BLANK CUT FOR PACKAGING A PORTION OF FOOD

Abstract

The invention relates to a blank cut for packaging a portion of food (3) comprising fold lines (1a, 1b, 1c) defining a lower panel (5) and two side flaps (6) each having a side panel (7) and an upper segment (8), said segments being arranged to form together an upper wall with each segment being provided with an opening tab (9) having a base (9a), each of said bases being arranged so as to be associated with one another such that they peel off when the opening tabs (9) are pulled, each flap (6) having two tear lines (10) which each extend, from an edge of the base (9a) of the tab (9), along the upper panel segment (8) and the side panel (7), the lower panel (5) being devoid of tear line.

Description

The invention concerns a blank cut for packaging a portion of food, as well as a method for packaging a portion of food using such a blank cut.

It applies in particular to the packaging of individual portion of foods of fresh dairy products, such as fresh and/or melted cheese, which are packaged in an open envelope formed by folding a blank cut before closing said envelope.

To guarantee the preservation of the packaged portion, the blank cut must comprise at least one sealing layer with oxygen and/or water vapor barrier properties, and the package closure must preserve this sealing.

To benefit from an ecologically designed package, notably by facilitating its recycling after consumption of the portion of food, the blank cut can be formed from a complex comprising an outer layer based on cellulose fibers and an inner sealing layer.

In particular, in connection with such a blank cut design, the problem arises of the antagonism between the ease of opening the package to be able to consume the portion, especially by young children and/or for soft portions, and the aforementioned sealing constraints which require robust blank cut and closure.

Document WO-2021/148526 proposes a blank cut with fold lines enabling said blank cut to be formed into a package in which the portion of food can be packaged, wherein the edges of said blank cut are equipped respectively with a tab and a seam enabling said free edges to be sealed longitudinally along a transverse seal which extends between two longitudinal seals of the package.

To enable such a package to be opened, the blank cut has two tear-guide strips, each extending longitudinally from one edge of the tab to the seam.

For example, document WO-2021/148526 describes a solution in which opening is achieved by holding the package with one hand, the other hand exerting traction on the tab, enabling opening initially by tearing the strips on the tab/seam association, then by propagation of these tears longitudinally along the entire blank cut.

This solution is not entirely satisfactory in that it requires, particularly in relation to a blank cut comprising a fibrous layer, a high initial effort which may not be compatible with consumption by young children and/or a soft portion.

Particularly, for a soft portion of food such as a foamed cheese, it can be complicated to hold the package and exert the tearing force without inducing deformation of said portion, which then becomes difficult to extract from said package.

In addition, the possibility of opening the package along the entire length of the blank cut does not provide the ergonomics expected, particularly in that the unwrapped portion can fall off as it is no longer held by the blank cut.

The invention aims to improve the prior art by proposing in particular a blank cut, in particular of ecological design, which is arranged to form a package for a portion of food, said package combining optimum sealing with good opening ergonomics, in particular in relation to ease of opening for young children and/or in relation to a soft portion.

To this end, according to a first aspect, the invention proposes a blank cut for packaging a portion of food comprising fold lines allowing the shaping of said blank cut into an envelope in which said portion can be packaged before closing said envelope, said fold lines defining a blank cut having a lower panel intended to form a lower wall of said envelope, said lower panel being extended on either side by respective first and second side flaps each having a side panel intended to form a side wall of said envelope and an upper panel segment each having an edge connected to said side panel and an opposite edge, said segments being arranged to form together an upper wall of the envelope by bringing their opposite edge together, each of the opposite edges being equipped with an opening tab having a base extending from said opposite edge, said bases being arranged so as to be associated with one another such that they peel off when the opening tabs are pulled, each of said side flaps having two tear lines which each extends, from an edge of the base of the tab, along the upper panel segment and the side panel, the lower panel being devoid of tear line.

According to a second aspect, the invention proposes a method for packaging a portion of food by means of such a blank cut, in which said blank cut is folded along its fold lines to form an open envelope in which said portion is packaged before closing said envelope, said method providing for peelable association of the bases of the tabs.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, made with reference to the appended figures, in which:

FIG. 1a and FIG. 1b show a schematic front view of a blank cut according to one embodiment before its folding, seen respectively from the outside (FIG. 1a) and from the inside (FIG. 1b);

FIG. 2a, FIG. 2b, FIG. 2c to FIG. 2d show, in perspective views from different orientations, the blank cut of FIGS. 1a and 1b at different stages of its folding to form a package;

FIG. 3a, FIG. 3b, FIG. 3c to FIG. 3d show, in perspective views from different orientations, different opening stages of the package shown in FIG. 2d.

In relation to these figures, a blank cut for packaging a portion of food 3, in particular an individual portion of fresh dairy product, for example fresh and/or melted cheese, is described below. In particular, the blank cut is suitable for packaging a portion of foamed cheese.

