WO2004078607A1

WO2004078607A1 - A packaging container and packaging blank

Info

Publication number: WO2004078607A1
Application number: PCT/SE2004/000145
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mattias Lennartsson
Original assignee: Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A.
Priority date: 2003-03-05
Filing date: 2004-02-04
Publication date: 2004-09-16
Also published as: SE0300583D0; JP2006513940A; SE521923C2; SE0300583L; CN1756700A

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a packaging container (32) produced from tubular, laminated packaging material which has been produced in that the one longitudinal edge of the material is joiningly overlapped the other longitudinal edge, comprising at least two seals (36, 38) disposed transversely of the longitudinal direction of the tube, and at least one through-going hole (40). The packaging container (32) is provided with a strip (42) adhering to the inside of the tube and, on the one hand, covering the inner longitudinal edge and, on the other hand, covering the hole (40). The invention also relates to a laminated packaging blank.

Description

A PACKAGING CONTAINER AND PACKAGING BLANK

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a packaging container produced from a tubular, laminated packaging material which has been produced in that the one longitudinal edge of the material is joined together in overlap with the other longitudinal edge, comprising at least two seals disposed transversely of the longitudinal direction of the tube and at least one through-going hole. The present invention also relates to a laminated packaging material including two substantially parallel longitudinal edges and at least one hole.

BACKGROUND ART

Within packaging technology, use has long been made of packages for packing and transporting product such as milk, juice and other beverages. A large group of these packages is produced from a laminated packaging material comprising a core layer of, for example, paper or paperboard and an outer, liquid-tight coating of plastic on at least that side of the core layer which forms the inside in the package.

Such packaging containers are often produced in that a web of packaging material is reformed into a tube so that the one longitudinal edge of the material web joiningly overlaps the other longitudinal edge, whereafter the tube is filled with the intended contents and sealed along narrow transverse mutually spaced apart sealing zones. The sealed-off portions of the tube thus containing contents are thereafter separated from the tube by means of incisions in these sealing zones and, where applicable, are formed by folding into optional geometric configuration depending upon how the two seals transversely disposed in relation to the tube have been oriented.

In tetrahedral packaging containers the transverse sealing of the tube takes place in a per se known manner substantially at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the tube and alternatingly in spaced apart relationship from each other in two planes at right angles to one another. For a detailed description of the per se known technology, reference is made to TJSPS 2,741,097. In parallelepipedic packaging containers, the transverse sealing instead takes place in a per se known manner substantially at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the tube, constantly in the same plane. The parallelepipedic configuration is obtained by an additional forming and fusing operation during which the double- walled, triangular corner flaps of the cushion-shaped packaging containers are folded in towards and sealed to the outside of the package. In order to facilitate the forming operation, the packaging material web is normally provided with an optional pattern of crease lines facilitating fold forming.

A feature common to both of the above-described types of packaging container is that the longitudinal overlap joint which is formed on the tube forming entails that the incision surface of the inner longitudinal edge of the packaging material will be exposed to the contents of the package, which implies that the contents may readily be absorbed into the packaging material if this includes a fibrous material such as, for example, paper or paperboard. A further advantage inherent in covering the incision edge is that any possible metal layer in the material does not come into contact with the contents of the package.

One prior art method of avoiding direct contact between the incision edge and the contents is to cover the incision edge located within the packaging container with a longitudinal strip (so-called longitudinal joint strip), which is supplied and sealed in place on the longitudinal edge before the tube formation. The strip is usually manufactured from a thermoplastic material, such as, for example, polyethylene and can be sealed by means of conventional thermosealing technology against the inner plastic coating in the tube. One alternative to applying an individual strip is to cause the liquid-tight coating of plastic, i.e. the inside plastic, to project out a distance outside the one longitudinal edge of the core layer of the packaging material.

