WO2017025922A2

WO2017025922A2 - Container for pourable products

Info

Publication number: WO2017025922A2
Application number: PCT/IB2016/054840
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marco Ghini
Original assignee: Ipi S.R.L.
Priority date: 2015-08-12
Filing date: 2016-08-11
Publication date: 2017-02-16
Also published as: WO2017025922A3; EP3334660A2; ITUB20153091A1

Abstract

Container (1) for pourable product comprising an upper face (2), a front face (3) and two side faces (4, 5), said front face (3) comprising at least two edges (3a, 3b) each provided with at least one fin (31a; 31b) to join together said at least two edges one to another along at least one weld line (310), characterized in that said upper face (2) is provided with two first fold lines (2a, 2b) and said front face (3) is provided with two second fold lines (32a, 32b), wherein said at least two first fold lines (2a, 2b), said at least two second fold lines (32a, 32b) and said at least one weld line (310) substantially converge at the point (A) for pouring said pourable product.

Description

"CONTAINER FOR POURABLE PRODUCTS"

DESCRIPTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a container for pourable products.

In particular, the solution concerns a container of laminated material, obtained from a sheet of laminated material for containing a product able to be poured, preferably a liquid. Such containers are usually used for containing milk, fruit juices, wine and other similar pourable substances.

KNOWN PREVIOUS ART

It is known that such containers generally comprising an upper face, a front face, two side faces and a lower face, are closed just at the upper face to allow the user to pour the product contained therein.

In particular, such operation is obtained by cutting the vertex of one of the triangular fins that forms during the container erection process and being folded on the front face of the container as partially glued on the face itself.

Therefore the user, in order to open this kind of container, must unweld the fin, fold it upwardly so that it is substantially flush with the upper surface of the container, and then cut the end at the vertex.

Such a solution is therefore rather elaborate and, moreover, does not allow pouring perfectly the liquid being in the container, since the user must deform the container by the hand holding it, in order to have a kind of conical converging surface whose vertex is just the end of the afore said triangular fin folded in the pouring position. Sometimes this deforming operation even causes the liquid to unintentionally flow out the container, with evident inconveniences for the user himself.

By the way it has to be observed that, to simplify the operation of cutting the triangular fin, usually made by a pair of scissors, the front face further comprises two edges each provided with a fin to join together one to another the same two edges along a weld line. In this way, there is a weld line on the container only at the front and back faces and on the lower face, but not on the upper surface. Anyway, the subsequent pouring operation has the same drawbacks of the containers provided with weld line placed at the upper surface.

In order to avoid this situation, the containers have been provided with an apposite device for opening/closing the container. This opening/closing device, that could be for example of the screw type or with a flat lid that could be raised, is arranged on the upper face of the container and placed at a weakened container zone to thus aid the first opening operation of the container. These opening/closing devices are indeed provided with a cutting element having a plurality of teeth and adapted to make a cut at the weakened container zone, to then aid the pouring of the liquid outside the container.

It is clear that such solution, although being able to solve the problems of the known art relating to the method of opening and pouring the liquid the container contains, anyway has higher costs due both to the introduction of a new component in the container production process, i.e. the opening/closing device, and since more steps for forming the container from the sheet itself are anyway needed.

In order to overcome these problems, the application WO2007/142530 teaches a container lacking in opening and closing device but shaped so that the front face and the upper face of the container are provided with fold lines converging substantially at a point for pouring the product contained in the container.

However, also this container, although being free of triangular folded fin, has some drawbacks since it is made so that to have a weld line just at the upper face of the container. The opening of the container is then obtained by using a convenient cutting element having also the straw function.

Object of the present invention is then to realize a container aiding, compared to those of the known art, the opening and pouring operations of the liquid contained therein.

