The present invention in the widest sense concerns the packing of food, here in particular the packing of food for presentation in the retail trade in order to give customers a stimulus to buy.
Products such as food, including confectionery, are offered in the retail trade in a wide range of packaging and presentation concepts. In particular, promotions in the context of major events such as for example World and European Championships are used to increase the buying stimulus, wherein the product is presented with an event- or theme-related packaging.
The object of the present invention therefore, based on this concept, is to develop a pack for food for presentation to the customer and for creating a buying stimulus, which stands out from the former concepts but at the same time is economical and easy to produce.
This object is achieved by a pack with the features of claim 1, a material sheet for such a pack according to claim 9, and sets with such a material sheet according to claim 13 or 19. Advantageous refinements of the present invention arise from the subclaims.
The present invention is based on the concept of folding an originally flat material sheet into a three-dimensional object in which the separately packed food is accommodated. The object can be theme- and/or event-related, and form an actual object independently or in conjunction with the food. Purely as an example this could be a rattle, a trophy cup or a ball. In the case of the rattle, the food to be used in particular is food which is packed in bulk and which can imitate the noise of a rattle.
Accordingly the present invention proposes a pack for food, in particular confectionery. Confectionery includes in this context all foods which do not belong to basic nutrition foods. These include amongst others boiled sweets, candy, chewing gum, different types of chocolates, cookies etc. In particular the pack is used to accommodate sweets held in bulk in a container or vessel, such as for example boiled sweets, candy or chewing gum. The pack according to the present invention comprises an originally flat material sheet. The material sheet can consist of paper, cardboard, plastic or a combination thereof and comparable materials. Preferably however paper or cardboard are used. The term “flat” here means that the large outer faces of the material sheet, before folding, lie in a common uncurved plane. A synonym for “flat” is therefore “planar”. This originally flat material sheet according to the invention is folded into a three-dimensional, in particular theme-related object. A three-dimensional object in particular means an imitation of a three-dimensional actual object to which the customer regularly attributes a particular property and/or function. Furthermore a receiver is provided in which the at least one separately packed food is accommodated. In the example of boiled sweets, candy or chewing gum, in a plurality these can be held in a container e.g. a paper bag, a cardboard or plastic box, which in turn is accommodated in the object. Since the separately packed food can be presented in the object and the customer associates the object with a unique property and/or function separate from the food, a distinction is made from existing comparable foods and hence a buying stimulus is created.
Preferably such a pack is used in connection with major sporting events such as for example World and European Championships. Purely as an example here, reference is made to the football World and European Championships. Here it is preferred to fold the three-dimensional object into a sport-related object, in particular a rattle, a trophy cup or a ball. The rattle, in particular in connection with the abovementioned bulk food contained in a container, e.g. confectionery, in particular boiled sweets, chewing gum or candy, can be used as a rattle actually producing noise to support a chosen team.
To structure the production process simply and economically, it is preferred to form the receiver either directly by folding the original flat material sheet into a three-dimensional object, or from a separate material sheet which is also originally flat.
The material sheet can be held in the folded state by the use of glues. It is however preferred that the material sheet is held in the folded state by form-fit engagement of engagement devices and/or is held in the folded state by the three-dimensional object. It is also conceivable that the receiver folded from the material sheet is held in the folded state exclusively by the three-dimensional object. Thus no glue is required and the production process can be optimized.
Also the connection of the receiver with the three-dimensional object advantageously takes place by form fit and/or by force fit i.e. without the use of glues and other material fit connections, in particular only by form fit and/or force fit. Thus usually it is advantageous to use primarily form-fit connections which are supported by an additional force-fit component. Also the separately packed food is preferably held in the receiver or pack only by form fit and/or force fit.
In addition it is furthermore advantageous to hold the three-dimensional object in the folded state primarily by form- and/or force-fit connecting elements. In particular here it is preferred to produce these by the engagement of engagement devices which are part of a material sheet.
Alternatively or additionally it is also conceivable to provide an additional, also preferably flat element from the same or comparable materials as the material sheet, and bring this into engagement with the material sheet from which the three-dimensional object is folded or with the three-dimensional object, in order to hold the three-dimensional object in the folded state.
For the latter embodiment it has proved advantageous if the additional element surrounds the three-dimensional object completely and thus holds it together. Here it is preferred that the additional element is pushed over the three-dimensional object and holds this together or in shape in the radial direction and/or circumferential direction.
To prevent removal of the separately packed food from the pack, advantageously the outer contour can be formed closed. In order however to give a view of the food or its pack, it can be advantageous to provide an inspection window in the region of the outer contour of the three-dimensional object, in particular an inspection window closed by a transparent material.
