Patent Application
20180022505
The invention pertains to a packaging container for scoopable contents, the packaging container comprising a container body comprising a container wall extending from a container bottom edge to a container body opening in a height direction of the container, and a closure arrangement comprising a lid. The packaging container has an inner compartment for the scoopable contents and an access-opening for accessing scoopable contents contained in a compartment in the container body.
In the area of packaging of consumer goods, and in particular when packaging dry flowable pulverulent consumer goods it is common to use rigid paperboard packaging containers which serve as protective transport and storage containers at the retail end and as storage and dispensing containers at the consumer end. Such paperboard containers are usually provided with an openable and closable lid, and with an inner removable or breakable barrier membrane which keeps the contents fresh and protected against contamination up until delivery of the packaging container to a consumer. It is also important that the contents in the packaging container are protected from contamination once the inner barrier has been destroyed in order to gain a first access to the packaged goods. It is a concern that the packaging container allows repeated and hygienic removal of packaged goods from the packaging container, in particular when the packaged goods is intended for ingestion by humans or animals. A packaging container for bulk solids usually contains more of the packaged product than will be used at each dispensing occasion. Thus, it is desirable that the product remaining in the packaging container remains fresh and un-contaminated at least for a time period corresponding to the time it is expected it will take for a consumer to use up all the contents in the packaging container.
When using a scoop to take out contents from a packaging container, it is desired that excess scooped-up pulverulent material can be conveniently removed by being scraped off from the scoop and allowed to fall back into the packaging container without touching the pulverulent material. In this manner, a controlled amount of the pulverulent material can be taken out of the container with each scooping and the risk of spilling pulverulent material from an over-filled scoop is reduced or even eliminated. Furthermore, users may find it more appealing and hygienic to be able to take the scoop out of the container without having to dig it out from the remaining contents in the packaging container. It is therefore also desirable that the packaging container is provided with means for conveniently and hygienically holding the scoop inside the packaging container between dispensing occasions. It has been suggested to provide attachment members on the inner surface of the container lid. However, it has been found that users find attachments in a swinging lid difficult to manipulate with a single hand with the result that the attachments tend to be less used than would be desired for hygienic reasons. For this reason it has been suggested to provide a packaging container with a ring-shaped scoop-holder placed on an inwardly directed surface of an edge rim, as disclosed in WO 2014/129887 A1. However, all such features which extend into the container opening effectively reduce the size of the container access opening, i.e. the part of the container opening which is available for accessing the packaged goods. Furthermore, rounded and irregularly shaped features which protrude into the container opening, such as the scoop-holder in WO 2014/129887 A1 increases the risk that the feature will come into contact with the hand of a person taking out contents from the packaging container and becomes contaminated. Another risk is that the scoop accidentally catches on the scoop-holder resulting in that scooped-up material is spilled or that the scoop is dropped into the contents in the packaging container.
WO2006125363 A1 discloses a can box with built-in using tools in the can body, wherein the can body is provided with a support for a knife, fork or spoon at a portion of the can mouth inner edge. A tool handle or tool head can be inserted beneath a securing strip on the support and be held in place at the can opening. The support has a triangular shape and is arranged with a corner of the triangle protruding into the can opening and has two edges which can be used as a scraping means for scraping off excess material.
Like the scoop-holder in WO 2014/129887, the tool support in WO2006125363 A1 has the drawback that it considerably reduces the size of the access opening of the can.
Moreover, removal and attachment of a tool handle in the tool support in WO2006125363 A1 can generally not be made without touching or even gripping a tool part such as a scoop head at the opposite end of the tool handle.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to offer a packaging container having improved capability of protecting dry bulk solids in the paperboard packaging container from contamination. A further object of the invention may be to facilitate hygienic removal of packaged goods from the packaging container.
According to the invention, there is offered a paperboard packaging container for scoopable bulk solids, in accordance with claim 1, which packaging container offers a more hygienic and easier access to scoopable bulk solids packaged in the packaging container. Further embodiments are set out in the dependent claims.
