Patent Application
20070134381
The present invention relates to a decorative band intended for surrounding the periphery of a food packaging. More particularly, the packing comprises a lateral annular wall extending between a bottom and an upper face, while the band extends longitudinally between two ends and has a first and a second longitudinal edge.
This type of band generally comprises a logo representing the brand of the product and, if appropriate, an image depicting the contents and information on the composition of the product. These bands are intended for surrounding the periphery of the lateral wall of the packaging in such a way that the ends of the band overlap one another or butt against one another. That the band completely surrounds the packaging satisfies esthetic criteria, but also improves the hold of the band on the packaging with respect to the labels and prevents it from being torn off.
Decorative bands are very commonly used for packagings containing dairy products, such as, for example, yoghurts or butter, but also products, such as stewed fruit or margarine.
The upper face of the packaging is provided with an aperture which can be closed by means of a tear-off cap in the case of packagings of the yoghurt pot type or by means of a removable lid, as is used most often for packagings intended for containing margarine. The pot which forms the bottom, the lateral wall and, if appropriate, part of the upper face of the packaging is generally produced by thermoforming from a plastic sheet in a mold. This production method makes it possible to produce particularly inexpensive packagings in very large quantities, while at the same time adhering to the hygiene standards necessary for food products.
Decorative bands have hitherto had an elongate rectangular shape, that is to say they have first and second rectilinear and parallel longitudinal edges. They are generally cut out from a strip of film material, such as paper or plastic film, which is printed and stored in the form of a roll, before the bands are cut out.
The food packagings of this type are produced in very large quantities and are intended for highly competitive markets. It is therefore important as far as possible to reduce the unit cost of each packaging, but without impairing its strength and its esthetic characteristics.
The present invention is therefore aimed at reducing the unit cost of these packagings clad in a decorative band.
For this purpose, the decorative band of the abovementioned type has at least one first portion extending longitudinally, which has a maximum width, and at least one second portion, which has a minimum width, said minimum width being at most equal to two thirds of the maximum width.
By virtue of this arrangement, the quantity of film material, whether paper or plastic film, used for producing the band is smaller than that used for producing a rectangular band having a width equal to the maximum width, this being a reduction in material which, of course, makes it possible to reduce the cost of the band. This reduction in material also makes it possible to reduce the weight of the packaging, this having a beneficial influence on the transport and recycling of the packagings. That the area of the band is reduced likewise makes it possible to reduce the area of the printed decorations and consequently to make savings in terms of ink.
Moreover, the band thus produced can still completely surround the packaging, so as to maintain a high quality of fastening of said band, and be employed in the methods currently used for applying the band to the packaging.
In preferred embodiments of the band, moreover, all or any one of the following arrangements may be adopted:
The band defined above can be produced from a strip of film material comprising designs which defined, in the direction of the width of the strip, the contour of an even number of rows of said bands which are arranged such that the second edges of the bands of two successive rows are adjacent, and such that the first edge of the first row and the first edge of the last row are contiguous to the longitudinal edges of the strip, so as to have no waste in the strip after the bands have been cut out.
A food packaging having a lateral annular wall extending between a bottom and an upper face is advantageously surrounded on the periphery of the lateral wall by a decorative band, as defined above, in order to reduce the overall cost of this packaging.
Should the lateral annular wall of such a packaging have a cross section which is substantially in the shape of a rectangle with rounded corners, the first portion of the maximum width of the band is arranged on a large side of the lateral wall of the packaging, so that this portion of the band is clearly visible.
In a method for the production of the band defined above, which comprises a step of cutting out the longitudinal edges of the bands, both or either one of the following arrangements may be adopted:
In a method for the production of packaging provided with a band according to the invention, and which comprises a step of thermo forming the packagings in molds, it is advantageous to include a step of cutting out the longitudinal edges from a strip, as defined above, followed by a step of delivering the striplets thus obtained as far as the mold, and by a step of cutting out the ends of the bands, which is carried out in the vicinity of the molds.
Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description given by way of nonlimiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
The same references have been retained in the various figures in order to designate identical or similar elements.
