Patent Application
20060285780
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a flexible bag or package with walls made up of multi-layer thin films wherein a section of at least one layer of said multi-layer film can easily be removed without compromising the barrier properties of said bag. In particular, the removable section is adhered to the package at an initiation area having a lower peel force to more easily facilitate initial removal and a remaining area having a higher peel force.
2. Description of Related Art
Flexible bags are commonly used for packaging. For food packaging, in particular, flexible bags with walls made up of multi-layer flexible films and specific barrier properties are common for containing foods such as chips, popcorn, nuts, or cereals. It is also common for promotional devices to accompany all types of packaging, including paperboard, cardboard, and polymer and other flexible thin film packaging. Such devices may be incorporated into packaging any number of ways.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,251,450 ('450) and 5,127,743 ('743) disclose food packages with walls comprised of multi-layer of flexible films wherein a promotional device is sealed between layers of the multi-layered package wall.
The '743 patent discloses a method of forming a package comprised of multi-layer flexible films wherein a promotional device is printed on the inside surface of one of the outer layers of the package. The promotional printed indicium is only partially visible from the outside of the package and is accessed by puncturing the outer layer of the package and separating the inner layer from the outer layer containing the hidden indicia. This separation is possible because no adhesive is applied between the portion of the outer layer containing the printed hidden indicia and the next innermost layer of the container.
As illustrated by the '450 and '743 patents, when promotional devices have been incorporated into flexible plastic bags composed of thin films in the prior art, the devices are not conveniently accessible to the consumer. The devices are generally either placed inside the bag along with the product, or embedded between the layers of the bag and sealed in place by an adhesive such that the bag must be cut, torn, or punctured in some way in order to gain access to the device.
One problem with designs such as the '743 and '450 patents is that the cutting or tearing necessary to access the promotional device sacrifices the container's functional characteristics. The necessity of additional manufacturing steps is also a drawback of designs that place the promotional piece either inside the package or between the walls of the package. The additional steps greatly increase operating, material, and defect costs. Furthermore, if a promotional prize is inadvertently left out of a container, such process errors are likely to go undetected and have often ultimately lead to customer complaints.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,393 ('393) is one of many examples in the prior art where promotional devices are incorporated into packaging. The '393 patent discloses a two-ply, erect, paperboard or cardboard carton. In a defined section of the outer ply of the carton, slits/perforations are cut to outline a desired size and shape such that the defined section may be torn along the slits/perforations and removed from the carton without disturbing the integrity of the rigid inner ply.
Another example of an invention where a promotional device is incorporated into packaging is U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,274 ('274). The '274 patent discloses a two-ply, erect, paperboard or cardboard container, including a corrugated inner ply and an outer ply incorporating a removable section outlined by a perforated die cut. The perforated die cut allows the removable section to be torn away from the package while leaving the corrugated inner ply intact.
As demonstrated by the '393 and '274 patents, promotional devices have also been incorporated into the walls of containers other than flexible bags, such as erect paperboard cartons or boxes. In some of these designs, the promotional device may be accessed without compromising the functional characteristics of the container. In others, however, removal of the device results in a hole in the container.
One drawback of a design similar to the one illustrated by
The designs of the '393 and '274 patents also require that the container be in the form of an erect carton assembled from paperboard or cardboard materials. They do not contemplate important improvements in packaging material technologies, such as use of polymeric, multi-layered, flexible thin films. These newer materials are stronger and more flexible per unit of material than paper, paperboard, or cardboard-type packaging materials pertinent to the '393, '274 designs. Additionally, thin-film packaging materials, such as employed in packaging some snack foods, are orders of magnitude thinner and less bulky than their cellulose product counterparts. In many applications, these differences and improvements in dimensional and functional characteristics of packaging materials render the older wood-based materials useless. In addition, the drastic differences in physical characteristics between flexible thin films and wood-based packaging materials present drastically different processing problems, and require significant development to optimize effective thin film packaging.
One solution to address these problems is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,746,743, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, and is hereby incorporated by reference.
Consequently, there is a need for an improved container with enhanced barrier characteristics due to its construction from polymeric multi-layer flexible films. The container should provide an easier way to initiate removal of the removable piece. The container should also permit a stronger releasable adherence to be applied to selected portions of the package. The removal of the device from the package should not result in damage to the device itself or the package. Furthermore, removal of the device should not compromise the advanced barrier characteristics of the package.
