Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D77/00—Packages formed by enclosing articles or materials in preformed containers, e.g. boxes, cartons, sacks or bags
  • B65D77/10—Container closures formed after filling
  • B65D77/20—Container closures formed after filling by applying separate lids or covers, i.e. flexible membrane or foil-like covers
  • B65D77/2024—Container closures formed after filling by applying separate lids or covers, i.e. flexible membrane or foil-like covers the cover being welded or adhered to the container
  • B65D77/2028—Means for opening the cover other than, or in addition to, a pull tab
  • B65D77/2032—Means for opening the cover other than, or in addition to, a pull tab by peeling or tearing the cover from the container
• • 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
  • B65D3/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers having bodies or peripheral walls of curved or partially-curved cross-section made by winding or bending paper without folding along defined lines
  • B65D3/26—Opening arrangements or devices incorporated in, or attached to, containers
  • B65D3/268—Opening arrangements or devices incorporated in, or attached to, containers the opening arrangement being located in a container closure
• • 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
  • B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
  • B65D85/70—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for materials not otherwise provided for
  • B65D85/72—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for materials not otherwise provided for for edible or potable liquids, semiliquids, or plastic or pasty materials
• • 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
  • B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
  • B65D85/70—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for materials not otherwise provided for
  • B65D85/72—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for materials not otherwise provided for for edible or potable liquids, semiliquids, or plastic or pasty materials
  • B65D85/80—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for materials not otherwise provided for for edible or potable liquids, semiliquids, or plastic or pasty materials for milk
• • 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
  • B65D2577/00—Packages formed by enclosing articles or materials in preformed containers, e.g. boxes, cartons, sacks, bags
  • B65D2577/10—Container closures formed after filling
  • B65D2577/20—Container closures formed after filling by applying separate lids or covers
  • B65D2577/2075—Lines of weakness or apertures
  • B65D2577/2091—Lines of weakness or apertures in cover
• • 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
  • B65D81/00—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents
  • B65D81/34—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents for packaging foodstuffs or other articles intended to be cooked or heated within the package
  • B65D81/3446—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents for packaging foodstuffs or other articles intended to be cooked or heated within the package specially adapted to be heated by microwaves
  • B65D81/3453—Rigid containers, e.g. trays, bottles, boxes, cups

