HEAT-SEALED PACKAGE AND A PACKAGING BLANK FOR FORMING THE SAME

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a heat-sealed package made from a polymer-coated fiber-based material, such as paper or paperboard, which comprises a bottom, side and end walls, as well as a top, and which has been formed by folding from a packaging blank provided with corresponding segments. In addition, the invention relates to a packaging blank intended for forming such a package.

[0002] Particularly milk, cream, sour milk products, juices, and wine are commonly packed in parallelogram-shaped or ridge-topped, so-called gable top cartons, which are heat sealed from polymer-coated paperboard. Packaging blanks are supplied to a packaging machine in a continuous web, which the machine first bends and seals for a tube into which the packaged product is introduced, and then chops the filled-up tube for individual packages while closing the packages at same time by sealing the same at the bottom and top. At a vertical joint present on a side of the package, the edges of a blank become overlapped, and at the package ends, the segments of a blank corresponding thereto become folded for a flat bottom as well as for a flat top of the parallelogram-shaped package or for a ridge top of the gable top package, depending on the shapes, fold lines, and dimensioning of a blank. Hence, the closed package develops three sealing lines, on a vertical side of the package and at each end of the package. Such packages and the packaging technology required thereby lend themselves well to factory-scale packaging with a packaging machine. On the other hand, they are not suitable for small-scale packaging in which the packed product consists not of a running liquid but of a solid matter, possibly sizable solid pieces, and in which, as opposed to liquid containers, the package is not filled to the brim.

[0003] US Patent publication 5,314,112 discloses a parallelogram-shaped portfolio folded from a blank of paperboard, which is intended for storing sheets of paper or documents. The portfolio is of such a construction that its permanent assembled condition does not require sealing or other such fasteners. The blank sheet, from which the portfolio is foldable, is rectangular in shape and thereby considerably simpler in terms of its shape and fold lines than those required by sealed liquid containers as described above.

[0004] Publication WO 99/16675 discloses a cube-shaped carton box, which is foldable simply from a quadratic blank, wherein fold lines define a diagonal cross which constitutes a bottom and a vertical side for the box, and the blank's triangular corners are foldable for a top of the box. The cube-shaped box has not been sealed and its purpose is indeed to open and spread out for use e.g. as a game board. On the other hand, the box and blank design is such that closing the box by heat sealing would not even be possible.

[0005] GB 504528 A, upon which the preambles of the independent claims 1 and 7 are based, describes a packaging blank obtained by removing parts from the edges of a rectangular piece of uncoated paper, to have end flaps separated from each other by cut-out stretches. The blank is folded to form a container, in which the end flaps form a top ridge for closing the container. Arguably the container cannot be made fully gas-tight, as the cut-outs in the blank form leak-prone stretches to the root of the closing ridge.

[0006] US 2002/0192405 A1 describes a gable-top carton of polymer coated paper or paperboard. Such a carton has at least three sealing lines, the first extending along the top ridge, the second through one of the sidewalls, and the third across the bottom of the carton. The blank to be folded and sealed to form the carton has not rectangular but a more complicated shape.

[0007] Accordingly, there is a demand for a rectangular outline blank for a foldable package, which is closable by a simple, single-step heat sealing process of blank panels abutted against each other. Another objective within the scope of the invention is to find an application, wherein a regular rectangle-shaped blank is foldable and heat-sealable for a tightly closed package whose liquid and gas tightness are defined by the barrier properties of a coating polymer.

[0008] A heat-sealed package of the invention, as defined in independent claim 1 is characterized in that the package has been formed by folding from a rectangular packaging blank, comprising edge flaps, which extend continuously around the blank and that the package has been closed by heat sealing together the edge flaps of the blank abutted in such a way that the flaps make up a ridge co-directional with the side walls of the package and protruding from the top of the package, the ridge constituting the only sealing line to hold the package together.

[0009] Thus, in terms of its construction, the package is a bundle gathered up around its edges, the integrity of which is up to the heat sealing of a polymer coating present at the edges. If the packaging material is polymer-coated on both sides, all material layers of the sealing line shall bond to each other over the entire surface area thereof the same way as in a laminate. In addition, as the blank is rectangular in shape, its edges shall extend all the way to the package ridge constituted by a sealing line, whereby the package is closed in a liquid and gas tight manner by the sealing.

