have to have the form of a tube, rather, it is possible to provide the tubular bag with a certain shape, so that the tubular bag can have approximately the shape of a cylinder, cube, cuboid, tetrahedron, polygonal container, star, triangle, heart, wedge, liner, oval cylinder, bag, tube, bottle, triangular prism, a pyramid, or sphere, and thus can match the contours on the inner side of the outer cover that has a comparable shape or some surfaces of a body of comparable shape.
  • the inner flexible preferably makes very close contact with the inner side of the outer cover in the completely filled state.
  • the inner flexible bag is preferably produced from only one material or a composite material such as polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, polyester, polyurethane, or multi-ply materials made from the preceding materials or other common plastics for storing liquids and primarily food products.
  • the material for the flexible bag is thus preferably made of a plastic film that can be constructed from up to 7 layers of potentially different materials.
  • Said plastic bags can also, however, be vapor coated with aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, and/or other materials producing a barrier.
  • said bag must protect the contents against water entry or CO2 exit, must be resistant to acid, resistant to alcohol, or protect against sunlight, so that layers deflecting sunlight, reflective to sunlight, or colored flexible bags can be used.
  • the packaging container comprises a outlet part or a pour opening located at a position, for example, where it is possible to pour out substantially the entire contents of the package.
  • the outlet part can further preferably have a valve allowing only the discharge of the contents of the packaging container, but not allowing any air or liquid to enter the inner bag in the opposite direction.
  • the outlet part is preferably located at a corner or an edge or an optimal point prescribed by the shape of the carton or bag of the floor or a side part, and can also be located at the center of any side of the package.
  • the advantage of said embodiment is that when the fluid, powder, or granulate is discharged, no or very little air enters the interior of the packaging container, and so the liquid or powder or granulate present in the interior, and any other goods, make no or very little contact with the air. Oxidation processes are thus prevented, ensuring a longer shelf life of the food products if the packaging container is filled with food products.
  • a valve installed in the outlet part and the flexible packaging of the packaging container causes the inner flexible bag to collapse due to the weight of the liquid and the vacuum created when emptying. Due to the elastic design, the inner flexible bag does not take on any or only very little air, protecting the contents of the bag and leading to a longer shelf life of the contents of the bag.
  • the packaging container In order to release the liquid from the packaging container, the packaging container has a pour opening or outlet opening, preferably but not necessarily having a valve.
  • Said valve which can be used as a pour spout or metering device must prevent oxygen from entering the packaging container after the liquid or solid is poured out, and must prevent further liquid or powder from flowing out of the bag.
  • FIGS. 4-7 show the construction of the valve, which can further have a cover comprising a screw closure.
  • the valve comprises openings for discharging the contents of the bag.
  • FIG. 7 An embodiment of a valve having three openings is shown in FIG. 7 , wherein a different number of openings is also possible.
  • the rubber ring allows only the discharge of the contents of the flexible bag from the inside to the outside through the three openings, wherein the rubber ring bulges outward under the pressure exerted by the contents of the bag and the contents of the bag pass by the rubber ring on the sides thereof. As soon as pressure is no longer exerted on the contents of the bag due to the weight of the liquid, a vacuum arises in the flexible bag, ensuring that the rubber ring in the valve is drawn inward and thus closes the three openings in the valve.
  • the rubber valve can be pulled out, for example by means of a small nipple, and the outlet is then continuous open for final emptying.
  • a valve could also be made of a tubular outlet, wherein the tube comprises a thicker part at one point, wherein a displaceable sphere is captured, such that the sphere opens the tube fitting leading to the packaging container when pressure is exerted on the contents of the bag, so that the bag can be emptied, and when pressure is exerted from the outside into the tube, or due to vacuum in the flexible bag, the sphere is pressed or drawn in the direction of the bag and closes the tube fitting of the outlet running in the direction of the bag.
  • the present invention also fundamentally functions without a valve, as long as the flexible bag is not actively expanded again when emptying the flexible bag and before closing off the outlet part, so that air, gas, or liquid can enter the bag.
  • Stackability is understood to mean that at least 3 palettes having 11 layers each of completely filled packaging containers can be placed one atop the other without an enclosing carton and without the stack collapsing.
  • the packaging containers according to the invention of said embodiment are preferably made of only three materials (other than adhesive), namely preferably a plastic for the inner flexible bag, a plastic for the outlet part, and a carton, plastic, or other material, including natural material for example, for the outer cover.
  • the object of the invention is to allow easy separation of the different components of the packaging container, that is, the outer cover and the inner flexible bag having the outlet part.
  • the user, another person, or an appropriate device can pull on the outlet part away from the surface in which the outlet part is present in the direction perpendicular to the same for said embodiment.
  • the optional punctiform or linear connection of the inner flexible bag to the outer cover is thereby optionally released.
  • the outlet part is thereby completely removed from the connection thereof to the segment placed about the cutout in the outer cover. According to the invention, this can be done without a problem with little effort. It is thus possible that the outflow part and the inner flexible bag attached thereto can be pulled out through the cutout. After separating, said two components can be separately disposed of or recycled. According to the invention, such disposal is possible for a completely emptied, partially emptied, full, or never filled state.
  • the packaging container presented here has an inner flexible bag and an outer cover and preferably comprises a square or rectangular shape, or another shape having a base surface, up to one top surface, up to two side surfaces, a front surface, and a back surface.
  • the invention is fundamentally not limited to particular packaging shapes, so that unusual shapes such as hearts, starts, tetrahedrons, pyramids, wedges, spheres, or the like can be used, wherein the cube or cuboid shape is preferred.
  • the outer cover can alternatively be made of glass and have the shape of a bottle.
  • a further preferred shape of the packaging container is the triangular prism.
  • Said preferred shape of a packaging container has an outer cover forming the three side surfaces of the triangular prism.
  • a preferably cylindrical tubular bag or a tubular bag having a shape also approximating a triangular prism is present within the cover.
  • the outer cover for said embodiments preferably a carton or cardboard or a plastic, can be formed from a rectangular matrix that is folded appropriately and connected or glued along an overlapping part.
  • Some embodiments of the outer cover can be produced according to the invention to be solid, such that they are also suitable for using carbonated beverages in the inner flexible bag.
