WO2022008208A1

WO2022008208A1 - Environmentally friendly packaging in the form of a flexible bag

Info

Publication number: WO2022008208A1
Application number: PCT/EP2021/066594
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nicolas CAPPUCCIO
Original assignee: Ady Pack
Priority date: 2020-07-06
Filing date: 2021-06-18
Publication date: 2022-01-13
Also published as: FR3112126A1; FR3112126B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a packaging (1) in the form of a flexible bag constituted by a sealed flexible bag (2) intended to contain a consumable (3) in liquid, pasty, lumpy or granular form which expands the packaging (1). The flexible bag (2) has at least two so-called side walls (P1, P2). The packaging (1) comprises a pouring element (4) for pouring the consumable (3), forming a shoulder (6) with the flexible bag (2) arranged on a top side (7), the pouring element (4) being formed by the join of the two side walls (P1, P2), and intended to be cut in such a way as to form an upwardly-facing opening (20) on the packaging (1). The packaging further comprises a closing collar (10) made from the same material as the flexible bag (2), the closing collar (10) being held at the shoulder (6).

Description

ECO-FRIENDLY PACKAGING IN SOFT POUCH

TECHNICAL AREA

[0001] [The present invention relates to flexible pouch packaging allowing the user to store a consumable, in particular liquid, granulometric in pieces, or pasty, and to use it in a desired quantity. These types of packaging are used, for example, to store food products in pieces such as nuts, dried fruits, berries, etc., or common consumable products (toothpaste, detergent, liquid soap, powders, etc.).

PRIOR TECHNIQUES

[0002] Flexible pouches are known for storing and dispensing all types of products. For the sake of resistance, cost price and external appearance, the known packaging is systematically made of plastic.

In addition, they usually have pouring and closing means also made of plastic, sometimes in separate plastics. Despite the recycling potential of some of the plastics that may constitute some of this packaging, they constitute tons of waste to be processed, and in particular, first of all, to be recovered. However, many packages are found unrecovered and end up in natural environments which they pollute without degrading.

[0003] Documents FR 2669308, FR 2671 052 and EP 2962953 show examples of single-use flexible pouches made of plastic material. In order to be able to close such pockets, it is known to use screwed plastic caps or thicker plastic zips. Document JP 2016 199292 discloses a pocket closure system by folding a thicker plastic pouring nozzle into a notch provided for this purpose. There are also closure systems that use less plastic. Documents DE 90 17419 U1 and GB 1 296216 show pockets having a hole or a slot in which the open end folds up. Although the amount of plastic is less, such pocket systems are more complicated to implement and prove difficult for a user to use. Document JP 2016 199292 discloses a closure system by folding a semi-rigid thicker plastic pouring nozzle into a notch. Finally, document WO 2015/089041 discloses a system of closure of a plastic bag using a band provided with a repositionable adhesive to hold a folded end of the bag on the body of the latter. [0004] In order to make these products a little more ecological, it is known on the other hand to overcome this type of problem, also encountered on other single-use products, by the use of biodegradable materials. The patent application WO 2013/088443 proposes to use biodegradable materials such as for example based on PLA (polylactic acid), however to be able to close said pocket, it is necessary to use PLA elements thicker than the bag. such as screw caps or zips. However, thick PLA elements have a very long biodegradability due to their thickness. For biodegradability to be effective within a reasonable time, these thick elements must be crushed and maintained under optimal temperature and humidity conditions. The grinding and the specific biodegradability conditions do not make it possible to biodegrade these elements within a reasonable time when they are treated in household waste, in garden compost and even less when the packaging is abandoned in nature.

[0005] Other solutions can mix biodegradable products and recyclable or even non-recyclable products which require a step of dissociating the non-recyclable elements to allow any recovery of the recyclable or biodegradable elements, which, in practice, is often abandoned by manufacturers, for the sake of the cost of such an approach in the face of the multiplicity of types of products to be separated and their quantities.

[0006] Thus, no packaging known from the state of the art makes it possible to solve the problem of autonomous end of life by rapid natural degradation without harming the environment.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The object of the invention is to overcome at least some of the aforementioned drawbacks and to propose a packaging in a flexible pouch capable of combining the advantages of simplicity, low cost price and biodegradable nature. The present invention aims to constitute a completely biodegradable flexible bag, without petrochemical plastic, and made of a minimum of material, in particular as regards the closure of said bag after a first use. The solution proposed by the invention also consists of a pocket that is easy to industrialize. Of course, its contents may vary independently of the function of the packaging but may influence the shape of said pocket. [0009] In view of the foregoing, the subject of the invention is a packaging in a flexible pouch consisting of a sealed flexible pouch intended to contain a consumable in liquid, pasty, lumpy or granulometric form which swells said packaging, said pouch flexible having at least two so-called side walls. The packaging further comprises a pouring element of said consumable forming a shoulder with the flexible pocket arranged on a top side, the pouring element being formed by the junction of the two side walls, the packaging forming a sealed closed assembly, the the pouring element being intended to be cut so as to form an opening on the packaging directed towards the top of the packaging. The packaging includes a closure collar made of the same material as the flexible pouch, said closure collar being held at the shoulder.