In packaging containers of the above-described types, it is usual to provide the container, for facilitating emptying of their contents, with a temporarily sealed hole. The hole is punched through the packaging blank and sealed by means of a liquid-tight, rupturable seal before filling of the contents into the package, this seal being readily penetrated by means of, for example, a drinking straw or by tearing off using an outer strip (such as, for example, a so-called pull-tab). In both cases, an inner strip, preferably of thermoplastic material such as, for example, polyethylene is sealed in place to cover the hole on the side of the packaging container blank turned to face towards the contemplated interior of the container. The inner strip is applied after the punching of the hole and, like the longitudinal joint strip, the strip is normally applied by continuous advancement and sealing on the packaging material web.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A commonly occurring object in most forms of processing and manufacturing industries, in particular within the packaging industry, is to be able to reduce the number of working steps which must be undertaken from the time when the starting material, the packaging blank, is fed into the machine until such time as it leaves the machine as a finished product. A fewer number of working steps gives a packaging process which is shorter in time and normally simpler and, in many cases, also results in a shorter actual length of the packaging and filling machine.

The object has been attained in the present invention in that the packaging container is provided with a strip adhering to the inside of the tube, the strip, on the one hand covering the inner longitudinal edge and, on the other hand covering the hole. By realising a strip which has both the function of an inner strip for liquid-tight sealing of the hole and the function of covering the incision surface of the longitudinal joint located within the packaging container, one working step can be eliminated in the packing and filling machine and as a result the packaging process may be simplified. A further advantage is that the consumption of strip material may be reduced. Yet a further advantage is that the strip, thanks to its greater width, is more stable to handle, which permits the packing and filling machine to be provided with a simpler guiding of the strip.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the two seals disposed transversely of the longitudinal direction of the tube are disposed in two planes at right angles to one another. By such means, a package will readily be realised which displays a configuration substantially forming a tetrahedron. Advantageously, the two seals disposed transversely of the longitudinal direction of the tube are disposed substantially at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the tube in order, for example, to form a tetrahedral or parallelepipedic package. In yet a further preferred embodiment, the laminated packaging material comprises at least one core layer and at least one liquid-tight coating disposed on at least that side of the core layer which is turned to face towards the interior of the packaging container. By such means, a liquid-tight container will be achieved.

Preferably, the liquid-tight coating consists of a thermoplastic material in order, int. al., to facilitate the sealing operation.

In another preferred embodiment, the strip consists of a thermoplastic material. This makes it possible, in a simple manner using thermosealing, to secure the strip on the packaging material.

In yet a further embodiment, the two seals disposed transversely of the longitudinal direction of the tube are realised by thermosealing. Use is hereby made in a simple and reliable manner of the thermoplastic layer of the material in order to realise liquid-tight and durable seals.

The present invention also relates to a packaging container which is provided with a portion adhering to the inside of the tube, the portion projecting out from the one longitudinal edge, and the portion, on the one hand, covering the inner longitudinal edge and, on the other hand, the hole. By eUminating the need for a separate strip, a simpler packing and filling machine may be constructed.

The present invention also encompasses a laminated packaging blank including two substantially parallel longitudinal edges and at least one hole. The packaging blank is characterised in that it is provided with a strip which adheres to the one longitudinal edge of the blank and which, on the one hand, covers the hole and, with a portion, projects out beyond the above mentioned longitudinal edge. By such means, fewer working steps may be required in the filling machine.

In one preferred embodiment of the laminated packaging blank, the longitudinal direction of the strip extends substantially parallel with the longitudinal edges of the blank and the strip is of constant width. This facilitates distribution and adaptation to symmetric packages. In another embodiment of the laminated packaging blank, the packaging blank comprises at least one core layer and at least one liquid-tight coating disposed on at least the one side of the core layer. The core layer affords stability to the package and the coating prevents the contents of the package from being absorbed in the core layer.

In yet a further embodiment, the liquid-tight coating comprises a thermoplastic material. A thermoplastic material is superior from those viewpoints that it is both liquid-tight and is well suited for thermosealing.

In still a further embodiment of the present invention, the strip comprises a thermoplastic material. As was mentioned previously, a thermoplastic material is superior from those viewpoints that it is both liquid-tight and well suited for thermosealing. By producing both the strip and the liquid-tight coating from thermoplastic material, an extremely good seal will be obtained which may be realised by thermosealing technology. The present invention also encompasses a laminated packaging blank including two substantially parallel longitudinal edges and at least one hole, where the hole is located in the proximity of the one longitudinal edge, and where the packaging blank displays, along the second longitudinal edge, a projecting portion of thermosealable plastic, this portion projecting out a distance sufficient to cover over the hole when the one longitudinal edge of the blank is disposed to joiningly overlap the second longitudinal edge. This results in it being possible to arrange any optional sequence for the punching operation and the plastic application operation.

