WO2017089487A1

WO2017089487A1 - Container and method and equipment for producing it

Info

Publication number: WO2017089487A1
Application number: PCT/EP2016/078717
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kelvin CHOI
Original assignee: Nestec S.A.
Priority date: 2015-11-24
Filing date: 2016-11-24
Publication date: 2017-06-01
Also published as: CN108290659A

Abstract

A container (100) with a tear-off lid is disclosed. The rim of the container is shaped such that a consumer's lip or fingers are protected from the edge of the tear-off lid during consumption. A method, an equipment and a manufacturing line are also provided for producing the container (100).

Description

CONTAINER AND METHOD AND EQUIPMENT FOR PRODUCING IT

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention refers to a container for containing a food product, in particular a container with a cup body and a lid attached thereto, and also a method for producing the container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Containers such as cans are well known and widely used for containing materials such as retort food and chemicals. Taking retort food as an example, the food is normally canned in steel or aluminum cans that are seamed up with lids. The lids are normally made of metal and each formed with a pre-cut for easily pulling the full panel defined by the pre-cut. After removal of the full panel, consumers may take the food out of the can by scooping or by fingers directly. In recent years, in orderto reduce the cost and to easily heat the food by, for example, microwave oven, plastic such as polypropylene is used to make cans, but the lids are still made of metal. After removal of the full panel, a sharp edge is formed along the pre-cut which brings a risk of hurting consumers' lips or fingers when eating or drinking from the can, and thus is not safe. The sharp edge can be avoided by bending/rolling the lid before fitting the lid, however, the cost for manufacturing and raw material will increase.

For instance, US 2011/272417 Al relates to a tin can provided with a strainer. The strainer is fastened to the sidewall of the can, between the ends of the sidewall and located within the interior cavity of the sidewall. The strainer is a planar sheet of a material that includes holes sized to separate liquid from solid container contents. The container has a top and a bottom wall coupled to the sidewall by crimping.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is intended to overcome at least one of the above defects in the prior arts.

According to a first aspect the invention, a container for containing a food product is provided, which comprises: a cup body with an opening, and a lid attached to the cup body for sealing the opening, the lid having a panel part which is removable along a predefined pre- cut in the lid, wherein said cup body has a bottom wall and a side wall, and the side wall is provided with a free upper edge which forms said opening; the side wall is provided with an protection portion arranged adjacent to and below the opening, and the protection portion extends circumferentially and protrudes radially inward, so that the width of the protection portion is equal or greater than the width of a portion of the lid which remains attached to the upper edge of the side wall after removal of the panel part.

By virtue of such a container, a direct touch of a consumer with the edge of the remainder of the lid after removal of the panel part is avoided and an edge protection is guaranteed so that a consumer's lips or fingers do not touch the sharp edge during scooping.

Preferably, an annular groove may be arranged externally on the side wall so as to form an inward flange as the protection portion.

Preferably, the flange may have a flat or an inclined upper surface facing the lid, which is in the shape of a ring.

Preferably, the inclined upper surface may extend upward and radially inward from the side wall and form an acute angle with respect to the side wall.

Preferably, the pre-cut may be a substantially circular shape and has a pre-cut diameter, and the flat or the inclined upper surface may have an inner diameter smaller than the pre- cut diameter and an outer diameter greater than the pre-cut diameter.

Preferably, the groove may have a cross-section of triangle or rectangle or parallelogram.

Preferably, the opening may have an opening diameter greater than the outer diameter.

Preferably, the protection portion may be in contact with the lid.

Preferably, a gap may be formed between the protection portion and the lid, which gap is smaller than 2 mm in height.

Preferably, the gap may be smaller than 1 mm in height.

Preferably, the cup body may be made of plastic and the lid may be made of metal. Preferably, the cup body is blow-molded. Most preferably, the cup body is made of blow- molded plastic.

