CONTAINER FOR SURPRISES

Abstract

A container for products, the products being amusement articles or foodstuffs, that has a first half-shell and a second half-shell, each half-shell having a mouth contour and a containment wall suitable for being coupled mouth-to-mouth to form the container in a closed configuration is provided. The container is formed from a material including cellulose fibers and additives. A tear-band opening member of the container extends along an entire perimeter contour of the container lying in a plane substantially orthogonal to the plane of the mouth contour of the first and second half-shells.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Italian Patent Application No. 102023000010089 filed on May 18, 2023, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a container, particularly for gifts or surprise articles, such as toys or confectionery products, and intended to be introduced into the hollow body of a foodstuff material, such as a chocolate egg, or into a package comprising a foodstuff material.

In particular, the present invention relates to a container of the type comprising two half-shells, each having a containment wall and an open mouth, which are suitable for being coupled mouth-to-mouth to form a closed container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

WO2007/074355 describes a container of the aforementioned type consisting of two half-shells of a plastics material, connected therebetween, so as to form a body in one piece by means of a joint that allows the movement of one of the two half-shells with respect to the other between a closed position of the container and an open position; the container has, on one or both half-shells, weakening lines adjacent to the joint which, following stresses applied to the container, are able to rupture before the joint is ruptured. The object of this configuration is to avoid separation of the two half-shells following manipulation by the user. In effect, following the possible rupture of the weakening lines, the two half-shells remain connected therebetween by means of one or two tabs extending from the joint.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One object of the present invention is to provide a configuration, for a container of the type mentioned above, that is particularly suitable for making a container out of paper material and therefore compostable and/or (bio) degradable and/or recyclable.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container made out of a paper material with an easy opening and which also maintains the features of mechanical properties, in particular a rigidity, adapted to protect the products contained therein, which characterize typical containers made of a plastics material.

In view of the aforementioned objects, the subject matter of the present invention is a container having the features mentioned in the following claims.

According to a characterizing aspect of the present invention, the container is made of a material comprising or composed essentially of cellulose fibers; the material may comprise optional additives of the type conventionally used in the production of paper and cardboard; the material may also comprise any additives used to achieve gas and liquid barrier effects.

According to another characterizing aspect, the body of the container comprises, in the closed configuration thereof, a tear-band opening member extending along the entire perimeter contour of the body of the container lying in a plane substantially orthogonal to the plane of the mouth contour of the half-shells.

In a preferred embodiment, the tear-band opening member comprises a wall region of the first and second half-shells delimited by weakening lines which, in one embodiment, may be continuous lines or dashed lines with a reduced wall thickness (in relation to the adjacent wall thickness) or pre-scored lines.

In a preferred embodiment, the first and second half-shells are connected therebetween so as to form a body in one piece, the connection being obtainable by means of a segment of the opening member.

Further features and advantages of the container according to the present invention will become evident from the following detailed description, made with reference to the accompanying drawings, provided by way of non-limiting example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a container according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the container in FIG. 1, in a configuration in which the tear-band opening member has been partially removed;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the parts of the container following the removal of the opening member;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the container in a resulting configuration following the forming thereof;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the container;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views showing the formations from which the container in FIG. 5 is obtained;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the container, adapted to increase wall rigidity, and

FIGS. 9(a), 9(b) and 9(c) are perspective views illustrating the operating sequence of molding with a mold and counter-mold of a container of the type in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to the drawings, a container according to the present invention, indicated in the entirety thereof with 1, comprises a first half-shell and a second half-shell 2,4 both formed from cellulose material, i.e., cellulose fibers that may all be of the same origin and nature or alternatively may comprise a mixture of two or more types of cellulose fibers, depending upon the desired mechanical features.

The term, used in the present description, relating to the use of a material “comprising” cellulose or cellulose fibers or “composed essentially of cellulose or cellulose fibers” does not exclude the presence of optional additives, for example of the type conventionally used in the production of paper, or of additives used to obtain gas and liquid barrier effects or to improve mechanical properties. For example, such terms include the case wherein the material comprises from 70 to 99.9% by weight of cellulose fibers on an anhydrous basis, preferably from 90 to 99.9% by weight and from 0.1 to 30% by weight on an anhydrous basis of additives, preferably from 0.1 to 10% by weight.

Possible additives may include starches, alkyl ketene dimer and inert fillers.

Recycled cellulose fibers, preferably totally MOSH- and MOAH-free, may be used.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the container comprises a cup-shaped half-shell 2, optionally with a flattened top, with a lid function and a half-shell 4, having a greater depth than the half-shell 2, having a containment function, wherein the wall thereof comprises a bottom region 4b, cup-shaped, optionally with a flattened top, and a cylindrical or slightly flared tubular shell wall region or skirt 4a. Optionally, the half-shell 2 may also have a tubular shell wall portion or skirt.

In the embodiment example, the two half-shells have a mouth, respectively 6 and 8, with a circular contour; it is however understood that the construction principle of the invention may also be applied to half-shells having a different mouth contour, for example elliptical, polygonal, ovoid or mixtilinear.