Further object of the present invention is to realize a container being, at the same time, structurally simple and not needing additional steps in the formation thereof. Finally, object of the present invention is to realize a sheet (for example a die-cut element) allowing the container object of the invention to be manufactured efficiently.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other objects are achieved by a container for pourable product, comprising an upper face, a front face and two side faces, said front face comprising at least two edges both provided with at least one fin to join together said at least two edges one to another along at least one weld line. Advantageously, said upper face is provided with two first fold lines and said front face is provided with two second fold lines, wherein said at least two first fold lines, said at least two second fold lines and said at least one weld line substantially converge at a point for pouring said pourable product.

Therefore, according to the herein claimed solution, not only the pouring is aided, since the container is made so that all the fold lines of the upper face and front face converge to a point, thus forming a kind of conical converging pouring surface, therefore without the user's need of creating it by the same hand holding the container, but the opening of the container can be achieved by a cut made at the pouring point without having to incise the upper face of the container but, at most, only the front one, where the weld line is made.

Moreover, according to the invention, the two first fold lines and the two second fold lines substantially converge at said point along directions not orthogonal to each other.

According to an embodiment of the invention, said upper face and/or said front face has/have a substantially triangular shape. In particular, said at least two edges of said front face have a substantially triangular shape.

In order to create a convenient converging surface for pouring the liquid contained in the container, said at least two first fold lines and/or said at least two second fold lines are curvilinear.

In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, said container comprises a back face comprising at least two edges each provided with at least one weld fin to join together said at least two edges one to another. In particular, each weld fin is handle-shaped so that to be grasped by a user and therefore to aid the pouring of said pourable product. This allows facilitating the pouring operation since the container, being carafe-shaped, is raised by the weld fin rather than the two side faces, as usually happens.

Again, in accordance with another embodiment of the invention, each fin of said back face has a passage sized for accommodating, at least partially, the user's hand. This embodiment is advantageously made from only one sheet of laminated material. In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, the container comprises at least another handle-shaped edge combined with said fins of said two edges of said back face by welding. Then this embodiment needs, to me implemented, two distinct die-cut elements, however it allows realizing handles having particular shape and size more freely.

Moreover, the container can also comprise at least one cap stopper shaped to be combinable with said container at said convergence point.

In accordance with a variant of the invention, the container comprises at least one opening/closing device combinable with the upper face of said container next to at least one punchable zone obtained on said upper face and next to said pouring point. This is favored in that the upper face does not comprise any weld lines and, then, the opening/closing device can be implemented with size greater than the one usually used on a container whose weld line passes in the middle of the upper face of the container.

Finally, according to another embodiment of the invention, at least one of said side faces has a transparent zone so that the liquid level in the container can be checked and, at the same time, writing can be made, for example associated with competitions or similar, which will became visible after at least part of the beverage will be consumed.

The above object are achieved also by a sheet of laminated material for container for pourable product, comprising at least two first fold lines defining at least partially the upper face of said container, when the latter is upright, at least two second fold lines defining at least partially the front face of said container, when the latter is upright, wherein said front face comprises at least two edges each provided with at least one fin to join together said at least two edges one to another along at least one weld line. Advantageously, said at least two first fold lines, said at least two second fold lines and said at least one weld line substantially converge at a point for pouring said pourable product, at least when the container is upright.

In detail, the two first fold lines extend along a non-straight profile.

The sheet can comprise at least two edges defining at least one back face of said container, when the latter is upright; said at least two edges are each provided with at least one weld fin to join together said at least two edges one to another and are connected to said upper face through at least one triangular fold edge and to said side faces through at least two third fold lines.

