Patent Application
20230382611
The present application claims the benefit of Swedish Patent Application No. 2250621-6, filed on May 25, 2022.
The disclosure of Swedish Patent Application No. 2250621-6, filed on May 25, 2022, is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if presented herein in its entirety.
The present disclosure pertains to a method of producing a packaging container for bulk solids.
Consumer goods, in particular bulk solids, are often packaged in relatively rigid paperboard packaging containers which protect the bulk solids during transport and storage at the manufacturer and retailer end and additionally during storage and dispensing at the consumer end. To keep the contents fresh and protected against contamination up until a first opening of the packaging container by a consumer, the containers may be provided with an inner transport closure which may be completely or partially removed by the consumer.
During transport of the packaging containers at higher altitudes and/or for packages comprising coffee which produces gas to some extent, a pressure above the ambient pressure may be obtained within said packaging container. Increased pressure in the inner compartment may also be a consequence of certain production methods upon pressing of the transport closure into the upper container body opening. The higher internal pressure leads to bulging transport seals and frequent peeling along the seal between the transport seal and the inner wall of the packaging container. It may also lead to bulging of the container walls and permanently deformed packaging containers. To avoid this problem, the packaging containers, and more specifically the transport closure, may for example be provided with a valve allowing gas to exit the inner compartment of the packaging container. It has however been found that the pressure build-up in the packaging may be faster than the initial release, i.e., the first opening of the valve in the transport closure.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide an improved packaging container with a reduced risk of deformation of the packaging container and damaged seals between the transport closure and the packaging container walls.
One or more of the above objects may be achieved with a method of producing a packaging container in accordance with claim 1 and/or claim 14. Further embodiments are set out in the dependent claims, in the following description and in the drawings.
The present disclosure pertains to a method of producing a packaging container for bulk solids, the packaging container comprising an inner compartment and a transport closure closing the inner compartment, the transport closure comprising a top layer and a bottom layer, the top layer being provided with an opening, the transport closure being provided, on a first side of the transport closure, with a one-way pressure relief valve for allowing gas in the inner compartment of the packaging container to exit therefrom, the valve being arranged within the opening and on a side of the bottom layer facing the top layer, a surface area of the opening being greater than a surface area of the valve, the transport closure being provided with at least one through perforation covered by the valve on the first side of the transport closure, the method comprises the steps of:
When pressing down the transport closure comprising the valve into the container body, there may be a pressure build up in the inner compartment of the packaging container. To avoid this, excess gas may be allowed to be released from the packaging container at the sides of the transport closure. The solution of the present disclosure is instead to prevent gas to exit at the sides of the transport closure and provide the bottom plate of the plunger piston with a through hole, the through hole being arranged to partly or completely overlap with the opening of the top layer. When the transport closure is pressed down into the upper body opening, the pressure build-up will open the valve and release gas through the valve and into in the space provided by the opening of the top layer, i.e. between the first side of the transport closure and the bottom plate. The gas will subsequently exit via the through hole in the bottom plate and thereby reduce the internal pressure of the packaging container and the valve will be pre-conditioned. When the valve has been pre-conditioned, i.e. activated once, the required subsequent opening pressure may be lower and the gas flow through the valve may be larger in a shorter period of time. However, to precondition the valves prior to providing the transport closures into the packaging containers may imply higher production costs and a more complex production.
A surface area of the opening of the top layer may be at least 20% greater than a surface area of the valve, optionally the surface area of the opening is at least within the range from 20% to 250% greater than the surface area of the valve. The surface area of the opening of the top layer may be at least 25% greater than the surface area of the valve, such as at least 30% greater than the surface area of the valve. The surface area of the opening may be at least within the range from 25% to 200% greater than the surface area of the valve. Optionally, the surface area of the opening may be within the range from 25% to 150% greater than a surface area of the valve. The opening in the top layer of the transport closure may be accordingly optimized to provide a sufficient space for gas exiting the valve to prevent a too large pressure build up between the transport closure and the bottom plate before the gas escapes via the through opening of the bottom plate.
The thickness of the top layer is approximately the same or greater than the thickness of the valve. The thickness of the top layer may be from 10% greater than the thickness of the valve. Optionally, the thickness of the top layer may be from 20% greater than the thickness of the valve, such as from 20% to 400% greater. The thickness of the top layer may be from 30% greater than the thickness of the valve. This may provide a greater area outside the valve, a valve-free area, with less pressure applied by the bottom plate and where the gas may leak out from the valve prior to escaping via the through hole in the bottom plate.
The through hole may be arranged to, partly or completely, overlap with the valve-free area of the opening in the top layer, i.e., an area between an edge of the opening of the top layer and an edge of the valve.
