WO2021123973A1 - Conteneur à bulles autonome - Google Patents

Conteneur à bulles autonome Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2021123973A1
WO2021123973A1 PCT/IB2020/061090 IB2020061090W WO2021123973A1 WO 2021123973 A1 WO2021123973 A1 WO 2021123973A1 IB 2020061090 W IB2020061090 W IB 2020061090W WO 2021123973 A1 WO2021123973 A1 WO 2021123973A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
container
bubbles
self
contained
roll
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IB2020/061090
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Erica CANAVESI
Original Assignee
Nova Chemicals (International) S.A.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Nova Chemicals (International) S.A. filed Critical Nova Chemicals (International) S.A.
Publication of WO2021123973A1 publication Critical patent/WO2021123973A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • 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
    • B65D81/02—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 specially adapted to protect contents from mechanical damage
    • B65D81/03—Wrappers or envelopes with shock-absorbing properties, e.g. bubble films
    • 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
    • B65D81/02—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 specially adapted to protect contents from mechanical damage
    • B65D81/05—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 specially adapted to protect contents from mechanical damage maintaining contents at spaced relation from package walls, or from other contents
    • B65D81/051—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 specially adapted to protect contents from mechanical damage maintaining contents at spaced relation from package walls, or from other contents using pillow-like elements filled with cushioning material, e.g. elastic foam, fabric
    • B65D81/052—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 specially adapted to protect contents from mechanical damage maintaining contents at spaced relation from package walls, or from other contents using pillow-like elements filled with cushioning material, e.g. elastic foam, fabric filled with fluid, e.g. inflatable elements

