WO2007031966A2 - Emballage souple refermable pour articles absorbants - Google Patents

Emballage souple refermable pour articles absorbants Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2007031966A2
WO2007031966A2 PCT/IB2006/053312 IB2006053312W WO2007031966A2 WO 2007031966 A2 WO2007031966 A2 WO 2007031966A2 IB 2006053312 W IB2006053312 W IB 2006053312W WO 2007031966 A2 WO2007031966 A2 WO 2007031966A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
package
container
continuous
channel
drawing means
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IB2006/053312
Other languages
English (en)
Other versions
WO2007031966A3 (fr
Inventor
Ibrahim Ulas
Original Assignee
The Procter & Gamble Company
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
Priority claimed from EP05108566A external-priority patent/EP1764067A1/fr
Application filed by The Procter & Gamble Company filed Critical The Procter & Gamble Company
Publication of WO2007031966A2 publication Critical patent/WO2007031966A2/fr
Publication of WO2007031966A3 publication Critical patent/WO2007031966A3/fr

Links

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
    • B65D33/00—Details of, or accessories for, sacks or bags
    • B65D33/16—End- or aperture-closing arrangements or devices
    • B65D33/1616—Elements constricting the neck of the bag
    • B65D33/165—Flexible elongated elements integral with or attached to bags or sacks ; Fastening thereof to the bag before closing
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
    • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
    • B31B70/00—Making flexible containers, e.g. envelopes or bags
    • B31B70/26—Folding sheets, blanks or webs
    • B31B70/262—Folding sheets, blanks or webs involving longitudinally folding, i.e. along a line parallel to the direction of movement
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
    • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
    • B31B70/00—Making flexible containers, e.g. envelopes or bags
    • B31B70/74—Auxiliary operations
    • B31B70/81—Forming or attaching accessories, e.g. opening devices, closures or tear strings
    • B31B70/813—Applying closures
    • B31B70/8134—Applying strings; Making string-closed bags
    • B31B70/8135—Applying strings; Making string-closed bags the strings being applied in the machine direction
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
    • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
    • B31B70/00—Making flexible containers, e.g. envelopes or bags
    • B31B70/74—Auxiliary operations
    • B31B70/81—Forming or attaching accessories, e.g. opening devices, closures or tear strings
    • B31B70/813—Applying closures
    • B31B70/8134—Applying strings; Making string-closed bags
    • B31B70/8137—Applying strings; Making string-closed bags the ends of the strings being attached to the side edges of the bags