According to one preferred embodiment, the projecting portion consists of a sealable plastic of an extension of the liquid-tight coating disposed over the core layer. By such means, no individual strip need be applied, which reduces the number of working steps in the manufacture of the packaging blank.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described in greater detail hereinbelow, with the aid of a number of embodiments and with reference to the accompanying Drawings. In the accompanying Drawings: Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a perspective view of a prior art tetrahedral packaging container including an emptying hole, an inner strip for covering the hole and a longitudinal joint strip;

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates the tetrahedral packaging container according to Fig. 1 in three plan views, where the left-hand view shows the container from the rear, the central view shows the container from one side and the right-hand view shows the container from the front for clarifying the positioning of the longitudinal overlap joint in relation to the hole;

Fig. 3 schematically shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention in the form of a tetrahedral packaging container;

Fig. 4 schematically shows two plan views of the embodiment according to Fig. 3, where the left-hand view shows the container from one side and the right- hand view shows the container from the front;

Fig. 5 schematically shows a second preferred embodiment of the present invention in views corresponding to those of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 schematically shows a first embodiment of a laminated packaging blank according to the present invention;

Fig. 7 schematically shows a second embodiment of a laminated packaging blank according to the present invention; and Fig. 8 schematically shows a view in perspective of a third preferred embodiment of the present invention in the form of a parallelepipedic packaging container.

DESCREPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Fig. 1 thus shows in perspective a prior art tetrahedral packaging container, designated 10, which is produced in that a web of packaging material is reformed into a tube where the one longitudinal edge of the material web is caused to joiningly overlap the second longitudinal edge in a liquid-tight seal 12. The term seal is here taken to signify that the materials are caused to fuse together in the surface layers. In the employment of thermoplastic materials such as polyethylene, a suitable sealing technology is thermosealing. In principle, thermosealing entails that the materials are heated, by the supply of heat in a suitable manner, and are compressed together by pressure, which may be realised with the aid of, for example, jaws or rollers. The surface layers adhere to one another, and after subsequent cooling and/or setting, they have fused together.

After sealing of the longitudinal edge 12, the tube is filled with the intended contents and sealed in a known manner along narrow, transverse mutually spaced apart sealing zones. The thus sealed-off portions of the tube containing their contents are separated from the tube by means of incisions in the above mentioned sealing zones. The transverse sealing of the tube takes place substantially at right angles in relation to the longitudinal direction of the tube and alternatingly, in spaced apart relationship in two planes at right angles to one another. Consequently, each package includes two transverse seals 14, 16 which are wing-shaped, in planes at right angles to one another. The package may be described as having four corners, one in each outer end of the wing-shaped transverse seals 14, 16. The term corner is taken to signify in other words the two areas within each transverse seal 14, 16, where the packaging material is folded.

The packaging container 10 is further produced in a per se known manner from a laminated material comprising a core layer of paper or paperboard with a liquid-tight layer of polyethylene turned to face in towards the interior of the packaging container. In order that the contents of the package will not be able to be absorbed into the paper, in the inner incision edge of the longitudinal joint, a strip 18, preferably of thermoplastic material, is applied over the joint 12 covering the incision edge as was described by way of introduction. Fig. 2 shows a number of plan views of the prior art tetrahedral package and it may be seen that the longitudinal joint 12, and consequently also the strip 18 (which is shown by broken lines), extend substantially parallel with the longitudinal direction of the tube, from a first of the two transverse seals 14, 16 to the second. Thus, the strip 18 meets each respective transverse seal 14, 16 in a right angle and runs from a first triangular side 20 of the package 10, as shown in the left-hand view, over on a second triangular side 22 (the central view). The triangular sides are in the shape of a uniform triangle. The right-hand view in Fig. 2 shows a third 24 of the triangular sides of the packaging container 10, where the first transverse seal 14 constitutes the base of the triangle and the second transverse seal 16 is thus placed at its apex and extends substantially at right angles in to the plane of the paper. An inner strip 26 which, in the figure, is shown by broken lines, is fixedly sealed to the inside of the container 10, and covers over a hole 28 punched in the packaging material and intended for emptying of the contents of the package. The hole 28 is symmetrically disposed in the proximity of the apex of the triangle and, in this instance, the inner strip 26 extends from the transverse seal 14 at the base and up to the apex of the triangle where it is folded double through the second transverse seal 16.