The present disclosure additionally pertains to an alternative method of producing and filling a packaging container with bulk solids, the packaging container comprising an inner compartment and a transport closure closing the inner compartment, the transport closure being provided with a one-way pressure relief valve for allowing gas in the inner compartment of the packaging container to exit therefrom, the method comprises the steps of:
In an interrelated manner with the first method, the second method provides a solution to the problem of pre-conditioning the valve provided in a transport closure of a packaging container. The solution of the second method is, similarly to the first method, to prevent gas to exit from the sides of the transport closure and to provide the bottom plate of the plunger piston with a through hole. In the second method the through hole allows the gas exiting the valve to escape through the through hole of the bottom plate. When the transport closure is pressed down into the upper body opening, the pressure build-up will open the valve and release gas through the valve such that gas may exit via the through hole in the bottom plate and the valve be pre-conditioned.
The transport closure in the second method may be a one layer or multilayer (such as a two-layer) transport closure. The transport closure may comprise one layer and the valve may be arranged on the first side of the top layer, facing away from the inner compartment from the packaging container. The transport closure may alternatively comprise a top layer and a bottom layer, optionally also one or more intermediate layers arranged between the top layer and the bottom layer, and the valve may be arranged on the first side of the top layer. In a further alternative, the transport closure may comprise a top layer and a bottom layer and the valve may be an integrated part of the top layer, such that the barrier layer of the valve is the same as the top layer and that the barrier layer has been separated from the remaining part of the top layer by scoring the top layer to separate the valve from the top layer.
The following is, if not otherwise is stated, applicable for both methods described herein.
The velocity of the plunger piston may be adapted and increased, or reduced, to control the pressure build-up. A suitable velocity may be within the range of from 100 to 400 mm/s, corresponding to 50 to 25 packaging containers per minute. If the pressure build up is too high the package integrity may be compromised. The plunger piston should press the transport closure into the upper body opening with a velocity such that the gas in the packaging container is compressed during pressing and the pressure in the inner compartments exceeds a set pressure where the valve opens to release excess gas.
As used herein, a paperboard sheet material is a material predominantly made from cellulose fibers or paper fibers. The sheet material may be provided in the form of a continuous web or may be provided as individual sheets of material. The paperboard material may be a single ply or multi ply material and may be a laminate comprising one or more layers of materials such as polymeric films and coatings, metal foil, etc. The polymeric films and coatings may include or consist of thermoplastic polymers. The paperboard materials as disclosed herein may also be referred to as cardboard or carton materials.
As used herein, the term “bulk solids” refers to a solid material. The bulk material may be dry or moist. The bulk solids may be in the form of particles, granules, grinds, plant fragments, short fibres, flakes, seeds, formed pieces of material such as pasta, etc. The bulk solids which are suitable for packaging in the packaging containers as disclosed herein may be flowable, which means that a desired amount of the product may be poured or scooped out of the packaging container, or in the form of discreet pieces of material allowing removal of only part of the content in the packaging container.
By a “pulverulent material” as used herein is implied any material in the form of particles, granules, grinds, plant fragments, short fibres, flakes, etc.
By a partly or fully removable transport closure is meant a member that may be fully or partly removed by a user in order to provide initial access to an interior compartment of the packaging container either by breaking a seal between the transport closure and the inner surface of the container wall, or by tearing or otherwise breaking the transport closure itself. Tearable transport closures may be provided with one or more predefined weakenings, such as perforations or a cut partly through the members.
A partly or fully removable transport closure may be gastight or gas-permeable. A gastight member may be manufactured from any material or material combination suitable for providing a gastight sealing of a compartment delimited by the transport closure, such as aluminium foil, silicon-coated paper, plastic film, or laminates thereof. A gastight member is advantageous when the bulk solids, such as pulverulent material, stored in the packaging container are sensitive to air and/or moisture, and it is desirable to avoid contact of the packaged bulk solids with ambient air. According to the present disclosure a gastight transport closure is preferred as the purpose is to produce and maintained a controlled pressure within the packaging container.
In the assembled and filled packaging container, which is disclosed herein, the peelable or openable transport closure forms a cross-sectional seal between an inner compartment in the container body and the container opening. The inner peelable or openable transport closure is a transport and storage seal which is eventually broken or removed by an end user of the packaging container.
A packaging container having a volume of approximately 11 may be considered gas-tight if it is a Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP).
By “ambient pressure” is meant the pressure surrounding the packaging container and which comes in contact with the packaging container.
Optionally, the valve includes an upper barrier layer and two elongated adhesive material strips, the two elongated adhesive material strips being arranged between the upper barrier layer and the first side of the transport closure and a respective side of the perforations in the transport closure, the valve further comprising a sealing lubricant, such as oil, applied over the perforations.