The packaging container comprises a container body comprising a container wall extending from a container bottom edge to a container body opening in a height direction of the container and comprising a closure arrangement comprising a lid. The container wall has an inner surface facing towards an inner compartment in the packaging container and an outer surface facing away from the inner compartment. The container body has an opening edge at the container body opening and the container wall comprises a bent wall portion. The packaging container further comprises a scoop comprising a scoop handle and a bowl portion, the scoop handle having a proximal end at the bowl portion and a distal end remote from the bowl portion. A combined scraper bar and scoop holder is arranged at the container body opening and extends across the bent wall portion. The combined scraper bar and scoop holder comprises a scraping edge bridging the bent wall portion and preferably being a straight edge, and a scoop fastening element for repeated fastening and releasing of the scoop. A second scoop fastening element is arranged at the distal end of the scoop handle and is arranged to connect with the first scoop fastening element on the combined scraper bar and scoop holder. The scoop is held in the combined scraper bar and scoop holder with the scoop handle inclined such that the bowl portion of said scoop is directed downward into the container when the second scoop fastening element at the distal end of the scoop handle is connected to the first scoop fastening element on the combined scraper bar and scoop holder.
The packaging container as disclosed herein may have any suitable foot-print shape, such as circular, oval, triangular, square, rectangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal, etc. A packaging container having a polygonal foot-print, the container body may have curved corner portions instead of being formed with sharp corners. The only requirement of the container body shape is that the container body foot-print includes a bent section, e.g. a corner portion or a curved wall portion which is bridged by the combined scraper bar and scoop holder. Accordingly, the combined scraper bar and scoop holder is arranged horizontally or generally horizontally across the bent wall portion at the periphery of the container body opening.
As set out herein, the bent wall portion may be a container wall corner portion which connects a first container wall portion with a second container wall portion of a packaging container having a polygonal foot-print or may be a curved segment of a wall in a packaging container having a container body with a circular or oval foot-print or a modified rectangular container body with rounded corners.
By combining the holding function with a scraper function in a single element, the combined scraper bar and scoop holder intrudes minimally on the open area of the container opening, and provides the packaging container with a large access opening with a minimum of irregularities and inwardly protruding parts which may obstruct the access opening and make it difficult to safely and hygienically remove contents from the packaging container. Accordingly, even if provided with the combined scraper bar and scoop holder as disclosed herein, the packaging container has a large access opening with a regular contour without protruding features which greatly facilitates removal of the contents from the packaging container either by scooping or by pouring. The scraping function is provided by a single scraping edge which bridges the bent wall portion whereby the combined scraper bar and scoop holder intrudes minimally on the access opening of the packaging container.
It is generally desired to minimize the presence of irregularities such as ridges and protrusion on the inner surface of the packaging container in the vicinity of the container opening as pulverulent contents in the container may get caught on such irregularities. A user opening the packaging container and seeing an upper portion of the container which is soiled by the pulverulent material in the container, will perceive the packaging container as being messy and less hygienic than desired. Furthermore, it is generally desired to keep the packaged pulverulent material away from the access opening where it is more exposed to contamination as it may more easily come into contact with the hands of a person opening the packaging container and removing contents through the access opening. Contaminated contents in the packaging container which are caught on features at the access opening may fall back into the container and may, in turn, contaminate the remaining contents in the container.
As the scoop holder provides means for safely holding a scoop such that it is prohibited from falling down into the contents of the packaging container, a user opening the container can easily find the scoop and remove it from the scoop holder when wishing to use it for taking contents out of the packaging container.
The packaging container may be cuboid, having a rectangular or generally rectangular foot-print with a container wall having front wall portion, a rear wall portion and two side wall portions. In a cuboid packaging container having a lid which is hingedly connected to the rear wall portion, the container wall corner portion across which the combined scraper bar and scoop holder extends may be a corner portion which connects the front wall portion with one of the side wall portions.
Accordingly, in a packaging container provided with a lid which is attached with a hinge at a rear edge of the access opening, it may be preferred that the combined scoop holder and scraper bar is placed across a forward corner portion of the packaging container where it is easily accessible both for removing the scoop from the scoop holder and for scraping off excess scooped-up contents. The scoop may be placed in the scoop holder with the opening in the bowl portion facing the contents in the packaging container, or with the opening in the bowl portion facing away from the contents in the packaging container. A scoop which is held in a combined scoop holder and scraper bar arranged at the front left corner, and with the opening in the bowl portion facing downward can easily be removed by a right-handed user and be directly used to scoop up contents without the user having to shift the grip on the scoop. A scoop which is held in a combined scoop holder and scraper bar arranged at the front right corner, and with the opening in the bowl portion facing downward can easily be removed by a left-handed user and be directly used to scoop up contents without the user having to shift the grip on the scoop. If the scoop is placed with the opening in the bowl portion facing upward, a combined scoop holder and scraper bar is most convenient to use if arranged in the right front corner for a right-handed user and in the left front corner for a left-handed user.