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a container or a container liner that can be used for transporting or storing articles.
  • Conventional transportation packaging for multiple items is normally composed of corrugated cardboard boxes that are purchased in different sizes and stored in the warehouses of the companies that purchase them prior to their use. It is common for companies to acquire different size boxes composed of corrugated boards. These boxes may consume significant storage space. Normally, shipping cases made of corrugated boards are heavy, particularly in the aggregate, and their transportation has a significant negative environmental impact considering the high amount of carbon dioxide emissions during their transportation and handling.
  • a stand-alone container is produced by a thermoplastic film material formed by two plies folded or sealed at one edge and opened at a second edge. In the middle area of the film material, different compartments are sealed with different sizes to be filled later with air or other forced gas.
  • the material can be fed in gas blower equipment in the form of preformed rolls that can have different widths according to the container size that is desired. The material can also be cut or tom at the tearing strips to produce the desired length that allows the formation of the container with the final desired dimensions.
  • the container can be used for the transportation of goods.
  • this product is primarily intended to exist as a stand-alone container, it can also be placed within another container and/or it can serve as a container liner.
  • This product is light compared to corrugated cardboard boxes, and prior to being inflated more compact too.
  • Another benefit of the present invention is that it is waterproof. This property may be particularly valuable during inclement weather conditions or if a bottle carrying a liquid opens up during transport.
  • the container is not designed to be used as a protective cushion inside other transportation containers, but rather the container is a stand-alone, self-contained product.
  • the container can be unfolded, stored, and reused.
  • the film used to form the container can be composed of at least one high gas barrier material and can also be composed of recycled material to minimize environmental impact. If the film is composed of more than ninety percent polyethylene, it may be fully recyclable.
  • the container may also have an easy opening feature that includes a perforated area or an additional perforated strip at one or more of any of the edges of the container, and can be placed in any direction and size, with the purpose of facilitating the opening of the container.
  • One aspect of the present invention is directed to a roll that includes a single two ply thermoplastic film from which plural self-contained inflated containers are formed.
  • the single two ply thermoplastic film in the roll includes a right side, a left side, and a middle portion.
  • the right side, left side and middle portion include a plurality of bubbles.
  • the right side and left side have the same dimensions.
  • a tearing strip separates the portion of the film that is used for each of the self-contained inflated containers.
  • the plurality of bubbles in the right and left sides are substantially spherical.
  • the plurality of bubbles in the middle portion are substantially square or rectangular.
  • the plurality of bubbles are filled with a gas selected from the group consisting of air, nitrogen, helium and argon.
  • the single two ply thermoplastic film is comprised of one or more of polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, neoprene/chlorosulphonated polyethylene, polyurethane, thermoplastic polyurethane, ethylene vinyl alcohol, and polyamide.
  • the single two ply thermoplastic film is comprised of more than seventy-five percent polyethylene.
  • the single two ply thermoplastic film is opaque.
  • the roll further includes a plurality of channels between the bubbles.
  • the single two ply thermoplastic film is fully or partially recyclable.
  • the single two ply thermoplastic film is configured for receiving a gas between the two plies.
  • the container is formed from a single two ply thermoplastic film.
  • the container when assembled includes a top, a bottom, and four sides.
  • Each of the top and bottom includes a plurality of bubbles.
  • the top and bottom have the same dimensions.
  • Each of the four sides includes one or more bubbles, and each of the opposing sides have the same dimensions.
  • the plurality of bubbles in the top and bottom are substantially spherical.
  • the one or more bubbles in each of the four sides is substantially square or rectangular.
  • the bubbles are filled with a gas selected from the group consisting of air, nitrogen, helium and argon.
  • the single two ply thermoplastic film is comprised of one or more of polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, neoprene/chlorosulphonated polyethylene, polyurethane, thermoplastic polyurethane, ethylene vinyl alcohol, and polyamide.
  • the single two ply thermoplastic film is comprised of more than seventy-five percent polyethylene.
  • the single two ply thermoplastic film is opaque.
  • the container further includes partial tearing zones between each of the four sides.
  • the container further includes a plurality of channels between the bubbles.
  • the single two ply thermoplastic film is fully or partially recyclable.
  • Figure 1 is a representation of the unwinding of a roll of single two ply thermoplastic film and use of gas equipment to blow gas into film.
  • Figure 2 is a representation of a finished gas cushion sheet that has not yet been assembled into a container.
  • Figure 3 is a representation of a finished gas cushion sheet that has not yet been assembled into a container. The partial tearing zones are cut or torn and the gas cushion sheet is ready to be folded to form the container.
  • Figure 4 is a representation of the partially assembled container in which the overlap of the tear strips is disclosed.
  • Figure 5 is a representation of the container in which the flaps of the bottom of the container have been closed.
  • the present invention uses a thermoplastic film (1) that is waterproof, lightweight, with very high puncture resistance and high gas barrier, with multiple bubbles (4) that can be filled with gas/air to form a gas cushion sheet.
  • the high gas barrier helps prevent the gas permeation from the interior of the gas cushion sheet to the exterior. This feature helps the container keep its stability, shape and functionality during the entire storage and transportation process.
  • inflatable polymers with a high puncture resistance and a high gas barrier include neoprene/chlorosulphonated polyethylene (CSM) (also called HYPALON ® ), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane (PU) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).
  • CSM neoprene/chlorosulphonated polyethylene
  • PVC polyvinyl chloride
  • PU polyurethane
  • TPU thermoplastic polyurethane
  • This sheet can be used to produce a transportation container (7) in which the gas bubbles form a cushion to protect the items that packaged in this container.
  • These gas cushion sheets and the containers that result from these sheets can be produced immediately before they are needed, eliminating the need to store them in their fully inflated form in warehouses, saving space and reducing storage costs.
