The present disclosure relates to a package, and particularly to a package including a container and a system for sealing a closure for the container. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a closure provided with a sealing material and the composition of that sealing material.
A package in accordance with the present disclosure includes a lid adapted to mate with a brim of a container to close an opening into an interior product-storage region formed in the container. In illustrative embodiments, the package is configured to store food in the product-storage region formed in the container.
In illustrative embodiments, the lid comprises a membrane sheet and a sheet-support ring coupled permanently to the entire perimeter edge of the membrane sheet. The sheet-support ring is configured to mate temporarily with the brim of the container in any suitable way to retain the membrane sheet in mating and sealing engagement with the container brim so that the opening into the product-storage region formed in the container is closed while the lid remains in place on the container.
In illustrative embodiments, the membrane sheet closes a central opening framed in the sheet-support ring to provide a lid. The membrane sheet also mates directly in sealed relation to the container brim to establish a fluid seal between the lid and the container brim without having to rely on a separate seal placed between the lid and the container brim. The fluid seal between the lid and the container brim blocks ingress of fluids such as oxygen and other contaminants into the product-storage region formed in the container while the lid is mated to the container.
In illustrative embodiments, the membrane sheet is a multi-layer film comprising an outer bed arranged to mate permanently with the sheet-support ring, an inner bed arranged to mate temporarily with the brim of the container and separate from the brim when the lid is removed from the container, and a core interposed between and coupled to the outer and inner beds. The inner bed is made of a sealing material that mates with the container brim to establish a fluid seal therebetween.
The lid is reclosable in illustrative embodiments. The inner bed of the membrane sheet comprises a peelable and resealable sealant layer that is configured to provide means for establishing a fluid seal between the lid and container each time the reclosable lid is mated with the container brim. The sealant layer included in the inner bed can be separated (as by peeling) from the container brim to break the seal therebetween during lid removal. The sealant layer included in the inner bed of the multi-layer film can be mated multiple times with the container brim to re-establish the seal therebetween during lid reclosure.
In an illustrative embodiment, the core comprises a polypropylene layer and the outer bed comprises an aggressive (i.e., non-peelable) sealant layer that is arranged to mate permanently with the sheet-support ring to anchor the membrane sheet to the sheet-support ring to form the lid. It is within the scope of the present disclosure to use any suitable means to bond the outer bed and the core to one another and retain the outer bed and core in mated relation to the sheet-support ring. It is also within the scope of the present disclosure to use any suitable means to bond the peelable sealant layer of the inner bed to the core.
Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.
The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:
A package 10 in accordance with the present disclosure includes a container 12 and a lid 14 configured to mate with container 12 to close an opening 27 into an interior product-storage region 26 formed in container 12 as suggested in
In illustrative embodiments, membrane sheet 32 provides a barrier lidstock and is anchored to the surrounding sheet-support ring 30 to form lid 14. It is within the scope of this disclosure to use insert-molding techniques to overmold sheet-support ring 30 onto the multi-layer membrane sheet 32 to form lid 14. In illustrative embodiments, membrane sheet 32 is bonded permanently to sheet-support ring 30.
Sheet-support ring 30 provides a lid-ring frame for the multi-layer membrane sheet 32. In an illustrative embodiment, sheet-support ring 30 is configured to mate temporarily in snapping relation with a portion of container brim 24 overlying an outwardly extending undercut space formed in container 12 so that container lid 14 is removable and reclosable.
A multi-layer membrane sheet 32 comprises an outer bed 321 adapted to carry and exhibit high-quality high-resolution graphics 326 (as suggested in
Inner bed 323 comprises a peelable and resealable sealant layer that in illustrative embodiments is configured to engage container brim 24 to provide means for establishing a fluid seal between lid 14 and container 12 each time the reclosable lid 14 is mated with container brim 24 so that ingress of oxygen and other contaminants into product-storage region 26 formed in container 12 is blocked while lid 14 is mated to container 12. Lid 14 can be removed from container 12 and reclosed in one piece repeatedly by a consumer and still establish a fluid seal between lid 14 and container 12 each time lid 14 is mated to container 12.
Inner bed 323 is made of a composition in accordance with the present disclosure that functions to establish a fluid seal between lid 14 and container brim 24 each time the removable and reclosable lid 14 is mounted on container 12. Thus, sheet-support ring 30 and multi-layer membrane sheet 32 cooperate to create a fluid seal between lid 14 and container 12 that is opened easily by a consumer and that is later resealable.
In a container-filling process in accordance with the present disclosure, a product 25 (e.g., food) is deposited into interior product-storage region 26 formed in container 12. Then lid 14 is mounted on container 12 to close an opening 27 into product-storage region 26 as suggested in
In illustrative embodiments, sheet-support ring 30 has an endless (e.g., round, ring-shaped, square, oblong, etc.) edge shaped to mate with a companion container 12. Sheet-support ring 30 may be thermoformed or otherwise molded of a suitable plastics material. Suitable materials include polypropylene (PP) or high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Sheet-support ring 30 may also be made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or crystallized polyethylene terephthalate (CPET) to improve barrier properties. Sheet-support ring 30 may also be made using a coextruded material with barrier polymers such as EVOH or PVdC in a center layer.
In illustrative embodiments, multi-layer membrane sheet 32 can be produced using a coextruded film or sheet product comprising, for example, PP or HDPE. Membrane sheet 32 may also include one or more barrier layers such as EVHO, NYLON, or PVdC, tie layers, and a sealant layer. The sealant layer may comprise metalized LDPE or LLDPE, PP-based sealant, blends of PP and polybutane, as well as EMA- and EVA-based sealants.