Finally, in accordance with a further embodiment of the sheet, each weld fin is handle shaped, when the container is upright, said at least one triangular fold edge is folded towards said upper face so that to lie, when the container is upright, substantially on the same plane on which said back face lies, or orthogonally to the plane on which said back face lies.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

These and other aspects of the present invention will be made clearer by the following specification of one or more preferred embodiments, herein provided for purposes of illustration only and without limitation, with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:

figure 1 is an axonometric vie of the container according to a first embodiment of the invention;

figure 2a is a side view of the container of figure 1 ;

figure 2b is a top view of the container of figure 1 ;

figure 3 is a plant view of the sheet for forming the container of figure 1 ;

figure 4 is an axonometric view of a further embodiment of the container according to the invention;

figure 5a is a side view of the container of figure 4;

figure 5b is a top view of the container of figure 4;

figure 6 is a plant view of the sheet of laminated material for forming the container of figure 4;

figure 7 is a side view of a further embodiment of the container according to the invention;

figure 8 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the container according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Referring to figure 1 , the container 1 for pourable product and obtained by folding a sheet of laminated material along a plurality of fold lines 2a, 2b, 32a, 32b, according to a first embodiment of the invention comprises: an upper face 2, a front face 3 transverse to the upper face 2, two side faces 4 and 5 (the latter is not visible in the attached figures) opposed to one another and transverse to the upper face 2, at least one back face 10 opposed to the front face 3, and a lower face 6 opposed to the upper face 2 and intended for being rested on a plane when the container 1 is upright and ready to be used. As visible in figure 1 , the upper face 2 is provided with two first fold lines 2a, 2b, the upper face 3 is provided with two second fold lines 32a, 32b (better visible in figure 3).

Such container 1 is made from a sheet of laminated material, i.e. it is made, for example, by applying a paper or cardboard layer, an aluminium layer and one or more polyethylene layers, all one overlapped to another.

Still according to the embodiment of Figure 1 , the front face 3 comprises two edges 3a, 3b each provided with at least one fin 31a, 31b to join together the two edges one to another along a weld line 310.

Specifically, the two first fold lines 2a, 2b, the two second fold lines 32a, 32b and the weld line 310 substantially converge at the point A for pouring the pourable product contained in the container 1.

In detail, the two first fold lines 2a, 2b extend from the back face 10 to the front face 3 along a non-straight profile, in order to aid the product in flowing out the container 1.

As a matter of fact, in this way the container 1 has not to be shaped for aiding the flowing out of the product itself, as the containers of the known art needed.

Obviously, considering the upright container 1 having the respective lower face 6 resting on a plane, the two first fold lines 2a, 2b will have a part arranged at the back face 10 being at a first distance (i.e. at a certain height, considering the vertical arrangement of the container 1) from the lower face 6, and a part arranged at the front face 3 being at a second distance from the lower face 6, greater than the mentioned first distance. In other words, considering the development of the two first fold lines 2a, 2b from the back face 10 to the front face 3, the two first fold lines 2a, 2b are tilted from bottom to top, considering the container 1 as upright with the respective lower face 6 rested on a plane.

Preferably, also the two second fold lines 32a, 32b extend from the back face 6 to the front face 2 along a non-straight profile, in order to aid the product in flowing out the container 1. Obviously, considering the upright container 1 having the respective lower face 6 resting on a plane, the two second fold lines 32a, 32b will have a part arranged at the lower face being at a first distance from the back face 10, and a part arranged at the upper face 2 being at a second distance from the back face 10, greater than the mentioned first distance. In other words, considering the development of the two second fold lines 32a, 2b from the lower face 6 to the upper face 2, the two second fold lines 32a, 2b are tilted from inside to outside, considering the container 1 as upright with the respective lower face 6 rested on a plane.

Particularly, the two first fold lines 2a, 2b and the two second fold lines 32a, 32b substantially converge at said point A along directions not orthogonal to each other, i. e. not tilted (as better visible in figure 3).

According to the embodiment shown herein, each face 4, 5 of the two side faces 4, 5 of the container 1 comprises a fold line 2a or 2b of the two first fold lines 2a, 2b and a fold line 3a or 3b of the two second fold lines 3a, 3b. In practice, the two side faces 4 and 5 comprise two corners of the container 1 in common with the front face 3 and the upper face 2.

