WO2007128775A1

WO2007128775A1 - Pour spout fitment, attached to packaging material

Info

Publication number: WO2007128775A1
Application number: PCT/EP2007/054308
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nils Peter Adler
Original assignee: Elopak Systems Ag
Priority date: 2006-05-04
Filing date: 2007-05-03
Publication date: 2007-11-15
Also published as: GB0608804D0

Abstract

A pour spout fitment (4) comprises a pour spout (6) including a flange (8) adapted to be attached to packaging material (2), a plunger (18 in the pour spout and displaceable inwards along a longitudinal axis of the spout (6) relative to the spout to displace inwards a portion (12) of the packaging material (2) obturating an inner end of the pour spout, and a closure (16) closing the outer end of the pour spout (6) and including a flexible dome (20) allowing a portion of the dome (20) lying on the pour spout axis to be displaced inwards along the axis relative to other portions of the closure (16) to displace the plunger (18) inwards. An annular portion of the dome (20) provides an over-centre device in such relationship with the plunger (18) that, during the inward displacement of the plunger (18), the over-centre device passes through a dead centre condition whereafter the device urges the plunger (18) to perform a full inward stroke.

Description

POUR SPOUT FITMENT, ATTACHED TO PACKAGING MATERIAL

This invention relates to a pour spout fitment, a method in which the pour spout fitment is attached to packaging material, and a combination of the pour spout fitment and the packaging material.

A wide variety of pour spout fitments for packaging cartons are known.

Some of these known fitments include pour spouts which are inserted on the insides of the cartons through holes formed through panels of the cartons, so that pouring rims of the pour spouts project outwardly through the holes and flanges of the pour spouts are sealingly attached to portions of the inside surfaces of the carton panels round the peripheries of the holes. Such pour spout fitments can instead be inserted through, and sealed round, holes through carton blanks from which the cartons will be formed, for example on a form-fill-seal packaging machine. Generally, these types of pour spout fitments are attached before the cartons are filled. Other known pour spout fitments are applied to the outsides of the carton blanks or cartons, around pouring holes formed through the panels. It is known to attach these types of pour spout fitments to the cartons either before filling or after filling. It is conventional for pour spout fitments to be attached to packaging material in the form of a laminate consisting of paperboard coated on both faces with thermoplastics, particularly low density polyethylene (LDPE) . It is also conventional for the packaging material to include, to the inside of the paperboard, a gas barrier layer, such as aluminium foil or ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) .

It is also known, with those types of pour spout fitments which are attached to the outsides of the packaging material, for the pour spouts not to encircle holes but to encircle barrier-forming discs of material, which may be that of the carton walls themselves or pieces of barrier film or foil closing the holes in the carton walls. The discs of material of the carton walls may be bounded by partial-depth cuts in an attempt to ensure that the carton opens more easily. The pour spouts of the fitments are externally closed by screw caps, flip-tops, or flaps.

