WO2002032789A1

WO2002032789A1 - Packaging

Info

Publication number: WO2002032789A1
Application number: PCT/IB2001/001929
Authority: WO
Inventors: Wolfgang Kieser
Original assignee: Elopak Systems Ag
Priority date: 2000-10-14
Filing date: 2001-10-15
Publication date: 2002-04-25
Also published as: AU2001294114A1; GB0025283D0

Abstract

A package comprises a container (4) having round its top a rim region (8) defining a mouth (10) of the container (4), and a piece (6) of flexible sheet material in the form of a skirt, the rim region (8) having an annular surface and the piece (6) having a surface in continuous contact with the annular surface, the two surfaces being of liquid barrier thermoplastics such that those two surfaces are weldable to each other, the skirt (6) being welded to and extending upwardly from the rim region (8) and encircling the mouth, the container (4) including a paperboard or cardboard substrate and being bottom-closed and-sealed.

Description

PACKAGING

This invention relates to a package, particularly, but not exclusively, for packaging waste prior to disposal.

A conventional form of package for use in the disposal of waste is the plastics bag, but it suffers from the disadvantage of being easily ruptured, so allowing the waste to escape. However, other forms of package for use in waste disposal are also known. For example, DE-A-3, 445, 171 discloses a package for table waste. In one embodiment, the package is square in plan and consists of an outer container of cardboard or strong plastics and an inner bag of paper or plastics film. The container has four side walls and a base wall, and thus an open top. The inner bag is either fixed to the container or replaceable. The container, and with it the bag, is collapsible about fold or score lines to a flat condition for storage and transport. In another embodiment, the container is circular in plan, with a side wall and a base wall and thus an open top. Around the inside of the rim of the open top is mounted a paper or plastics skirt, for example by means of glue. The skirt can be drawn together and closed over the table waste in the container.

Another example is disclosed in DE-A-3, 328, 827 in which a package for refuse consists of a rectangular, open-topped container round the opening of which is provided a part drawable together and closable by tying, clamping or in some other way. The package can be in a folded condition prior to use. The container can be of a stiff material such as card, corrugated cardboard, or waste paper, or of a flexible material which can be made stiff through shaping and/or reinforcing or overlaying. The inside surface of the container can be impregnated or coated, or on the inside surface a water-repellent, thin plastics film can be provided.

A further form of refuse package is known from US-A- 4,836,970 and has a plastics lower portion consisting of self-supporting side and base walls and a plastics upper portion in the form of a skirt which is flexible and non- self-supporting. It can be formed as a unit by blow moulding or co-extrusion, or the upper portion can be, for example, heat-sealed to the lower portion. The package can be disposed of with the refuse.

US-A-2, 304, 676 discloses a package for pulverulent substances and in the form of a seamless container which is obtained by immersion of a core in a single operation, the container having a comparatively thick wall up to a chosen height and thence a comparatively thin film-like wall foldable or otherwise variable in shape so as to seal off the container from the outside. What is said to be a particularly suitable package is obtained if a layer of polyvinyl chloride

(PVC) in methylene chloride is first allowed to form on the core to provide a thin waterproof inner film and then the core is immersed in acetyl cellulose dissolved in acetone. US-A-3,285, 495 discloses a reusable package for food in which a substantially rigid, cup-form container of clear plastics has secured to the exterior of the rim thereof a tubular closure skirt of thin, clear plastics. The securing of the skirt to the container is by heat-sealing or by adhesive.

According to the present invention, there is provided a package comprising a container having round its top a rim region defining a mouth of the container, and a piece of flexible sheet material in the form of a skirt, said rim region of said container having an annular surface and said piece having a surface in continuous contact with said annular surface, the substance of said annular surface and the substance of said surface of said piece being such that those two surfaces are weldable to each other, said skirt being welded to and extending upwardly from said rim region and encircling said mouth, characterized in that said container comprises a substrate comprised of cellulose. Owing to the invention, it is possible to provide simply and inexpensively a package which can reliably retain therein liquid present in a product therein.

It is particularly applicable to hygienic packaging of waste product for disposal, especially waste product which ought to be disposed of in a safe manner, for example food waste or medical waste, in which case the container can have a capacity of between 0.5 and 501. It is also applicable to packaging of fresh and sensitive foods, for example fruit, vegetables, fish and meat. The container and the piece of flexible sheet material are advantageously biodegradable. The piece of flexible sheet material may be of plastics, whilst the container may be made of sheet material consisting of paperboard or cardboard coated on its inner and maybe its outer face with plastics.