The blank cut is formed by a complex 4 which has a sealing layer 4i with oxygen and/or water vapor barrier properties, so as to guarantee the preservation of the packaged portion of food 3.

The sealing layer 4i can be made of a food-grade plastic material, particularly when it is intended to be in contact with the portion of food 3 packed in the package. For this purpose, the sealing layer 4i can be made from polyethylene (PE) and/or polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or from other known food-grade plastics, such as polyamide (PA), polypropylene (PP) or polylactic acid (PLA).

Advantageously, the complex 4 comprises an inner sealing layer 4i as described above, and an outer layer 4e based on cellulose fibers. In particular, the cellulose fibers may be derived from wood and shaped by paper-making process to form a layer of paper or cardboard, or they may be in the form of a non-woven fabric.

Such an arrangement allows to benefit from a package of ecological design, notably by facilitating its recycling after consumption of the portion of food 3. In particular, the outer layer 4e can be made from recycled fibers.

According to an embodiment, the outer layer 4e has a mass per unit area of between 30 g/m² and 150 g/m², in particular between 50 g/m² and 110 g/m², and more particularly of the order of 80 g/m².

Advantageously, the complex 4 comprises between 60% and 90% by weight of cellulose fibers. To this end, the outer layer 4e can have a thickness of around 60 μm, and the inner layer 4i a thickness of between 4 μm and 20 μm.

To improve the overall sealing properties of the package, the complex 4 can include at least one additional layer of film and/or varnish with suitable properties, particularly oxygen and/or water vapor barrier properties. In particular, the outer face of the outer layer 4e may be coated with an additional varnish layer with anti-condensation properties.

The complex 4 can feature decorations and/or markings, for example aesthetic and/or commercial motifs and/or inscriptions linked to the portion of food 3. These elements can be formed by printing and/or embossing directly on the outer layer 4e of cellulose fibers.

The blank cut comprises fold lines 1a, 1b, 1c enabling it to be shaped into an envelope 2 in which the portion of food 3 can be packed before closing said envelope to form a package.

Advantageously, these fold lines 1a, 1b, 1c are formed by stamping the outer layer 4e of cellulose fibers, which allows to facilitate the folding of the blank cut while maintaining the integrity of the sealing layer 4i.

In relation to the figures, the fold lines 1a, 1b, 1c define together a blank cut which has a lower panel 5 intended to form a lower wall of the envelope 2, said lower panel being extended on either side by a first and a second side flap 6 each having:

• • a side panel 7 designed to form a side wall 2_lat1 of said envelope;
  • an upper panel segment 8 which has an edge 8a connected to said side panel and an opposite edge 8b;
  • the segments 8 being arranged to form together an upper wall 2_sup of the envelope 2 by bringing together their opposite edges 8b, as shown in FIG. 2a.

In particular, the upper panel segments 8 have a similar dimension, enabling them to form the two halves of the upper wall 2_sup of the envelope 2.

Each of the opposite edges 8b is equipped with an opening tab 9 having a base 9a extending from said opposite edge, the bases 9a being arranged so as to be associated with one another such that they peel off by pulling on the opening tabs 9.

In this way, the package can be opened by gripping each of the tabs 9 with one hand and exerting an opposing pull to separate them, without having to hold the package and therefore without the risk of deforming the portion of food before it is extracted from said package.

In particular, top panel segments 8 of a similar size enable the tabs 9 to be arranged in the upper central part of the pack, and thus provide good balancing of the pack when it is opened.

To facilitate this opening, particularly by young children and/or in relation to a soft portion of food 3, each of the side flaps 6 has two tear lines 10 which each extend, from an edge of the base 9a of the tab 9, along the top panel segment 8 and the side panel 7. In particular, the transverse distance separating the two tear lines 10 is greater than 80% of the width of the top panel segments 8, in particular greater than 90%, or even equal to said width.

Thus, by exerting pulls on the tabs 9, the consumer can open the package by tearing along three contiguous walls of the envelope 2, notably its upper wall 2_sup and its two side walls 2_lat1, so as to form a large opening to enable the portion of food 3 to be extracted from said package.

In one embodiment, each of the tear lines 10 is obtained by partially precutting the thickness of the blank cut, in particular by ablating material, to a depth sufficient to form a line of weakness enabling the tearing of said blank cut to be guided along said line.

In order to preserve the integrity of the inner layer 4i and therefore the sealing of the package, the tear lines 10 are formed by at least partial ablation of only the outer layer 4e.

Advantageously, the tear lines 10 are formed, for example by laser or mechanical cutting, over approximately 4/5 of the total thickness of the outer layer 4e, which provides a good compromise between preserving the sealing of the package and facilitating its opening by tearing along said lines.