According to prior art technology, the outside of the packaging container 10 over the hole 28 may be provided with a pull tab 30 consisting of a thermoplastic. By thermosealing, the pull tab 30 is sealed to that part of the inner strip 26 which is exposed in the hole 28. Such a pull tab 30 is shown in Fig. 2.

Figs. 3 and 4 show a first embodiment of the present invention in which the invention is described with reference to a tetrahedral packaging container 32. Like the prior art tetrahedral packaging container illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, this tetrahedron 32 is produced in that a web of packaging material is reformed into a tube where the one longitudinal edge of the material web is caused to joiningly overlap the second longitudinal edge in a liquid-tight seal 34. As previously, the tube is thereafter filled with the intended contents and sealed along narrow transverse, mutually spaced apart sealing zones. The filled packaging containers 32 are thereafter separated from the tube by means of incisions in the above mentioned sealing zones. The transverse sealing of the tube takes place as previously substantially at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the tube and alternatingly, in spaced apart relationship in two planes at right angles to one another. Each package thereby includes two transverse seals 36, 38 which are wing-shaped in planes at right angles to one another. Like that previously illustrated, the package 32 may be described as having four corners, one in each outer end of the wing-shaped transverse seals 36, 38 where the packaging material becomes folded through the transverse seals 36, 38.

The packaging container 32 is produced from a laminated material comprising a core layer of paper or paperboard with a liquid-tight layer produced from polyethylene and turned to face in towards the interior of the packaging container. The packaging container 32 includes at least one hole 40 disposed through the material for emptying the contents of the package and with a strip 42 which adheres to the inside of the tube and which, on the one hand, covers the inner longitudinal edge and, on the other hand, covers the hole 40. The strip 42 serves, as was described by way of introduction, the function of covering over the incision surface of the inner longitudinal edge so as to prevent the risk that the contents penetrates into the core layer. It will subsequently also be shown that this strip 42 also serves the function of sealing the hole 40.

In the left-hand view in Fig. 4, it may be seen that the longitudinal overlap joint 34, and consequently also the strip 42 (which is shown by broken lines), run from a first transverse seal 36 disposed in the plane of the paper to a second transverse seal 38, this second transverse seal 38 extending substantially at right angles in towards the plane of the paper. The joint 34 and the strip 42 thus run from a first over on a second of the triangular side surfaces 44, 46 of the tetrahedron. This is clarified by means of the right-hand view in Fig. 4 wliich shows the second triangular side surface 46. The side surfaces 44, 46 consist, as in the prior art tetrahedral packaging container, of substantially uniform triangles.

The hole 40 is disposed on the above mentioned second triangular side 46 of the packaging container 32 in the proximity of the longitudinal joint 34 and in the proximity of the above mentioned second transverse seal 38, where the second transverse seal 38 forms the base of the triangular second side 46 of the packaging container 32 (as shown in the right-hand view in Fig. 4). As a result of this positioning, the previously employed inner strip intended to seal the hole and the previously employed longitudinal joint strip intended to cover the incision surface of the inner longitudinal edge may be integrated, i.e. one and the same strip 42 may be employed both to cover the incision edge, i.e. the joint 34, of the inner longitudinal edge and also the hole 40.