The construction principle of the present invention is also applicable to containers with a general ovoid shape wherein the two half-shells have a circular mouth contour, namely an ovoid mouth contour.

In general, one of the half-shells has a greater depth and a containment function, while the other half-shell, with a shallower depth, has a lid function.

Preferably, the two half-shells may be coupled mouth-to-mouth, for example in a front coupling relationship by inserting an end wall portion of one half-shell into the end wall portion of the other half-shell.

In the example shown, the half-shell 4 with a containment function is inserted into the mouth 8 of the half-shell 2, whereby the end portions of the two half-shells, adjacent to the mouth, partially overlap.

Preferably, for the reasons more fully illustrated below, the half-shell inserted into the mouth of the other has, adjacent to the mouth thereof, a radial flange 10 extending along the entire mouth contour or possibly limited to a circumferential mouth section.

According to a feature of the present invention, the container comprises a tear-band opening member 12 formed by a wall region 15 of the container, which extends along the entire perimeter contour of the body of the container lying in a plane that is preferably substantially orthogonal to the plane of the mouth contour of the half-shells. Such opening member is defined by weakening lines 14 and 16; such weakening lines may be partially pre-scored lines, either continuous or in sections, of the wall of the container, wherein the wall thickness of the container is reduced with respect to the thickness of the wall adjacent thereto. In particular, the tear-band opening member extends from a section 18 of the mouth contour of one of the half-shells, in this case from the half-shell 2 acting as a lid, along the cup-shaped wall of said half-shell and then along the containment wall 4a, 4b of the other half-shell 4, to a section 20 of the mouth contour of the other half-shell.

The radial flange 10, or radial flange section, creates a guide for removing the opening member. Optionally, the guide for removing the opening member may be represented by a tab 28 protruding from the half-shell 2 at the section 18 of the mouth contour wherefrom the tear-band opening member 12 extends.

In the preferred embodiment, the two half-shells 2 and 4 form a body in one piece (integral body), being hinged therebetween by a tab 22 (FIG. 4) which forms part of the opening member 12; the tab 22 is obtained during the step of molding the body into a single piece container, such that the edges 24 and 26 thereof are per se separated from the wall of the half-shells.

In the closed configuration of the container and, therefore, following the insertion of the contents thereinto, the two half-shells are preferably permanently connected therebetween, so as to avoid the accidental opening of the container and also so that the consumer is induced to open the container by acting upon the opening member rather than, possibly, by removing the half-shell acting as a lid or by tilting it.

The connection may be implemented by welding together wall portions of the two half-shells which, in the closed configuration, are superimposed and in contact.

The welding may be carried out by gluing, for example using a natural or synthetic glue or by applying a heat-seal lacquer in the contact regions and subsequent heating, or any other known welding methodology (for example, ultrasonic, thermal, etc.) The welding region may be limited to the contact surface of the flange 10 of one of the half-shells with the inner surface of the other half-shell.

Following the total removal of the opening member 12, the body of the container is divided into two parts 30 and 32. Each part 30 and 32 is formed from portions of the half-shells 2 and 4 that, as indicated above, have preferably been connected therebetween by welding or gluing; in the absence of a connection, it is understood that the two portions of the half-shell forming the parts 30 and 32 are separated from one another.

The removal of the opening member 12 thus allows the container to open thereby facilitating the extraction of the contents.

In a preferred embodiment, the container, in the closed configuration thereof, has a minimum size of between 20 and 200 mm; this “minimum size” in the case of a container with a circular mouth profile is to be understood to be referring to the mouth diameter.

The container of the present invention is a rigid-walled container with such rigidity as to provide adequate protection of the contents.

The rigidity of the container is at least such that it maintains the features thereof of shape and volume when placed upon a support surface. The wall rigidity adapted to achieve adequate overall rigidity varies depending on the dimensions of the container; although the wall of the container is to be considered limitedly flexible, in the sense that it is not susceptible to breakage when subjected to bending by hand or mechanically, it has compression resistance and therefore a rigidity such that the container may be expediently used as a viable alternative to conventional containers for surprises and the like made of a plastics material, such as polypropylene and the copolymers thereof.

Optionally, in order to increase wall rigidity, the container may have a corrugated wall. This embodiment is shown in FIG. 8, relating to a container, of the type shown in FIG. 1, wherein the wall has a side wall provided with a plurality of corrugations 36, with a cross section, i.e. parallel to the mouth plane, that is notched. Alternatively, the outer wall of the container may be provided with a plurality of ribs or ribbings 36, projecting radially outwards and preferably with an extension orthogonal to the mouth plane. Such corrugations, ribs or ribbings may affect the entire wall of the container, with the possible exclusion of the wall region 15 defining the opening member or possibly only the tubular region of the container, previously referred to as the tubular shell wall region or skirt 4a.

The weakening lines, which may be obtained during the container forming step, have a reduced thickness with respect to the wall adjacent thereto, with a percentage reduction preferably on the order of 10-80%.