As well as the abovementioned pack, the present invention concerns a material sheet for forming the three-dimensional object for such a pack, as defined in claim 10. Advantageous embodiments of the material sheet are given in the associated subclaims.
In particular when forming the three-dimensional object as a rattle, it has proved advantageous for the material sheet to have several flat portions corresponding in cross section to the outer contour of the three-dimensional object and connected together via first fold lines.
Furthermore the individual portions are fitted with a second fold line, preferably along their center line, so that the portions can be folded in half on each other along the first fold line and thus, on folding into the three-dimensional object, in particular the rattle or trophy cup, the second fold lines of the portions in folded state lie in the middle of the object. Thus the regions of the portions lying on each other extend in the manner of a star or radially out from the center. In other words the object is formed star-shaped in cross section. Here it is advantageous that the individual portions have a part region forming the rattle head or trophy cup head and a part region forming the rattle handle or trophy cup foot.
In order to be able to accommodate the food in the folded state, it is preferred if the portions are each fitted with a cut-out so that, in the example of the rattle or trophy cup, a cavity exists in the center of the rattle or trophy cup head in which the food can be held preferably purely by form fit. To support this, it can be advantageous to provide a separate receiver in this cavity which for example can take the form of a box with an opening on one side.
In particular in the embodiment as a ball, it is advantageous to equip the material sheet with several fields which form the outer faces of the three-dimensional object and are arranged in a row, and for example are connected together via first fold lines, wherein to form a ball preferably three rows of fields are arranged next to each other and the fields of adjacent rows are connected together where applicable via second fold lines. To be able to produce a more or less round object, it is furthermore advantageous to provide third fold lines in every second field of at least one row, which lines run from one side to the other of the field into a triangle, the tip of which lies on one side on a center line of the field, wherein for three rows, preferably only the outer rows have such third fold lines and the tips of the respective triangles of the outer rows point away from each other.
In addition, in particular in the embodiment of a closed ball-like object and to prevent the removal of the separately packed food, it has proved advantageous to form at least one field, preferably however two or more adjacent fields, of transparent material in order to form an inspection window, or to design these such that they comprise transparent material. This prevents intervention in the ball-like object but at the same time allows a view of the packed food.
In addition the present invention also proposes a set for production of a pack as explained above, as defined in claim 18 or claim 20. Advantageous embodiments of the set are given in the associated subclaims.
In particular to form a rattle or a trophy cup, it is preferred to provide a further, preferably flat, element which can be pushed onto the three-dimensional object made of the folded material sheet in order to hold the three-dimensional object folded from the material sheet in the folded state. It is particularly preferred to provide a cut-out in the flat element which has at least one and preferably several longitudinal slots running through the center. Particularly preferably the flat element is designed round. Further preferably, on use as a rattle or trophy cup, in regions (walls) lying on each other of the individual portions which extend radially from the center, the cut-outs are made corresponding to the radially extending walls so that the radially extending walls can be held evenly spaced in the circumferential direction by pushing on the additional element, and hence the object remains in the folded state.
When formed as a ball-shaped object, in particular a ball, it is further preferred to provide a further flat material sheet to form a receiver, which evidently is also conceivable in the embodiment as a rattle or a trophy cup.
In the embodiment as a ball-shaped object, it is particularly preferred to form the receiver from three fields which are connected via fourth fold lines, wherein the outline of the outer fields corresponds in cross section to the inner contour of the folded three-dimensional object, e.g. these can be octagonal, while the center field has a connecting portion which is preferably rectangular, and connects together two portions, the outline of which corresponds to half the outline of the other fields, i.e. has four corners, wherein the outer fields combined form an octagon in contour. The two portions are advantageously connected to the connecting portion via fifth fold lines. To form the receiver, the two portions of the center field are folded onto the outer fields and the two portions folded about the fifth fold line so that the connecting portion forms a vertically running wall in the finished pack. Thus it is possible to introduce one of the outer portions, which run horizontally in this case, into the partly folded three-dimensional object and fold the opposite, also horizontal field about the fifth fold line in a vertical direction before or after introduction, in order to insert the separately packed food. Then the outer field can again be pivoted about the fifth fold line into a horizontal position before the three-dimensional object is closed. This allows simple filling of the ball-shaped, closed object with the food.
To hold the food by form fit in the simplest manner, it can be preferable to provide a cut-out in at least one portion of the middle field, in particular in one of the two portions, preferably a tab can be folded out of at least one of the cut-outs. The tab forms a stop and by the edges of the cut-outs, which are limited downwards in folded state by one of the outer fields when one of the two portions is folded onto the outer field, thus creates e.g. a rectangular receiver for the packed food without additional elements being required.