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a package for containing and dispensing absorbent articles.
  • the present invention teaches a flexible pouch-like container enclosing absorbent articles.
  • the container is provided with a drawing means, which can be pulled for closing the package.
  • the drawing means is located inside a channel and has two free ends, which can be grasped by the user. Pulling the free ends closes the upper end of the container. Further, a process for making such a package is disclosed.
  • Absorbent articles for personal hygiene such as feminine care articles like sanitary napkins, tampons or panty liners, are marketed in manifold form by many different suppliers. Usually, such articles are sold to the consumer as stacks of such articles packaged in either carton boxes or pouch bags made of polymeric film. Although such packages provide hygienic storage to the contained articles during shelf live, once opened, these packages cannot be closed completely anymore and thus allow access of contaminants and bacteria into the package and thus to the stack of absorbent articles.
  • the present invention encompasses a package for absorbent articles.
  • the package comprises a container having an interior space. A plurality of absorbent articles is disposed within the interior space.
  • the container has a bottom end and a top end. At or near the top end of the container a frangible closure is arranged such that the absorbent articles are enclosed in the interior space of the container between the bottom end and the frangible closure.
  • the top end is provided with a drawing means, preferably a drawing ribbon or draw string, partially enclosed in a channel located at or near the top end of the container.
  • the drawing means has two free ends extending out of the channel.
  • the free ends are arranged graspable for the user, such that by pulling those free ends the channel and thereby the top end of the container is gathered together, which closes the top end of the container. Further, the free ends extend out of the channel at adjacent locations, such that both free ends can be grasped with the same hand by the user. This is a clear handling benefit as the container can then be held with the other hand.
  • Fig. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the package of the present invention in perspective view.
  • Fig. 2 illustrates a top view of the package shown in Fig. 1.
  • Fig. 3 illustrates the package shown in Fig. 1 in closed state when the user has pulled on the free ends of the drawing means such that the top end is gathered together.
  • Fig. 4 is a scheme illustrating the process of the present invention for making containers.
  • Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 4 along the line 5-5.
  • FIG. 1 one embodiment of the package of the present invention is shown.
  • the flexible container 10 is made from polymer package material.
  • the container has a top end 20 and a bottom end 21.
  • the container may be any shape known in the art.
  • the container may have a polyhedral shape defining or forming a polyhedral enclosure.
  • the articles disposed within the interior space may all be identical to one another or may be different from one another.
  • the articles are preferably disposable absorbent articles, such as flat or folded sanitary napkins or panty liners in a stacked configuration.
  • the container 10 is closed for shipping and marketing, and has a frangible closure 30 for opening or otherwise accessing the interior space for easy access to the articles.
  • the frangible closure 30 can be a line of weakness, such as a line of perforations. Such lines can have any configurations/shapes, e.g. straight or curved.
  • the frangible closure 30 for accessing the interior space can be formed of an opening in the material of the container, which is releasably closed by an adhesive tab.
  • the package material may be composed of different materials or may be composed of substantially the same type of material.
  • the package material may be composed of a laminate.
  • the package material can be any flexible material.
  • the package material can be a blown or cast film of polyethylene, or a blend of low density polyethylene and linear low density polyethylene, or other polymers suitable for flexible films, including metallocene, ethylene vinyl acetate, surlyn, polyethylene terephtalate, biaxially oriented polypropylene, and/or nylon.
  • the package material can be cloth.
  • the package material can be a nonwoven material.
  • the package material can be a woven material.
  • Other materials suitable for the package material are metallised polymeric films.
  • the absorbent articles contained in the package of the present invention can be of any type known in the art.
  • the absorbent articles preferably are disposable absorbent articles such as diapers, catamenial devices, tampons, sanitary napkins, pantiliners, or adult incontinence products.
  • the articles might also be tissues, wipes and other hygienic absorbent articles.
  • FIG. 1 One preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1.
  • the top end 20 of the container 10 has a top panel 40 and extensions 41, the extensions 41 extending above top panel 40 when container is oriented as shown in FIG. 1.
  • Side extensions 41 comprise a channel 42 formed by folding over the package material in the extension area.
  • a seam, such as a thermally-sealed line can seal the channel 42.
  • the container Inside channel 42 the container comprises a drawing means such as a drawing ribbon 50.
  • the two fee ends of the drawing ribbon 50 extend out of the channel 42.
  • the drawing means is disposed to move freely inside channel 42 such that the top end 20 of container 10 can be drawn closed as shown in FIG. 3. By this, the extensions 41 are gathered together.
  • the user can unseal the package by breaking the frangible closure 30, which can be seen in Figure 2.
  • the frangible closure 30 can be constituted of a line of weakness or line of perforations, a tear tape or an adhesive flap or piece of adhesive tape, which covers an opening.
  • the user can remove an article from inside the interior of the container 10, and then re-close the container by pulling on the drawing means 50 in an easy and convenient manner. Once closed, the drawing means 50 can be used as a convenient carrying handle.
  • the drawing means 50 is a drawing ribbon.
  • the drawing ribbon 50 can be pulled, thereby gathering in the extensions 41 top end 20, as illustrated in Figure 3.
  • the top panel 40 of the container 10 can be closed such that the articles contained within cannot fall out.
  • the drawing ribbon 50 in a pulled position is an easy and convenient means for the consumer to carry the container 10.
  • the drawing means 50 can be made of any thin flexible material.
  • Exemplary drawing means are made of blown or cast film in a blend of low density polyethylene and linear low density polyethylene, metallocenes, ethylene vinyl acetate, Surlyn ® , polyethylene terephtalate, biaxially oriented polypropylene, and/or nylon.
  • Other suitable materials for the drawing means 50 herein are cloth, nonwoven or woven materials.
  • the drawing means 50 is disposed to move freely inside the channel 42.
  • the drawing means 50 has two free ends, which extend out of the channel 42 at adjacent locations.
  • 'Adjacent locations' herein means that the distance between the locations, where the individual free ends are extending out of the channel 42, is not more than 5 cm, preferably