It is unnecessary to attach a separate closure film or foil to the container on the filling line after container 12 has been filled and before lid 14 is mounted on container 12 when using a lid 14 in accordance with the present disclosure owing, in part, to the provision of a peelable and resealable sealant layer 323 in the lid 14 disclosed herein. Packaging cost and complexity is thus minimized and the customer is provided with an easy-to-use product that is characterized by sustainability. The peelable and releasable sealant layer is peelable and resealable.
A package in accordance with the present disclosure is well-suited for use in hot-filled non barrier containers. It may also be used in barrier, retortable containers. Sustainability is enhanced because the lid is made of like materials without the inclusion of metal rings or other non-plastics materials in illustrative embodiments.
A package 10 in accordance with the present disclosure includes a container 12 and a lid 14 as suggested in
Lid 14 includes a sheet-support ring 30 and a membrane sheet 32 as suggested in
Sheet-support ring 30 is configured to mate with brim 24 of container 12 when lid 14 is mounted on container 12 to extend around the opening 27 into product-storage region 26 as suggested in
Membrane sheet 32 has an outer surface 321O coupled permanently to sheet-support ring 30 to form lid 14 as suggested in
Membrane sheet 32 includes a perimeter edge 32E arranged to extend between outer and inner surfaces 321O and to mate with an annular edge-support surface 34S included in sheet-support ring 30 as suggested in
Sheet-support ring 30 includes an exterior surface 30E facing away from brim 24 of container 12 and an interior surface 30I facing toward brim 24 of container 12 and lying between exterior surface 30E and brim 24 of container 12 as suggested in
Outer surface 321O of membrane sheet 32 includes a center portion 31 and an endless portion 33 as suggested in
Sheet-support ring 30 includes a top surface 30T arranged to lie above brim 24 of container 12 when lid 14 is mounted on container 12 as suggested in FIGS. 4 and 8-11. Outer surface 321O of center portion 31 is arranged to lie in a space provided between top surface 30T and inwardly facing wall 34W of sheet-support ring 30 as suggested in
Sheet-support ring 30 includes an annular band 30B having a top surface 30T and an annular lid-retention lug 30L appended to annular band 30B at a point below top surface 30T as suggested in
Annular band 30B is formed to include an inwardly facing wall 34W formed to define an annular interior channel 34C and mate permanently with outer surface 321O of membrane sheet 32 when perimeter edge 32E of membrane sheet 32 mates with annular edge-support surface 34S of sheet-support ring 30 as suggested in
Membrane sheet 32 is a multi-layer component comprising an outer bed 321 providing the outer surface 321O, an inner bed 323 providing the inner surface 323I, and a core 322 interposed between and coupled to outer and inner beds 321, 323. Each of outer bed, core, and inner bed 321-323 is made of a different material in an illustrative embodiment.
Membrane sheet 32 includes a center plate 32P and an outer rim 32R as suggested in
Sheet-support ring 30 may have any suitable rigid or semi-rigid character or any suitable round or non-round shape in accordance with the present disclosure. Shell-support ring 30 includes a lid-retention lug 30L or any suitable bead or engagement means for mating with container brim 24 during a capping process to mount lid 14 on container 12 and also during a repeated lid reclosure process carried out by consumers after the lid 14 is removed the first time to open the package 10. Sheet-support ring 30 also provides a structure for the consumer to push against during the lid reclosure process. Shell-support ring 30 is made of a material characterized by high-temperature stability in illustrative embodiments.
Membrane sheet 32 is a multi-layer film that is bonded to sheet-support ring 30 during an insert-molding process in an illustrative embodiment. An aggressive bond is established to mate membrane sheet 32 permanently to sheet-support ring 30.
Membrane sheet 32 is stretched tightly to mate with container brim 24 whenever lid 14 is mounted on container 12 in illustrative embodiments. Membrane sheet 32 functions to wipe container brim 24 free of contaminants during capping and lid reclosure.
Membrane sheet 32 is flexible and configured to move, deform, and conform in response to changes in pressure extant in the sealed chamber 100 formed in package 10. Membrane sheet 32 is peelable to facilitate disengagement from container brim 24 during removal of lid 14 from container 12.
Membrane sheet 32 is made of a material characterized by stiffness, high temperature stability, high puncture resistance, and high burst strength. Membrane sheet 32 provides a barrier to a fluid material such as liquid, oxygen, moisture, and solids.
It is within the scope of the present disclosure to bond membrane sheet 32 to sheet-support ring 30 during a ring-molding process (in-mold label, IML technology). Membrane sheet 32 is formable during a molding or capping process using heat and pressure.
It is within the scope of the present disclosure to configure membrane sheet 32 to provide one or more of the following tamper-evident indicators: (1) tamper evident through tactile feel of resistance while removing lid 14 from container; (2) tamper evident through discoloration due to delamination of inner be 323 providing peelable and resealable sealant layer; and (3) tamper evident through discoloration due to stretching/permanent deformation of one or more of layers 321, 322, 323.
In illustrative embodiments, multi-layer membrane sheet 32 is bonded permanently to shell-support ring 30 through material adhesion. The film comprising membrane sheet 32 is formed, for example, during an insert molding process. This encapsulates outer rim 32 R forming a smooth surface and forming a mechanical bond. Sheet-support ring 30 is higher than membrane sheet 32 as suggested in the drawings to pull membrane sheet 32 tight while capping and sealing so as to accelerate bonding of film sealing layer 323 to container brim 24 and to stretch all layers 321-323 across container brim 24.
A package 110 in accordance with another embodiment of the disclosure is illustrated in
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61,440,299, filed Feb. 7, 2011, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61440299 | Feb 2011 | US |