In one embodiment, the tear lines 10 allow the tearing of the blank cut to be guided without prior pre-cutting of said blank cut, for example by means of a fold or groove line of the blank cut, and/or a particular orientation of the fibers of the outer layer 4e along said line.

According to one embodiment, the respective inner layers 4i of the bases 8a of the tabs 8 are arranged to be peelably associated.

To this end, at least one of the inner layers 4i of the bases 9a of the tabs 9 can be peelable and/or provided with a peelable varnish 11, notably based on polyethylene (PE) and/or polyester, to ensure a peelable sealing of said tab bases by their respective inner layers 4i (“flesh-to-flesh” type sealing).

In the figures, the bases 9a of the tabs 9 each have a peelable varnish layer 11 applied to at least a part of their inner layer 4i. In addition, each layer 11 also extends over a portion of the tab 9 adjacent to its base 9a, so as to enable the tabs 9 to be partially peelably associated with one another.

The lower panel 5 is also devoid of tear line, enabling it to retain its integrity after the package has been opened, thus forming a tray on which the portion of food 3 can be held while waiting to be picked up by the consumer.

As shown in FIGS. 3a to 3d, the consumer wishing to open the package grasps the tabs 9 with each of his hands and pulls on them in opposite directions. These movements cause the peelable seal between the tabs 9 to separate, then a tearing of each of their bases 9a along the two portions of tear lines 10 extending on either side of them.

The consumer then continues to pull on said tabs to successively detach the upper panel segments 8 (FIG. 3b) and the side panels 7 (FIG. 3c), so that the portion of food 3 rests on the lower panel 5 at the end of package opening (FIG. 3d).

Advantageously, the upper panel segment 8 and the side panel 7 of each of the flaps 6 are formed between two fold lines 1a which both extend over the base 9a of the tab 9, each of the tear lines 10 extending relative to one of these fold lines 1a, in particular parallel to the latter, forming a band 12 between them.

In this way, once the packaging has been opened, each band 12 rests on an upper wall of the portion of food 3, so as to hold thereon a side wall 2_lat2 of the envelope 2 to which it is attached. This arrangement enables the portion of food 3 to be secured laterally to the lower panel 5 while awaiting its removal by the consumer, as shown in FIG. 3c.

Each of the bands 12 has a width which is less than 10% of the width of the upper panel segments 8, and in particular less than 5% of said width. This arrangement facilitates extraction of the portion of food 3 by the consumer, who then simply has to move apart the side walls 2_lat2 (FIG. 3d) to be able to remove said portion from the lower panel 5 while preserving its integrity of shape, particularly in the case of a soft portion of food 3.

In the embodiment shown, the lower panel 5 and the side panels 7 each have a quadrilateral geometry, making it possible to form a parallelepipedic envelope 2, said blank cut having an axis of symmetry along its median axis.

In relation to FIGS. 1a and 1b, the blank cut has:

• • a first transverse end edge 13, from which an opening tab 9 extends; and
  • a second transverse end edge 14, longitudinally opposite said first transverse edge, and on which the other tab 9 is formed.

In particular, the tabs 9 each have a gripping portion 9b which extends longitudinally projecting from a respective edge 13, 14, and the blank cut has two transverse fold lines 1b each extending adjacent and parallel to a respective end edge 13, 14, in particular along the edge 8b of the adjacent segment 8, to define the base 9a of said tab and enable folding of said base relative to the adjacent side panel 7 during formation of the envelope 2.

The blank cut also comprises two longitudinal borders 15 extending on either side of the side flaps 6 and the lower panel 5, and each equipped with a plurality of fold lines 1a, 1c for forming side walls 2_lat2 of the envelope 2.

In FIGS. 1a and 1b, the borders 15 each extend from one end edge 13 to the opposite end edge 14.

In addition, each border 15 comprises two end portions each extending longitudinally into a respective side flap 6, while being separated from the corresponding side panel 7 and upper segment 8 by a longitudinal fold line 1a opposite which a tear line 10 extends parallel.

Thus, the bands 12 are each adjacent to a respective border 15, the latter then forming the side walls 2_lat2 designed to hold the portion of food 3 on the lower panel 5 at the end of the package opening.

In relation to FIGS. 2a to 2d, a method for packaging a portion of food 3 using a blank cut as described above is now described.

This methods provides to fold the blank cut along its fold lines 1a, 1b, 1c, so as to form an open envelope 2 in which the portion of food 3 is packaged before closing said envelope, and to peelably associate the bases 9a of the tabs 9.

Advantageously, the method provides to fold the blank cut in such a way as to leave a single opening in the envelope 2 (FIG. 2c), in order to use said envelope to form a mold into which the portion of food 3 can be poured in liquid or viscous form before closing said envelope, thereby limiting production costs by avoiding an additional step of shaping said portion of food prior to packaging in the package.