US-A-4813758 discloses a plastics pour spout construction particularly adapted for longer shelf-life barrier paperboard containers, such as containers of the gable-top type, the interior surfaces of the containers being lined with a major barrier layer. A dispensing opening is formed through the paperboard and the major barrier layer extends across and covers this opening. An externally threaded pour spout, sealed to a polyethylene minor barrier layer of the container, carries a screw cap which normally closes the pour spout. This cap has integral therewith an inner annular skirt the lower edge of which is adhered to that portion of the minor barrier layer which spans the dispensing opening. When the cap is unscrewed from the spout, the skirt carries part of the overall barrier away from its normal position closing the opening, thus rupturing the overall barrier and permitting dispensing of the contents of the container. The dispensing opening is usually die-cut prior to extrusion of the minor barrier layer of LDPE onto the exterior surface of the paperboard and prior to the placement on the internal surface of the paperboard of the major barrier layer, which may be a single layer of, for example, "SURLYN", a metallic foil, polyethylene, or other material. Alternatively, the major barrier may be in the form of layers of two or more different materials. The inner end of the skirt is adhered to the external surface of the LDPE layer in the dispensing opening by means of heat and pressure. The pour spout fitment relies upon strong adhesion between the skirt and the LDPE layer and between the LDPE layer and the major barrier layer for opening of the dispensing opening upon unscrewing of the cap. Rupture of the overall barrier is effected not only by axially outward movement of the skirt, but also by the rotation of the skirt relative to the pour spout and the container upon the initial unscrewing of the screw cap. Re-closing of the container, in the event that all of the contents have not been dispensed upon the initial opening, is effected by simply screwing the cap back on, although the barrier properties of the container are lost owing to the rupture of the overall barrier. The force required to rupture the overall barrier indicates to the consumer that the package has not been tampered with. In addition, the ruptured state of the overall barrier lends visual proof of tampering. Although it is preferred that the pour spout fitment should be applied to a container having an external layer of polyethylene, that layer may be omitted and some other adhesive then take the place of that layer for joining the major barrier to the inner edge of the skirt and for joining the pour spout to the paperboard wall. The screw cap may have its outer skirt omitted and, instead, interengaging screw threads be located between the inner skirt and the pour spout. EP-B-0328652 discloses a plastics pour spout fitment in which a pour spout either extends through a hole through a carton wall and has its flange sealed to the inside of the wall, or has its flange sealed to the outside of the wall around a pouring port sealed with a film. In the former case, the inner end of the pour spout is sealed with a film. Within the pour spout is a tubular plunger formed at its inner end with a ring of downwardly projecting teeth which are interrupted at two diametrically opposite locations. Various embodiments of the fitment are disclosed. In certain embodiments, the plunger has two camming faces arranged at an angular pitch of 180° and extending outwardly to the outer end of the plunger. The two camming faces co-operate with respective downwardly-directed camming faces formed around the outside of an inner skirt of a screw cap arranged to be screwed onto the pour spout. Ratchet teeth formed on the inner peripheral surface of the pour spout co-operate with ratchet teeth formed on the outer peripheral surface of the plunger so as to produce rotation of the plunger with the screw cap during screwing of the screw cap onto the pour spout, but so as to prevent rotation of the plunger with the screw cap upon unscrewing of the latter. With the pour spout fitment sealed to the carton, unscrewing of the cap causes the plunger to displace axially inwards so that the teeth thereon pierce and break the film. Continued outward displacement of the cap opens the pour spout, leaving the plunger in its innermost position. Since the plunger remains in the pour spout, it reduces the through-flow cross- sectional area thereof.

US-A-5147070 discloses a pour spout fitment in which a screw cap is removed and then, with a fingertip, a consumer pushes inwards a plunger formed at its inner end with a ring of teeth. Again, the plunger remains in the pour spout opening during pouring and thus restricts the through-flow cross-section thereof and, moreover, the use of a finger is unhygienic. US-A-4483464 discloses a plastics, similar pour spout fitment. GB-A-2210359 discloses a plastics pour spout fitment for a carton the wall structure of which includes a gas barrier layer. A gas barrier film is provided across the inner end of a pour spout of the fitment, and the gas barrier layer and the gas barrier film are overlapped or continuous when viewed axially of the fitment, to maintain gas barrier properties for the carton. In one version, the pour spout is connected via integral bridges to a disc integral with a ringpull inside the pour spout and adhered to the gas barrier film, the intention being that outward pulling of the ringpull breaks the disc away from the pour spout and thus breaks away from the remainder of the gas barrier film the part thereof adhered to the disc. The breaking-away of the relevant part of the film relies upon strong adhesion between the disc and film. Moreover, opening of the pour spout requires at least a finger to be inserted into the spout to engage the ringpull.

In another version, unscrewing of a screw cap upon the pour spout causes an externally threaded inner skirt of the cap to screw downwards a tubular plunger formed with a ring of teeth at its inner end and guided by keys in longitudinal slots in the inner peripheral surface of the pour spout. Again, the plunger remains in the pour spout after opening and so constricts the through-flow cross-sectional area thereof.

US-A-5141133 discloses a plurality of differing versions of pour spout fitment, in one of which an axially guided tubular plunger formed with a ring of teeth at its inner end breaks through a synthetic resin film closing a pouring opening through a paperboard wall, and in another version of which a blade at the inner end of a tubular plunger breaks away and pushes aside a disc defined by an annular score in the external surface of a container wall consisting of a paper layer with synthetic resin films laminated to respective opposite sides of the paper layer. In both of these versions, the plunger remains in its innermost position in the pour spout after opening.

EP-A-0385603 discloses a pour spout fitment in which a roof panel of a gable-top carton formed from a paper layer provided on respective opposite surfaces with thermoplastic resin layers has a slot of open-loop form punched therethrough, leaving a non-punched portion at the top of the loop. A barrier film, such as aluminium foil, is attached at the inner surface of the panel so as to cover the slot. A pour spout of a pour spout fitment is sealed to the outer surface of the panel around the slot and has connected integrally therewith via frangible bridges a tubular plunger formed at its inner end with teeth. The pour spout is closed by a screw cap. To open the carton, the screw cap is removed and the plunger pressed inwards by a consumer so that the ring of teeth enter the slot and break through the barrier film, causing the panel disc within the slot to turn inwards about the non-punched portion.