  • a pressure can thereby build up over time due to released CO2 within the inner flexible bag, which can lead to a significant increase in the volume of the inner flexible bag.
  • the pressure caused by the increase in volume of the inner flexible bag on the outer cover can be resisted by the same due to the sufficient strength thereof.
  • a further embodiment relates to a cylindrical outer cover having an inner flexible bag attached therein and filled with granulate of household chemicals such as drain cleaner.
  • the solid outer cover and the inner flexible bag can be separately disposed of or recycled.
  • an inner flexible bag can also be used, the volume thereof in the filled state being significantly smaller than the outer cover. If said inner flexible bag having a small volume collapses or displaces within the outer cover in an inappropriate manner when the bulk material is removed, then said inner flexible bag having a small volume can be attached to the outer cover by means of a special mounting element.
  • adhesive points or strips can be used here as well, or a hooking device of a corresponding size. An insulating air layer is thereby created between the inner bag and the outer container, keeping the bulk material cool or warm for a longer time.
  • An outlet optionally having a valve can be present at the top edge of the packaging container.
  • a further preferred location for mounting the outlet is the top area of an edge between two side surfaces.
  • the outlet for the packaging containers according to the invention is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 .
  • the outlet can comprise an external thread in order to be able to close off the outlet by means of a plug.
  • FIG. 4 shows an outlet having an inner valve allowing only the discharge of the contents, but not allowing the entry of air or liquid.
  • the outer cover of the packaging container can be made from carton, cardboard, paper, fabric, edible materials such as corn or soy, bamboo, wood, plastic, cellulose, glass, a natural material, a textile material, leather, a composite material, metal, or a metal alloy, wherein carton, cardboard, and plastic are preferred and carton is particularly preferred. It is preferred if only one material is used for the outer cover.
  • the outer cover is further preferably not laminated, coated, or constructed of multiple layers, does not comprises aluminum foil, and is not connected or glued over the entire area to the material containing the pourable liquid or the pourable solid.
  • the outer cover can also preferably be produced from a folding template. It is not necessary to connect at least two individual parts in order to obtain the outer cover.
  • connection, preferably gluing, of the inner flexible bag to the outer cover can be applied as punctiform and/or in strips or adhesive strips, so that the packaging container obtains the required stability but can be easily separated from the bag in order to be disposed of separately.
  • Combinations of punctiform adhesive and linear or strip or circular adhesive can be used.
  • Each of said 1-20 adhesive places are adhesive areas of greater than 4 mm2. In place of up to 20 of said large-area adhesive locations, several hundred or even several thousand small-area adhesive locations can be used, being then preferably distributed over the area of the carton uniformly or according to a particular pattern.
  • the type and design of the individual adhesive areas is not significant, but it is important that full-surface adhesion is avoided, and the adhesive area is preferably significantly less than 50% of the total inner carton surface, preferably less than 40% of the total inner carton surface, further preferably less than 30% of the total inner carton surface, and particularly preferably less than 20% of the total inner carton surface.
  • full-surface adhesion it is essential that preferably no full-surface adhesion takes place, wherein full-surface is understood to mean adhesion of an area of 50% or greater.
  • a linear adhesive connection can also take place, extending along the edges or on the surfaces, for example.
  • the adhesive lines can run horizontally or vertically or diagonally, in straight lines, zigzag shapes, or waves, or can also have no geometry.
  • the individual lines can be parallel to each other, approaching each other, or disposed without geometry, can extend along the side surface, can be continuous or interrupted, and can be extended by punctiform adhesive.
  • the surface on which the previously described punctiform or linear adhesive is applied is the surface opposite the inner side of the outlet part.
  • Said type of punctiform and/or linear adhesive connection is significantly different from the adhesive connection of packaging containers from the state of the art.
  • Tetra-Pak® for example, a full-surface adhesive connection is used.
  • the packaging container according to the invention thus avoids said known disadvantages by saving adhesive resources and therefore leads to easily separable material combinations and fixations.
  • the packaging container thus also has a better recycling property, as the carton can be more easily separated from the packaging container with a punctiform adhesive connection.
  • the adhesive can detach successively, or be detached successively, depending on the fill level of the inner flexible bag, whereby the inner flexible bag is not held open mechanically but can fold or roll together more easily, but the reduced adhesive surface will not negatively affect the stability of the entire packaging container, because the fill level and thus the mass of liquid or solid in the inner bag has become less and the remaining adhesive area ensures the required stability.
  • the packaging containers according to the invention are stackable and sufficiently dimensionally stable to allow stacking of the packaging containers, reducing the space required to a minimum and saving transport costs.
  • packaging containers in the shape of a triangular prism are also very preferred.
  • the packaging container according to the invention is made of a composite material, as are used for packaging containers from the state of the art.
  • the inner flexible bag may indeed be made from a plurality of materials or material layers that do not, however, need to be separated from each other and that can be recycled together. Often the outlet part made of plastic can be disposed of together with the inner flexible bag.
  • the packaging container according to the invention provides a packaging container for particularly liquid or powdered food products that can be very well introduced into the recycling stream, but substantially cost-efficient production of the packaging container according to the invention can also be achieved.
  • Preferably only one material or only one composite material is used for the inner flexible bag, as well as only one material for the outer cover. After separating the outer cover and the inner bag, two recyclable materials, namely plastic and typically carton, are obtained and can be introduced into two recycling streams.
  • the packaging container according to the invention thus preferably comprises only two materials or material types. Said two materials or material types are preferably a plastic and a carton or cardboard.
  • the packaging container according to the invention is stackable and provides optimal space utilization, is very easy to recycle, can be completely emptied, and prevents the entry of air or liquid into the container, whereby the contents have a longer shelf life.
  • the present invention thus relates to packaging containers preferably for liquid food products, wherein the packaging containers preferably do not fill with air when emptied.
  • the inner bag is preformed in the shape of the outer cover, that is in the shape of the packaging container, and thus comprises a cuboid shape, cube shape, tetrahedral shape, pyramidal shape, wedge shape, prism shape, etc. in the fully filled state.
  • the cover and bag are not laminated to each other, and the material forming the bag is not an inner layer of the outer cover, and the material forming the bag can be easily separated from the outer cover by the consumer.