Preferably, the cup body may be made of polypropylene, and the lid may be made of aluminum alloy.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method for producing a container for containing a food product is provided, which container comprises a cup body with an opening, and a lid attached to the cup body for sealing the opening, the method comprising the following steps: a) co-extrusion blow-molding of the cup body, during which a side wall of the cup body is provided with an protection portion arranged adjacent to and below the opening, wherein the protection portion extends circumferentially and protrudes radially inward; b) post-trimming of the cup body; and c) attaching the lid to the cup body and seaming.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, an equipment for manufacturing the above-mentioned cup body is provided. The equipment comprises: an extrusion head, which allows a material for forming the cup body being extruded in a predetermined condition; a blow mold with an inner surface forming a mold chamber, the blow mold being provided with an protrusion extending circumferentially and radially inward from a sidewall of the chamber; a blow pin, which blows air into the mold chamber after the cup body material being extruded into the mold chamber and makes the cup body material being in contact with the inner surface of the blow mold; and means for post-trimming of the cup body.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a manufacturing line is provided for producing the aforementioned containers, which comprises the equipment for manufacturing a cup body according to the present application.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the examples of the invention will become apparent with reference to the embodiments and drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a container, in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 shows an enlarged view of the protection portion of the container shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a container, in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 shows an enlarged view of the protection portion of the container shown in Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 shows a partial detail view of an example of the container shown in Fig. 1, with the full panel of the lid being peeled and a rim being formed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments, which are shown in the drawings. The same reference numbers, if possible, are used throughout the drawings to indicate the same or similar components. It will be appreciated that the invention as claimed is not intended to be limited in any way by these embodiments. As used herein and in the appended claims, the singular form of a word includes the plural, and vice versa, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, the references "a", "an", and "the" are generally inclusive of the plurals of the respective terms. For example, reference to "a method" includes a plurality of such "methods". Similarly, the words "comprise", "comprises", and "comprising" are to be interpreted inclusively rather than exclusively. Likewise, the terms "include", "including" and "or" should all be construed to be inclusive, unless such a construction is clearly prohibited from the context. Where used herein the term "examples", particularly when followed by a listing of terms is merely exemplary and illustrative, and should not be deemed to be exclusive or comprehensive.

Referring to Fig. 1, which shows an example of a first embodiment of the present invention, a container 100 is provided. The container may be used, for example, to contain food such as congee or milk. The container 100 shown in Fig 1 comprises a cup body 1 of a generally cylindrical shape having a central axis 101, and a lid 2 of circular shape. The cup body 1 comprises a bottom wall 11 and a side wall 12 and has for example a generally cylindrical shape. The side wall 12 is provided with a free upper edge 13 which forms an opening 14 of the cup body. The lid 2 is tightly secured to the free upper edge 13 and thus seals the opening 14. The lid 2 is configured to have a circular pre-cut 21 on it, which pre-cut defines a full panel 22 which can be easily pulled off before food consumption by the consumer. After removal of the full panel, a sharp edge 23 may be formed along the pre-cut 21.

Referring to both Figs, l and 2, a protection portion (for example, a flange) 15 is shown arranged adjacent to and below the opening 14. As can be seen clearly from Fig. 2, the protection portion 15 is located below the lid 2 and protrudes inwardly from the vertical portion of the side wall 12. In other words, the top of the side wall is shaped so that the border of the cup rests on an inwardly oriented groove or shoulder. The protection portion 15 is configured in such a way that it covers the circular pre-cut from beneath, that is to say, when viewing upwards from bottom wall 11, the circular pre-cut 21 is not visible because it is covered by the protection portion 15. This is guaranteed by the fact that the width of the protection portion is equal or greater than the width of a portion of the lid which remains attached to the upper edge of the side wall after removal of the panel part. Both the widths of the protection portion and of the portion of the lid are measured in a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the cup body.

With the protrusion portion 15 covering the pre-cut 21 from beneath, when the full panel 22 is removed and a consumer takes food from the opening, because of the protection portion 15, the sharp lid edge along the pre-cut would not hurt consumer's lips and/or fingers. Therefore, the protection portion 15 is also called as "edge protection". As mentioned above, comparing with the conventional cup body design, the design according to the present invention with the protection portion 15 renders a slight reduction of the internal volume of the cup body, which even can be ignored.

In the configuration shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the inwardly protruding protection portion 15 is formed by an annular groove (a ring-shape groove) arranged on the external surface of the side wall, and the groove is recessed inwardly (i.e., towards the central axis 101) so that the protection portion 15 has a flat upper surface 16 which is of, for example, an annular shape.

The flat upper surface 16 faces the circular pre-cut 21 and is substantially perpendicular to the central axis 101. The upper surface 16 has an inner diameter 17 and an outer diameter 18, correspondingly, the circular pre-cut 21 has a pre-cut diameter 23 which is greater than the inner diameter 17 but smaller than the outer diameter 18 of the upper surface 16. Thanks to this configuration, the sharp edge 23 formed along the circular pre-cut 21 is well covered by the protection portion 15 during the consumption of the food product.