[0010] Preferably, the material constituting the flexible pocket, the pouring element and the closure collar may comprise a biodegradable bioplastic.

[0011] For example, the material constituting the flexible pouch, the pouring element and the closure collar may comprise biodegradable kraft paper.

[0012] Advantageously, the material constituting the flexible pouch and the pouring element may comprise a protective inner layer of biodegradable polylactic acid intended to be in contact with the consumable contained in the flexible pouch.

[0013] To close the packaging, the closure collar can be adapted to allow the pouring element to be held in the folded position on the flexible pouch.

[0014] Advantageously, the closure collar is made of the same material as the flexible pocket and the pouring element.

According to one embodiment, the closure collar can be fixed on at least one side to an enlargement of one of the walls of said pocket, said widening being located on the pouring element close to the shoulder.

[0016]According to another embodiment, the pouring element may comprise retaining fins forming an enlargement of the pouring element greater than an internal width of the retaining collar, said fins allowing the fastening collar to be maintained between said fins and the shoulder.

[0017] Advantageously, the widening can define a folding line of the pouring element.

[0018] Preferably, the pouring element has a conical shape widening towards the flexible pocket.

[0019] The invention also relates to a flexible pouch packaging in which a cardboard reinforcing element inserted into the pouring element and allowing the side walls to be held apart at the level of the opening. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood on detailed study of a few embodiments taken by way of non-limiting examples and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0021] Figure 1 shows a front view of a durable flexible pouch packaging according to a first particular embodiment.

[0022] Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of the flexible pouch packaging.

[0023] Figure 3 shows a third embodiment of the flexible pouch packaging.

[0024] Figure 4 illustrates a detail of a first embodiment of a packaging closure collar.

[0025] Figure 5 shows a top view of a flexible pouch package having a cardboard tube inserted into its opening.

[0026] Figure 6 shows a flexible pouch packaging which has been opened and which allows consumable service from its pouring element. [0027] Figure 7 shows a flexible pouch package which has been opened and placed in a folded position of its pouring element. Figure 8 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the packaging pouring element.

[0029] Figure 9 illustrates a cross section of the pouring element comprising a reinforcing element 23.

[0030] Figure 10 shows a detail in partial front view of a second embodiment of a packaging closure collar.

[0031] Figure 11 a sectional view at the level of the collar in the example of Figure 10.

[0032] Figure 12 shows a detail in partial front view of a third embodiment of a packaging closure collar [0033] Figure 13 a sectional view at the level of the collar the example of Figure 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Different embodiments as well as certain details or variants of the invention will now be described. In order to simplify the description and to avoid describing several times the same elements or similar elements whose shape may be slightly different while providing the same function, the same references will be used in different figures when these designate identical elements. or similar. Thus, reference should be made to the part of the description detailing the element designated by the same reference when it is not described together with the description of the figure. Still for the sake of simplification, certain references may be omitted from certain figures in order to avoid overloading the drawings which would impair their readability when it matters little to mention said unreferenced element to describe what said figure illustrates. Also, for practical reasons, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and the proportions given on the drawings may not correspond to those indicated in the description.

Figures 1 to 3 illustrate a flexible pouch packaging 1 of the invention. It consists of a waterproof flexible pocket 2 intended to contain a consumable 3. The consumable 3 is food or not: it can be for example in liquid, pasty, in pieces or granulometric form: dried fruits, nuts, toothpaste, sugar, soap, etc.

[0037] When the consumable 3 is in the pocket 2, it inflates the packaging 1 and the packaging 1 forms a sealed closed assembly delimiting the pocket 2 between the side walls P1, P2 and the base wall P3.

[0038] The base wall P3 is therefore intended to hold the packaging 1 in the vertical position, that is to say to maintain the side walls P1 approximately vertically,

P2 when packaging 1 is placed on its base wall P3 which is placed against a substantially horizontal support.

In addition, the base wall P3 has a maximum width G1, G2, G3 corresponding to the maximum width of the packaging 1 when the packaging 1 is inflated (by the consumable 3 or by air).