  • the container, having a much lighter weight (than more conventional containers), would be more sustainable as well.
  • the thermoplastic film is comprised of one or more of polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, neoprene/chlorosulphonated polyethylene (CSM) (also called HYPALON ® ), polyurethane, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH), synthetic rubber, phenolic resin, melamine resin, and polyamide (PA) (a.k.a nylon).
  • the thermoplastic film is comprised of more than 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89 or 90 percent polyethylene.
  • the thermoplastic film is opaque.
  • the thermoplastic film is translucent, partially translucent, or partially opaque.
  • the film may be a polyethylene produced, for example, from a resin having a density range between 0.905 - 0.967 g/cm3 and a melt index between 0.40 - 150 g/10 min.
  • a polyethylene resin may be prepared, for example, from use of Ziegler- Natta catalysts in combination with an octene-1 comonomer.
  • polymer or polymers chosen ultimately depends on what the container will be used for. For example, containers for shipping expensive/fragile items should be more robust than containers used for shelf storage.
  • Gases that can be used in the bubbles include but are not limited to air, nitrogen, helium and argon. Further embodiments may include combinations of these gases, with or without additional gases.
  • Different roll widths, with different gas cushion bubble sizes forming different gas cushion sheets can be formed to produce different container sizes, with different final dimensions.
  • Some non-limiting examples of dimensions include 12x12x12 inches, 16x16x16 inches, 18x18x18 inches, 22x22x22 inches, 24x24x24 inches, 15x12x10 inches, 16x12x12 inches and 18x18x16 inches. These are typically read as height by length by width, though the location of such dimensions on a container may be relative.
  • the process of making the container starts with a roll (10) formed by two layers of film that are superposed on each other and can be sealed in specific patterns to form channels (13) with specific sizes and designs.
  • One edge of the roll is folded or sealed to avoid gas leakage.
  • a second edge of the roll is open at one or more specific points, or channels, formed by the sealing pattern created in the film roll previously to the material inflation process.
  • the seals may be heat seals between the inner surfaces of the two film plies.
  • the two film plies may be adhesively bonded to each other.
  • the two film plies may include a thermoplastic heat sealable polymer on their inner surface.
  • a sealing roller may be used which applies heat and forms seals between the two film plies.
  • the polymer or polymers used in the sealing may include olefin homopolymers and copolymers, such as ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer.
  • the gas can inflate the different bubbles formed by the sealing profile created in the film roll.
  • the small gas bubbles situated at the edges (right side (16) and left side (19)) of the film roll form the top (22) and bottom (25) of the container, and the biggest gas bubbles situated at the middle portion (28) of the film roll, form the four sides (31) of the container (see e.g., Figures 1 and 4).
  • the middle portion of the roll has a gas bubble or bubbles that have same size as those found in the right and left sides of the roll.
  • the bubbles are substantially spherical, square, rectangular, triangular, oval, rhomboid, cylindrical, conical, pentagonal, hexagonal, heptagonal, octagonal, heart shaped, irregularly shaped, or any combination thereof.
  • the gas injection is a continuous process in which the film roll is unwinding, and the gas blower (50) and/or other gas inflation equipment is injecting the gas through the formed channels and filling the gas bubbles formed between the two layers of film.
  • a sealing device (53) seals the channels to avoid gas leakage.
  • the final gas cushion sheet is formed by four side flaps at the right side of the gas cushion sheet, wherein the nonadjacent side flaps must have the same dimensions.
  • the same four side flaps are also formed at the left side of the gas cushion sheet and they are equivalent to the ones formed at the right side. All of these side flaps contain gas which is distributed through small channels that are connected.
  • big gas pockets are formed. They are separated from each other by sealing areas that give them the correct volumetric shape and size in order to allow the right compaction of these gas pockets.
  • the side flaps form the lower and upper edges and the gas pockets form the side edges, being the side flaps responsible to form the bottom and top of the container and the gas pockets responsible to give the structure, strength and top load resistance of the bubble container.
  • the side flaps on both the right and left sides of the inflatable material are separated by partial tearing zones (33) that can be cut or torn to separate the different side flaps in order to form the edges of the container (see e.g., Figures 2 and 3).
  • the partial tearing zones may be formed already completely cut.
  • a tearing strip (36), that is placed horizontally across the entire gas cushion sheet, and can be cut or torn to separate each individual sheet that will form each bubble container (i.e., self- contained inflated container).
  • the container may have an integral top, and in other embodiments the container does not have a top. In still other embodiments, the top may be formed separately. In still further embodiments the top need not have a bubble function.
  • the container may be further covered with some type of wrap film.
  • the container may be inserted into another container. After the partial tearing zones are cut or torn ( Figure 3), the gas cushion sheet is ready to be folded to form a finished bubble container.
  • the tearing strips A and B (see Figures 3 and 4) of the cross sections should be connected forming an overlap by any bonding means, e.g., glues or adhesive tapes.
  • the smaller side flaps from one of the gas cushion sheet sides should be folded towards the interior area formed by the gas pockets that are at the middle of the gas cushion sheet, in a manner such that the smaller side flaps should be placed into the interior of the container and the bigger side flaps should be folded towards the smaller side flaps to form the outside bottom edge of the container.
  • the bigger side flaps should be connected forming an overlap by any bonding means, e.g., glues or adhesive tapes.
  • Possible glues that may be used include but are not limited to polyvinyl acetate, phenol formaldehyde, ethylene vinyl acetate, and cyanoacrylate.
  • the container is ready to be filled with items (see Figure 5).
  • the side flaps that correspond to the top of the container are connected.
  • the container could optionally be wrapped and/or placed into another container.
  • the container useful for transporting commercial goods.
  • the container is formed from a single two ply thermoplastic film, and when assembled includes a top, a bottom and four sides.
  • the container allows for light packaging and minimizes negative environmental impact.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Packages (AREA)
  • Buffer Packaging (AREA)