Optionally, the transport closure comprises a peripheral flange surrounding a transport closure base portion, the peripheral flange being flexed towards the upper end of the container body in the height direction. The transport closure may be attached to the packaging container by welding it to the inner surface of the container body wall. The transport closure may alternatively be attached by adhesive attachment. By providing the transport closure with a peripheral flange being flexed towards the upper end of the container, as seen in the height direction, it is further prevented that gas exits the inner compartment at the sides of the transport closure when pressing the transport closure into the upper opening, instead of building up a pressure on a second side of the transport closure, being an opposite side to the first side of the transport closure, so that the valve may easier be opened and pre-conditioned.
Optionally, a surface area of the bottom plate is equal to or not less than 85% of a surface area of the transport closure base portion, optionally equal to, or not less than 90%, or 95%, of a surface area of the transport closure base portion. This prevents gas to exit at the sides of the transport closure and at the sides of the plunger piston such that when the transport closure is pressed down into the upper body opening, pressure will build-up at the second side of the transport closure and exceed the set pressure where the valve is activated to release excess gas.
Optionally, step c) includes pressing the transport closure into the upper body opening with a length L1 in said height direction, as measured between the top end edge and the transport closure base portion and wherein the length L1 is 2 mm or more, such as within the range of from 2 mm and 50 mm. This may provide a controlled an improved pressure build-up to ensure that the valve is accurately preconditioned during the production of the packaging container.
Optionally, the sealing station comprises a guiding member forming an, as seen from the bottom end, upwardly extending guiding channel, the guiding channel extending away from the container body, in the height direction, with a length L2, as measured from the top end edge, the length L2 being within the range from 20 mm to 255 mm, and wherein step c) includes pressing the transport closure through the guiding channel and into the upper body opening. This may provide a controlled and improved pressure build-up to ensure that the valve is accurately activated and preconditioned during the production of the packaging container.
The sum of the length L1 and the length L2 may be from 22 mm, such as within the range of from 22 mm and 305 mm.
Optionally, step c) comprises that the size ratio of the transport closure surface area to the upper body opening surface area is at least 1.01:1, such that an outer edge portion of said bottom disc is shaped and flexed when said bottom disc is pressed into said body bottom opening, said outer edge portion of said bottom disc forming a flange projecting out of a main plane of said bottom disc, said flange being aligned with said inner surface of said container body wall. This prevents gas to exit from the sides of the transport closure such that when the transport closure is pressed down into the upper body opening, the pressure build-up will open the valve and release the pressure through the valve and the through hole in the bottom plate. Optionally, step c) comprises that the size ratio of the transport closure surface area to the upper body opening surface area is at least 1.05:1, such as 1.1:1.
Optionally, a minimum cross-section width of the through hole in the bottom plate is 4 mm such as at least 5 mm. Optionally, a minimum cross-section width of the through hole in the bottom plate is within the range of from 4 mm to 35 mm. Optionally, the through hole in the bottom plate is 7 mm or greater, such as 8 mm or 10 mm or greater. Optionally within the range of from 5 mm to 25 mm.
Alternatively, or additionally, the bottom plate may comprise two or more through holes, such as three or more through holes according to the present disclosure. The minimum cross-section width of the through holes in the bottom plate, if the bottom plate comprises two or more, or three or more though holes according to the present disclosure, may be 1 mm or 2 mm.
If the method is a method according to the second method, the through hole in the bottom plate may be at least 5% greater than the surface area of the valve, such as at least 8%, or at least 10% or at least 12% greater than the surface area of the valve. Optionally the surface area of the through hole in the bottom plate is within the range of 5% to 50% greater than the surface area of the valve.
Any one or the methods may be a method wherein the packaging container is filled with bulk solids into the upper body opening, the method then comprises a step prior to step b), of closing the container body bottom opening and presenting the container body to a filling station and filling bulk solids into the container body through the upper body opening.
Any one or the methods may be a method wherein the packaging container is filled with bulk solids into the bottom body opening. The method may then after step d), comprise the steps of turning the container body such that the bottom body opening is directed upwardly, presenting the container body to a filling station and filling bulk solids into the container body through the bottom body opening and finally closing the container body bottom opening. According to this variant of wherein the upper body opening is closed with the transport closure prior to filling the container body and closing the bottom body opening, the bottom body opening may be covered to prevent or reduce the amount of gas to exit from the bottom body opening while pressing the transport closure into the upper body opening, such as having a support surface under the bottom body opening of the container body while pressing the transport closure into the upper body opening of the container body.