This arrangement also allows to produce packaged portion of foods 3 in a more hygienic way and with better preservation conditions. Indeed, by pouring the portion of food 3 directly into its individual packaging, its exposure to the ambient air is limited, thus reducing the risk of contamination, particularly by germs. Moreover, if the portion of food 3 is poured at a temperature higher than the pasteurization temperature, its preservation properties are further improved.

In the embodiment shown, the bases 9a of the tabs 9 are associated before the portion of food 3 is packaged, and the envelope 2 is subsequently closed by folding and associating a border 15 of the blank cut.

In particular, this method provides at first to bring the edges 8b of the upper segments 8 together to make the peelable “flesh-flesh” association of the tabs 9 (FIG. 2a), then to fold the bases 9a of the associated tabs 9 along their transverse lines 1b in order to fold them flat onto the upper wall 2_sup formed by said segments (FIG. 2b).

Next, a first longitudinal border 15 is folded to close one side of the package, leaving the opposite side open to allow the introduction of the portion of food 3, particularly in liquid or viscous form (FIGS. 2b, 2c).

Finally, the second longitudinal border 15 is folded to close the package completely (FIG. 2d).

Alternatively, the method may provide to simultaneously form several blank cuts from a single sheet of complex 4, then to separate said blank cuts from one another once they have been filled with a portion of food 3.

To achieve this, the method may provide to form, in a rectangular sheet of complex 4, several blank cuts as shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b by pre-cutting and stamping, so that a free longitudinal edge 16 of one border 15 of a first blank cut merges with the free longitudinal edge 16′ of the opposite border 15 of an adjacent second blank cut.

In another variant, not shown, the method may provide to close the envelope 2 by associating the bases 9a of the tabs 9.

Claims

1. Blank cut for packaging a portion of food (3) comprising fold lines (1a, 1b, 1c) enabling said blank cut to be formed into an envelope (2) in which said portion can be packaged before closing said envelope, said fold lines defining a blank cut having a lower panel (5) intended to form a lower wall of said envelope, said lower panel being extended on either side by respective first and second side flaps (6) each having a side panel (7) intended to form a side wall (2lat1) of said envelope and an upper panel segment (8) which has an edge (8a) connected to said side panel and an opposite edge (8b), said segments being arranged to form together an upper wall (2sup) of the envelope (2) by bringing their opposite edge (8b) together, said blank cut being characterized in that each of said opposite edges (8b) is equipped with an opening tab (9) having a base (9a) extending from said opposite edge, said bases being arranged so as to be associated with one another such that they peel off when the opening tabs (9) are pulled, each of said side flaps having two tear lines (10) which each extend, from one edge of the base (9a) of the tab (9), along the upper panel segment (8) and the side panel (7), the lower panel (5) being devoid of tear line.

2. Blank cut according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper panel segments (8) have a similar dimension to form the two halves of the upper wall (2sup) of the envelope (2).

3. Blank cut according to claim 1, characterized in that it is formed by a complex (4) comprising an outer layer (4e) based on cellulose fibers and an inner sealing layer (4i).

4. Blank cut according to claim 3, characterized in that the inner layers (4i) of the bases (9a) of the tabs (9) are arranged to be peelably associated.

5. Blank cut according to claim 4, characterized in that at least one of the inner layers (4i) of the bases (9a) of the tabs (9) is peelable and/or is provided with a peelable varnish (11).

6. Blank cut according to claim 3, characterized in that the tear lines (10) are formed by at least partial ablation of only the outer layer (4e).

7. Blank cut according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper panel segment (8) and the side panel (7) of each of the flaps (6) are formed between two fold lines (1a), said lines extending over the base (9a) of the tab (9).

8. Blank cut according to claim 7, characterized in that each of the tear lines (10) extends relative to a fold line (1a), forming a band (12) between them.

9. Blank cut according to claim 8, characterized in that each of the bands (12) has a width which is less than 10% of the width of the upper panel segments (8), in particular less than 5%.

10. Blank cut according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a transverse edge (13) from which an opening tab (9) extends, and an opposite transverse edge (14) on which the other tab (9) is formed.

11. Blank cut according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises two longitudinal borders (15) extending on either side of the side flaps (6) and the lower panel (5), said borders being equipped with fold lines for forming side walls (2lat2) of the envelope (2).

12. Blank cut according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower panel (5) and the side flaps (6) each have a quadrilateral geometry to form a parallelepiped envelope (2).

13. A method for packaging a portion of food (3) by means of a blank cut according to claim 1, in which said blank cut is folded along its fold lines (1a, 1b, 1c) to form an open envelope (2) in which said portion is packaged prior to closure of said envelope, said method providing for peelable association of the bases (9a) of the tabs (9).