[0010] The number of sealing lines needed for a package being just one, the package lends itself to a post-filling closing procedure by means of a simple heat sealer established by heatable jaws pressing against each other. The closed package is openable by tearing the sealing line open, starting from either end of the package. If the sealing joint is opened only partially, the package forms a draining aperture the way of a pouring spout, whereby the package contents need not be drained out at one time. If the packaging material comprises thin polymer-coated paper, its opening is also implementable by tearing off partially or completely the package ridge formed by the joint. If the sealing joint is torn open all the way, the package spreads open and exposes its contents all at once. This is particularly handy in the case of lunch packages containing e.g. sandwiches or similar snacks.

[0011] Sealed product packages according to the invention are suitable for industrial fabrication, but a particularly beneficial application for the invention can be found in stores, kiosks and the like sales and distribution outlets, in which the packages can be filled and closed in small production batches or even one at a time, according to customers' orders. Notable products to be packed according to the invention include snacks and traveling lunches, whereby a single package can be adapted to contain even several different products or ingredients, including cutlery, disposable dishes, and small pouches of condiments and flavors. The package contents may also consist of a single dry product, to mention for example coffee, tea, spices, candy, cereal, popcorn, etc.

[0012] Depending on the measurements of various segments included in a blank that makes up a package of the invention, the blanks comprising basically corresponding segments and fold lines can be used for forming a parallelogram-shaped package or ridge-topped gable top package, wherein the top consists of sloping side panels interconnected by a sealed top ridge. A particularly preferred embodiment for a package of the invention comprises a gable top package, having its bottom provided with a longitudinal fold line co-directional with the package side walls and the package having its gables provided with vertical and inclined fold lines to make the package collapsible at its gables. This makes it possible for the packaging blank to be folded consistently with the package and then flattened to enable stacking the blanks in such a flattened condition. Such pre-folded blanks resemble bags, making the filling and closing thereof particularly convenient at a sales or distribution outlet. A further benefit is that, as its draining progresses, the package collapses to a more flattened condition to claim less space, and a half-empty package is easy to carry along, for example in a pocket.

[0013] The package according to the invention is folded and sealed from a rectangular packaging blank. Such blanks can be supplied to a store or a distribution outlet where the packages are fabricated, preferably in the form of a rolled-up continuous web. Thus, the lines between successive blanks must be provided with perforations or other such weaknesses for easy separation of the blanks. The web of blanks can also be pleated for a zigzag-shaped stack or the blanks may come in separate stacked sheets.

[0014] Another virtue of the rectangular packaging blank is that, in the process of folding a blank for a package, the blank's edge turns up over its entire length to extend along the sealing-line forming ridge of the package. Since the packaging material has a polymer coating on both sides thereof, the blank's edges become sealed to each other in full extent for a leakproof joint. The resulting liquid and aroma tight package is particularly suitable for dry, powdered products, such as coffee, tea or condiments, which may be subjected to a prolonged storage before the package is opened.

[0015] A packaging blank of the invention according to independent claim 7, which is made of a polymer-coated fiber-based material, such as paper or paperboard, and which is provided with segments corresponding to a bottom, side and gable walls, as well as a top of the package and separated from each other by fold lines, as well as with flaps abutting each other in the process of folding the blank and being sealable to each other for closing the package, is characterized in that the blank is rectangular in shape, comprising a continuous edge flap, which extends around the blank and in an abutted condition makes up a ridge, which protrudes from the package top and which constitutes the only sealing line holding the package together.

[0016] The invention will now be described in more detail by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

Fig. 1 shows one rectangular-shaped packaging blank of the invention along with its fold lines and segments defined thereby,

fig. 2 shows a gable top type package formed from the blank of fig. 1 by folding and sealing,

fig. 3 shows a gable for the package of fig. 2,

fig. 4 shows, the same way as fig. 3, a gable for a parallelogram-shaped package of the invention,

fig. 5 shows a rectangular-shaped packaging blank according to a second embodiment of the invention,

fig. 6 shows a collapsible package formed from the blank of fig. 5, and

fig. 7 shows a gable for the package of fig. 6.