For example, for a container with a wall of 200 microns, weakening lines with a maximum thickness of about 100 microns may be used.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment wherein the container 1 comprises a first half-shell and a second half-shell, 40 and 42, both cup-shaped, which are connected by film hinges to a tubular wall portion 44 (in the cylindrical example) of the container. One or both half-shells may have the function of a lid.

This container may also be made as a single-piece body, obtainable for example from a blank, wherein the formation thereof is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7; the connection between the two cup-shaped half-shells and the tubular wall is made at the wall region defining the tear band, according to the hinge lines 46 and 48. The tubular wall 44, shown in a flat formation in FIG. 6, has side flaps 50 that are welded or glued to the end portions of the two half-shells adjacent to the mouth; moreover, said wall has a side edge region 52, which is welded or glued to the opposite edge 54 in order to hold said wall in a tubular configuration.

In the closed configuration of the container according to this embodiment, preferably both cup-shaped half-shells 40 and 42 are connected to the tubular wall by welding or gluing, as previously indicated.

The container of the present invention may be obtained by conventional processes of forming cellulose articles using the wet-forming technique or the most recent forming technique that uses a dry-formed cellulose blank.

In the wet-forming process, a cellulose pulp in water is used by immersing a suction forming mold into a liquid or semi-liquid pulp suspension and then applying suction in order to form the body of the container following the deposition of the fibers onto the walls of the mold.

This technique requires a subsequent stage of drying the shaped product.

In the most recent forming technique using a dry-formed, cellulose fiber blank, the blank is inserted into a forming mold and subjected to high pressure and/or temperature.

FIG. 9(a) shows, by way of example, a mold 56 and a complementary counter-mold 58 for making a container according to the invention, which conforms to the one shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. The cavity of the mold 56 substantially corresponds to the configuration of the container shown in FIG. 4. The operational molding steps provide for the introduction of a blank of cellulose fibers 60 in the interposition position between the mold and the counter-mold (FIG. 9(b)) and the relative motion between the mold and the counter-mold to compress the blank inside the cavities of the mold 56 (FIG. 9(c)).

After forming, and possibly drying, if necessary in view of the method adopted, the surprise or similar accessory is introduced into the container followed by the optional welding or gluing of the two half-shells.

The present invention also relates to a foodstuff package comprising a container as described above, including an amusement article or a foodstuff; such a package may, for example, be a chocolate egg.

Due to the use of a cellulose material, the container of the present invention is compostable and/or (bio) degradable and/or recyclable and has mechanical features such that it may be used as a viable eco-sustainable alternative to traditional containers for surprises and the like, obtained by the molding of plastics materials.

Claims

1. A container for products, comprising at least a first half-shell and a second half-shell, each half-shell having a mouth contour and a retaining wall, the first and second half-shells being suitable for being coupled mouth-to-mouth to form the container in a closed configuration, wherein the container is formed from a material comprising cellulose fibers and optional additives, and further comprises a tear-band opening member extending along an entire perimeter contour of the container lying in a plane substantially orthogonal to a plane of the mouth contour of said half-shells, and wherein said first and second half-shells form a body in one piece, being connected therebetween by a tab that constitutes part of the tear-band opening member.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein said tear-band opening member comprises a wall region of the first and second half-shells delimited by weakening lines.

3. The container of claim 2, wherein said weakening lines are lines with a reduced wall thickness or are partially pre-scored, either continuously or in sections.

4. The container of claim 1, wherein said tear-band opening member comprises a continuous wall region of the container extending from a first section of the mouth contour of one of the first and second half-shells to a section of the mouth contour of the other half-shell adjacent to said first section.

5. The container of claim 1, wherein one of said first and second half-shells is configured as a lid and the other one of said first and second half-shells has a containment function, and wherein the half-shell configured as a lid is superimposed on an end region of the half-shell having the containment function adjacent its mouth.

6. The container of claim 1, wherein the container is a rigid-walled container having a rigidity at least such that the container retains shape and volume features thereof when placed on a support surface.

7. The container of claim 1, wherein, in the closed configuration of the container, said first and second half-shells are connected therebetween by welding or gluing along overlapping wall portions adjacent to the mouth contour.

8. The container of claim 1, wherein a wall of the container has a plurality of ribs or ribbings adapted to increase rigidity of the container.

9. The container of claim 2, wherein said weakening lines have a thickness reduced by 10% to 80% compared to a wall thickness of the container adjacent thereto.

10. The container of claim 1, wherein the container is obtained from a cellulose fiber material comprising from 70% to 99.9% by weight of cellulose fibers on an anhydrous basis and from 0.1% to 30% by weight of additives conventionally used in paper making or capable of achieving gas and/or liquid barrier effects and/or increasing mechanical properties.

11. A foodstuff packaging comprising the container claim 1, wherein an amusement article or a foodstuff is included in the container.

12. The container of claim 1, wherein the products are amusement articles or foodstuffs.