  • the present invention further relates to a method for separately disposing of the inner flexible bag and outer cover, comprising the following steps:
  • the present invention further comprises a method for producing and filling a packaging container as previously described, comprising the following steps:
  • the follow step can also be optionally performed:
  • an optional carry handle is a part of the packaging system.
  • transporting a plurality of the previously described packaging containers has proven to be difficult.
  • outer packagings that collate a plurality of packaging units.
  • the so-called “six-pack” is well known.
  • an outer packaging made of carton, or in rare cases made of plastic encloses six bottle disposed adjacent to each other in two groups of three.
  • said outer packaging serves only for ensuring that the consumer purchases a minimum quantity.
  • the disadvantage of such outer packagings is the production of additional waste material.
  • the carton or plastic material used therefor can, in the best case, be introduced to the general recycled material flow for said category. Tearing open the outer packaging is also not always possible without trouble.
  • Said problem is solved for the previously described embodiments by the carry handle according to the invention.
  • Said flat part is made of a rectangular base inserted between the packaging containers disposed in a row of two, and an upper part protruding as an extension of the rectangular base to the top side of the row of two packaging containers.
  • Said upper part can also have the shape of a rectangle, wherein the dimensions do not need to correspond to those of the rectangular base, or it can be trapezoidal in shape.
  • the shorter parallel side is preferably located on the top side of the upper part.
  • a cutout is made in the upper part, forming a handle area, allowing transportation of the packaging system by inserting the fingers.
  • Suitable materials are hard plastics, hard fiber, solid carton, metal, metal alloys, wood, composite materials, fiberglass, rattan, or combinations thereof.
  • the upper part and the rectangular base do not have to be made from the same material. A uniform material is, however, preferred. Embodiments made of hard plastic are particularly preferable.
  • the carry handle according to the invention comprises an attachment region at the height of each packaging container on the outer sides of the rectangular base, allowing stable connection of the carry handle to the packaging containers.
  • said attachment must, however, allow the individual packaging container to be separated from the carry handle, and thus from the entire carrying unit, with little effort.
  • Said attachment region can be made of a plurality of adhesive points. Said adhesive points provide the required strength but are easily separated.
  • each packaging container is connected to the carry handle by means of two attachment regions applied one over the other.
  • Each of said attachment regions comprises a plurality of adhesive points disposed in the shape of a circle or ellipsoid. Separation at said adhesive points takes place by simply tearing off the carry handle.
  • a thin, continuous adhesive line or a plurality of thin, linear circular or ellipsoid adhesive segments can be used.
  • full-surface adhesive is not required and therefore not preferred.
  • full-surface adhesive is present between two circular or oval attachment regions applied one over the other between the carry handle and the packaging container.
  • the carry handle is perforated at the edge of such an attachment region.
  • the distance between the perforation holes is designed such that simple tearing at the carry handle leads to an intended rupture at said perforation line.
  • the glued areas of the carry handle thus remain on the packaging container, while an intended cutout is formed in the carry handle in said areas.
  • the carry handle is made from two halves that are mirror images and connected to each other by means of a fold line or a hinged connection.
  • a fold line or a hinged connection Such a method of production allows the adhesive required for attachment to be applied to only one side of the carry handle.
  • the two mirror-image halves are brought into contact with each other by folding one half at the fold line or the hinged connection, so that the two sides coated with adhesive are positioned facing outward.
  • the two halves can also be connected to each other for the purpose of stabilization by at least one further adhesive connection, a plug connection, a button connection, a folding mechanism, a clip device, or combinations thereof.
  • a folding mechanism is preferred, wherein the cutout is punched out only on three sides in the grip area of one or both mirror-image halves, while the side facing upward during the carrying process is not punched out, but comprises a fold line or a hinged connection.
  • the first material part remaining in the grip area comprises only one half of the cutout area, wherein the separation line is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cutout area.
  • a complementary second material part is present in the mirror-image half of the carry handle in the area of the grip not covered by the first material part. Said arrangement allows the first and the second material part to be fed through the corresponding grip of the mirror-image half and bent upward there, in order to stabilize the carry handle.
  • hook-and-loop fasteners can be used.
  • the attachment regions described in the preceding embodiments are each formed by a hook strips or a loop strip of a hook-and-loop fastener. Square or rectangular attachment regions are thereby preferred. It is not important here whether the hook strip or the loop strip is applied to the carry handle or the packaging container. An advantage of said embodiment is that the carry handle can be reused immediately. If the outer cover of the packaging container is also made of plastic, then the outer cover and the part of the hook-and-loop fastener present thereon can be disposed of together, or optionally introduced to a recycling system.
  • connection between the carry handle and the packaging containers is made by magnetic forces.
  • a permanent magnet is thereby installed in the attachment region of the carry handle, while a magnetizable substance is present in the corresponding attachment region in the outer cover of the packaging container.
  • a light pull or push on the packaging container separates the same from the carry handle.
  • a further preferred group of embodiments of the packaging system according to the invention relates to the nature of the outer cover.
  • the outer cover is made of at least two hard, mirror-image hollow shapes or hard shells connected to each other on one side by means of at least one hinged connection, while the two hard shells are releasably connected to each other at the opposite side for mirror-image joining of the two hard shells by means of at least one closure mechanism, thus forming a hollow body.
  • the at least two hard shells each comprise a flat base part, forming the base of the outer cover and thus of the packaging container according to the invention when joined together.
  • the area of said base parts must have a ratio relative to the vertical dimensions of the hard shells allowing stable storage of the inner flexible bag in the vertical position in both the filled and the emptied state.
  • Said outer cover having such a nature must also comprise a cutout into which the outlet part and the inner flexible bag connected thereto is inserted.
  • Said outlet part is present either in the top or in the bottom third of the corresponding hard shell. If the cutout for receiving the outlet part is present at the top side of the upright packaging container, the cutout can be mounted in the center, that is, if two mirror-image hard shells are used, a semicircular cutout having the same radius is made in the center of the edge making contact in the center, adjoining each other to form a circular cutout when the two half shells are brought together.
  • the cutout changes accordingly.
  • Embodiments having two mirror-image hard shells are, however, particularly preferred.
  • the cutout can alternatively also be made on only one side of the surface. In this case, the hard shells would therefore be asymmetrical in the area of the top sides thereof.
  • the outlet part is located at the bottom side of the packaging container. Said embodiment are exact mirror images of those previously described.