In the present embodiment, the protection portion 15 has a cross-section of triangular shape, that is to say, after the surface 16 reaches its inner diameter 17, it bends down and outwardly back to the vertical portion of the side wall and forms a conical/tapered surface 19. This configuration may reduce the material used for making the cup body, and may also render a relatively small reduction of the internal volume of the cup body.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, which show a second embodiment of edge protection different configuration, the protection portion 15 in this embodiment has an annular upper surface 16a which extends upwardly and inwardly from the vertical portion of the side wall 12 and forms a truncated conical surface with an inclined cross-section, thus an acute angle is formed between the upper annular surface 16a and the side wall 12. The acute angle forms a space which is more suitable for protecting the edge formed along the circular pre-cut 21.

Similar to the aforementioned first embodiment, the annular upper surface 16a has an inner diameter 17 and an outer diameter 18, and the circular pre-cut 21 has a pre-cut diameter which is greater than the inner diameter but smaller than the outer diameter of the upper surface 16a.

In both the first and second embodiments, the protection portion 15 may be configured to be in contact with a portion of the lid where the circular pre-cut 21 is located, to make sure that the rim formed once the full panel 22 is peeled will be in contact with the protection portion 15 and the risk of hurting consumer's lips/fingers is eliminated. Alternatively, the protection portion 15 may also be configured as having a distance from a portion of the lid 2 where the circular pre-cut 21 is located, and the distance should not be more than 2 mm, preferably less than 1 mm.

In the present invention, the opening 14 has an opening diameter which is greater than the outside diameter of the protection portion.

From the material perspective, the cup body 1 according to the present invention may be made of a plastic or a metal or a metal alloy, and the lid 2 may be made of a metal. Preferably, the cup body 1 is made of plastic, such as polypropylene or any other plastics suitable and safe for containing a food product, and the lid 2 is made of an aluminum alloy. Preferably, the cup body 1 is blow-molded.

Hence, in a preferred embodiment, the container (100) comprises a blow-molded cup body (1) and a metallic lid (2) attached to the cup body.

According to the present invention, a method for producing such a container for containing a food product is also provided. Particularly, the method may comprise the following steps:

a) co-extrusion blow-molding of the cup body, during which a side wall of the cup body is provided with a protection portion arranged adjacent to and below the opening, wherein the protection portion extends circumferentially and protrudes radially inward;

b) post-trimming of the cup body;

c) dosing the food product into the cup body; and

c) attaching the lid to the cup body and seaming.

Particularly, in the step a), the cup body is so co-extruded that an over-blown portion may be formed on and connected with the edge, and wherein in the step b), the over-blown portion may be trimmed off and the opening is thus formed.

Furthermore, the step b) may comprise two sub-steps: a horizontal trimming which trims the over-blown portion in a direction perpendicular to a central axis of the cup body; and a vertical trimming which trims the over-blown portion along the edge in a direction parallel to the central axis of the cup body.

An equipment for manufacturing a cup body according to the present invention is also provided. In one embodiment, the equipment may comprise: an extrusion head, which allows a material for forming the cup body being extruded in a predetermined condition; a blow mold with an inner surface forming a mold chamber, the blow mold being provided with an protrusion extending circumferentially and radially inward from a sidewall of the chamber; a blow pin, which blows air into the mold chamber after the cup body material being extruded into the mold chamber and makes the cup body material being in contact with the inner surface of the blow mold; and means for post-trimming of the cup body.

The means for post-trimming may comprise a first trimming device which cuts the cup body material in a direction perpendicular to a central axis of the cup body, and also a second trimming device which cuts the cup body material along the edge of the cup body in a direction parallel to the central axis of the cup body.

Although the invention has been described by way of example, it should be appreciated that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. Furthermore, where known equivalents exist to specific features, such equivalents are incorporated as if specifically referred in this specification.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

100 container

101 central axis

1 cup body

11 bottom wall

12 side wall

13 upper edge

14 opening

15 protection portion

16, 16a upper surface of the protection portion

17 inner diameter of the protection portion

18 outer diameter of the protection portion

19 cone surface

2 lid

21 pre-cut

22 full panel

23 sharp edge

Claims

1. A container (100) for containing a food product, which comprises:

a cup body (1) with an opening (14), and

a lid (2) attached to the cup body (1) for sealing the opening (14), the lid (2) having a panel part (22) which is removable along a predefined pre-cut (21) in the lid (2),

wherein said cup body (1) has a bottom wall (11) and a side wall (12), and the side wall (12) is provided with a free upper edge (13) which forms said opening (14),

characterized in that,

the side wall (12) is provided with a protection portion (15) arranged adjacent to and below the opening (14), wherein the protection portion (15) extends circumferentially and protrudes radially inward, so that the width of the protection portion (15) is equal or greater than the width of a portion of the lid (2) which remains attached to the upper edge (13) of the side wall (12) after removal of the panel part (22).