Further features and advantages of the present invention which can be implemented with one or more of the above features, unless the features contradict each other, arise from the following description of preferred embodiments. This is given with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
In the various drawings and embodiments, the same reference numerals are used for the same or similar elements. In the description below, the corresponding elements are usually only explained once and the description of an element in one embodiment also applies to the same element in another embodiment.
A first embodiment of the present invention is explained below with reference to
The pack 1 is formed from a flat material sheet, in particular of paper or cardboard as shown in
The material sheet 10 has several (here six) portions 11 which can here be divided into two sub-regions, a head region 12 of the rattle and a handle region 13 of the rattle.
The respective portions 11 are connected together via first fold lines 14, wherein the outer portions 11 are connected to another portion on one side only and the inner portions 11 are each connected to a portion 11 on opposite sides via fold lines 14. In the area of the head region 12, each portion 11 has a cut-out 15. The cut-outs 15 in the two outer portions 11 each have a rebate 16 in their bottom and outer corner. Such a rebate 16 is also provided in the mutually facing lower corners of the cut-outs 15 of the portions 11 lying centrally next to each other.
In addition the portions 11 are each fitted with second fold lines 17 which run along a center axis and allow the respective portions 11 to fold in the middle. The second fold lines 17 divide the individual portions 11 into a left and a right sub-section 19L and 19R.
The head region 12 is separated from the handle region 13 by grooves 18 lying opposite each other in relation to the center line.
The receiver 20 visible in
The additional element 30 (
To form a pack as shown in
To hold the three-dimensionally folded object in folded state, the additional element 30 is pressed from below onto the holder portion 13, whereby the walls 23, formed by folding in the region of the handle portion 13, engage in the longitudinal slots 32 of the additional element 30, or the additional element 30 is pushed upward along the walls 23 by the handle portion 13 as far as the head portion, where the diametrically outer ends 33 of the slots 32 engage in the groove 18 and thus by form fit prevent removal of the additional element 30. This state is illustrated most clearly in
Advantageously, several e.g. four containers containing preferably bulk food, e.g. boiled sweets, are held in the receiver 20. The pack for these foods is preferably a box of plastic and/or cardboard, wherein the sweets do not fill the box completely so that when shaken, a rattling noise is created. The pack of the first embodiment with separately packed food inserted is shown in
The pack 40 preferably lies on the upper edges of the portions 11 delimiting the openings 15 in the vertical direction in order to avoid its falling out, i.e. the packs are held by form fit in the vertical directions by the receiver 20 and the upper edges of the cut-outs 15 of the portions 11, and in the horizontal direction by the side walls 22 of the receiver 20.
A further embodiment of the present invention, in which the three-dimensional object resembles a trophy cup, is explained below with reference to
The pack of the second embodiment also comprises a flat material sheet 10 which is folded into a three-dimensional object, here a trophy cup. The material sheet 10 is shown in
A further difference from the embodiment in
The additional element 30 as shown in
The structure of pack shown in
A further difference from the second embodiment is the design of the receiver 20, as shown in
Otherwise the second embodiment, apart from the design in the form of a trophy cup, does not differ significantly from the first embodiment so that reference is made to the statements in this connection.
Finally with reference to
A flat material sheet 10 to form the three-dimensional object of this pack is shown in
Furthermore around the outer periphery of the material sheet 10 are provided several engagement elements 242 which can be formed as rebates 243 or tabs 244 in order to hold the material sheet 10, folded into the three-dimensional object, in folded state.
Furthermore on one field 211 at one end of each of rows R1 to R3, tabs 245 are provided which are adapted for gluing with the respective fields 211 on the opposite ends of rows R1 to R3.
To fold the object shown in
In particular first the lower part is closed while the upper part in
The receiver 20 is also formed of a flat, planar material sheet as shown in
In addition, cut-outs 268 are provided in the portions 264, wherein a tab 269 can be folded out from one of the cut-outs 268 about a fold line 270.
To form the receiver 20, the outer fields 260 in
Then also the upper region is closed by the engagement devices 242 as shown in
Consequently in this pack too, almost no glue joints are required and the pack can be produced by merely folding and bringing into engagement a material sheet of paper or cardboard with an inspection window, wherein the inspection window for example can be formed from a transparent plastic film.
Thus the various embodiments of the present invention offer the possibility, in the simplest manner, of producing packs from material sheets and usually without glue joints, wherein these packs increase the buying stimulus without substantially increasing the production costs for the product. The event- or sport-related design of the three-dimensional object as a rattle, trophy cup or football is particularly advantageous. It is evident that the present invention can also be implemented elsewhere and can be designed related to different events or themes.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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20 2011 105 180.7 | Aug 2011 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP2012/053324 | 2/28/2012 | WO | 00 | 8/21/2014 |