  • the outlet part is further mounted in the lower third of the packaging container. Variants having an outlet tap are preferred.
  • the invention thus relates to a packaging container for pourable liquids, powders, and granulates comprising an inner flexible bag having an outlet opening, and outlet part, and an outer cover, wherein the inner flexible bag is fixedly connected to the outlet part, the outer cover encloses the inner flexible bag, the inner flexible bag is separably connected to the outer cover by means of the outlet part inserted in a recess, the outer cover is made of at least two swing-open hard shells connected to each other for swinging open by means of at least one hinged joint and having a releasable closure mechanism.
  • a packaging container for pourable liquids, powders, and granulates comprising an inner flexible bag having an outlet opening, an outer cover, and an outlet part
  • the inner flexible bag is not connected to the outer cover
  • the outer cover is made of two mirror-image hard shells connected to each other by means of at least one hinged connection on the one side of the hard shells and by means of at least one releasable closure mechanism on the opposite side of the hard shells, or by means of at least two releasable closure mechanisms, the outer cover completely encloses the inner flexible bag except for the area of the outlet part, the inner flexible bag is fixedly connected to the outlet part, and the inner flexible bag is reversibly attached to the bottom edge of the outer cover.
  • Said cutouts can be made in arbitrary combinations on the corresponding sides. It is, however, preferred that the at least two cutouts are located on the same side. For example, one cutout can be made in each top side of a hard shell. It is preferable to install exactly one outlet part having an associated inner flexible bag in each cutout. Embodiments are also conceivable, however, wherein at least two outlet parts are present on one inner flexible bag and are then inserted in the at least two cutouts. It is also conceivable that one or more cutouts are not used.
  • the outlet part can be produced as for the previously described embodiments preferably having an outer cover made of carton.
  • the materials for the hard shells must comprise sufficient stability and wear resistance.
  • Suitable materials are plastics, composite materials, metal, metal alloys, hard fiber, wood, glass, stone, ceramic, porcelain, ceramides, pressed cardboard, cellulose, leather, hardened bast, rattan, natural materials, textile materials, and combinations thereof.
  • the hard shells are made entirely of plastic.
  • Suitable plastics are polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PET), polyester, polystyrene, polyamide, polycarbonate, and other polymers preferably comprising no halogens.
  • one or two of the side surface of the hard shells comprise a handle suitable for allowing removal by gripping with the fingers.
  • a handle or a grip edge can also be used that can serve as a contact point for a gripper arm.
  • the hinged connection between the hard shells can be permanent or separable. In the latter case, the hard shells can be separated or optionally replaced or combined again for different designs.
  • the hinge components can be made of the materials listed above for the flat parts.
  • the flat parts and hinge components are preferably made of the same material.
  • the hinge components can be rotated to nearly 360°, limited only by the thickness of the flat parts, or can comprise blocking devices allowing rotation of approximately 180° or 90°.
  • the opposite separable closure mechanism can be a pushbutton, a flap, a clip, an insertion tab, a plug connection, a click connection, a hook connection, a snap closure, a screw connection, an adhesive connection, or a seam.
  • Said closure mechanism can be mounted unidirectionally or in parallel (bidirectionally.)
  • a closure mechanism wherein at least one hinged connection is made of at least one return spring is also considered to be according to the invention. No such device is thereby mounted at the edges of the hard shells where a connection is present in the previously described embodiments.
  • the spring constant for each return spring is selected such that little force is required for opening the hard shells, and that the hard shells close tightly again after loading or removing the inner flexible bag, thus ensuring secure transportation and secure use of the packaging container.
  • said hinged connection can also be replaced by a releasable closure type described above.
  • the hard shells can be completely separated from each other.
  • hook-and-loop fasteners or magnetic connections are used as previously described for the carry handle.
  • the previously described hinged connection is located in the upper part or the base of the packaging container produced as a flat part.
  • the side parts are connected to each other by means of two releasable closure mechanisms as previously described.
  • the releasable closure mechanisms are identical.
  • the cutout for receiving the outlet part in the hard shell is then preferably located at the side, or on the side opposite the hinged connection.
  • a seal made of paper or plastic can optionally be applied over the at least one releasable closure mechanism. It can thereby be ensured that no exchange or removal of the inner flexible bag has been done by the producer or by a vendor between filling and loading. Such a seal can thus be used as an original certificate.
  • the packaging containers made of hard shells can be egg-shaped, eggplant-shaped, pear-shaped, kidney-shaped, bell-shaped, spherical, cylindrical, conical, in the shape of a conical section, cuboid, pyramidal, or combinations thereof.
  • Arbitrary shapes of cutouts can also be made in the side parts as desired. Material can thereby be saved from the hard shells, and visibility into to the interior of the hollow body having the inner flexible bag is made possible.
  • the surface of the side parts can be varied, such as by a circumferential wavy shape. Said shape can cover the entire surface or only a certain segment of the side parts. An advantage arises from the improved accessibility for household use.
  • the side parts of the hard shells in said embodiments can be made of a frame comprising vertical, horizontal, or diagonal bars each at a quantity of 0-10, preferably 1-5, more preferably 2-3, or can have a mesh structure.
  • Said bars can be not only linear, but can also take on arbitrary curves, circles, waves, zigzag shapes, and the like.
  • the outlet part having the inner flexible bag attached thereto must be inserted in the cutout in the hard shell provided therefor. Any typical clamping and closure mechanisms are thereby conceivable. If the packaging container comprises only one cutout for receiving the outlet part, that is, each hard shell comprises a semicircular cutout made at the edge of the top part, the outlet part is inserted in one of the two semicircular cutouts. One edge of the outlet part makes annular contact directly above and directly below the top part. When the two hard shells are closed, the inner flexible bag is thus clamped between the two hard shells.
  • the two annular edges above and below the top part of the hard shells prevent the inner flexible bag from being unintentionally pulled out of the outer cover, or from falling out, or the outlet part from falling into the interior of the packaging container, particularly in a state of advanced emptiness.
  • the outlet part thereby comes into the central circular part of the cutout, wherein the narrowest location of the tapering access part of the cutout, located at the edge of the central circular part of the cutout, functions as a clamping mechanism.
  • the outlet part can be attached and later removed with little effort in this manner.
