Container for Powder

Abstract

A packaging container for powder or granular material. The container has a perforated portion with a sealing film. The container is used for a container for storage, capable of discharging its contents of the required quantity at a required time. The sealing film may be replaceable sealed against the perforated portion.

Description

This invention relates to a packaging container.

Packaging containers are well known.

One type of packaging container is a flexible pouch or sachet, typically of a plastics film material such as polypropylene, polyethylene, or laminates/coextruded comprising PE PP, PET, aluminium. These packages offer many advantages in that the packaging is lightweight, cost effective and provides an effective barrier to air, moisture and light before opening. The containers may be conveniently used to fill household devices or even replace the contents of other [rigid] containers.

However, these kind of packaging containers are not without their disadvantages.

The disadvantages can arise in certain circumstances, e.g. when the container has to be re-used when the entire container contents are not emptied in a single use. Re-sealing of the pouch is often ineffective meaning that the pouch contents can spoil or be spilled, or be degraded due to drying. Provision of sealing members is commonly expensive, undermining a principle advantage of these pouches.

Furthermore the discharge of a quantified amount of pouch contents is usually awkward since these kind of pouches have (often consumer made cut openings) which allow for overly rapid/uncontrolled contents discharge. This problem manifests itself particularly when the pouch contents are intended to be sprinkled over a surface in a regulated fashion.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate/mitigate the problems outlined above.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a packaging container for powder or granular material having a perforated portion with a seal which is used for a container for storage, capable of discharging its contents of the required quantity at a required time, wherein the seal may be replaceable sealed against the perforated portion.

It has been found that the container of the invention is particularly advantageous in many areas. Firstly facile container contents discharge is attained (over multiple discharge operations—with convenient closure/storage between discharges) with no need to regulate the opening/inclination of the container (as required for prior embodiments). Additionally enhanced dispensing of powders may be achieved, even with powders which normally tend to agglomerate, such as moistened/sticky powders.

Generally the seal is in the form of a flap. Preferably the flap has strong seal to body of the container on a side. Preferably the flap has a weak seal/no seal to the body of the container on the remaining sides. Thus usually the flap is hingedly attached to the body of the container. A plurality of flaps may be present, each serving a portion of the perforated portion.

The difference strengths of the seals may be achieved in a number of ways. One preferred execution is by differential welding conditions (e.g. through thermal/ultrasonic welding) wherein the strong seal is welded so as to be more strong than the weak seal/no seal. Alternatively the strong seal may comprise a different material to that of the weak seal.

Preferably the strong seal of the flap is disposed on the body (preferably of a size) such that for a user to close the flap after use the perforated portion must be arranged so that it is facing upwards. It has been found that this enables most effective sealing of the perforated portion.

Most preferably the seal has replaceable cover portions. Generally the replaceable cover portions comprise PE (or PP, or Teflon) coated paper.

Preferably the perforations comprise simple geometric holes/apertures. In this case the perforations in the perforated portion have a size of from 0.3 to 3 mm. The perforations may be in any conventional shape such as circular, rectangular or star-shaped.

Alternatively the perforations may comprise “hinged apertures”. In this case a geometric shape is partially excised from the perforated portion. Thus instead of a simple hole being revealed a flap of material which is attached to the remainder of the perforated portion is provided. In this embodiment preferably the geometric shape comprises a circle. Preferably a portion of the circle remains to serve as a hinge. More preferably multiple portions (e.g. 2 separate portions) of the circle remain to serves as hinges.

The hinged perforations preferably have a size of 10-20 mm, e.g. about 15 mm.

Generally the container has a handle for use by a consumer. Preferably the handle is arranged such that it is opposite to perforated portion. In this way discharge of the contents of the container is not fouled by the handle or by a hand of a user.

Preferably the container is used for the discharge of a granular/powder formulation onto a surface. Indeed according to a second aspect of the invention there is provided the use of a packaging container having a perforated portion with a sealing film wherein the sealing film may be replaceable sealed against the perforated portion, the container holding powder or granular material, in the discharging of the container's contents onto a surface.

Most preferably the container is for a carpet cleaning formulation and for use in dispensing same onto a carpet surface. The composition is preferably granular. The composition may be moistened.

Container is made in a process wherein sheets of material are shaped and welded to form a container. For example the process may comprise the following steps:—

• • a) bag welding, (vertical then lower),
  • b) bag filling,
  • c) bag closure,
  • d) punching of bag handles.

The container of the invention is further described by reference to the following Figures in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are plan views of the underside of a product in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 3 is a side view of a product in accordance with the invention.

From the figures it can be seen that the container 1 comprises sections of film material, sealed together to form a cuboid 2 with indented sides 3 which extends into a wedge portion 4 for retaining a granular composition.

The wedge portion 4 terminates in a handle 5 for use by a consumer.

The cuboid portion 2 has a base 6, which is perforated (perforations shown as 6a).

Mounted adjacent two sides of the base of the cuboid portion 2 are a pair of rectangular seals 7. Each seal 7 is welded/glued adjacent to the base 6 of the container 1 along at least a portion of one of the long sides of the rectangular seal 7 and thus each seal 7 is hingedly mounted adjacent to the base 6 of the container 1.

In storage the seals 7 are sealed against the perforated base 6. In use one or both of the seals 7 is (partially) peeled away from the perforated base 6 such that the perforations 6a are unobstructed. A user can hold the container 1 by the handle 5 and by shaking the container 1 can release the contents of the container through the perforations 6a.

After a partial dispensing of the product, the seal 7 is moved such that it abuts against the perforated base 6. Before this action is performed optionally a replaceable cover portion 8 is removed from the seal 7 to improve its adherence to the perforated base 6.

Claims

1. A packaging container for powder or granular material having a perforated portion with a seal which is used for a container for storage, capable of discharging its contents of the required quantity at a required time, wherein the seal may be replaceably sealed against the perforated portion.

2. A container according to claim 1, wherein the sealing film is in the form of a flap.

3. A container according to claim 2, wherein the flap has strong seal to body of the container on a side.

4. A container according to claim 3, wherein the flap has weak seal/no seal at the body of the container on the remaining sides.

5. A container according to claim 1, wherein the sealing film may has replaceable cover portions.

6. A container according to claim 1, wherein the container has a handle for use by a consumer.

7. A container according to claim 6, wherein the handle is disposed opposite to perforated portion.

8. A method of storing and subsequently dispensing a powder or granular material, the method comprising the step of: providing a packaging container according to claim 1 holding the powder or granular material, and subsequently discharging the packaging container's contents onto a surface.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the powder or granular material is a carpet cleaning formulation.