Abstract

Un conteneur gonflé autonome pour le transport d'articles est fourni. Le conteneur est formé à partir d'un seul film thermoplastique à deux couches, et le conteneur lorsqu'il est assemblé comporte une partie supérieure, une partie inférieure et quatre côtés. Chacune des parties supérieure et inférieure comporte une pluralité de bulles. La partie supérieure et la partie inférieure présentent les mêmes dimensions. Chacun des quatre côtés comporte une ou plusieurs bulles, et chacun des côtés opposés présente les mêmes dimensions. Le conteneur, qui peut être fourni sous la forme d'un seul récipient non gonflé ou sous la forme d'un rouleau ou d'une feuille de multiples conteneurs qui peuvent être gonflés puis séparés (ou séparés, puis gonflés) permet un emballage léger et réduit au minimum l'impact négatif sur l'environnement.
PCT/IB2020/061090 2019-12-18 2020-11-24 Conteneur à bulles autonome WO2021123973A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US201962949654P 2019-12-18 2019-12-18
US62/949,654 2019-12-18

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2021123973A1 true WO2021123973A1 (fr) 2021-06-24

Family

ID=73654867

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/IB2020/061090 WO2021123973A1 (fr) 2019-12-18 2020-11-24 Conteneur à bulles autonome

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2021123973A1 (fr)

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20020139834A1 (en) * 2001-04-02 2002-10-03 Becker John W. Packing system for perishable goods
US20040022457A1 (en) * 2002-08-01 2004-02-05 Blake Allen Brown Plurality of bags and method of making the same
US20070221530A1 (en) * 2006-03-21 2007-09-27 Jihee Lee Packing box equipped with airbag for shock-absorbing and manufacturing method thereof
KR20090101553A (ko) * 2008-03-24 2009-09-29 주민수 충전형 가변 외형재 및 밸브 필름
US20110318522A1 (en) * 2010-06-25 2011-12-29 3M Innovative Properties Company Cellular cushioning article
WO2014131137A1 (fr) * 2013-02-27 2014-09-04 Lv shang-wen Corps formant boîte comportant un sac d'emballage gonflable
US20190062027A1 (en) * 2016-03-03 2019-02-28 Reco Co., Ltd. Shock-absorbing packing box

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20020139834A1 (en) * 2001-04-02 2002-10-03 Becker John W. Packing system for perishable goods
US20040022457A1 (en) * 2002-08-01 2004-02-05 Blake Allen Brown Plurality of bags and method of making the same
US20070221530A1 (en) * 2006-03-21 2007-09-27 Jihee Lee Packing box equipped with airbag for shock-absorbing and manufacturing method thereof
KR20090101553A (ko) * 2008-03-24 2009-09-29 주민수 충전형 가변 외형재 및 밸브 필름
US20110318522A1 (en) * 2010-06-25 2011-12-29 3M Innovative Properties Company Cellular cushioning article
WO2014131137A1 (fr) * 2013-02-27 2014-09-04 Lv shang-wen Corps formant boîte comportant un sac d'emballage gonflable
US20190062027A1 (en) * 2016-03-03 2019-02-28 Reco Co., Ltd. Shock-absorbing packing box

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
SOROKA, WCCP: "The Wiley Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology"

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