  • the inner flexible bag must be attached according to the invention to one or both hard shells on the side opposite the outlet part, in order to allow optimal emptying of the bag contents.
  • Said attachment is preferably a process that is easy to perform intuitively understood.
  • one or both flat shells comprises a hooking device for the contacting side of the inner flexible bag.
  • the hook can thereby be on the flat part and the loop on the inner flexible bag, or the loop can be on the flat part and the hook on the inner flexible bag.
  • the bottom side of the inner flexible bag is made so as to have a press seam or a weld seam.
  • the inner flexible bag is inserted into a guide rail by means of said seam, said rail being present on the contacting side of the flat shell or flat shells.
  • the guide rail is preferably mounted on the guide rail such that when the hard shells are brought together, both halves of the guide rail form a continuum.
  • Said guide rail retains the inner flexible bag in position and prevents the inner flexible bag from unintentionally sliding out of the rail during transport and/or use.
  • Said guide rail can be a simple clamping mechanism, or an additional, actively operated clamping mechanism, such as a knurled screw or a clamping switch.
  • the inner flexible bag comprises sufficient material below said seam that some of the seam protrudes in the form of two strips.
  • said seam is inserted in such a rail from the side, wherein the seam makes contact with a bottleneck in the profile of the guide rail. Unintentional sliding out is thereby prevented.
  • the inner flexible bag is attached to one or both hard shells by means of a hook-and-loop fastener on the side facing away from the outlet part on the contacting surface of one or both hard shells. It is thereby not important whether the hook strip is applied to the inner flexible bag and the loop strip to the hard shell, or vice versa.
  • a permanent magnet is present in the bases of the hard shells, while a magnetizable material is present in the contacting side of the inner flexible bag.
  • the magnetic forces arising from the contact make it possible to retain the inner flexible bag in the desired stable position within the folded outer cover. At the same time, however, said magnetic forces can be overcome by a slight application of force by user, another person, or a device, thereby allowing separation of the inner flexible bag from said hard shells without a problem.
  • an inner flexible bag can also be used, the volume thereof in the filled state being significantly smaller than the outer cover.
  • the inner flexible bag is optionally attached to the outer cover by means of a special mounting element.
  • a correspondingly sized hooking device can be used for this purpose.
  • hard shells are also particularly well suited for a recycling system, forming a part of the packaging system according to the invention.
  • the hard shells are already separated at the releasable closure mechanism. While the inner flexible bag can be introduced to a suitable material recycling stream, the hard shells can be used again immediately. As a rule, no cleaning step is required. Otherwise the hard shells can also be recycled. Collection points at a retailer and/or producer of the inner flexible bag having a particular content are suitable for this purpose.
  • the hard shells can be loaded with a new inner flexible bag on site, or can be collected and brought to such a site.
  • the hard shells have rounded side parts, then said shells can be stacked in one another particularly easily for saving space. Connected by means of the hinged connection, two piles growing at the same rate arise adjacent to each other. If the hard shells are also separated at the hinged connection, they can of course be stacked in one another in one or more piles.
  • Said embodiments using hard shells as outer covers also relate to a method for separately disposing of the inner flexible bag and outer cover, comprising the following steps:
  • Said embodiments further relate to a method for producing and filling a packaging container, comprising the following steps:
  • the outer cover is made from a plurality of flat parts.
  • Said flat parts can be formed into a suitable outer cover for the packaging container according to the invention by suitable folding.
  • Said outer cover encloses the inner flexible bag nearly completely in the folded state.
  • At least one of said flat parts has a cutout suitable for the outlet part and the inner flexible bag attached thereto to be attached to said flat part or alternatively to be inserted in the cutout.
  • the flat parts adjacent to each other in the unfolded state are displaceable relative to each other either by a fold or a by at least one hinge component.
  • the flat part located distally to the outlet part in the folded state has an attachment device for the inner flexible bag.
  • the flat parts adjacent to each other in the folded state but not in the unfolded state comprise at least one mutually tuned closure device allowing the outer cover to remain in the folded state and the entire packaging container to be stabilized.
  • the inner flexible bag is fixedly connected to the outlet part.
  • flat parts describes the side parts, the base, and the top cover of the outer cover of the packaging container according to the invention.
  • the ‘unfolded state’ in this context means that the flat part are folded so as to form a two-dimensional shape or plane.
  • the flat part adjacent to each other are retained to each other by a fold or a hinge component.
  • the ‘folded state’ in this context means that the flat parts are folded so as to form a three-dimensional shape or a spatial body having the shape of the packaging container according to the invention.
  • the flat parts in said embodiments can cover the full surface, can be made of a frame comprising vertical, horizontal, or diagonal bars each at a quantity of 0-10, preferably 1-5, more preferably 2-3, or can have a mesh structure.
  • Said bars can be not only linear, but can also take on arbitrary curves, circles, waves, zigzag shapes, and the like.
  • the flat parts can be made according to the invention out of carton, cardboard, paper, fabric, edible materials such as corn or soy, bamboo, wood, hard fiber, plastic, synthetic material, cellulose, glass, rattan, a natural material, a textile material, leather, a composite material, metal, or a metal alloy.
  • the flat parts are made entirely of plastic or synthetic material.
  • Suitable plastics are polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PET), polyester, polystyrene, polyamide, polycarbonate, and other polymers preferably comprising no halogens.
  • Natural polymers such as starch, cellulose, and derivatives thereof are also suitable.
  • the flat parts comprise an intended folding line in the longitudinal axis or transverse axis thereof, or are made of two parts connected by means of at least one additional hinged connection as described below. Said additional subdivision can serve to improve stackability or easier transport of the unfolded outer cover.
  • the intended folding line or the hinged connection are located preferably horizontally at the height of half the width or length of the flat parts.
  • the flat parts can also comprise at least two intended folding lines.
  • a person skilled in the art can apply the same by implication using technical knowledge, or modify existing embodiments without deviating from the idea of the present invention.
  • At least the flat part intended for the top cover of the packaging container comprises a cutout for attaching the outlet part and the inner flexible bag connected thereto.
  • Said cutout can be circular, or can have an access to a side of the top cover of the packaging container accessible when loading, whereby loading can take place by means of said side opening.
  • Such a cutout in the shape of a keyhole is preferred.