The hole 40 is disposed to the right of the longitudinal edge 34, i.e. in the proximity of the corner of the packaging container. The strip 42 is liquid-tight and produced from a thermoplastic material such as, for example, polyethylene in order to be able to be thermosealed to the liquid- tight layer of the packaging material. The width which is suitable for the strip 42 depends upon the positioning of the longitudinal joint 34 and the size and positioning of the hole 40 and is selected so that the strip 42 may reliably cover over both the incision surface and the hole 40 and be caused to be fixedly sealed a distance around both of them. Advantageously, the strip 42 extends from the one seal 36 disposed transversely of the tube to the opposing transverse seal 38 in such a manner that it will not be folded double at these seals. Thus, the strip 42 is disposed without contact with the corners in the package 32. This is solved by a suitable selection of the positionings of the longitudinal joint 34 and the hole 40 and also the width of the strip 42.

By ensuring that the strip 42 is not, in this manner, folded double at the transverse seals 36, 38, the thickness of the material in the sealing zones will be more uniform, which in turn gives an improved sealing result.

The hole 40 is made in the packaging material in a per se known manner, for example, by punching, and the strip 42 is applied by per se known technology for continuous advancement and sealing against that region which is to constitute the inner surface of the container 32.

The hole 40 covered with the continuously applied inner strip functions well as a drinking straw hole, i.e. a drinking straw may easily be pushed through the strip. In such event, no consideration need be taken of the relationship between positioning and configuration of the hole and an outer pull tab. The outside may naturally be provided with a pull tab if desired, for example in the form of a piece of strip similar to that in Fig. 2, which suitably comprises a thermoplastic material and which may, by thermosealing, be secured to the strip 42 exposed in the hole 40. For purposes of clarity, the pull tab is omitted from Figs. 3 and 4.

Fig. 5 shows a second preferred embodiment of the present invention which, in principle, is identical to the first embodiment apart from the pull tab, which in this case consists of a strip 48 which is advanced and applied continuously on the packaging material web before or in association with the formation of the tube. In such instance, the strip 48 will, in addition to at the hole 40, also be fixedly sealed to the container 32 at the two transverse seals 36, 38. This type of continuous strip 48 can be a laminated material comprising a core layer of, for example, paper with a layer of a thermoplastic material such as, for example, polyethylene turned to face towards the container. With the thermoplastic layer, the strip 48 may be fused in position by means of thermosealing.

Another alternative is a continuous strip consisting of one or more thermoplastic materials, such as, for example, a strip consisting of polyethylene.

Such a strip is simple to secure in place by thermosealing and may also be caused to secure against the package 32 throughout all of its length. The seal is such that the strip may readily be pulled loose.

The present invention also relates to a laminated packaging blank 50 and, in Fig. 6, a first embodiment of this blank is shown. The blank 50 is web-shaped and intended to be continuously fed into the filling machine, but for practical reasons this figure shows only one piece of the basically endless packaging blank which is intended for one packaging container.

In the figure, it may be seen that the blank 50 includes two substantially parallel longitudinal edges 52, 54 and at least one hole 56. Further, the blank 50 is provided with a strip 58 which adheres to the one longitudinal edge 52 and which, on the one hand, covers the hole 56, and, on the other hand, projects out with a portion 60 beyond the above mentioned longitudinal edge 52. The longitudinal direction of the strip 58 extends substantially parallel with the longitudinal edges 52, 54 of the blank, and the strip 58 is of constant width. The projecting portion 60 of the strip 58 should be of a width which is sufficient for the portion in question to be able with great rehability to be fixedly sealed against a region adjacent the overlapping area of the second longitudinal edge 54 on the formation of a tube. Thus, the longitudinal edge 52 on which the strip 58 is placed will, after the tube formation, be located most proximal the interior of the tube, and the strip 58 will in such instance cover over its incision edge after the sealing operation.

When the strip 58 is to seal the hole 56, i.e. cover over the hole 56 and be fixedly sealed around its edge and against the blank 50, the hole 56 is thus punched on the production of this packaging blank 50 before the application of the strip 58. The strip 58 is then fixedly sealed throughout its entire width, in addition to the projecting portion 60, against the blank 50. The width of the projecting portion 60 should be sufficient to realise a reliable seal in the region adjacent the hole 56. The laminated packaging material is of a per se known composition comprising at least one core layer and at least one liquid-tight coating disposed on at least the one side of the core layer, preferably that side of the core layer which is to form the inside in a subsequently produced packaging container. According to prior art technology, the liquid-tight coating consists of a thermoplastic material such as, for example, polyethylene. Preferably, the strip 58 also consists of a thermoplastic material such as, for example, polyethylene. As a result, the strip 58 may be sealed to the liquid-tight coating using known thermosealing technology.