The terms “left” and “right” when applied to the front corner portions of the packaging container refer to the left and right of a user having the packaging container placed in front of him or her with the front side of the packaging container facing the user.
The packaging container may be provided with a combined scoop holder and scraper bar in each corner portion of the access opening in order to accommodate both left-handed users and right-handed users. This embodiment may be less preferred as it diminishes the size of the access-opening.
The combined scraper bar and scoop holder may be provided as a separate part which can be attached by a user at any one of at least two selectable locations at the access opening of the packaging container. The combined scraper bar and scoop holder is then preferably provided with snap-in locking means which cooperate with corresponding snap-in locking means on the packaging container, e.g. on an upper reinforcing rim allowing the combined scraper bar and scoop holder to be attached by snapping it in place at the desired location and/or to detach an already attached combined scraper bar and scoop holder and move it to another location.
The first scoop fastening element may be a female fastening element, such as an opening or a depression which is arranged to cooperate with a corresponding male fastening element such as a hook or a protrusion which is arranged on a scoop.
Alternatively, the first scoop fastening element may be a male fastening element, such as a hook or a protrusion which is arranged to cooperate with a corresponding female fastening element such as an opening or a depression which is arranged on a scoop.
The packaging container as disclosed herein comprises a scoop comprising a scoop handle and a bowl portion, the scoop handle having a proximal end at the bowl portion and a distal end remote from the bowl portion. A second scoop fastening element is arranged at the distal end of the scoop handle, and is arranged to connect with the first scoop fastening element on the combined scraper bar and scoop holder. The first and second fastening elements are mating fastening elements which means that when the first scoop fastening element on the combined scraper bar and scoop holder is a female fastening element, the second fastening element on the scoop handle is a male fastening element and when the first scoop fastening element on the combined scraper bar and scoop holder is a male fastening element, the second fastening element on the scoop handle is a female fastening element.
It may be preferred that the first scoop fastening element is an opening and that the second scoop fastening element is a hook. The opening may be formed between a cross-bar extending across the bent wall portion and the bent wall portion, or may be formed as a hole in a piece of material applied across the bent wall portion. A scoop with a hook at the end of the handle can be easily attached to or removed from the combined scraper bar and scoop holder without needing to overcome an attachment force.
By arranging the second fastening element at the end of the scoop handle, it is ascertained that the scoop is held in the scoop holder with the scoop part directed downward in the packaging container and with the scoop handle directed towards the container opening. Thereby, a user can easily lift the scoop out of the scoop holder without having to touch other parts of the scoop than the scoop handle. In particular, the scoop can be taken out of the packaging container without the user touching the bowl part of the scoop which is the part that will be dipped into the scoopable contents when taking out contents from the container. Accordingly, the risk of contamination of the contents is considerably lowered by ascertaining that the scoop handle is kept away from the contents in the container compartment. Depending on the degree of filling of the packaging container, when the scoop is held in the scoop holder the bowl part may hang freely downward in the container or may rest on the surface of the pulverulent material in the container compartment. Hence, when using the provided scoop holder, no part of the scoop which is handled by a user comes into contact with the contents in the packaging container and the scoop is held in the packaging container in a hygienic and readily accessible way.
The provision of readily identifiable mating fastener elements on the scoop handle and on the combined scraper bar and scoop holder serves to direct a user to apply the scoop in a correct fashion in the combined scraper bar and scoop holder, with the mating fastener elements connected with each other and with the bowl portion of the scoop directed away from the container opening.
As set out herein, the bowl portion of the scoop is arranged to be directed downward into the container when the second scoop fastening element at the distal end of the scoop handle is connected to the first scoop fastening element on the combined scraper bar and scoop holder. The scoop is held with the scoop handle inclined downwardly, such that the proximal portion of the scoop handle is located below the distal part of the scoop handle. The connection between the combined scraper bar and scoop holder and the scoop may be arranged to allow the inclination of the scoop handle to increase as the packaging container is successively emptied of its contents, such as when the fastening elements are constituted by a hook and an opening.