  • the outlet part thereby comes into the central circular part of the cutout, wherein the narrowest location of the tapering access part of the cutout, located at the edge of the central circular part of the cutout, functions as a clamping mechanism.
  • the outlet part can be attached and later removed with little effort in this manner.
  • the outlet part can, however, also be attached by means of a hinged closure or a lever in further embodiments.
  • an adhesive connection or a hook-and-loop fastener is also according to the invention.
  • the hinge components can be made of the materials listed above for the flat parts.
  • the flat parts and hinge components are preferably made of the same material.
  • the hinge components can be rotated to nearly 360°, limited only by the thickness of the flat parts, or can comprise blocking devices allowing rotation of approximately 180° or 90°.
  • Closure devices stabilizing the folded packaging container loaded with an inner flexible bag are located at the side surfaces of the flat parts that are not adjacent to each other in the unfolded state but are adjacent to each other in the folded state. All typical closure devices are conceivable for this purpose. Plug connections, hooking connections, snap closures and magnetic closures, hook-and-loop fasteners, and arbitrary combinations thereof are preferred. Plug connections are particularly preferred. Mounting of the corresponding complementary parts of a closure device to the side surfaces of the flat parts is conceivable in all combinations according to the invention.
  • the inner flexible bag and the outlet part in said embodiments comprise the same characteristics and potential variations as the previously described embodiments.
  • the flat part located opposite the outlet part comprises a hooking device of the adjacent side of the inner flexible bag.
  • the hook can thereby be on the flat part and the loop on the inner flexible bag, or the loop can be on the flat part and the hook on the inner flexible bag.
  • the bottom side of the inner flexible bag is made so as to have a press seam or a weld seam.
  • the inner flexible bag is inserted into a guide rail present on the inner side of the flat part of the outer cover intended as a lower cover.
  • Said guide rail retains the inner flexible bag in position and prevents the inner flexible bag from unintentionally sliding out of the rail during transport and/or use.
  • Said guide rail can be a simple clamping mechanism, or an additional, actively operated clamping mechanism, such as a knurled screw or a clamping switch.
  • the inner flexible bag comprises sufficient material below said seam that some of the seam protrudes in the form of two strips. By means of said region, said seam is inserted in such a rail from the side, wherein the seam makes contact with a bottleneck in the profile of the guide rail. Unintentional sliding out is thereby prevented.
  • a permanent magnet is present in said flat part, while a magnetizable material is present in the contacting side of the inner flexible bag.
  • the magnetic forces arising from the contact make it possible to retain the inner flexible bag in the desired stable position within the folded outer cover. At the same time, however, said magnetic forces can be overcome by a slight application of force by user, another person, or a device, thereby allowing separation of the inner flexible bag from said flat part without a problem.
  • an inner flexible bag can also be used, the volume thereof in the filled state being significantly smaller than the outer cover.
  • the inner flexible bag is optionally attached to the outer cover by means of a special mounting element.
  • a correspondingly sized hooking device can be used here as well.
  • One application of said embodiment having an outer cover made of foldable flat parts is the use thereof in an integrated recycling system.
  • the bulk material for example a drinkable liquid such as milk or orange juice
  • Said inner flexible bag is inserted in the outer cover such that said flat parts are folded about the inner flexible bag.
  • the inner flexible bag is thereby suspended or attached by means of the outlet part to the cutout of the flat part of the outer cover provided as the top cover.
  • the inner flexible bag is attached at the underside thereof to the flat part of the outer cover provided as the base cover.
  • the closure devices of the outer cover are closed, whereby the shape of the packaging container is stabilized and the packaging container can be used by the user.
  • the outer cover and the inner flexible bag are separated from each other by reversing the steps described for assembly.
  • the outer cover is used again in the same form.
  • the outer cover is also optionally cleaned as needed after each use or at defined intervals.
  • the inner flexible bag having the outlet part is introduced to a suitable recycling process.
  • An advantage for the use of sizes of the inner flexible bag and outer cover that are not matched to each other is that only one size of hard shells or foldable flat parts is required in order to market various volumes of an inner flexible bag.
  • the recycling system for the outer cover is correspondingly simplified and optionally more easily standardized.
  • the assembly and disassembly of the packaging container according to the invention can be performed by the end consumer, the producer of the filled inner flexible bags, a vendor, or personnel specialized therein, or combinations thereof.
  • said recycling system can be combined according to the invention with a deposit system, wherein the end consumer pays a deposit fee when purchasing an assembled and filled packaging container, and is repaid said fee when the unfolded outer cover and/or the emptied inner flexible bag is returned to a location provided for this purpose. Payment and refunding of the deposit fee can take place using cash, a credit card, a dedicated payment card produced for this purpose, deposit chips to be purchased in advance, or by invoicing.
  • the present invention accordingly relates to a method for loading and separating a packaging container comprising the following steps:
  • FIG. 1 shows an inner flexible bag ( 5 ) according to the invention having a fixedly attached outlet part ( 9 ).
  • FIG. 2 shows the production and disposal of the packaging container ( 1 ) according to the invention.
  • FIG. 3 shows a side view of three potential embodiments of the packaging container ( 1 ) according to the invention.
  • FIG. 4 shows a potential form of an outlet part ( 9 ) having an inner valve.
  • FIG. 5 shows a potential form of an outlet part ( 9 ) having a closure, particularly a reclosable screw closure.
  • FIG. 6 shows a potential outlet part ( 9 ) having a thread and no valve.
  • FIG. 7 shows a different view of an outlet ( 9 ) having a thread and no valve.
  • FIG. 8 shows a carry handle having packaging containers mounted on both sides thereof.
  • FIG. 9 shows a carry handle having a grip for transporting and two attachment regions for three packaging containers ( 1 ) each disposed one above the other.
  • the adhesive points disposed as ellipsoids are shown for each attachment region.
  • FIG. 10 shows a packaging container ( 1 ) after separating from the carry handle.
  • the two fully glued attachment regions disposed one above the other have been broken out from the carry handle along the perforation line and remain on the packaging container.
  • FIG. 11 shows an expanded carry handle made of two mirror-image halves.
  • the attachment regions having the adhesive points are applied to only one side.
  • the cut-out lines allowing the material part to be ipsilaterally or contralaterally folded in the grip region are shown.