[0017] The gable top type package 1 visualized in figs. 2 and 3 comprises a horizontal bottom 2, vertical side walls 3 and end walls 4, gable triangles 5, a top consisting of two sloping side panels 6, as well as a protruding ridge 7 at an apex formed by the side panels 6. The package's bottom 2 side walls 3, upright end walls 4, and the top's side panels 6 are rectangular in shape, and the gable triangles 5 consist of inward-folded triangular segments defined by fold lines 8. The package 1 consists of a bilaterally extrusion-coated packaging material, the coating of which comprises a heat-sealable polymer, such as e.g. polyethylene. The package is closed in a water and air tight manner by sealing together the layers of packaging paper which make up the ridge 7.

[0018] The packaging blank 9 visualized in fig. 1, from which the package 1 of figs. 2 and 3 is foldable and heat-sealable, consists of a rectangular-shaped sheet of packaging paper. The blank 9 comprises segments 2a-7a, corresponding to the package parts 2-7 and defined by the fold lines 8. The edge flap 7a, extending around the blank 9, has its segments pleating on top of each other in the folding process and bonding to each other in the heat-sealing process the same way as in a laminate, resulting in the protruding ridge 7 holding the package together. Segments 10a, present in the blank's 9 corners, are pleated inside the package in the process of folding the package 1.

[0019] The package's 1 dimensions, i.e. its width, height, the steepness of its top 6, and the protrusion of its ridge 7, can be varied by modifying the measurements of the blank's 9 various segments 2a-7a. In the extreme event that the top's side segment 6a has an area which half of the bottom's 2 area, the package turns out in the shape of a parallelogram as depicted in fig. 4.

[0020] Figs. 5-7 illustrate, as in figs. 1-3 respectively, a second embodiment of the invention, which only differs from that shown in figs. 1-3 in the sense that the package has its bottom 2 provided with a longitudinal fold line 8' co-directional with the side walls 3, and the package has its end walls 4 provided with inclined fold lines 8" and upright fold lines 8"'. This results in a package collapsible transversely in the direction of the end walls 4, in which the end walls 4, provided with the fold lines 8" and 8"', are pleated inwards. The empty package is compressible to complete flatness and enables stacking in this condition.

[0021] It is obvious for a skilled artisan that the embodiments of the invention are not limited to the described examples, but that variations can be made within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A heat-sealed package (1) made from a polymer-coated fiber-based material, such as paper or paperboard, which comprises a bottom (2), side and end walls (3, 4, 5), as well as a top (6), and which has been formed by folding from a packaging blank (9) provided with corresponding segments (2a-6a), characterized in that the package (1) has been formed by folding from a rectangular packaging blank (9), comprising edge flaps (7a), which extend continuously around the blank and that the package has been closed by heat sealing together the edge flaps (7a) of the blank (9) abutted in such a way that the flaps make up a ridge (7) co-directional with the side walls (3) of the package and protruding from the top (6) of the package, the ridge constituting the only sealing line to hold the package together.

2. A package as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that it is a gable top type package (1), in which the top consists of sloping side panels (6) interconnected by the sealed top ridge (7).

3. A package as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that the package bottom (2) has a longitudinal fold line (8') co-directional with the package side walls (3) and the package gables (4) have vertical and inclined fold lines (8", 8"'), such that the package is collapsible at its gables.

4. A package as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the package is parallelogram in shape.

5. A package as set forth in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is a coffee, tea, condiment, candy, snack or lunch package.