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a packaging for storing and/or cooking a food product, the packaging comprising a container for holding the food product, and a cover removably fastened to an upper rim of the container to be opened by a consumer upon use. Further aspects of the invention are the cover as well as the packaged food product. Consumers often face difficulties in peeling open packaging films, lids or covers which seal food containers. Most often, users need to first identify an existing peel tab in the cover to initiate the tear. The packaging cover may then tear or split in an unintended direction while the user is tearing it, leading to difficult or partial opening and spilling of food. The peel tab may have also been torn off or crumpled before it reaches the consumer due to package mishandling throughout the supply chain. Consumers are then tempted to using knifes or other sharp articles for opening the cover, increasing the risk of harming themselves and spilling even more food.
• US2012/0237713 describes a thin packaging film having a closed contour and which is surrounded over its entire periphery by a tear-off area, an incipient tear being precut in this film so as to intercept this contour while leading into the latter while forming a gripping portion capable of being pulled away from the plane of this thin film.
• the film involves two materials, a pre-cut and underlying material to create a swirl effect. The film enables partial separation beyond 180 degrees.
• EP2662309 describes a film with a weakening line for tearing open the film.
• a pressing region is provided adjacent to a section of the weakening line and has the size of a fingertip.
• the pressing region is limited by a tearing line at a side of a surface.
• the tearing line projects from the weakening line starting in a region of the film and is provided adjacent to a tongue-shaped section of the film, where the section is detachable along the weakening film.
• the film is formed from a multi-layered laminated compound and includes a curl produced by stresses in layers of the compound.
• EP1544127 describes a polymer film secured to the rim of a food packaging by a peripheral weld.
• the sealing film carries a weakened line for a circular section to be pulled clear by a tab.
• the peripheral weld has a stronger hold than the
• the object of the present invention is to improve the state of the art and to provide an improved and/or
• the object of the present invention is also to provide such an improved and/or alternative packaging solution where the packaging can be opened only partly, convenient for adding further ingredients to a food product, to limit
• the object of the present invention is to provide such an improved and/or alternative packaging solution where the packaging can be opened to about 1/4 to 3/4 of its potential opening surface, in order to be very convenient for adding hot or cold water, milk or other ingredients to a food product, to limit spilling of a liquid food product upon cooking and where after cooking the packaging can then be opened completely in a convenient way.
• the object of the present invention is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. The dependent claims further develop the idea of the present invention.
• the present invention relates in a first aspect to a packaging for storing and/or cooking a food product, the packaging comprising a container for holding the food product, and a cover removably fastened to an upper rim of the packaging
• the cover comprises a weakening line forming a spiral, the spiral starting in a central part of the cover and running towards the rim of the cover, and wherein the spiral winds at least one-and-a-half times around a central axis of said spiral.
• the invention in a second aspect, relates to a packaged food product comprising the said packaging for storing and/or cooking a food product, and a food product comprised in the container.
• a further aspect of the present invention pertains to a cover for use on a container for storage and/or cooking a food product, the cover characterized in that it comprises a weakening line forming a spiral, the spiral starting in a central part of the cover and running towards the rim of the cover, and wherein the spiral winds at least one-and-a-half times around a central axis of said spiral.
• a packaging such as for example a cup with a removably sealed lid or cover which comprises a scored weakening line forming a spiral
• a main advantage of the invention is that it enables a user to peel a membrane with minimum effort.
• weakening line enables easy, intuitive opening with a graphic indication to guide consumers. It also enables a clean peel, without leaving any torn packaging laminate on pack. Opening of such a packaging is also particularly simple, convenient and advantageous for all consumers who are somewhat clumsy, maladroit, or have joint inflammation or arthritis problems with their fingers or are simply elderly with all inherent problems which come with age.
• Another advantage of the present invention is that when used for cooking a liquid food product, such as for example an instant noodle soup, directly in the packaging cup, a consumer will not need to use an additional object such as e.g. a saucer, plate or a further cover, to cover the brim of the packaging cup in order to prevent spilling of the soup.
• a liquid food product such as for example an instant noodle soup
• the centre of the cover i.e. the depression zone
• the centre of the cover is then pinched by the consumer using thumb and forefinger and peeled open about half-way along the spiral to allow the addition of water to e.g. a dry noodle soup product, if needed, and then to cook the soup, e.g. in a microwave oven for 2-5 minutes, directly in the noodle cup.
• Spilling is prevented by the rim formed by the cover still safely sealed around the total circumference of the noodle cup.
• the cover can then be peeled away fully towards the periphery of the cup for ease of consumption .
• the invention can be used for a variety of food product
• Figure 3 Way of opening the packaging of the present
• the present invention pertains to a packaging for storing and/or cooking a food product, the packaging comprising:
• a cover removably fastened to an upper rim of the container; characterized in that the cover comprises a weakening line forming a spiral, the spiral starting in a central part of the cover and running towards the rim of the cover, and wherein the spiral winds at least one-and-a-half times around a
• the spiral winds at least two times around a central axis of said spiral. More preferably, the spiral winds at least two-and-a-half times around a central axis of said spiral.
• the spiral winds at least two times around its own axis.
• the spiral winds around the axis for about 2.5 to 3.5 times (i.e. about 900° - 1260°).
• the spiral does not wind around its own axis more than about 10 times, or more than about 5 times.
• a “cover” of the present invention is a means to removably cover a container suitable for holding a food product.
• a “cover” can be a lid, a film, a laminated sheet, a membrane or a cap .
• Removably fastened of the present invention means that the cover is sealed, glued or otherwise fixed to the upper rim of a container in such a way that the cover can be removed again from said container by a consumer.
• the cover of the present invention comprises only one single weakening line.
• a "single line” is defined and understood herein as one single continuous line having two ends.
• the line can be curved, straight, in spiral form, or in any combination thereof.