A second embodiment of the laminated packaging blank 50 may be seen in Fig. 7 and, like the blank in the first embodiment, comprises two substantially parallel longitudinal edges and at least one hole. The difference is that the hole 56 is located in the proximity of the one longitudinal edge, the right-hand edge in the figure, while the packaging blank displays, along the second longitudinal edge, a projecting portion 60 of thermosealable plastic. The projecting portion 60 projects out a sufficient distance to cover over the hole 56 when the one longitudinal edge of the blank 50 is disposed to joiningly overlap the second longitudinal edge, which takes place on tube forming in the filling machine.

The projecting portion 60 of sealable plastic may consist of a strip applicable on the blank 50, see Fig. 7, but alternatively could consist of an extension of the liquid-tight coating disposed over the core layer. If the projecting portion 60 consists of a strip, it is sufficient that the portion 60 be of a width which affords a reliable and liquid-tight seal, i.e. a width which results in the strip being capable of extending over the hole and also a distance past the hole where sealing against the material may be put into effect. In the foregoing description, the present invention has so far been described with reference to tetrahedral packaging containers, but the present invention may advantageously naturally also be employed in parallelepipedic packaging containers. Fig. 8 shows a parallelepipedic packaging container 62 which is manufactured from a tube-shaped laminated packaging material. The one longitudinal edge of the material overlaps the second longitudinal edge in a permanent seal and the two seals disposed transversely of the longitudinal direction of the tube are disposed substantially at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the tube. On the forming operation, the longitudinal overlap joint 64 is positioned substantially in the centre of the one longitudinal side 66 of the packaging container 62, and the hole 68 is preferably placed on one short side 70 of the packaging container 62 in the proximity of the joint 64, this short side being the upper side in the figure and being at right angles to the above mentioned longitudinal side 66. The strip 72 which is located inside the packaging container 62 and, in such instance is only shown by broken lines in the figure, thus extends from the one transverse seal to the other and is of such a width that it is capable of covering over both the hole 68 and the incision surface of the inner longitudinal edge. It should be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the present invention is not restricted to the above described embodiments, but that numerous variations and modifications are conceivable without departing from the scope of the appended Claims.

For example, the present invention has been described with reference to tetrahedral and parallelepipedic packages, but it should be realised that the present invention may be applied to other roller-fed systems in which packages are manufactured which are, for example, cushion-shaped, cuneiform or prismatic.

The present invention has also only been described with reference to the packaging technique which relates to continuous tube formation of web-shaped material. It should, however, be observed that the present invention is also applicable to the packaging technique in which individual packaging blanks are fed into a filling machine which forms a packaging container from each one of the infed blanks. The application of the inner strip and any possible pull tab must, in this case, be modified in that these are, prior to application, cut into suitable length adapted to the individual blanks.

Further, embodiments have, for purposes of clarity, not been described as including the otherwise normally occurring gas barrier of metal, for example aluminium foil. The present invention is naturally not restricted to packaging containers and packaging materials without any metal layer, but may naturally be applied also to containers and materials including such a gas barrier.

Similarly, the described packaging containers and packaging blanks may have a different material composition than that described. Thus, the core layer may, instead of paper or paperboard, for example consist of plastic such as, for example, a mineral-filled polymer. The liquid-tight barrier, as well as the inner strips, which in the examples are of polyethylene, may be of any number of other types of plastic materials, for example selected from one of the following groups: polyolefins, polyesters or polyamides.