The proposed invention comprises a flexible container formed from multi-layer thin films that incorporates a removable piece, defined by at least one continuous cut, into the outermost layer of the container. The degree of adherence of the outermost to the next outermost layer of the package is varied such that a lesser adherence exists at an initiation area, adjacent to the continuous cut, to facilitate removal of the outer ply. Additionally, removal of the piece does not compromise the functional characteristics, such as barrier properties, of the container.
The design is such that, upon removal, the piece may or may not retain a tacky surface and may take on any number of forms such as that of a redeemable coupon, gaming piece, trading card, sticker, tape, partially or fully illustrative decorative or promotional item, etc. Further, in one embodiment of the invention, the container retains minimum required barrier properties after removal of a portion of the outer ply. The above as well as additional features and advantages will become apparent in the following written detailed description.
The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as the preferred mode of use, and further objectives and advantages thereof, will be best understood when described in conjunction with the following illustrative embodiments wherein:
a is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention illustrating an initiation area and a remaining area.
b is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention illustrating a redeemable coupon.
a illustrates a container in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention. As exemplified by one embodiment, the removable portion 70 is defined by a first continuous cut 160 and a second continuous cut 260. In an alternative embodiment, the lap seal can function as either the first continuous cut 160 or second continuous cut 260 to define the size and shape of the removable portion 70 so that only a single longitudinal continuous cut is required, reducing the required number of score lanes.
Referring back to
Prior to executing the continuous cut 60, the first film layer 50 of the container is adhered to the second film layer 80 of the container by a releasable adherence. The continuous cut 60 is continuous such that if the first film layer 50 were not adhered to the second film layer 80 of the container, said removable portion 70 would not remain affixed to the container. In one embodiment, the releasable adherence allows the first film layer 50 to be easily peeled away from the second film layer 80 at any cross-section of the bag's wall. Thus, the releasable adherence affixes the container's first film layer 50, including the removable portion 70, to the second film layer 80.
A novel feature of the present invention is the variability of peel force provided by the releasable adherence that more easily permits initial removal of the removable portion 70. By provision of a lower, first peel force at an initiation area 75, a consumer is better able to initiate the removal of the removable portion 70. For example, once removal has begun and part of the removable portion 70 can be gripped by a pair of fingers, it becomes easier to overcome higher peel forces. Thus, a higher, second peel force applied to the remaining area 85 of the removable portion 70 can help ensure the removable portion 70 is adhered to the package during shipping and handling and is not removed until purposely done so by a consumer.
In one embodiment, the first peel force is between about 5 and about 35 grams and more preferably about 10 grams. In one embodiment, the second peel force is between about 25 and about 75 grams and more preferably about 50 grams. In one embodiment, the second peel force is between about 1.5 to about 10 times and more preferably about 5 times the first peel force. It should be noted that peel force can be easily controlled above and below these ranges and these embodiments are given for illustration and not limitation.
The differing peel forces can be provided in a number of ways. In one embodiment, a releasable agent having a lesser, first peel force can be used at an initiation area 75 and a releasable agent having a greater, second peel force can be used in the remaining area 85. In an alternative embodiment, a different application density of a release agent can be applied per unit area to the initiation area 75 (e.g., more or less dense application of release agent) than is applied to remaining area 85. This can be achieved by, for example, differing the pattern of the application. For example, the pattern of releasable agent can be solid in the initiation area 75 and dotted in the remaining area 85, or vice versa, depending on the peel force associated with the releasable agent used. This embodiment may be desirable to maximize the number of colors on a package as the application of each different releasable agent can correspondingly lower the number of colors available for application to the flexible film. As the density of release agent decreases, the peel force decreases. Conversely as the density of release agent increases, the peel force increases.
In one embodiment, the remaining area 85 comprises a third peel force. The third peel force can be higher or lower than the second peel force. It may be desirable, for example, to have a higher third peel force to provide a tacky surface upon removal.