The band extends longitudinally over a length 1 between ends 2. The length 1 is determined as a function of the perimeter of the packaging for which the band is intended. This length may be exactly equal to the perimeter, so that the ends 2 butt one against the other, or may be slightly greater than the perimeter, so as to have an overlap of the ends.
In addition to the two ends 2, the band is delimited by a first longitudinal edge 3 and a second longitudinal edge 4.
The band 1 has various contiguous portions which extend along the longitudinal axis of the band. In the embodiment illustrated, these portions comprise two first portions 10 and 11 which have a maximum width L1. The portions 10 and 11 are also hereafter called portions of maximum width. The band likewise comprises two second portions 20 and 21 interposed between the first portions 10 and 11 and having a minimum width L2, also hereafter called portion of reduced width.
The minimum width L2 or maximum width L1 may be achieved over an entire segment (12, 22) of the corresponding portion, as appears in the embodiment illustrated in
The bands illustrated in
To achieve the object of the invention, the minimum width L2 must be substantially smaller than the maximum width L1; to be precise, the portions of reduced width (20, 21) must make it possible to reduce the total area of the band, as compared with bands conventionally used which have a rectangular shape of width L1 and of length 1. This reduction in area of the band, of course, brings about a reduction in the film material used, and consequently a reduction in the cost of the band. This reduction in area likewise reduces the weight of the packaging provided with the band and limits the printed area, this having a positive influence on the overall production costs of the food packagings.
It is considered that, in order to obtain a significant cost reduction, the minimum width L2 must be at most equal to two thirds of the maximum width L1. However, the ratio between the maximum and minimum width (L1, L2) may vary, depending on the extent of the segments or points (12, 22) on which the maximum and minimum width is reached, and depending on the saving which is to be made.
Moreover, should the band have a plurality of portions of reduced width (20, 21), it is not absolutely necessary for all these to reach the same minimum width L2. The same applies to the portions of maximum width (10, 11). However, the mean width of the second portions (20, 21) must be smaller than the mean width of the first portions (10, 11).
It will be noted that keeping portions of maximum width (10, 11) makes it possible to print on the band logos and images of considerable size, preferably of a size equal to that of those used hitherto, which can be seen clearly by the consumer. The band produced according to the invention thus preserves its function of providing the consumers with information.
For this purpose, the maximum width L1 is substantially equal to the maximum height H of the lateral wall of the food packaging which will be described in detail below.
As can be seen from
In the embodiment illustrated in
The profile of the second edge 4 may be a sinusoidal wavy line, but it is possible to increase or decrease the amplitude of the waviness or not to center the latter on the portions of maximum width or of reduced width, the exact profile of the wavy line being determinable for esthetic reasons.
Along the first portions (10, 11), the second edge 4 of the band has a convex profile, the vertex of which is defined by the segment or point 12. While, along the portions of reduced width (20, 21), the second edge 4 of the band has a concave profile, the maximum cavity of which is reached at the segment or point 22. As is more clearly apparent in
The minimum width L2 may be greatly reduced in relation to the maximum width L1 for the purpose of making a considerable saving in terms of film material. However, so as not to reduce the tensile strength of the band to too great an extent, the minimum width L2 is at least equal to one third of the maximum width L1. Thus, it is possible to convey the bands in known machines without the risk of tearing these bands. As an indication, the maximum width L1 is 36 mm and the minimum width L2 is 18 mm, that is to say half of L2, for the embodiment in
The bands illustrated in
The printed designs 7 are printed on the strip 6 so as to define the contours of an even number of rows (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36) of bands arranged side by side in the direction of width of the strip. The bands thus defined by the designs 7 are arranged such that the second edges 4 of two successive rows are adjacent, and such that the first edge 3 of the first row 31 is contiguous to the longitudinal edge of the strip 6 and the first edge of the last row 36 is likewise contiguous to the other longitudinal edge of the strip 6.
This head-to-tail arrangement of the bands, with a longitudinal offset of two adjacent bands which positions the concave and convex profiles one opposite the other, makes it possible to use the entire film material of the strip 6, without any waste being produced. Thus, although the bands according to the invention have a more complex contour than conventional rectangular bands, there is no loss of film material during production, thus allowing an additional saving to be made.