  • the free ends are arranged graspable for the user. By pulling the free ends the user can close the top end of the container 10. This allows a hygienically satisfactory storage of the remaining articles stored in the container 10 after the container 10 has been opened as the closed top end provides protection from contamination by dust, moisture and the like.
  • the free ends of the drawing means 50 are joined by a readily frangible joint for preventing the drawing means 50 from being pulled out of the channel unintentionally during transport and shelve life.
  • This frangible joint easily breaks when the user pulls the two free ends.
  • the container 10 can be modified by folding down the side extensions 41.
  • the side extensions 41 lie substantially flat against sides of the container 10.
  • Such a configuration allows more stable stacking and shelving by requiring less space.
  • Container 10 can be made by methods known in the art, such as by known "flow wrap” processes in which a web of material is conveyed, cut, folded, seamed, filled and closed.
  • Flow wrap processes can produce generally "cube-shape" or polyhedral-shaped containers.
  • the container can be formed out of pre-made bags, formed on or off the packing line.
  • pre-made bags can be provided in many way, such as individually or in the form of a stack (wicket), which is fed into the packing line. Such pre-made bags are opened, filled and sealed.
  • 'Machine direction' refers to the direction of the production line.
  • 'Cross- direction' refers to a direction, which extends perpendicularly to said machine direction.
  • a continuous package material 60 is supplied in a machine direction MD.
  • This continuous package material 60 is then folded such that it assumes an M-shaped cross-section in cross direction.
  • Figure 5 illustrates the M-shaped cross-section, as present in region 6-6.
  • the M-shape is characterized by two tips 61 in the outer fold lines and one inner fold line 62.
  • the continuous M-shaped package material 60 is provided with continuous string-like material 70, which is fed into each of the two tips 61 of the continuous package material 60.
  • This string-like material 70 will form the drawing means in the final container.
  • the continuous string-like material 70 is thermally incompatible with the continuous package material 60, i.e. it has a higher melting point.
  • 'Thermally incompatible' as used herein means that the melting point difference between two materials is at least 100 0 C, preferably more than 100 0 C.
  • the continuous package material 60 will be sealed near each tip 61 by a sealing line 62 in machine direction, thereby forming a channel enclosing the continuous string-like material 70 between each of the tips 61 and the sealing lines 62.
  • a suitable means for forming the sealing lines 62 are heated rollers 100, which heat seal the continuous package material 60 linearly.
  • the continuous package material 60 with the channels enclosing the continuous string-like material 70 will be fed through a hat cutting section 100, where the continuous package material 60 is cut in cross-direction by heated blades, which are heated to the melting point of the continuous package material 60 but below the melting point of the continuous string-like material 70.
  • the heated blades on one hand cut the continuous package material 60 in cross direction and on the other they seal the edges of the cut continuous package material 60. Due to the thermal incompatibility of the continuous package material 60 does not bond to the continuous string-like material 70 upon being fed through the heat cutting section 110, because the melting point of the continuous string-like material 70 is higher than the melting point of the continuous package material 60.
  • the continuous string-like material 70 will not be cut in this step.
  • the cut segment of package material herein referred to as individual compartments 80, will be displaced versus the non-cut continuous package material 60 in machine direction for exposing the continuous string- like material 70 between the individual compartment 80 and the continuous package material 60.
  • the drawing means out of the continuous string-like material 70 is formed.
  • the individual compartment 80 with the exposed continuous string-like material 70 is fed through a cut & join unit 90.
  • the cut & join unit 90 joins the two strings of continuous string-like material 70 behind the individual compartment 80 and forms a connection 91 between them.
  • the connection 91 and the continuous package material the two strings of continuous string-like material are cut.
  • the joining can be facilitated by any known means, such as stitching, adhesive bonding, heat-bonding, pressure or other mechanical bonding, binding mechanical entanglement knotting or joining by clamps.
  • the string-like materials forms the drawing means 50 of the container 10. Joining the two string-like materials before the cut at the cut & join unit 90 creates a connection 91 between the two strings. After the connection 91 the two lines of string-like material will be cut. This forms the free ends of the drawing means 50.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Packages (AREA)
  • Bag Frames (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un emballage renfermant et distribuant des articles absorbants. L'invention concerne plus particulièrement un récipient souple en forme de sachet renfermant des articles absorbants. Ce récipient est pourvu de tirettes servant à refermer l'emballage. Ces tirettes passées dans un canal ont deux extrémités libres qu'on peut saisir pour fermer le haut du récipient en tirant sur ces extrémités libres. L'invention concerne également un procédé de fabrication d'un tel emballage.
PCT/IB2006/053312 2005-09-16 2006-09-15 Emballage souple refermable pour articles absorbants WO2007031966A2 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP05108566A EP1764067A1 (fr) 2005-09-16 2005-09-16 Emballage du type à refermeture pour des articles absorbants
EP05108566.0 2005-09-16
US11/509,104 2006-08-24
US11/509,104 US20070065052A1 (en) 2005-09-16 2006-08-24 Reclosable flexible package for absorbent articles

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2007031966A2 true WO2007031966A2 (fr) 2007-03-22
WO2007031966A3 WO2007031966A3 (fr) 2007-11-15

Family

ID=37865363

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/IB2006/053312 WO2007031966A2 (fr) 2005-09-16 2006-09-15 Emballage souple refermable pour articles absorbants

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2007031966A2 (fr)

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1053652A (en) * 1962-05-18 1967-01-04 Bags made of flexible plastic
US4349104A (en) * 1981-02-09 1982-09-14 Hayes Paul R Scented disposal bag
US20020148749A1 (en) * 2000-05-12 2002-10-17 Henri Briseboi Visual reference system for sanitary absorbent article
GB2407307A (en) * 2003-10-25 2005-04-27 Amanda Turpin Sanitary towel with disposal bag

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1053652A (en) * 1962-05-18 1967-01-04 Bags made of flexible plastic
US4349104A (en) * 1981-02-09 1982-09-14 Hayes Paul R Scented disposal bag
US20020148749A1 (en) * 2000-05-12 2002-10-17 Henri Briseboi Visual reference system for sanitary absorbent article
GB2407307A (en) * 2003-10-25 2005-04-27 Amanda Turpin Sanitary towel with disposal bag

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2007031966A3 (fr) 2007-11-15

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