In yet another embodiment, a first releasable agent having the same peel force can be initially and uniformly applied to both the initiation area 75 and the remaining area 85, and then a second releasable agent having a lesser peel force can be applied by an intermittent pattern (e.g. small dots) to the entire initiation area 75 to lower the average peel strength of the initiation area 75. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the above embodiments can be combined of achieving differing peel forces as desired. For example, a first releasable agent having a lesser first peel strength can have a smaller application of release agent at an initiation area 75 than a second releasable agent having a greater application of a greater second peel strength release agent applied to the remaining area 85. The objective is to provide for lesser peel strength at an initiation area 75 than is supplied in the remaining area 85. Those skilled in the art understand that the above can be achieved with the use of anilox rollers in a flexographic operation.
The cutting tool that executes the continuous cut 60 leaves an unbroken line where the edge of the removable section 70 meets the edge of the surrounding, first film layer 50 of the container. The removable section 70 forming a removable piece can be separated from the container by application of some pressure from moving a finger over the area of the continuous cut 60 or by placing a fingernail into the cut and applying pressure to reveal an edge. The edge of the removable section 70 lifts away from the container such that a consumer can then seize the edge and easily peel the remaining area 85 of the removable portion 70 completely away from the container.
The initiation area 75 can be placed anywhere adjacent a cut. For example as shown in
The material that forms the first film layer 50 of the bag typically also serves as the product label and may contain printed information and/or decorative designs that identify the product and provide nutritional and other information about the product. The removable section 70 of the present invention is also incorporated into the first bag layer 50 and, therefore, the printing, pictures, and/or designs identifying and explaining the promotional piece are included among the printing, pictures, and/or designs that decorate the bag and identify the product enclosed. In this way, the printing on the removable portion 70 of the first film layer 50 of the bag may, in addition to the continuous cut 60, further identify the existence and location of the promotional piece because it interrupts, and is eye-catching amid, the rest of the printing on the bag. Other than the continuous cut 60 defining the removable section 70 and any conspicuous print on said removable section 70, the promotional piece can be indistinguishable from the rest of the first film layer 50 of the container.
In one embodiment, a promotional piece 70 may take on a number of forms. For example, the promotional piece can be a collectible piece including, but not limited to a sticker, a trading card, redeemable coupon, or any sort of game piece. In addition, the theme and character of the promotional piece may be printed on the outside or inside of the removable portion, on the package underneath the removable portion, or any combination of the three. In one embodiment, the promotional piece 70 comprises a portion of a larger gaming piece or larger illustration. For example, an illustration of a particular show (e.g. movie or television scene) or character requiring three promotional pieces can be made. The first promotional piece can then be sold at a first window of time, the second promotional piece can be sold during a second window of time and a third piece can be sold at a third window of time. Alternatively, all three pieces can be available for sale on different packages at the same time. Such example is provided for illustration and not limitation.
b is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention illustrating a redeemable coupon. In this embodiment, a repeatable message 87 is printed on the package-facing portion of the redeemable coupon 70. The repeatable message 87 is a message that is placed each redeemable coupon. The repeatable message 87 can have several applications including, but not limited to, rules to a game or promotion, instructions to visit a website, etc. In one embodiment, the repeatable message 87 is applied by flexographic printing.
A unique message 89 can also be printed on the package-facing portion of the redeemable coupon 70. In one embodiment, the unique message 89 is applied by an ink jet printer. The unique message 89 can be different on every package sold, or there can be a pre-determined number or percentage of the same unique messages placed on a given number of packages. For example, it may be desirable for 10% of the unique messages to be a coupon for a free product, 40% of the unique message to be for a first discount on a particular product, and 50% to be for a second discount on a particular product.
In one embodiment, the unique message is a code that can be input at a website and can be redeemable for cash, prizes, or discounts on various products or services. In one embodiment, the package having a redeemable coupon contains snack food and the unique message on the redeemable coupon can be used to download a certain number of songs for free or for a reduced price from a website, depending on the code.
Although both a repeatable message 87 and unique message 89 are both shown in
In one embodiment, after the repeatable message has been applied by flexographic printing, the film is brought to an unwind and rewind station fitted with multiple inkjet printers for application of the unique message. Alternately, the inkjet printers could be mounted on the film laminator equipment. The ink jet printers can be controlled by a central computer which feeds the ink jet printers the unique message or code. The unique message can be placed by on the packages by equipment available from vendors such as Curwood of Oshkosh, Wis.