  • FIG. 12 shows packaging containers ( 1 ) wherein the outer cover ( 3 ) is made of hard shells.
  • the mirror-image hard shells are connected at one side by means of a hinge connection.
  • the opposite sides of the two hard shells are connected to each other by means of a pushbutton when joined together.
  • the outlet part ( 9 ) of the inner flexible bag ( 5 ) can be inserted in the cutout ( 21 ) in the hard shell provided therefor.
  • At the bottom left is shown how the two hard shells connected by the hinge connection can be stacked.
  • FIG. 13 shows a variant of the hard shells from FIG. 12 .
  • the hinge connection is located between the two hard shells at the bottom of the hard shells.
  • Hard shells having such a design can be loaded similarly and stored one inside the other after use.
  • FIG. 14 shows a further variant of the hard shells from FIG. 12 .
  • the packaging container ( 1 ) is loaded with two inner flexible bags.
  • Each of the two hard shells accordingly comprises a dedicated cutout ( 21 ) for receiving the outlet part ( 9 ) in the top part thereof, into which the corresponding inner flexible bag ( 5 ) is inserted.
  • FIG. 15 shows further potential embodiments for the hard shells according to the invention.
  • FIG. 16 shows a foldable outer cover ( 3 ) for a packaging container ( 1 ) according to the invention in the unfolded state.
  • the outer cover ( 3 ) will take on the shape of a cuboid in the folded state.
  • the flat parts adjacent to each other in the unfolded state are displaceable relative to each other either by hinged components.
  • the plug connections protruding out of the side surfaces of the flat parts form a potential closure device with the holes made accordingly in the flat parts making contact with each other in the folded state.
  • a cutout ( 21 ) is made in the flat part provided as the top cover, at which the outlet part ( 9 ) having the fixedly connected inner flexible bag ( 5 ) can be inserted.
  • FIG. 17 shows three-dimensionally how a foldable outer cover ( 3 ) can be transformed from the unfolded state to the folded state.
  • FIG. 18 shows in a sequence of images from left to right how the inner flexible bag ( 5 ) can be inserted in the foldable outer cover ( 3 ). If the image sequence is read from right to left, it can be seen how the packaging container ( 1 ) can be disassembled after use into the two components again, which can in turn be introduced into separated recycling processes.
  • FIG. 19 shows a packaging container ( 1 ) having an outer cover ( 3 ) that can be plugged together, wherein the individual packaging containers ( 1 ) in turn can be plugged together, resulting in the six-pack shown, for example.
  • the hook-shaped plug connections can be easily seen in FIG. 19 .
  • FIG. 20 shows a packaging container ( 1 ) having an outer cover ( 3 ) that can be plugged together, wherein the individual packaging containers ( 1 ) in turn can be plugged together, resulting in the six-pack shown, for example.
  • the plug connections having the shape of screw heads can be easily seen in FIG. 19 .
  • FIG. 21 shows an individual packaging container ( 1 ) from the six-pack according to FIG. 20 .
  • FIG. 22 shows a plug connection having the shape of a screw head, as is used for the packaging container ( 1 ) according to FIG. 21 and for the six-pack according to FIG. 20 .
  • FIG. 23 shows various embodiments of the packaging container ( 1 ) having a “beak”, as is typical for packaging of fruit juice or milk, for example.
  • FIG. 24 shows further embodiments of the packaging container ( 1 ) as a horizontal cuboid, in a classical cuboid shape, and as a pyramid.
  • FIG. 25 shows embodiments of the inner flexible bag ( 5 ). At the top left, a side folding bag can be seen, providing integral standing ability due to the shape thereof, and not as easily collapsing when pouring out.
  • a packaging container for 1 L of milk comprising a tubular bag and an outer cover.
  • the tubular bag is made of polyethylene and is welded so as to have approximately the shape of a cuboid having edge lengths of 9.5 cm ⁇ 5.5 cm ⁇ 19.2 cm and a volume capacity of 1 L. Centered on the top side about 1.5 cm from the shorter edge is the outlet opening, optionally having a valve.
  • the outer cover is made of cardboard and comprises edge lengths of 10 cm ⁇ 5.5 cm ⁇ 19.5 cm.
  • the tubular bag is glued to the base of the outer cover by means of two adhesive strips disposed as a cross in the center of the base surface.
  • the outlet opening of the tubular bag is further pulled through an opening in the outer carton and retained on both sides of the carton by means of a rubber ring.
  • the bag can be pulled by the outlet opening through the corresponding cutout in the outer carton, wherein the adhesive on the base of the outer carton separates under the tensile stress and the adhesive largely remains on the tubular bag.
  • the carton and tubular bag can thereby be separated easily and recycled.
  • a packaging container for 1 L of mineral water comprising an inner flexible tubular bag and an outer cover made of two mirror-image hard shells.
  • the tubular bag is made of polyethylene terephthalate and is welded so as to have approximately the shape of a cuboid having edge lengths of 9.5 cm ⁇ 5.5 cm ⁇ 19.2 cm and a volume capacity of 1 L. Centered on the top side about 1 cm from the shorter edge is the outlet opening, optionally having a valve.
  • the outer cover comprises eggplant-shaped hard shells made of polycarbonate and has a height of 19.5 cm.
  • the inner flexible cover comprises a hook and one of the two hard shells comprises an eye for hooking the inner flexible cover.
  • top sides of the two hard shells each comprise a semicircular cutout having the same radius on the contact line thereof.
  • the two hard shells are attached to each other by means of a pushbutton, wherein one hard shell comprises the top part and the other hard shell comprises the bottom part of the pushbutton.
  • a packaging container for 1 L of vinegar and 1 L of oil comprising two inner flexible tubular bags and an outer cover made of two mirror-image hard shells.
  • One tubular bag is made of polyester and the other is made of polyurethane.
  • Each comprise edge lengths of 9.5 cm ⁇ 5.5 cm ⁇ 19.2 cm and a volume capacity of 1 L. Centered at the top of each hard shell and approximately 1.3 cm from the shorter edge is an outlet opening, optionally having a valve.
  • the outer cover is made of cylindrical hard shells made of glass and comprises a height of 19.5 cm.
  • the two hard shells of the inner flexible cover each comprise a guide rail in which each press seam of the inner flexible bag can be clamped.