More in detail, as visible in figure 1 , both the upper face 2 and the front face 3 have a substantially triangular shape. However, it has to be observed that a container 1 having an upper face 2 or front face 3 with different shape, for example a polygonal shape or another shape, still fall in the protection scope of the present invention. In the embodiments of the present invention herein depicted, the two joined edges 3a and 3b forming the front face 3 have a substantially triangular shape, although in other embodiments herein not shown these edges could have a different shape, without for this reason exiting from the protection scope of the present invention. Moreover, all the two first fold lines 2a, 2b and the two second fold lines 32a, 32b are curvilinear so that when the container 1 is upright, a surface converging to the pouring point A is formed. This is achieved without the user having to deform the container 1 during the pouring, through the pouring point A, of the product contained inside.

Alternatively, according to a variant herein not shown, the two first fold lines 2a, 2b and/or the two second fold lines 32a, 32b can each define a broken line inside a curvilinear one, such that the same technical effect disclosed above is anyway allowed.

The back face 10 comprises two edges 10a, 10b each provided with a weld fin 101a; 101 b to join together the same two edges 10a and 10b one to another to form just the back face 10.

In figures 4, 5a and 5b, a further embodiment of the invention according to the invention is shown.

In particular in figure 4 the container 1 , as in the previous case still comprising a back face 10 comprising in turn two edges 10a, 10b each provided with a weld fin 101 a and 101 b to join together the same two edges 10a and 10b one to another to form just the back face 10, is provided with weld fins 101a, 101 b handle shaped to be grasped by the user and then to aid the pouring of the pourable product.

In particular, each fin 101 a and 101 b of the back face 10 has a passage 70 sized to house the user's hand fingers, in order to allow grasping the container 1 as an actual carafe.

In figure 6 a sheet of foldable laminated material is shown (in particular a die - cut element) allowing a container similar to that shown in figures 4, 5a and 5b to be erected, but slightly different in the shape of the fins 101 a and 101 b. In this case, in fact, the passage 70 has a circumference shape to allow the user to grasp the container with also only one finger through the passage 70.

In figure 7 an embodiment slightly different from those shown in figures 4 to 6 is depicted, in fact in this case the container 1 comprises another handle-shaped edge 80 combined with the fins 101 a, 101 b of the two edges 10a, 10b of the back face 10 by welding. Therefore in this case the two fins 101 a, 101 b of the two edges 10a, 10b are not handle shaped, however another handle-shaped edge 80 having a rounded L- shape is added, in order to aid the container 1 to be grasped.

Still according to the embodiment of Figure 7, the container 1 comprises a cap stopper 40 shaped to be combinable with the container 1 at the convergence point A. This cap stopper 40 is used to close the area of the container 1 at which the cut for the opening of the container 1 is carried out, i.e. at the pouring point A.

According to a further embodiment of the invention visible in figure 8, the container 1 not only comprises another edge 80 having again a handle shape and being combined with the fins 101a, 101 b of the two edges 10a, 10b of the back face 10 by welding, but it further comprise an opening/closing device 50 combinable with the upper face 2 of the container at a punchable zone (herein not visible, but known to the field technician) obtained on the same upper face 2 and with the end 51 falling at the pouring point A.

Such last embodiment of the container 1 further comprises two side faces 3 and 4 having a zone 90 made of a transparent material.

Still according to the invention, a sheet 100 of foldable laminated material is described, to obtain the container 1 better depicted in figure 3.

Such sheet 100 of laminated material (for example a die-cut element) comprises two first fold lines 2a, 2b defining at least partially the upper face 2 of the container 1 , when the latter is upright, two second fold lines 32a, 32b defining at least partially the front face 3 of the container, when the latter is upright, wherein the front face comprises two edges 3a, 3b each provided with a fin 31a, 31 b to join together the two edges 3a, 3b one to another along a weld line 310. According to the embodiment herein described, the two first fold lines 2a, 2b, the two second fold lines 32a, 32b and the weld line 310 all substantially converge at a point A for pouring the pourable product, at least when the container 1 is successively erected.