In order that the invention may be clearly and completely disclosed, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a perspective view from above of a package in a flat condition,

Figure 2 is a perspective view from above of the package in an erected condition and ready for use in a packaging method, Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, but with the top of the package collapsed inwards and closed,

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2, but with the upper part of the package flattened downwardly,

Figures 5 to 7 are views similar to Figures 2 to 4, respectively, of a modified version of the package at respective stages in the packaging method corresponding to those of Figures 2 to 4,

Figures 8 to 10 are views similar to Figures 2 to 4, respectively, of another modified version of the package at respective stages in the packaging method corresponding to those of Figures 2 to 4,

Figures 11 to 13 are views similar to Figures 2 to 4, respectively, but of a further modified version of the package at respective stages in the packaging method corresponding to those of Figures 2 to 4,

Figure 14 is a view similar to Figure 1 of a yet further modified version of the package in a flat condition,

Figure 15 is a view similar to Figure 1 of a still further modified version of the package in a flat condition, and

Figure 16 is a view similar to Figure 1 of a yet still further modified version of the package in a flat condition. Referring to Figures 1 to 4, in the packaging method, there is supplied to an establishment, for example a restaurant or a hospital, from which waste food is produced, a package 2 in the flat condition shown in Figure 1. The package 2 consists of a biodegradable container 4 in the form of a box, and a piece 6 of biodegradable, flexible sheet material in the form of a skirt. The box 4 consists of paperboard or cardboard coated with a liquid barrier plastics on at least its inner surface, if not also its outer surface, and bottom-closed and-sealed in a manner known per se. As can be seen more clearly from Figure 2, the container 4 when erected has round its top a rim region 8 thereof defining a mouth 10 of the container 4, whilst the piece 6 is attached to and extends upwardly from the rim region 8 and encircles the mouth 10. The collar 6 is attached to the rim region 8 by being sealingly welded, for example ultrasonically, or by high-frequency - or heat-sealing, to the inside of the rim region 8 throughout its periphery. The container 4 is of oblong rectangular shape in its erect condition, as is the piece 6. At the establishment, and to make the package 2 ready for use, it is opened into its erect condition shown in Figure 2. In this condition, the container 4 is self- supporting. If the flexible piece 6 is not self-supporting in this condition, then it will need to be mechanically held up and open in approximately the oblong rectangular shape shown, so that the waste food can readily be deposited into the container 4 through the skirt formed by the piece 6. The package 2 in its condition shown in Figure 2 is kept upon a weighing device so that, once a desired weight of waste food has been deposited therein and, advantageously, the container 4 is substantially full of waste food, an annular upper portion 6a of the piece 6 is collapsed inwards and closed and held closed by a plastics tie strip 12, so that the condition shown in Figure 3 is attained. Then the piece 6 is flattened downwardly against the waste food in the container 4, so that the condition shown in Figure 4 is attained, . The package 2 is then transported to a treatment plant where the package 2 and the food therein are sterilised and then composted.

The package 2 can be of various shapes. The package 2 shown in Figures 5 to 7 differs from that shown in Figures 1 to 4 solely in that the box 4 is of square horizontal section, with the piece 6 being of correspondingly square horizontal section, in the erected condition shown in Figure 5. The version shown in Figures 8 to 10 differs from that shown in Figures 5 to 7 chiefly in that the box 4 is in the form of a truncated pyramid. The version of Figures 11 to 13 differs from those of Figures 1 to 10 in that the container 4 is in the form of a drum 4 of cylindrical form although, to save space during transportation of the packages to the establishment, it can be of an inverted conical form, so that the packages 2 can be stacked one in another. The version of the package 2 seen in Figure 14 differs from the version shown in Figures 1 to 4 in that the piece 6 narrows progressing outwardly from the box 4, so that the skirt 6 formed thereby in the erected condition of the package 2 converges upwardly. This feature enables the piece 6 to fit round a pipe or other outlet through which the waste food is delivered to the container 4.

The version of the package 2 shown in Figure 15 differs from that shown in Figures 1 to 4 in that the piece 6 is sealingly welded to the outside of the rim region 8 of the box 4.

The version shown in Figure 16 differs from that shown in Figure 14 again in that the narrowing piece 6 is sealingly welded to the outside of the rim region 8. The piece 6 is advantageously of plastics foil, whilst, depending upon the nature of the waste food to be deposited in the container 4, the latter is of paperboard or cardboard coated with plastics on its inner surface and possibly its outer surface. Since the piece 6 is sealingly welded to the container 4 and the latter is bottom-sealed, liquid in the waste food is retained safely in the package.

Claims

1. A package comprising a container having round its top a rim region defining a mouth of the container, and a piece of flexible sheet material in the form of a skirt, said rim region of said container having an annular surface and said piece having a surface in continuous contact with said annular surface, the substance of said annular surface and the substance of said surface of said piece being such that those two surfaces are weldable to each other, said skirt being welded to and extending upwardly from said rim region and encircling said mouth, characterized in that said container comprises a substrate comprised of cellulose.

2. A package according to claim 1, wherein said substrate is of paperboard or cardboard.

3. A package according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said two surfaces are of thermoplastics.

4. A package according to any preceding claim, wherein said container and said piece are biodegradable.

5. A package according to any preceding claim, wherein said container narrows progressing upwardly.

6. A package according to any preceding claim, wherein said piece narrows progressing outwardly from the container.