WO99/42375 discloses a plastics pour spout fitment which has not only a pour spout thereof welded to plastics-coated paperboard packaging material, but also has a plunger welded to a disc of the material, the disc being defined by a ring of weakening in the material. In one embodiment, following purely linearly axially inward displacement of the plunger relative to the pour spout and relative to a screw cap through which the plunger extends, to detach the disc from the remainder of the material, the screw cap is screwed off, thereby to remove also the plunger, and thus the disc, from the pour spout .

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pour spout fitment, comprising a pour spout having a longitudinal axis and adapted to be attached to packaging material, a plunger in said pour spout and displaceable inwards along said axis relative to said pour spout to displace inwards a portion of said packaging material obturating an inner end of said pour spout, and a closure closing an outer end of said pour spout and at least partly flexible to allow a portion of said closure lying on said axis to be displaced inwards along said axis relative to other portions of said closure to displace said plunger inwards as aforesaid. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided in combination, packaging material, and a pour spout fitment comprising a pour spout having a longitudinal axis and attached to said packaging material, a plunger in said pour spout and displaceable inwards along said axis relative to said pour spout to displace inwards a portion of said packaging material obturating an inner end of the pour spout, and a closure closing an outer end of said pour spout and at least partly flexible to allow a portion of said closure lying on said axis to be displaced inwards along said axis relative to other portions of said closure to displace said plunger inwards as aforesaid.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pour spout fitment, comprising a pour spout having a longitudinal axis and adapted to be attached to packaging material, a plunger in said pour spout and displaceable inwards along said axis relative to said pour spout to displace inwards a portion of said packaging material obturating an inner end of the pour spout, and an over-centre device in such relationship with said plunger that, during inward displacement of said plunger as aforesaid, said device passes through a dead centre condition whereafter said over-centre device urges said plunger to perform a full inward stroke.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided in combination, packaging material, and a pour spout fitment, comprising a pour spout having a longitudinal axis and attached to said packaging material, a plunger in said pour spout and displaceable inwards along said axis relative to said pour spout to displace inwards a portion of said packaging material obturating an inner end of the pour spout, and an over-centre device in such relationship with said plunger that, during inward displacement of said plunger as aforesaid, said device passes through a dead centre condition whereafter said over-centre device urges said plunger to perform a full inward stroke.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method comprising providing packaging material to which is attached a pour spout fitment, with a pour spout of said fitment being attached to portions of said material around a portion of said material closing an inner end of said pour spout, and detaching said portion from said portions by a procedure comprised of displacing said plunger inwardly along an axis of said fitment to cause an over- centre device to pass through a dead centre condition and thereafter to urge said plunger against said portion.

Owing to these aspects of the invention, it is possible to provide a simple, and thus inexpensive, fitment whereby a pouring opening in packaging material can be opened with a reasonably high degree of certainty. Advantageously, the inner end of the plunger is attached to the portion of the packaging material, and, after inward displacement of the plunger, the plunger is displaceable outwards along the longitudinal axis relative to the pour spout to beyond the pour spout, whereby the outward displacement of the plunger to beyond the pour spout is accompanied by outward displacement of the portion of the packaging material to beyond the pour spout. In this way, complete removal of the packaging material part previously closing the opening is obtained, so that that part does not thereafter obstruct pouring, and, morevoer, the plunger is removed so as not to obstruct the pour spout or the pouring opening.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method comprising forming a ring of weakness round a portion of packaging material, rendering tacky an axial extremity of a rim of a plunger of a pour spout fitment, which extremity is significantly thinner than a less axially extreme portion of said rim, attaching to said packaging material a pour spout of said fitment so that said pour spout extends round said portion of said material, and applying the tacky axial extremity of said rim to said portion of said material, thereby to attach said plunger to said portion of said material.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method comprising forming a ring of weakness round a portion of packaging material, rendering tacky an axial extremity of a rim of a plunger of a pour spout fitment, attaching to said packaging material a pour spout of said fitment so that said pour spout extends round said portion of said material, and, with the tacky axial extremity projecting beyond said pour spout, applying the tacky axial extremity of said rim to said portion of said material, thereby to attach said plunger to said portion of said material.