6. A package as set forth in any of claims 1-4, characterized in that it is a liquid and aroma tight food package.

7. A packaging blank (9), which is intended for making a package (1) as set forth in any of the preceding claims and which is made of a polymer-coated fiber-based material, such as paper or paperboard, and which is provided with segments (2a-6a) corresponding to a bottom (2), side and end walls (3, 4, 5), as well as a top (6) of the package and separated from each other by fold lines (8), as well as with flaps (7a) abutting each other in the process of folding the blank and being heat sealable to each other for closing the package, characterized in that the blank is rectangular in shape, comprising a continuous edge flap (7a), which extends around the blank (9) and in an abutted condition makes up a ridge (7), which protrudes from the package top (6) and which constitutes the only sealing line holding the package together.

8. A blank as set forth in claim 7, characterized in that segments (2a, 4a), which make up the package's bottom (2) and end walls (4), are provided with fold lines (8', 8", 8"') for enabling the collapsibility of a gable top type package.

9. A blank as set forth in any of claims 7-8, characterized in that the blank (9) is made of a fiber-based packaging material with a polymer coating on both sides thereof.

Ansprüche

1. Heißversiegelte Verpackung (1), hergestellt aus einem polymerbeschichteten Material auf Faserbasis wie Papier oder Pappe, welches einen Boden (2), Seiten- und Stirnwände (3, 4, 5) und einen Deckel (6) umfasst und welche durch Falten aus einem Verpackungsrohling (9) geformt wurde, der mit den entsprechenden Segmenten (2a bis 6a) versehen ist, dadurch charakterisiert, dass die Verpackung (1) durch Falten aus einem rechteckigen Verpackungsrohling (9) geformt wurde, der Kantenlaschen (7a) umfasst, welche sich kontinuierlich um den Rohling herum erstrecken, und dass die Verpackung verschlossen wurde, indem die Kantenlaschen (7a) des Rohlings (9) miteinander wärmeversiegelt wurden, die so gegeneinander anstoßen, dass die Laschen einen Grat (7) bilden, der in gleicher Richtung verläuft wie die Seitenwände (3) der Verpackung und aus dem Deckel (6) der Verpackung herausragt, wobei der Grat die einzige Versiegelungslinie darstellt, die die Verpackung zusammenhält.

2. Verpackung wie in Anspruch 1 angegeben, dadurch charakterisiert, dass es eine Verpackung von Giebeltyp (1) ist, bei der der Deckel aus abfallenden Seitenflächen (6) besteht, die durch den versiegelte Deckelgrat verbunden sind (7),

3. Verpackung wie in Anspruch 2 angegeben, dadurch charakterisiert, dass der Verpackungsboden (2) eine Längsfalzlinie (8') aufweist, die in gleicher Richtung verläuft wie die Verpackungsseitenwände (3), und dass die Verpackungsgiebel (4) vertikale und geknickte Falzlinien (8", 8"') aufweisen, so dass die Verpackung an den Giebeln zusammenklappbar ist.

4. Verpackung wie in Anspruch 1 angegeben, dadurch charakterisiert, dass die Verpackung eine Parallelogramm-Form aufweist.

5. Verpackung wie in einem der vorstehenden Ansprüche angegeben, dadurch charakterisiert, dass sie eine Verpackung für Kaffee, Tee, Gewürze, Süßigkeiten, Snacks oder Lunch ist.

6. Verpackung wie in einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 4 angegeben, dadurch charakterisiert, dass sie eine flüssigkeits- und aromadichte Lebensmittelverpackung ist.

7. Verpackungsrohling (9), der zur Herstellung einer Verpackung (1) wie in einem der vorstehenden Ansprüche angegeben vorgesehen ist und der aus einem polymerbeschichteten Material auf Faserbasis wie Papier oder Pappe hergestellt ist, und welcher mit Segmenten (2a bis 6a) versehen ist, die dem Boden (2), den Seiten- und Stirnwänden (3, 4, 5) entsprechen, genauso wie mit einem Deckel (6) der Verpackung, und die voneinander durch Falzlinien (8) getrennt ist, und mit Kanten (7a), die beim Faltprozess des Rohlings aneinander angrenzen und zum Verschließen der Verpackung miteinander heißversiegelt werden können, dadurch charakterisiert, dass der Rohling eine rechteckige Form aufweist, eine kontinuierliche Kantenlasche (7a) aufweist, die sich um den Rohling (9) herum erstreckt und in aneinander anstoßendem Zustand einen Grat (7) bildet, der aus dem Verpackungsdeckel (6) herausragt und der die einzige Versiegelungslinie darstellt, die die Verpackung zusammenhält.