In particular, a fold line 2a or 2b, of the two first fold lines 2a, 2b, and a fold line 3a or 3b, of the two second fold lines 3a, 3b, each define at least partially the two side faces 4, 5 of the container 1 , when the latter is upright. In detail, the two second fold lines 2a, 2b extend along a non-straight profile. Advantageously, this allows to obtain a container 1 from the sheet of laminated material, that has not to be shaped for aiding the flowing out of the product itself, as the containers of the known art needed. As mentioned above referring to the container 1 , the two first fold lines 2a, 2b can be curvilinear or broken lines.

Still according to the embodiment herein described, the sheet 100 comprises two edges 10a, 10b defining the back face 10 of the container 1 , when the latter is upright; these two edges 10a, 10b are each provided with a weld fin 101a, 101 b to join together the two edges 10a, 10b one to another. Moreover, the two edges 10a, 10b of the back face 10 are connected to the upper face 2 through at least one triangular fold edge 1 10 and to said side faces 4 and 5 through two third fold lines 120a, 120b.

Still according to another embodiment of the sheet of laminated material shown in figure 6, each weld fin 31a, 31 b is handle shaped, when the container is upright. In this case, the triangular fold edge 1 10 is folded towards the upper face 2 so that to lie, when the container is upright, substantially on the same plane on which the back face lies 2 and, then, to be orthogonal to the back face 10 (see for example figures 4, 5a and 5b).

According to another embodiment herein not shown of the invention, the triangular fold edge 1 10 is folded towards the upper face 2 so that to lie, when the container is upright, substantially on the same plane on which the back face 10 lies.

The invention further relates to a method for obtaining a container 1 for pourable product from the sheet 100 of the above described laminated material. In this case, the sheet 100 can be a continuous strip of laminated material in which the afore described fold lines are provided.

The method comprises the steps of:

a) welding said sheet of laminated material so that a pipe of laminated material is obtained;

b) filling the pipe of laminated material with a pourable product;

c) folding the pipe of laminated material along the two first fold lines 2a, 2b and along the two second fold lines 32a, 32b;

d) welding the pipe of laminated material to obtain at least one closed and sealed wrapper;

e) cutting the pipe of laminated material to obtain a container 1.

The afore said steps can be carried out in succession.

The method can comprise another final folding step, wherein the container 1 obtained by cutting the filled and welded pipe is formed to obtain the final shape. Preferably, the steps from a) to e) are carried out by an automatic machine for packaging containers of pourable products. In this case, obviously, several containers 1 can be obtained from the sheet 100 of laminated material, by arranging the mentioned fold lines in sequence on the sheet 100.

The container 1 , having the shape of carafe, can therefore be obtained either from a single filled and closed die - cut element of folded laminated material, or from a continuous strip of laminated material, for example unwound from a spool, as described above.

Claims

1 ) Container (1 ) for pourable product, obtained by folding a sheet of laminated material along a plurality of fold lines (2a, 2b, 32a, 32b) and comprising an upper face (2), a front face (3) transverse to the upper face (2), two side faces (4, 5) opposed one another and transverse to the upper face (2), at least one back face (10) opposed to the front face (3), and a lower face (6) opposed to the upper face (2) and intended for being rested on a plane when the container (1 ) is upright and ready to use, said front face (3) comprising at least two edges (3a, 3b) each provided with at least one fin (31 a; 31 b) to join together said at least two edges one to another along at least one weld line (310), characterized in that said upper face (2) is provided with two first fold lines (2a, 2b) and said front face (3) is provided with two second fold lines (32a, 32b), wherein said at least two first fold lines (2a, 2b), said at least two second fold lines (32a, 32b) and said at least one weld line (310) substantially converge at the point (A) for pouring said pourable product, the two first fold lines (2a, 2b) extending from the back face ( 10) to the front face (3) along a non-straight profile, in order to aid the product in flowing out the container (1 ).