Owing to these aspects of the invention, it is possible reliably to attach the plunger to the portion of the packaging material.

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 diagrammatic perspective view of a plastics pour spout fitment welded to a wall of a packaging carton, in a condition ready for opening,

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing the fitment and the packaging carton material at an intermediate stage during the opening,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing the fully opened condition,

Figure 4 is a plan view of a component of the fitment, and

Figure 5 is an axial section taken on the line V-V of Figure 4.

Referring to the drawings, packaging material 2 has attached thereto a pour spout fitment 4 including a pour spout 6 including at its inner end a radially outward flange

8 which is heat-and pressure-welded to the outside surface of the packaging material 2 immediately radially outward of an external, continuous, annulus of weakening 10 (see Figure 1) in the material 2. The annulus of weakening 10 defines a circular disc 12 of the packaging material. The packaging material 2 consists of a laminate including inner and outer layers of a substance, such as LDPE, which is a good barrier to moisture, and an intermediate layer of paperboard. The moisture barrier layers may be extrusion-coated directly onto the inside and outside surfaces of the paperboard during the manufacture of the packaging material; however, the fitment 4 finds particular application to a packaging material in which there is, between the inner moisture barrier layer and the paperboard layer, a gas barrier layer, for example a layer of ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) or aluminium foil. The inner and outer moisture barrier layers and the gas barrier layer are tough relative to the paperboard layer. By opening of the pour spout fitment, the disc 12 is removed to break the inner moisture barrier layer and the gas barrier layer to provide a pouring opening. The pour spout 6 is provided with external threading 14 for a screw closure cap 16, which may be releasably fixed to the pour spout 6 by some tamper-evident device (not shown) . Inside the pour spout 6 is arranged co- axially a plunger 18, the inner end of which is secured to the outer moisture barrier layer of the disc 12, substantially simultaneously with securing of the flange 8 to the annular portion of the outer moisture barrier layer located round the disc 12. Such securing is by glueing or welding, preferably by hot air and (then) pressure welding. The plunger 18 takes the form of a tube integral with the closure part 20 of the cap 16. The part 20 is in the form of a cupola, with a relatively thick cylindrical wall 20a formed with internal threading 22 for co-operating with the threading 14, and external ribs 24 to facilitate gripping of the cap 16 by a consumer, and a generally relatively thin dome 20b of which an inner part 20b' closes the outer end of the plunger 18, and of which the annular outer part 20b' ' acts as an over-centre device. The rim 18a at the free, inner end of the plunger 18 has an annular axial extremity 18b of a form which, in axial section, tapers axially inwardly of the fitment 4 to a substantially linear edge 18c, which is thus radially thinner than the less axially extreme portions of the rim 18a. Moreover, with the cap 16 fully assembled on the pour spout 6, the rim 18a projects slightly axially inwards beyond the pour spout 6, i.e. beyond the axially inner surface of the flange 8. Because the rim 18a thins in an axially inwards direction, it is thereby more readily rendered tacky for more reliable attachment to the disc 12. Such attachment is further promoted by the projection of the rim 18a beyond the inner surface of the flange 18 when it is applied in a tacky condition to the disc 12. Furthermore, the relatively thin plunger 18 cools relatively more rapidly after thermal softening of the rim 18a and so the tacky rim 18a sets more rapidly and thus a firm attachment of the plunger 18 to the disc 12 is attained more rapidly.

Following attachment of the flange 8 and the rim 18a to the packaging material 2, which would normally be after filling and top-sealing of a carton consisting of the material 2, the carton would be supplied to a consumer who would receive the carton and fitment in the condition shown in Figure 1. To open the carton, the consumer would press with a finger or thumb 26 linearly axially in the direction indicated by the arrow A in Figure 2. This would displace downwards the dome 20b relative to the cylindrical wall 20a and thus press downwards the plunger 18 to break the disc 12 from the remainder of the carton round the annulus of weakening 10. In so doing, the consumer would cause the thin, annular wall part 2Ob'' to move through a dead centre condition, so that the plunger 18 is urged inwards towards the innermost end of its stroke. This feature provides tamper evidence. Further tamper evidence can be provided if, as illustrated, the dome part 20b' is such that, when pushed axially inwards relative to the plunger 18, it performs an over-centre motion and thus remains depressed after having been pushed inwards. Thereafter, the cap 16 is unscrewed from the spout 6 by rotation in the sense of the arrow B in Figure 3 and then lifted away from the spout 6 in the direction of the arrow C in Figure 3, taking away with it the disc 12 and so leaving a pouring opening 28 through the packaging material 2.