In a packaging container as disclosed herein a vertical distance between the combined scraper bar and scoop holder and an inner surface of the container lid in a closed configuration of the packaging container may be smaller than a vertical release distance of the second scoop fastening element. The vertical distance between the inner surface of the container lid and the combined scraper bar and scoop holder is selected to be sufficiently small to prohibit a scoop which is connected to the combined scraper bar and scoop holder from moving out of engagement with the combined scraper bar and scoop holder when the closed packaging container is moved, shaken, or turned upside-down. The vertical release distance of the second fastening element is the minimum distance between the second fastening element and the inner surface of the container lid which is required in order to be able to move the second fastening element out of engagement with the first fastening element. The vertical release distance of the second fastening element is >0 millimeters. It may be preferred that the vertical release distance of the second fastening element is ≦30 millimeters.
The vertical distance between the combined scraper bar and scoop holder and the inner lid surface may be a distance between a scoop restraining member arranged on the inner surface of the lid and the combined scraper bar and scoop holder. The scoop restraining member may be a protrusion arranged to diminish the distance between the inner surface of the lid and the combined scraper bar and scoop holder and may be made integrally with the inner surface of the lid or as a separate component which is attached to the lid. The scoop restraining member may be in contact with the distal end of the scoop handle when the packaging container is closed or may be placed at a distance from the distal end of the scoop handle. A scoop restraining member which contacts the distal end of the scoop handle and optionally exerts a restraining pressure on the scoop handle may diminish a tendency of the scoop to rattle inside the packaging container. The scoop restraining member may be a pressure resilient member which may serve to dampen scoop movements and to further reduce rattling.
The packaging containers as disclosed herein are preferably paperboard packaging containers. As used herein, a paperboard packaging container is a packaging container wherein the container body is formed from paperboard web material. The web material may be provided in the form of a continuous web or may be provided as individual sheets of material. The paperboard container may be formed in any manner known in the art, e.g. by forming a container body by bending a paperboard material into a tubular shape and longitudinally closing the tube by joining overlapping or abutting side edges of the paperboard material. The join between the side edges may be covered by a sealing strip. The container bottom may be formed from a separate bottom disc which is attached at one end of the container body tube or may be formed by folding an end portion of the container body tube.
As used herein, a paperboard material is a web material predominantly made from cellulose fibers or paper fibers. The paperboard material may be a single ply or multi-ply web 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 material may be coated, printed, embossed, etc. and may comprise fillers, pigments, binders and other additives as known in the art. The paperboard materials as disclosed herein may also be referred to as cardboard or carton materials.
As used herein, the terms “bulk solids” and “scoopable bulk solids” refer to a pulverulent solid material, e.g. in the form of particles or powder. The bulk material may be dry or moist. Bulk solids in the context of the present application may be digestible, such as infant formula, coffee, tea, rice, flour, sugar, cereals, soup powder, custard powder, or the like. Alternatively, the bulk solids may be non-digestible, such as tobacco, detergent, fertilizer, chemicals or the like.
By a pulverulent material as used herein is implied any material in the form of particles, granules, grinds, plant fragments, short fibres, flakes, etc.
The paperboard container may comprise an inner peelable or openable sealing membrane forming a cross-sectional seal between an inner compartment in the container body and the container opening. The inner peelable or openable sealing membrane is a transport and storage seal which is eventually broken or removed by an end user of the packaging container.
By an openable or peelable sealing membrane is meant a membrane that may be fully or partly removed by a user in order to provide access to an interior compartment of the packaging container either by breaking a seal between the sealing membrane and the inner surface of the container wall, or by tearing or otherwise breaking the sealing membrane itself. Tearable sealing membranes may be provided with one or more predefined weakenings, such as perforations or a cut partly through the membrane.
A peelable or tearable sealing membrane may be gastight or gas-permeable. A gastight membrane may be manufactured from any material or material combination suitable for providing gastight sealing of a compartment delimited by the sealing membrane, such as aluminium foil, silicon-coated paper, plastic film, or laminates thereof. A gastight membrane is particularly advantageous when the pulverulent material stored in the packaging container is sensitive to air and/or moisture and to keep fragrances and aromas in the packaging container and prevent the packaged contents from taking up scents and flavours from the ambient air. A gastight membrane provides additional protection of the packaged goods before a first opening of the packaging container by a presumptive consumer.