2) Container according to claim 1 , characterized in that said at least one back face (10) comprises at least two edges (10a, 10b) each provided with at least one weld fin (101a; 101 b) to join together said at least two edges (10a, 10b) one to another, and in that said at least two edges (10a, 10b) are connected to the upper face (2) through at least one triangular fold edge (1 10) and to said side faces (4, 5) by two third fold lines (120a, 120b).

3) Container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said at least two first fold lines (2a, 2b) and/or said at least two second fold lines (32a, 32b) are curvilinear.

4) Container according to claim 1 or 2 or 3, characterized in that said two first fold lines and said two second fold lines substantially converge at said point (A) along directions not orthogonal to each other.

5) Container according to claim 1 or 2 or 3 or 4, characterized in that each face (4; 5) of said at least two side faces (4, 5) comprises at least one fold line (2a; 2b) of said at least two first fold lines and at least one fold line (3a; 3b) of said at least two second fold lines (3a, 3b).

6) Container according to one or more of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said upper face (3) and/or said at least one front face have a substantially triangular shape. 7) Container according to one or more of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said at least two edges (3a, 3b) of said front face have a substantially triangular shape.

8) Container according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that each weld fin is handle-shaped so that to be grasped by a user and therefore to aid the pouring of said pourable product.

9) Container according to claim 8, characterized in that each fin of said back face has a passage sized for accommodating, at least partially, the user's hand.

10) Container according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized by comprising at least one additional handle-shaped edge, said at least one additional edge being combined with said fins of said two edges of said back face by welding.

1 1) Container according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by comprising at least one opening/closing device combinable with the upper face of said container next to at least one punchable zone obtained on said upper face and next to said pouring point (A).

12) Container according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of said side faces has at least one transparent zone.

13) Container according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by comprising at least one cap stopper shaped to be combinable with said container at said convergence point (A).

14) Sheet (100) of foldable laminated material for obtaining at least one container (1 ) for pourable product, the container ( 1 ) comprising an upper face (2), a front face (3) and at least two side faces (4, 5), the sheet ( 100) comprises at least two first fold lines (2a, 2b) defining at least partially the upper face (2) of said container (1 ), when the latter is upright, at least two second fold lines (32a, 32b) defining at least partially the front face (3) of said container, when the latter is upright, wherein said front face comprises at least two edges (3a, 3b) each provided with at least one fin (3 la; 31 b) to join together said at least two edges one to another along at least one weld line (3 10), characterized in that said at least two first fold lines (2a, 2b), said at least two second fold lines (32a, 32b) and said at least one weld line (310) substantially converge at a point (A) for pouring said pourable product, at least when the container is upright, the two first fold lines (2a, 2b) extending along a non-straight profile.

15) Sheet ( 100) according to claim 14, characterized in that at least one fold line (2a; 2b) of said at least two first fold lines and at least one fold line (3a; 3b) of said at least two second fold lines (3a; 3b) define at least in part each of the two side faces (4, 5) of said container, when the latter is upright.

16) Sheet (100) according to claim 14 or 15, characterized by comprising at least two edges (10a, 10b) defining at least one back face (10) of said container, when the latter is upright, said at least two edges being each provided with at least one weld fin (101 a; 101 b) to join together said at least two edges one to another, said at least two edges of said back face being connected to said upper face through at least one triangular fold edge (1 10) and to said side faces through at least two third fold lines (120a, 120b).

17) Sheet (100) according to claim 16, characterized in that each weld fin is handle shaped, when the container is upright, said at least one triangular fold edge being folded towards said upper face so that to lie, when the container is upright, substantially on the same plane on which said back face lies, or orthogonally to the plane on which said back face lies.

18) Method for obtaining a container for pourable product from a sheet (100) of laminated material according to any one of claims 14 to 17, the method being characterized by comprising the steps of:

b) filling the pipe of laminated material with a pourable product;

c) folding the pipe of laminated material along the two first fold lines (2a, 2b) and along the two second fold lines (32a, 32b);

e) cutting the pipe of laminated material to obtain a container (1 ).

19) Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the steps from a) to e) are carried out by an automatic machine for packaging containers of pourable products.