[0040] When the packaging 1 contains consumable 3 or air, the wall P3 is further widened, so as to increase the possibility of self-supporting static maintenance of the packaging 1 on said base wall P3, maintained static on its width G1, G2, G3.

The packaging 1 further comprises a payment element 4.

[0042] The pouring element 4 preferably has a conical shape widening towards the flexible pocket 2. It allows the consumable 3 to be poured out of the pocket 2 by gravity and/or by pressure exerted by the user on the pocket 2.

[0043] The pouring element 4 also forms a shoulder 6 with the flexible bag 2.

The shoulder 6 is arranged on a side 7 opposite the base wall P3 and corresponding to the side formed by the junction of the two side walls P1, P2. The junction of the side walls P1, P2 can be made by a peripheral joint five millimeters from their edges, for example by heating pressure, according to known methods in the fields of lidding and industrial welding.

Advantageously, the packaging is made without glue, by heat sealing the kraft paper material lined with an inner layer of bioplastic such as polylactic acid (hereinafter PLA). Those skilled in the art will understand that other Composite or non-composite materials could also be used if these are biodegradable and have characteristics similar to the laminate of kraft paper and PLA. The advantage of a laminated composite material is to ensure different functions over small thicknesses, which facilitates biodegradability. Kraft paper has the advantage of being completely biodegradable while being easily printable and having a certain rigidity. The bioplastic provides a sealing barrier function while being heat sealable to facilitate assembly. By way of example, the layer of kraft paper can be of the order of 80 micrometers and the layer of PLA can be of the order of 20 micrometers. However, depending on the strength desired for the bag and depending on the desired seal, these thicknesses may vary. Thus, the kraft paper layer can be between 70 and 120 μm and the PLA layer can vary between 5 and 40 μm. Thus, the two side walls P1 and P2 can be assembled in known manner by bringing them into contact by their internal faces and by heating the edges thereof. More particularly the bioplastic, for example PLA, ensures the welding of the side walls P1 and P2.

[0047] A packaging devoid of glue and hydrocarbons is thus obtained.

This side 7 is said to be the top side when it is above the packaging 1 when the latter is placed on its base wall P3, which makes it possible to direct an opening 20 made in the pouring element 4. Indeed, the pouring element 4 is intended to be cut, in particular at its end to be cut 11, so as to form an opening 20 on the packaging 1 directed towards the top of the packaging 1 when the latter 1 is placed on its base wall P3.

[0049] After the end 11 has been cut, the end of the pouring element 4 is formed by a tab 12 through which the opening 20 passes, formed on either side of the extensions of the side walls P1, P2 .

As illustrated by Figures 2 and 3 illustrating a second and a third embodiment, the packaging 1 can have various shapes depending on the ergonomics desired for the content.

[0051] For example, the first embodiment offers a wide opening more suitable for the storage and spillage of dried fruits, while the second embodiment has a narrow and relatively slender pocket with a faded shoulder 6, which promotes the pouring out of pasty products of the toothpaste type, whereas the third embodiment has a pocket in the general shape of a truncated ogive, which promotes the sunscreen type cream spill.

[0052] For its cutting, the pouring element 4 can comprise indications, such as dotted lines, intended to inform the user of his propensity to cut to open the packaging 1. These indications can be coupled with elements of pre-cutting of the pouring element 4, which can facilitate cutting using a scissor or by manual tearing. It is possible in particular to provide zones of mechanical fragility which predispose to opening by a shear stress exerted by a user against them.

[0053] In addition, the pouring element 4 is directly and continuously integrated into the flexible bag 2, which makes it possible to have a mono-material packaging reducing its carbon footprint and overcoming the end-of-life difficulties encountered by known packaging. .

To achieve the biodegradable function of the packaging 1, the flexible pouch 2 and/or the pouring element 4 are preferably made of the same biodegradable material. This material may be a laminate of biodegradable kraft paper with an inner layer of polylactic acid type bioplastic.

[0055] By biodegradable, we mean that the propensity of the material to degrade in nature is very strong, so that the packaging can be completely decomposed, leaving no trace of its existence, after a few days or weeks delivered to itself in nature, unlike the thicker biodegradable plastics used in today's packaging which commonly have lifespans of decades.

As indicated above, the packaging 1 may include an inner layer of polylactic acid. This layer is intended to be in contact with the consumable 3 contained in the flexible bag 2, which makes it possible to promote conservation, while maintaining the biodegradation capacity of the packaging 1. Indeed, the inner layer repels water so the consumables 3, especially foodstuffs, can retain their hydration without leaking moisture.