It may be preferred that the inner peelable or openable sealing membrane is a gas-tight peelable or openable sealing membrane. It may also be preferred that the packaging container is a gas-tight packaging container.
The barrier properties of the packaging containers disclosed herein, may be designed to meet different requirements of tightness depending on the goods which is packaged in the packaging container. By way of example, in a packaging container for dried peas a lower barrier level may be sufficient than in a packaging container for e.g. infant formula which is highly sensitive to oxygen and moisture exposure. A combination of a gas-tight gasketing seal between the upper edge of the upper reinforcing rim and the inner surface of the container lid, and a gas-tight weld seal between the upper reinforcing rim and the inner surface of the container wall may offer a packaging container with excellent barrier properties also after the sealing membrane has been removed.
The packaging containers as disclosed herein may have barrier properties which remain largely unaltered even after removal of the inner sealing membrane. In other words, the contents in a closed packaging container may be equally well protected or nearly equally well protected regardless of whether the inner sealing membrane has been removed or not. This also means that also temporary seals such as a seal created by between the lid and an upper reinforcing rim and permanent seals such as a weld seal between the upper reinforcing rim and the inner wall of the packaging container preferably have barrier properties offering the same level of protection of the packaged contents as the inner sealing membrane and other container components which separate the contents in the container from the environment outside the packaging container.
A packaging container having a volume of approximately 11 may be considered to be gas-tight if it provides an oxygen barrier of approximately 0.006 cc oxygen/24 h or less at 23° C. and 50% relative humidity.
The combined scraper bar and scoop holder may be arranged directly on the inside of the container wall or on an upper reinforcing rim which is attached to the container wall at the container body opening and may be formed integrally with the upper reinforcing rim.
The reinforcing rim and the combined scraper bar and scoop holder are preferably made as a single integral component from thermoplastic material which allows the reinforcing rim and the combined scraper bar and scoop holder to be thermoformed, e.g. by injection molding. An injection molding process may be used to form plastic components having different polymer compositions in different parts of the plastic component. By way of example, the surface of a plastic reinforcing rim which is welded to the container body may be formed from a polymer composition having a lower softening and melting point than other parts of the reinforcing rim. Moreover, an abutment surface on the upper reinforcing rim may be formed from a resilient thermoplastic polymer.
The upper reinforcing rim may be attached to the container wall by any suitable attachment method, including adhesive attachment, mechanical attachment and welding. It may be preferred that the upper reinforcing rim is welded to the inner surface of the container wall. Any suitable welding technique may be used, such as ultrasonic welding, hot air welding or high frequency welding, with high frequency welding being preferred.
By joining the upper reinforcing rim to the inner surface of the container wall by means of welding, it is possible to obtain a tighter and slimmer attachment than is possible with an adhesive attachment. The welded reinforcing rim is preferably a plastic rim and connects the inner surface of the container wall with the inner surface of the container lid and contributes to create a barrier between the container wall and the reinforcing rim.
The welding process provides a highly controlled way of creating an optimal join between the plastic rim and the paperboard container wall. The join is made by supplying energy to heat and locally soften or melt one or more thermoplastic component in the plastic rim and/or on the inner surface of the container wall and by pressing the plastic rim and the container wall together in a direction perpendicular to the container wall. The thermoplastic material used to create the weld seal may be provided by the plastic rim, by a thermoplastic film or coating on the inner surface of the container wall, or by both the plastic rim and by a thermoplastic film or coating on the inner surface of the container wall. It may be preferred that the plastic rim is made from thermoplastic material. A thermoplastic rim may be produced by any suitable melt-forming process known in the art, such as injection molding. By controlling weld temperature, pressure and weld time, it is possible to adapt the welding process to the welded materials and to obtain a weld seam with a required level of tightness. Accordingly, the welding process is accurate and predictable and is an efficient way of producing a reliable seal with a predetermined level of tightness. A preferred welding method for the weld seal between the upper reinforcing rim and the paperboard packaging container body may be high frequency welding.
The packaging containers as disclosed herein are containers for scoopable bulk materials, which are flowable pulverulent materials capable of being poured or scooped out of the containers. The scoopable material may be pulverulent or granulated food-stuff. The containers are generally disposable containers, which are intended to be discarded when they have been emptied of their contents. A concern in packaging containers for pulverulent bulk solids is that the containers are sufficiently tight or at least “sift-proof” to prevent the pulverulent material from escaping out of the container for example through a join between an upper reinforcing rim and the container wall. It has now been found that by welding a reinforcement rim to the inner surface of the container wall, a more reliably sift-proof join between the rim and the carton wall can be achieved, than with an adhesive seal. Furthermore, an adhesive seal requires a further component to be added to the packaging container as well as equipment for supplying and applying the adhesive. Consequently, a gluing process is generally more expensive and time-consuming than a weld process.