  • top sides of the two hard shells each comprise a keyhole-shaped cutout at the contact line thereof, in which each outlet part of the inner flexible bag can be inserted and clamped.
  • the two hard shells are attached to each other by means of a hook-and-loop fastener, wherein one hard shell comprises the hook strip and the other hard shell comprises the loop strip.
  • a packaging container for 1 L of orange juice comprising a tubular bag and an outer collapsible cover that is reused in a deposit system.
  • the tubular bag is made of polypropylene and is welded so as to have approximately the shape of a cuboid having edge lengths of 9.5 cm ⁇ 5.5 cm ⁇ 19.cm and a volume capacity of 1 L. Centered on the top side about 2.0 cm from the shorter edge is the outlet opening, optionally having a valve.
  • the outer collapsible cover is made of hard fiber and das the shape as shown in FIG. 8 .
  • the edges of the side, base, and top surfaces are designed so as to be displaceably insertable in each other and to result in a fixed, stable cuboid having edge lengths of 10 cm ⁇ 6 cm ⁇ 20 cm in the completely assembled state. If two parts of the outer collapsible cover are inserted in each other, then said parts can be displaced along the longitudinal axis of the plug connection.
  • FIG. 9 wherein hinges are shown in FIG.
  • the top side of the outer collapsible cover comprises a cutout in which the outlet opening of the tubular bag having a collar can be suspended, clamped, or inserted, as shown in FIG. 10 .
  • the tubular bag is securely retained in the outer collapsible cover by means of said cutout.
  • a simple clamping device is further located on the inner side of the base surface, in which the lower welding seam of the tubular bag can be clamped, so that the tubular bag does not collapse when emptying and can be fully emptied.
  • the outer collapsible cover can be opened again and the tubular bag can be removed and disposed of.
  • the outer collapsible cover can be reused for a new, filled tubular bag or preferably returned in a deposit system.
  • a further advantage with respect to the outer collapsible cover is that the same can be fully unfolded for return transport, and can be transported as a flat folding pattern, saving space and being very environmentally friendly due to reuse in a deposit system, contributing to reduction in waste because only the tubular bag must be disposed of.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Packages (AREA)
  • Bag Frames (AREA)
US13/583,483 2010-03-09 2011-03-09 Packaging system Abandoned US20130233912A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE102010011208A DE102010011208A1 (de) 2010-03-09 2010-03-09 Verpackungssystem
DE102010011208.9 2010-03-09
PCT/EP2011/001152 WO2011110334A1 (fr) 2010-03-09 2011-03-09 Système d'emballage

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20130233912A1 true US20130233912A1 (en) 2013-09-12

Family

ID=44021926

Family Applications (1)

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US13/583,483 Abandoned US20130233912A1 (en) 2010-03-09 2011-03-09 Packaging system

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US20130233912A1 (fr)
EP (1) EP2544959A1 (fr)
DE (1) DE102010011208A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO2011110334A1 (fr)

Cited By (9)

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ES2545136A1 (es) * 2014-03-05 2015-09-08 Juan Carlos TORTOSA GONZÁLEZ Sistema de envases modulares
WO2016073943A1 (fr) * 2014-11-06 2016-05-12 Rodella Kristina Bouchon et récipient d'emballage de boissons en carton
US20160264276A1 (en) * 2013-11-22 2016-09-15 Wacker Chemie Ag Method for producing polycrystalline silicon
US20180194512A1 (en) * 2015-06-30 2018-07-12 Sig Technology Ag Pouring Element for a Package and Composite Package Having Such a Pouring Element
US10717578B2 (en) 2014-04-04 2020-07-21 Frugalpac Limited Container comprising a paperboard outer shell
US10737864B2 (en) 2014-10-07 2020-08-11 Frugalpac Limited Container
US10994911B2 (en) * 2016-03-24 2021-05-04 Mauser-Werke Gmbh Pallet container including an inliner
US20220041361A1 (en) * 2018-12-11 2022-02-10 Nouryon Chemicals International B.V. Method for packaging particulate material, paste or gel
US11254051B2 (en) * 2016-05-12 2022-02-22 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Build material containers

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GB0524789D0 (en) 2005-12-05 2006-01-11 Myerscough Martin Container
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WO2020257562A1 (fr) * 2019-06-20 2020-12-24 Nordson Corporation Support de contenants
AT17854U1 (de) * 2019-07-25 2023-05-15 Gampack S R L Element für die Gruppierung und den Transport von Tetrapack-Ähnlichen Behältnissen
EP4112494B1 (fr) 2021-06-28 2024-01-10 éscale cosmétique Emballage de recharge pour produits pâteux et crémeux

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20160264276A1 (en) * 2013-11-22 2016-09-15 Wacker Chemie Ag Method for producing polycrystalline silicon
ES2545136A1 (es) * 2014-03-05 2015-09-08 Juan Carlos TORTOSA GONZÁLEZ Sistema de envases modulares
US10717578B2 (en) 2014-04-04 2020-07-21 Frugalpac Limited Container comprising a paperboard outer shell
US10737864B2 (en) 2014-10-07 2020-08-11 Frugalpac Limited Container
WO2016073943A1 (fr) * 2014-11-06 2016-05-12 Rodella Kristina Bouchon et récipient d'emballage de boissons en carton
US10464720B2 (en) 2014-11-06 2019-11-05 GreenOne Bottling, LLC Cork and paperboard beverage-packaging container
US20180194512A1 (en) * 2015-06-30 2018-07-12 Sig Technology Ag Pouring Element for a Package and Composite Package Having Such a Pouring Element
US11001409B2 (en) * 2015-06-30 2021-05-11 Sig Technology Ag Pouring element for a package and composite package having such a pouring element
US10994911B2 (en) * 2016-03-24 2021-05-04 Mauser-Werke Gmbh Pallet container including an inliner
US11254051B2 (en) * 2016-05-12 2022-02-22 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Build material containers
US20220041361A1 (en) * 2018-12-11 2022-02-10 Nouryon Chemicals International B.V. Method for packaging particulate material, paste or gel

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WO2011110334A1 (fr) 2011-09-15
DE102010011208A1 (de) 2011-09-15
EP2544959A1 (fr) 2013-01-16

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