Although examples of the invention have been described with reference to plastics-coated paperboard cartons, it is applicable to a variety of other packaging fields, particularly to other aseptic packaging fields. For example, the invention is also applicable to glass or plastics bottles, where the spout opening of the bottle is covered and sealed by means of a disc of plastics or metal foil. The packaging fields are not only those in which drinkable foods, such as milk, fruit juice and wine are packaged, particularly aseptically, but also to packaging fields in which other products, for example pharmaceutical products, are packaged.

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Claims

1. A pour spout fitment, comprising a pour spout having a longitudinal axis and adapted to be attached to packaging material, a plunger in said pour spout and displaceable inwards along said axis relative to said pour spout to displace inwards a portion of said packaging material obturating an inner end of said pour spout, and a closure closing an outer end of said pour spout, characterised in that said closure is at least partly flexible to allow a portion of said closure lying on said axis to be displaced inwards along said axis relative to other portions of said closure to displace said plunger inwards as aforesaid.

2. A fitment according to claim 1, wherein said closure is partly flexible.

3. A fitment according to claim 2, wherein the flexible part of said closure is provided by a generally relatively thin dome.

4. A fitment according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the flexible part of said closure comprises an annulus serving as an over-centre device in respect of axially inwards displacement of said plunger.

5. In combination, packaging material, and a pour spout fitment according to any preceding claim, wherein said fitment is attached to said packaging material.

6. A combination according to claim 5, wherein the inner end of said plunger is attached to said portion of said packaging material, and, after inward displacement of said plunger, said plunger is displaceable outwards along said axis relative to said pour spout to beyond said pour spout, whereby the outward displacement of said plunger to beyond said pour spout is accompanied by outward displacement of said portion of said packaging material to beyond said pour spout.

7. A pour spout fitment, comprising a pour spout having a longitudinal axis and adapted to be attached to packaging material, a plunger in said pour spout and displaceable inwards along said axis relative to said pour spout to displace inwards a portion of said packaging material obturating an inner end of the pour spout, characterised by an over-centre device in such relationship with said plunger that, during inward displacement of said plunger as aforesaid, said device passes through a dead centre condition whereafter said over-centre device urges said plunger to perform a full inward stroke.

8. In combination, packaging material, and a pour spout fitment, comprising a pour spout according to claim 7 and attached to said packaging material.

9. A combination according to claim 8, wherein the inner end of said plunger is attached to said portion of said packaging material, and, after inward displacement of said plunger, said plunger is displaceable outwards along said axis relative to said pour spout to beyond said pour spout, whereby the outward displacement of said plunger to beyond said pour spout is accompanied by outward displacement of said portion of said packaging material to beyond the pour spout.

10. A method comprising providing packaging material to which is attached a pour spout fitment, with a pour spout of said fitment being attached to portions of said material around a portion of said material closing an inner end of said pour spout, and detaching said portion from said portions by a procedure comprised of displacing said plunger inwardly along an axis of said fitment, characterised in that said displacing causes an over-centre device to pass through a dead centre condition and thereafter to urge said plunger against said portion.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein, prior to said detaching, the inner end of said plunger has been attached to said portion of said packaging material, and, after inward displacement of said plunger, said plunger is displaced outwards along said axis relative to said pour spout to beyond said pour spout, whereby the outward displacement of said plunger to beyond said pour spout is accompanied by outward displacement of said portion of said packaging material to beyond said pour spout .

12. A method comprising forming a ring of weakness round a portion of packaging material, rendering tacky an axial extremity of a rim of a plunger of a pour spout fitment, which extremity is significantly thinner than a less axially extreme portion of said rim, attaching to said packaging material a pour spout of said fitment so that said pour spout extends round said portion of said material, and applying the tacky axial extremity of said rim to said portion of said material, thereby to attach said plunger to said portion of said material.

13. A method comprising forming a ring of weakness round a portion of packaging material, rendering tacky an axial extremity of a rim of a plunger of a pour spout fitment, attaching to said packaging material a pour spout of said fitment so that said pour spout extends round said portion of said material, and, with the tacky axial extremity projecting beyond said pour spout, applying the tacky axial extremity of said rim to said portion of said material, thereby to attach said plunger to said portion of said material.