In a preferred embodiment, the container of the present invention is a flexible food bag with walls formed from webs of multi-layer flexible thin films. The flexible thin films are of the type commonly employed in the art to produce flexible bags using a typical vertical form, fill, and seal packaging machine, and are typically constructed of thin film layers of up to about 150 gauge thickness (1.5 mils or 0.0015 inches). The desired product environment to be maintained within a package drives the types and arrangements of thin films that are chosen for a particular packaging application. Other considerations include desired shelf life, and cost. A plurality of package designs are possible, depending on the preceding factors. The materials making up the film layers, primarily plastics, are well known in the art. Examples of such materials are various vinyl, metalized, and polymer extrusion films, and various adhesives, ties, and bonding agents for fixing the thin film layers together. These materials vary in cost, as well as in their physical characteristics, such as flexibility, strength, and permeability to substances that decrease the shelf life of a food product, such as oxygen, moisture, and light.
Prior to forming a bag, a releasable adherence can be applied by anilox rollers or other means to a film layer. As previously indicated, the amount and type of releasable agent can be varied to obtain the desired peel force. The film layers that make up the flexible thin films are next laminated together in the desired arrangement. The cutting or scoring, such as with a die or laser cutting tool, that defines the removable portion in what will be the outer layer of the bag also occurs prior to formation of the bag. One way that the cutting can be achieved is disclosed in European Patent Application Publication Number 0 596 747 A1. The scoring may occur during the lamination step as a part of the conversion operation, or as an entirely separate step between lamination and bag formation. Therefore, once the flexible thin films that form the container of the present invention reach the bag formation step, bag formation is the only remaining operation. That is, the flexible thin film layers and thin films are already bonded together in the desired arrangement with any incorporated decorations, such as ink printing or removable promotional pieces, already in place.
One key consideration of the present invention is maintenance of the container's barrier characteristics. A flexible thin film container's design may vary depending on the type of food being preserved. For instance, the type of food involved determines the desired moisture and oxygen levels inside the container, which along with desired shelf life determines the types and arrangement of flexible thin films employed. Just as the bag design, which is the type and arrangement of films, may be adjusted to account for different foods, it may also be adjusted to account for the removal of a section of the first film layer 50, which contributes to the container's barrier characteristics. First, the continuous cut 65 is controlled so that its penetration is only through the first film layer 50 and terminates at a depth within the thickness of the adhesive layer 100. This controlled penetration of the cutting tool, such as a die or laser cutting tool, prior to detachment of the removable portion 73, does not significantly alter the container's barrier properties. This is because the second film layer 80, and any other layers on the product side of the container wall, are not affected by the cut 65. Also, prior to detachment of the removable portion 73, the continuous cut 65 does not drastically reduce the coverage of the removable portion 73 or the adhesive layer 100 in the area of the cut 65. Second, the number, types, arrangement, and thickness of film layers beneath the first film layer 50, including the thickness of the moisture-blocking adhesive layer 100, may be adjusted to account for any reduction in barrier capacity resulting from detachment of the promotional piece. Considering that multiple pieces may be incorporated into one package, and the plurality of possible shapes and sizes of pieces, this second factor is especially important in the case where the surface area of the piece is a significant percentage of the total surface area of the package's first film layer 50.
In another preferred embodiment, illustrated by
In yet another preferred embodiment, illustrated by
As discussed above, the adhesive layer 100 can provide a tacky or sticky surface on the removable portion 73 as exemplified by
In one embodiment, the adhesive layer 100 can provide a tacky surface on the container and function as a piece of tape integral with the container after removal of all or a portion of the removable portion 77 as exemplified by
Among the advantages of the present invention, eliminating the need for any tearing along the edges of the removable section as said section is separated from the container, and any tearing or puncturing of the container at all, reduces the risk of damaging the promotional piece and/or container. In addition, building the promotional piece into the outer layer of the container lowers material and processing costs compared with designs employing a promotional piece that is inside the container or between container walls. Also, by designing the container so that the releasable adherence comprises a smaller peel force at the initiation area permits a consumer to more easily remove the promotional piece, without the frustration reminiscent of one attempting to separate an edge of scotch tape bound to a roll. Further, an adhesive having a third peel force, greater than the second peel force, can be placed in a non-removable portion outside the general area defined as the removable portion 73 (e.g. in the portion of the container not having a removable portion) to help prevent delamination in that area. In one embodiment, the third peel force is greater than 75 grams.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