• the single line is not the combined product of two lines crossing each other, nor is it a line which is branched into two lines.
• the advantage of having only one single weakening line within the cover is that any tear or force to tear, e.g. when poking into the cover with a finger, only and inevitably results in the tearing of this one only single weakening line. Tearing of this single weakening line will always be limited to just this one only existing weakening line and tearing of that line will be complete. This has the advantage that it always results in a proper tearing of the weakening line even when torn across by e.g. a clumsy consumer.
• the weakening line of the present invention is a score.
• the score in the cover material can be made by mechanical scoring, by edging, die cutting and/or laser cutting. A preferred solution is by laser cutting.
• the weakening line of the present invention is continuously winding around the central axis of the spiral, with having no straight or liner inter-sections. It has been found by the inventors that a peeling action of such a continuous spiral is smoother and more consistent than when straight or liner stretches are present in the spiral form.
• the cover of the present invention comprises a depression zone having at least the size of a fingertip. Preferably, this depression zone overlaps with the central axis of the spiral formed by the weakening line. This allows optimal and straight forward opening of the packaging of the present invention.
• the cover and the upper rim of the container of the present invention are round. Round is
• the cover and the upper rim of the container are round.
• the central axis of the spiral is in the center of the cover.
• the cover of the present invention does not comprise a separate peel tab.
• a separate peel tab for removing the cover from the upper rim of the container is not necessary anymore.
• An extra separate peel tab may only be confusing to a consumer; it may add up to additional production costs and it may be encumbering in the packing and stacking of the
• the cover of the present invention is made of a multi-layer laminate, preferably of an aluminium containing or a plastic containing laminate. More preferably, the multi-layer laminate comprises: a base layer selected from the group consisting of aluminium, paper, polyester (PET) , oriented polypropylene (OPP) and oriented polyamide (OPA) ; and a sealing layer selected from the group consisting of
• the cover comprises an intermediate layer having barrier
• aluminium containing laminates have the advantage that they provide a best smooth peeling and tearing for opening the cover along the scored weakening line. Furthermore, they result typically in a nice continuous cut after the tearing with clean and smooth edges. Plastic containing laminates have a similar effect as aluminium containing laminates and
• the container of the present invention is preferably made of a plastic material.
• the container of the present invention is rigid and in particular freestanding so that it retains its form whether or not it is filled with a food product.
• the container is for example consisting of a plastic outer support layer material, for example polypropylene (PP) , polystyrene (PS) , or a complex of amorphous polyester
• the container is a paper container of heat-sealable coated surface-protected cardboard which includes a wound container wall and a
• the container of the present invention can be made of a glass material.
• Another aspect of the present invention relates to a packaged food product comprising the packaging of the present invention and a food product comprised in the container.
• the food product is a dried soup, an instant noodle product, a dried coffee and/or milk drink, or a dried chocolate drink.
• a still further aspect of the present invention pertains to a cover for use on a container for storage and/or cooking a food product, the cover characterized in that it comprises a weakening line forming a spiral, the spiral starting in a central part of the cover and running towards the rim of the cover, and wherein the spiral winds at least one-and-a-half times around a central axis of said spiral.
• the cover comprises only one single weakening line.
• FIG. 1 A Graphtec cutting plotter (FC2250) with a versatile moving head secured with a cutting blade in a holder was used to cut the spiral weakening line into several different substrates and to compare the performance of half- cutting. Illustration files containing the spiral designs according to Figure 1 were sent to the plotter software to initiate the scoring operations.
• the cover materials selected for testing were an aluminium-containing laminate (polyester (PET) /aluminium/polyester (PET) /polyethylene (PE) ) (Daibochi Plastic & Packaging Ind. Bhd.), a paper-containing laminate (Paper/polyester (PET) /polyethylene (PE) ) (Amcor Flexibles Sarreteil) , and a plastic laminate as indicated in table 1. Table 1.
• Axis setting is the movement direction (X horizontal, Y vertical) of the cutting blade. The higher the axis setting, the higher is the pressure of the cutting force.
• the aluminium-based material enabled smooth peeling effect and an easier tearing, peeling action in one continuous motion compared with paper- based material.
• Paper-containing film resulted in a discontinuous cut, leading to multiple gaps and difficulty in poking through the tearing hole.
• the peeling of the packaging film also caused uneven edges compared with aluminium- containing film. However, this issue can be resolved through the use of laser scoring.
• the plastic-containing film enabled a smooth peeling effect and easier tearing, peeling action in one continuous motion.
• this film requires more strength to poke through the film compared to both paper-containing film and aluminium- containing film.
• the gestures performed by a consumer result in a clear sound during poking and peeling action along the adjacent of film towards the brim of container.
• the plastic laminate cover as of Table 1 was further tested on a plastic container comprising some liquid food for microwave heating. Before placing the packaging inside a standard household microwave oven, the center of the cover was poked open and the cover opened about half-way through the spiral, in order to allow the addition of some water to the container. Thereafter, the opened packaging was heated for 2 minutes in the microwave oven. It was noticed that the opening tab was further released by the steam generated by the microwave cooking in the container, and thereby further facilitating the peeling and complete removal of the cover along the weakening line after the cooking step.
• a good working example and preferred embodiment of the present invention has the spiral design and dimensions as shown in Figure 2.
• Example 3 A good working example and preferred embodiment of the present invention has the spiral design and dimensions as shown in Figure 2.
• Example 3 A good working example and preferred embodiment of the present invention has the spiral design and dimensions as shown in Figure 2.
• Example 3 A good working example and preferred embodiment of the present invention has the spiral design and dimensions as shown in Figure 2.
• Example 3 A good working example and preferred embodiment of the present invention has the spiral design and dimensions as shown in Figure 2.
• the packaging of the present invention can be opened in the following way as shown in Figure 3:
• Step 3.1 Poke at centre of the cover to break initial
• Step 3.2 Pull released tab to peel open
• Step 3.3 Pull tab higher to reveal product
• Step 3.4 Pull tab along the brim of packaging for complete opening .