According to the invention, a closure collar 10 is provided on the packaging 1.

The closure collar 10 is held at the base of the pouring element 4, at the level of the shoulder 6. It is adapted to allow the maintenance of the pouring element 4 in the folded position on the flexible pouch 2.

As illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, the closure collar 10 can be relatively mobile between two elements: on the one hand holding fins 8 forming an enlargement of the pouring element 4 greater than an internal width of the retaining collar 10, and on the other hand the shoulder 6.

The fins 8 therefore make it possible not to lose the closure collar 10, held on the packaging 1, between the fins 8 and the shoulder 6.

The closure collar 10 is preferably made of the same material as the flexible pocket 2 and the pouring element 4. The advantage of using the same material is to ensure the same biodegradability for the closure collar 10 only for the flexible pocket 2 and the pouring element 4. Thus, the closure element no longer constitutes the least degradable element of said pocket.

In this example, detailed in Figure 4, the collar 10 is heat sealed on its ends 15. The ends 15 are separated from each other by a width L1 which is greater than the width L2 of the element 4 at the level of the shoulder 6 while being less than a width L3 corresponding to the distance between the ends of the fins 8. Thus, the collar 10 remains floating while being maintained at the level of the neck of the pouring element 4 by fins 8.

As illustrated by Figure 5, the packaging in a flexible pouch may further comprise a cardboard tube 22 inserted into the opening 20 and allowing the side walls P1 and P2 to be held apart at the level of the pouring element. 4. This tube 22 is thus also biodegradable. It makes it possible to stiffen the opening 20 to improve the output of the consumable 3, in particular in the case of a relatively fluid or pasty consumable, as for the first and second embodiments. Thus, the user can pour the consumable 3 through the opening 20 to use, as shown in Figure 6, then close the packaging 1 by placing the tab 12 under the collar 10, as shown in Figure 7. The closure is therefore relative, since it is therefore a non-watertight closure and temporarily carried out by folding, which can be undone (therefore reopened) by the reverse process of unfolding.

[0064] Figure 8 illustrates a detail of the pouring element 4 provided with a tube 22 in order to improve the closure of the flexible bag. In this preferred example, the tube 22 is of slightly conical shape and the heat sealing of the parts P1 and P2, at the level of the pouring element 4, is made in a trapezium in order to also be conical and to maintain the tube 22 at the inside pocket 2 after opening. When the parts P1 and P2 are assembled by heat sealing, it is also necessary to press the parts P1 and P2 on the tube 22. Thus, although the tube 22 is made of cardboard, the layers of PLA will also adhere to said tube 22.

In this example, the ear pieces 8 retain the collar 10 but also define a fold line 16. Indeed, the heat-sealed areas are more rigid than the non-welded areas and the ear pieces 8 being welded over a larger area, those -these are more resistant to folding, which naturally defines the folding line 16. To guarantee easy folding, the tube 22 is spaced from the folding line 16 by a height H1 which is for example greater than the height H2 of the tube 22 in order to allow folding of the pouring element incorporating the tube 22 inside the collar 10. The person skilled in the art can also provide a height H3 separating the upper end of the tube 22 from the crimping zone of the pocket in order to more easily heat seal the end of the pouring element 4 after filling the pocket. In order to be able to fold the pouring element into the collar 10, it is necessary to have a clearance between the collar 10 and the neck of the pouring element which allows the tube 22 to pass. [0066] Alternatively, the tube 22 can be replaced by another type of reinforcing element allowing the side walls P1 and P2 to be held apart at the level of the pouring element 4. FIG. 9 illustrates in cross section an embodiment of the installment 4 in which a reinforcing element 23 is inserted. For this purpose, the wall P1 is widened with respect to the wall P2 at the remittance item level. The reinforcing element 23 is for example a cardboard element formed as a half-tube. During the assembly of the bag 2, the reinforcing element 23 is placed between the walls P1 and P2 at the level of the pouring element 4, the curved part of the reinforcing element facing the wall P1 the wider. The two walls P1 and P2 are then heat-welded together at their ends and the wall P1 is welded to the reinforcing element 23. The reinforcing element 23 being half-tube, this makes it possible to reduce the clearance of the collar 10 to allow the passage of said reinforcing element 23.