The packaging 40 comprises a pot 41 closed by means of a tear-off cap. The thermoplastic pot 41 is produced according to a known thermoforming method, as described, for example, in the document FR-A-2 759 320, which involves preheating a sheet of thermoplastic and then deep-drawing the latter in molds, a band previously being positioned against the lateral wall of said molds.
To produce food packagings, this operation of forming the pot is generally followed by an operation of filling with the food product, immediately followed by an operation of closing by means of a cap. This method is carried out by means of an FFS production machine (Form, Fill and Seal).
This type of packaging 40 for which the band is intended has a capacity generally of between 10 and 500 ml, and, for example, of approximately 200 ml in the embodiment illustrated.
The pot 41 has a bottom 43, which, in the embodiment illustrated, rises somewhat considerably toward the lateral wall 44. However, the pot could, of course, have a cylindrical shape, and in this case the bottom 43 would be formed solely by the lower disk of the cylinder. The lateral wall 44 is annular and extends vertically as far as a radially outer rim which surrounds the aperture of the pot. A cap is fitted onto the rim of the pot so as to form the upper face 42 of the packaging.
As may be gathered from
The portion of maximum width 10 of the band 1 is arranged on the large side of the packaging, as can be seen in
To produce bands according to the invention, a method may be adopted which comprises a step of cutting out the longitudinal edges of the bands, followed by a step of cutting the ends of the bands. However, it is perfectly possible to cut out bands in a single step, in particular with the aid of a die possessing a cutting edge according to the contour of the band.
During the step of cutting out the longitudinal edges, it is advantageous if at least the cutting out of the second edge 4 is carried out by means of a laser device comprising a movable laser beam, the movements of which are controlled so as to follow the concave and convex profiles of this second edge.
The laser may be of any known type and be designed to cut out a paper sheet or a plastic film. In a known way, the laser device may generate one or a plurality of cutting-out beams, as in the device 50 illustrated in
The use of a laser device thus makes it possible to cut out the second longitudinal edge 4 of the bands along a complex line and affords the possibility of changing virtually instantaneously from the production of a first band shape to a second band shape, simply by the input of a code into the control device 51.
Moreover, a laser device has the advantage, as compared with a device with rotating knives or with cutting dies, of not undergoing either wear phenomena or soiling phenomena, this being particularly important in the field of food packaging.
The rectilinear edges may, of course, likewise be cut out by means of a laser beam.
The cutting out of the bands by means of the laser cutting-out device is preferably carried out in a strip of film material, as described above.
As may be seen in
A device 52 designed for detecting the movement of the strip 6 is connected to the control device 51, in order to synchronize the movements of the laser beams with the travel of the strip. The device 52 may be a device for the optical recognition of the designs printed on the strip or of any other marking applied to the latter.
The cutting out of the bands is integrated into the machine for the production of the packaging pots 41. This is a machine of the FFS type which includes a thermoforming station comprising molds represented symbolically by the reference 55.
The step of cutting out the longitudinal edges is followed by a step of conveying the striplets 31, 36 corresponding to the rows of the strip 6 which have been cut out longitudinally. This conveying step is carried out with the aid of pulleys and belt drives 57 of known types and does not require any substantial modifications on account of the first rectilinear edge 3 which makes it easier to guide the striplets.
It will be noted that, during the conveyance of the bands, the even rows (32, 34, 36) experience a reverse rotation with respect to the odd rows (31, 33, 35), in order to arrive at the molding stations with the same vertical orientation.
Once conveyed into the region of the molds 55, the bands are introduced into these, before the thermoforming of the pots, and are cut transversely with the aid of a known cutting-knife system in order to form the ends of the bands.
In the embodiment illustrated, this a machine making it possible to produce six pots simultaneously, but, of course, it could be a machine making it possible to produce twelve or twenty-four pots at a time.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0312863 | Nov 2003 | FR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/FR04/02698 | 10/21/2004 | WO | 5/2/2006 |