The present disclosure will be further explained hereinafter by means of non-limiting examples and with reference to the appended drawings wherein:
Like reference number denote similar features throughout the figures. Reference numbers may be omitted in some figures for better visibility, in which case reference is made to the other figures.
It is to be understood that the drawings are schematic and that individual components, such as layers of materials are not necessarily drawn to scale. The packaging container, transport closure, valve and plunger piston comprising the bottom plate shown in the figures are provided as examples only and should not be considered limiting to the disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of disclosure is determined solely by the scope of the appended claims.
The packaging container 1 as illustrated in
A transport closure 13 is provided over the inner compartment 2, to keep the contents in the composite container fresh and protected against contamination up until a first opening of the packaging container 1 by a consumer. In this
The transport closure 13 is provided with a valve 15 on the first side 13a thereof. The valve 15 is a one-way pressure relief valve allowing gas in the inner compartment 2 to exit therefrom. The transport closure 13 is provided with through perforations 16 which are covered by the valve 15 and which perforations allow gas to exit from the inner compartment 2.
In
The container 1 is furthermore provided with a lid component including a top rim 20 and an openable and closable lid part 21.
When the lid is part of a lid component, it is connected to the top rim 20 by means of a hinge. The hinge may be a live hinge, i.e. a bendable connection between the lid part 21 and the top rim 20 or frame structure. A live hinge may be formed integrally with the lid and/or with the top rim or frame structure or may be a separately formed element which is attached to the lid and to the top rim or frame structure. Alternatively, the hinge may be a two-part hinge, with a first hinge part arranged on the lid and a second hinge part arranged on the top rim or frame structure.
The packaging container 1 is a container for dry or moist goods, often referred to as “bulk solids”, in particular the bulk solids may be bulk solids emitting gas. Such products are non-liquid, generally particulate materials capable of being poured, scooped or taken by hand out of the cans.
The packaging container 1 is a disposable container, which are intended to be discarded after having been emptied of its contents.
The valve 15 is arranged within the opening 17 of the top layer 13′ of the laminate transport closure 13 and on the bottom layer 13″, more specifically on a surface of the bottom layer 13″ facing away from the inner compartment 2. A surface area of the opening 17 is greater than a surface area of the valve 15, such as at least 20% greater, optionally within the range from 20% to 200% greater. The valve 15 is arranged over opening 17, here provided in the bottom layer 13″. The valve 15 may have a thickness of less than 600 μm. The thickness of the top layer 13′ may be approximately the same or greater than the thickness of the valve 15. The thickness of the valve 15 may for example be in the range of 25% to 200% of the thickness of the top layer 13′. In absolute numbers the thickness of the valve 15 may be in the range of 150 μm to 600 μm. The thickness of the top layer 13′ may be less than 600 μm, such as less than 500 μm, such as less than 300 μm, such as less than 200 μm, such as less than 150 μm. The top layer 13′ may have an essentially uniform thickness.
The valve 15 illustrated in
The valve 15 is a pressure-relief valve allowing gas in the inner compartment 2 to exit therefrom, when the gas pressure inside exceeds the target pressure, by opening of the pressure-relief valve 15. When the gas exits the perforations 16 provided in the transport closure 13, the upper barrier layer 22 is pressed upwardly and the arrows shown in the figure indicates the gas passage during exit. It has been found by the present inventors, that when the valve 15 has been activated once, the required opening pressure may be lower and the gas flow through the valve may be larger in a shorter period of time, thus allowing an increasing internal pressure to be reduced faster. However, to precondition the valves prior to providing the transport closures into the packaging containers may imply higher production costs and a more complex production.
A surface area of the plunger piston 29 and/or bottom plate 30 may be equal to or not less than 85% of a surface area of the transport closure base portion 19, optionally equal to, or not less than 90% of a surface area of the transport closure base portion 19. Such size ratios may prevent gas from escaping from the inner compartment at the edges of the transport closure 13 and the plunger piston 29 and/or bottom plate 30.
To further prevent air to exit the inner compartment 2 between the transport closure 13 and the inner surface 9 of the container body 8 when pressing the transport closure into upper body opening, a size ratio of the surface area of the transport closure 13 to a surface area of the upper body opening 5 surface area may be at least 1.01, such that the outer edge portion 18 of the transport closure 13 is shaped and flexed when the transport closure 13 is pressed into the upper body opening 5. The outer edge portion 18 of transport closure forming a peripheral flange 18′ projecting out of a main plane of the transport closure 13, the peripheral flange 18′ being aligned with the inner surface 9 of the container body wall 8.
In
In
In
The sum of the length L1 and the length L2 may be from 22 mm, such as within the range of from 22 mm and 305 mm.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2250621-6 | May 2022 | SE | national |