The closure collar 10 can also be maintained at the level of the shoulder 6 by means other than those previously mentioned. Figures 10 and 11 illustrate an embodiment where the collar 10 is held by heat sealing to one of the walls P1 on one side. Figure 10 shows a partial front view of the pocket 1 and Figure 11 shows a sectional view at the level of the collar 10 of an example embodiment. The wall P1 has an enlargement 18 relative to the wall P2 on one side. The widening 18 makes it possible to produce a heat seal 15' of the collar 10 partially encompassing the widening 18, which makes it possible to maintain the collar 10 at the level of the shoulder 6. To be able to ensure easier closing, it is advisable to leave a space E1 on the side opposite the widening 18 between the heat seal 15 of the collar and the outer edge of the pouring element 4. According to another variant, the closure collar 10 may only be present on one only face of the pocket 1. Figures 12 and 13 illustrate this variant, Figure 12 showing a partial front view of the pocket 1 and Figure 13 showing a sectional view at the level of the collar 10. In this variant, the wall P1 comprises two enlargements 18' with respect to the wall P2 on each side of the pouring element 4. The closure collar 10 is placed above the wall P2 in order to be heat-sealed on the enlargements 18' of the wall P1 . In order to have a clearance making it possible to fold up the pouring element 4 and to hold it using the collar 10, it is necessary to provide a spacing E2 between the collar 10 and the wall P2. For this purpose the dimension of the collar 10 is determined to be equal to the width of the wall P1 plus twice the spacing E2. Such fixing of the collar 10 also makes it possible to define a fold line 16 at the level of the upper part of the enlargements 18' which corresponds to a line of change in rigidity of the pouring element.

The use of the collar 10 thus makes it possible to obtain a biodegradable, durable and resealable packaging, which does not include any added element harmful to the environment such as hydrocarbons, regularly used in current plastics, or even glue.

[0070] Those skilled in the art will understand that the invention is not limited to the examples described above and that many variants of the invention are possible. Certain details shown in relation to a particular figure can easily be combined in an exemplary embodiment corresponding to another figure. By way of example, the fins 8 can be used in combination with the examples of FIGS. 10 to 13 but will then only have the function of defining a folding line 16 without having necessary the function of holding the collar which will be assigned to the fixing means disclosed in said figures. ]

Claims

[Claim 1] |l. Packaging (1) in a flexible pouch consisting of a leaktight flexible pouch (2) intended to contain a consumable (3) in liquid, pasty, lumpy or granulometric form which swells said packaging (1), said flexible pouch (2) having at least two so-called side walls (P1, P2), the packaging (1) further comprising a pouring element (4) of said consumable (3) forming a shoulder (6) with the flexible bag (2) disposed on one side top (7), the pouring element being formed by the junction of the two side walls (P1, P2), the packaging (1) forming a sealed closed assembly, the pouring element (4) being intended to be cut so as to form an opening (20) on the packaging (1) directed towards the top of the packaging (1), characterized in that it comprises a closure collar (10) made of the same material as the pocket flexible (2), said closure collar (10) being held at the level of the shoulder (6).

[Claim 2] A flexible pouch package (1) according to claim 1, wherein the material constituting the flexible pouch (2), the pouring element (4) and the closure collar (10) comprises biodegradable kraft paper.

[Claim 3] Flexible pouch packaging (1) according to one of Claims 1 and 2, in which the material constituting the flexible pouch (2), the pouring element (4) and the closure collar (10) comprises a bioplastic.

[Claim 4] Flexible pouch packaging (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 3, comprising an inner layer of polylactic acid on the internal wall of the flexible pouch (2) and/or of the pouring element ( 4), said inner layer being intended to be in contact with the consumable (3) contained in the flexible pouch (2).

[Claim 5] Flexible pouch packaging (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 4, in which the closure collar (10) is adapted to allow the maintenance of the pouring element (4) in the folded position on the flexible bag (2).

[Claim 6] Flexible pouch packaging (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 5, in which the closure collar (10) is fixed on at least one side to a widening (18, 18') of one walls (P1) of said pocket (1), said widening (18, 18') being located on the pouring element (4) close to the shoulder (6).

[Claim 7] Flexible pouch packaging (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 5, in which the pouring element (4) comprises retaining fins (8) forming a widening (L3) of the pouring element payment (4) greater than an internal width (L1) of the retaining collar (10), said fins (8) allowing the retention of the closure collar (10) between said fins (8) and the shoulder (6).

[Claim 8] Flexible pouch packaging (1) according to one of Claims 6 and 7, in which the widening (18, 18', L3) defines a folding line (16) of the pouring element (4 ).

[Claim 9] Flexible pouch packaging (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the pouring element (4) has a conical shape widening towards the flexible pouch (2). [Claim 10] Packaging in a flexible pouch (1) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a reinforcing element (22, 23) made of cardboard inserted into the pouring element (4) and allowing it to be held away from the walls side (P1, P2) at the level of the opening (20). ]