The pull tabs may also be produced from other materials and, for example, in packages including a gas-tight layer of, for example, aluminium, it is also common practice to provide the pull tab with an aluminium layer in order to obtain a completely gas-tight container. The sealing in the embodiments takes place by thermosealing, but it should be obvious to a person skilled in the art that other sealing techniques are conceivable. For example adhesives might be employed which are activated chemically, by the application of heat, by pressure, etc.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

10 packaging container

12 longitudinal joint

14 transverse seal

16 transverse seal

18 strip

20 first triangular surface

22 second triangular surface

24 third triangular surface

26 inner strip

28 hole

30 pull tab

32 packaging container

34 longitudinal joint

36 transverse seal

38 transverse seal

40 hole

42 strip

44 first triangular side

46 second triangular side

48 pull tab

50 packaging blank

52 longitudinal edge

54 longitudinal edge

56 hole

58 strip

60 projecting portion packaging container longitudinal joint longitudinal side hole short side strip

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A packaging container (32; 62) produced from tubular, laminated packaging material, which has been produced in that the one longitudinal edge of the material is overlappingly joined to the second longitudinal edge, including at least two seals (36, 38) disposed transversely of the longitudinal direction of the tube, and at least one through-going hole (40; 68), characterised in that the packaging container (32; 62) is provided with a strip (42; 72) which adheres to the inside of the tube and which, on the one hand, covers the inner longitudinal edge and, on the other hand, covers the hole (40; 68).

2. The packaging container (32) as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the two seals (36, 38) disposed transversely of the longitudinal direction of the tube are disposed in two planes at right angles to one another.

3. The packaging container (62) as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the two seals (36, 38) disposed transversely of the longitudinal direction of the tube are disposed substantially at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the tube.

4. The packaging container (32; 62) as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the laminated packaging material comprises at least one core layer and at least one liquid-tight coating disposed on at least that side of the core layer which is turned to face towards the interior of the packaging container.

5. The packaging container (32; 62) as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the liquid-tight coating comprises a thermoplastic material.

6. The packaging container (32; 62) as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the strip (42; 72) comprises a thermoplastic material.

7. The packaging container (32; 62) as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the two seals (36, 38) disposed transversely of the longitudinal direction of the tube have been realised by thermosealing.

8. A packaging container (32; 62) produced from tubular, laminated packaging material which has been produced in that the one longitudinal edge of the material has been overlappingly joined to the second longitudinal edge, including at least two seals (36, 38) disposed transversely of the longitudinal direction of the tube, and at least one through-going hole (40; 68), characterised in that the packaging container (32; 62) is provided with a portion adhering to the inside of the tube, said portion projecting out from the one longitudinal edge, and said portion on the one hand covering the inner longitudinal edge and, on the other hand, covering the hole (40; 68).

9. A laminated packaging blank (50) including two substantially parallel longitudinal edges (52, 54) and at least one hole (56), characterised in that the blank is provided with a strip (58) adhering against the one longitudinal side (52) of the blank (50), the strip on the one hand covering the hole (56) and, on the other hand, protruding with a portion (60) out beyond said longitudinal edge (52).

10. The laminated packaging blank (50) as claimed in Claim 9, wherein the longitudinal direction of the strip (58) extends substantially parallel with the longitudinal edges (52, 54) of the blank (50) and the strip (58) is of constant width.

11. The laminated packaging blank (50) as claimed in Claim 9, wherein it includes at least one core layer and at least one liquid-tight coating disposed on at least the one side of the core layer.

12. The laminated packaging blank (50) as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the liquid-tight coating comprises a thermoplastic material.

13. The laminated packaging blank (50) as claimed in Claim 9, wherein the strip comprises a thermoplastic material.

14. A laminated packaging blank (50) including at least two substantially parallel longitudinal edges (52, 54) and at least one hole (56), characterised in that the hole (56) is located in the proximity of the one longitudinal edge (54), and that the packaging blank (50) displays, along the second longitudinal edge (52), a projecting portion (60) of sealable plastic, said portion (60) projecting out a distance sufficient to cover over the hole (56) when the one longitudinal edge of the blank is disposed to joiningly overlap the second longitudinal edge.

15. The laminated packaging blank (50) as claimed in Claim 14, wherein the projecting portion (60) of sealable plastic constitutes an extension of the liquid-tight coating disposed over the core layer.

16. The laminated packaging blank (50) as claimed in Claim 14, wherein the projecting portion (60) of sealable plastic consists of a strip (58) adhering on the packaging material.