2. The container (100) according to claim 1, wherein an annular groove is arranged externally on the side wall (12) so as to form an inward flange as the protection portion (15).

3. The container (100) according to claim 2, wherein the flange has a flat or an inclined upper surface (16, 16a) facing the lid (2), which surface is of an annular or a truncated conical shape.

4. The container (100) according to claim 3, wherein the inclined upper surface (16a) extends upward and radially inward from the side wall (12) and forms an acute angle with respect to the side wall (12).

5. The container (100) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the pre-cut (21) is of a substantially circular shape and has a pre-cut (21) diameter, and wherein the flat or the inclined upper surface (16a) has an inner diameter (17) smaller than the pre-cut (21) diameter and an outer diameter (18) greater than the pre-cut (21) diameter.

6. The container (100) according to one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the groove has a cross-section of triangle or rectangle or parallelogram.

7. The container (100) according to one of claims 5 to 6, wherein the opening (14) has an opening (14) diameter greater than the outer diameter (18) of the upper surface (16, 16a).

8. The container (100) according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the protection portion (15) is in contact with the lid (2).

9. The container (100) according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a gap is formed between the protection portion (15) and the lid (2), which gap is smaller than 2 mm in height.

10. The container (100) according to claim 9, wherein the gap is smaller than 1 mm in height.

11. The container (100) according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the cup body (1) is made of plastic and the lid (2) is made of metal.

12. The container (100) according to claim 11, wherein the cup body (1) is made of polypropylene, and the lid (2) is made of aluminum alloy.

13. A method for producing a container (100) for containing a food product, which container (100) comprises a cup body (1) with an edge forming an opening (14), and a lid (2) with a pre-cut (21) attached to the cup body (1) for sealing the opening (14), the method comprising the following steps:

a) co-extrusion blow-molding of the cup body (1), during which a side wall (12) of the cup body (1) is provided with a protection portion (15) arranged adjacent to and below the opening (14), wherein the protection portion (15) extends circumferentially and protrudes radially inward;

b) post-trimming of the cup body (1);

c) dosing the food product into the cup body (1); and

c) attaching the lid (2) to the cup body (1) and seaming.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein in the step a), the cup body (1) is so co- extruded that an over-blown portion is formed on and connected with the edge, and wherein in the step b), the over-blown portion is trimmed off and the opening (14) is thus formed.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the step b) comprises two sub-steps: ba) a horizontal trimming which trims the over-blown portion in a direction perpendicular to a central axis (101) of the cup body (1); and

bb) a vertical trimming which trims the over-blown portion along the edge in a direction parallel to the central axis (101) of the cup body (1).

16. An equipment for manufacturing a cup body (1), wherein the cup body (1) comprises a bottom wall (11) and a side wall (12), and the side wall (12) is provided with an edge which forms an opening (14), and the side wall (12) is further provided with a protection portion (15) which extends circumferentially and protrudes radially inward and is arranged adjacent to and below the opening (14), wherein the equipment comprises:

an extrusion head, which allows a material for forming the cup body (1) being extruded in a predetermined condition;

a blow mold with an inner surface forming a mold chamber, the blow mold being provided with an protrusion extending circumferentially and radially inward from a sidewall of the chamber;

a blow pin, which blows air into the mold chamber after the cup body (1) material being extruded into the mold chamber and makes the cup body (1) material being in contact with the inner surface of the blow mold; and

means for post-trimming of the cup body (1).

17. The equipment according to claim 16, wherein the means for post-trimming comprises a first trimming device which cuts the cup body (1) material in a direction perpendicular to a central axis (101) of the cup body (1).

18. The equipment according to claim 17, wherein the trimming device comprises a second trimming device which cuts the cup body (1) material along the edge of the cup body (1) in a direction parallel to the central axis (101) of the cup body (1).

19. A manufacturing line for producing containers (100) for containing a food product, which comprises the equipment for manufacturing a cup body (1) according to one of claims 16 to 18.