8. Rohling wie in Anspruch 7 angegeben, dadurch charakterisiert, dass Segmente (2a, 4a), die den Boden der Verpackung (2) und Stirnseiten (4) bilden, mit Falzlinien (8', 8", 8"') versehen sind, um die Zusammenfaltbarkeit einer Verpackung vom Giebeltyp zu ermöglichen.

9. Rohling wie in einem der Ansprüche 7 bis 8 angegeben, dadurch charakterisiert, dass der Rohling (9) aus einem Verpackungsmaterial auf Faserbasis hergestellt ist, das auf beiden Seiten mit einer Polymerbeschichtung versehen ist.

Revendications

1. Emballage thermoscellé (1) en matériau à base de fibres revêtu de polymère, tel que le papier ou le carton, qui comprend un fond (2), des parois latérales et d'extrémité (3, 4, 5), ainsi qu'un dessus (6), et qui a été formé en pliant une découpe d'emballage (9) dotée de segments correspondants (2a-6a), caractérisé en ce que l'emballage (1) a été formé en pliant une découpe d'emballage rectangulaire (9), comprenant des rabats de bord (7a), qui s'étendent de manière continue autour de la découpe et en ce que l'emballage a été fermé par thermoscellage avec les rabats de bord (7a) de la découpe (9) aboutés de manière à ce qu'ils constituent une arête (7) dans la même sens que les parois latérales (3) de l'emballage et dépassant du dessus (6) de l'emballage, l'arête constituant l'unique ligne de scellage pour maintenir l'unité de l'emballage.

2. Emballage selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce qu'il s'agit d'un emballage (1) de type gable top, dans lequel le dessus consiste en des panneaux latéraux pentus (6) interconnectés par l'arête supérieure scellée (7).

3. Emballage selon la revendication 2, caractérisé en ce que le fond d'emballage (2) a une ligne de pliage longitudinale (8') dans le même sens que les parois latérales d'emballage (3) et les pignons d'emballage (4) ont des lignes de pliage verticales et inclinées (8", 8"'), de telle sorte que l'emballage est pliable au niveau de ses pignons.

4. Emballage selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que l'emballage a la forme d'un parallélogramme.

5. Emballage selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce qu'il s'agit d'un emballage pour le café, le thé, les condiments, les bonbons, les en-cas ou les déjeuners.

6. Emballage selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1-4, caractérisé en ce qu'il s'agit d'un emballage alimentaire étanche aux liquides et aux arômes.

7. Découpe d'emballage (9) qui est prévue pour fabriquer un emballage (1) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes et qui est en matériau à base de fibres revêtu de polymère, tel que le papier ou le carton, et qui est dotée de segments (2a-6a) correspondant à un fond (2), des parois latérales et d'extrémité (3, 4, 5), ainsi qu'à un dessus (6) de l'emballage et séparés les uns des autres par des lignes de pliage (8), ainsi que de rabats de bord (7a) aboutant les uns aux autres lors du processus de pliage de la découpe et thermoscellables les uns aux autres pour fermer l'emballage, caractérisée en ce que la découpe a une forme rectangulaire, comprenant un rabat de bord continu (7a), qui s'étend autour de la découpe (9) et dans une condition aboutée constitue une arête (7), qui dépasse du dessus d'emballage (6) et qui constitue l'unique ligne de scellage maintenant l'unité de l'emballage.

8. Découpe selon la revendication 7, caractérisée en ce que des segments (2a, 4a), qui constituent le fond d'emballage (2) et des parois latérales (4), sont dotés de lignes de pliage (8', 8", 8"') pour permettre le pliage d'un emballage de type gable top.

9. Découpe selon l'une quelconque des revendications 7-8, caractérisée en ce que la découpe (9) est en matériau d'emballage à base de fibres avec un revêtement en polymère sur les deux côtés de celui-ci.

Drawing