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Package Specialized In Special Use (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)
• Closures For Containers (AREA)
• Details Of Rigid Or Semi-Rigid Containers (AREA)

Priority Applications (12)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=51429166

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (13)

Cited By (4)

Families Citing this family (4)

Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 2015
  • 2015-08-26 CA CA2959693A patent/CA2959693A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2015-08-26 JP JP2017510889A patent/JP2017525629A/ja not_active Withdrawn
  • 2015-08-26 SG SG11201700837XA patent/SG11201700837XA/en unknown
  • 2015-08-26 RU RU2017110676A patent/RU2017110676A/ru not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2015-08-26 BR BR112017003107A patent/BR112017003107A2/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2015-08-26 CN CN201580046922.9A patent/CN106687389A/zh active Pending
  • 2015-08-26 KR KR1020177004685A patent/KR20170052571A/ko unknown
  • 2015-08-26 SG SG10201901415PA patent/SG10201901415PA/en unknown
  • 2015-08-26 MX MX2017002659A patent/MX2017002659A/es unknown
  • 2015-08-26 WO PCT/EP2015/069485 patent/WO2016034462A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2015-08-26 US US15/508,289 patent/US20170283148A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2015-08-26 AU AU2015311049A patent/AU2015311049A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2015-08-26 EP EP15762509.6A patent/EP3188981A1/en not_active Withdrawn
• 2017
  • 2017-01-30 PH PH12017500175A patent/PH12017500175A1/en unknown

Patent Citations (4)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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