As it may be desired to avoid applying adhesive inside the packaging container, e.g. in order to avoid contact between the adhesive and the contents packaged in the container, previously known reinforcement rims are glued to the outside wall of the packaging container and commonly have a generally U-shaped cross-sectional profile with an outer leg or flange extending downwardly on the outside of the container wall and an inner leg or flange extending downwardly on the inside of the container walls. Such reinforcement rims are complicated and relatively expensive structures and are difficult to fit over a paperboard container edge without damaging the edge. Furthermore, it has proven difficult to create a sift-proof adhesive seal between the reinforcing rim and the container wall, much less a satisfactory fluid proof or moisture proof seal.
By arranging the seal between the container wall and the reinforcing rim on the inside of the container wall, the join between the reinforcement rim and the container wall forms a continuous barrier on the inside of the container. The plastic reinforcement rim is more rigid than the container wall and constitutes a shape stable continuation of or supplement to the paperboard container wall and may be arranged to provide a first abutment surface which is resistant to deformation when pressed against a. The seal which in this manner is created between the lid and the upper reinforcing rim permits the packaging container to be repeatedly opened and closed without risk of damaging the opening edge and thereby impairing container tightness. An effective weld seal between the reinforcing rim and the inner surface of the container wall in conjunction with a non-deformable abutment surface on the reinforcement rim may provide a container as disclosed herein with improved resealability and tightness after a first opening of the container by a consumer and after any internal sealing membrane or other transport seals have been broken.
The paperboard packaging container may further comprise a frame structure which is applied to the packaging container at the container body opening and which is mechanically connected to the upper reinforcing rim.
The upper reinforcing rim may form part of a lid component which further comprises a lid part. The upper reinforcing rim and the lid part are connected by a hinge. In a corresponding manner the frame structure may form part of a lid component, which further comprises a lid part and wherein the frame structure and the lid part are connected by a hinge.
A lid hinge may be a live hinge, i.e. a bendable connection between the lid and the container body or an upper plastic rim or frame structure. A live hinge may be formed integral with the lid and/or with an edge rim or frame structure or with an upper edge portion of a container body or may be a separately formed element which is attached to the container lid and to the container body or an edge rim or frame structure. Alternatively, the hinge may be a two-part hinge, with a first hinge part arranged on the container lid and a second hinge part arranged on the container body or on an edge rim or frame structure. The hinge may be arranged at any suitable location at the container body opening such as at a rear edge of the opening, at a side edge, etc.
The closure arrangement on the packaging container may comprise a locking arrangement which is configured to maintain the lid in a closed position at the container opening.
The locking arrangement may comprise a first locking element arranged on the container body or on an upper reinforcing rim or on a frame structure connected to an upper reinforcing rim and a second locking element arranged on the container lid. The first and second locking elements may be mating locking elements, such as female/male locking elements including hooks and other protrusions which are arranged to interengage with ridges, hooks, tracks, holes, cavities, loops, etc. By way of example, a locking arrangement may be provided by a locking flap or clasp closure extending from an edge on the lid, such as from a forward edge on the lid and comprising at least one locking element which can be fastened into or onto a corresponding locking element on the container body or on the upper reinforcement rim or a frame structure, if present. The locking elements are preferably designed to allow repeated opening and closing of the locking arrangement. Manipulation of the locking arrangement may be facilitated by means of gripping devices such as finger grips, friction enhancing elements, pull tabs, etc.
Furthermore, the locking arrangement may comprise a first profiled element on the lid which first profiled element is configured to releasably engage with a second profiled element on an upper reinforcing rim and/or on a frame structure being connected to the upper reinforcing rim.
The closure between the container lid and the edge rim or opening edge is preferably sift-proof and most preferably also gas tight or at least substantially gas tight. A tight closure between the container lid and the edge rim may be enhanced by mating contours on the lid and on the rim and may include snap-fit features such as interengaging ridges and tracks or protrusions and holes/cavities, etc.
In a paperboard packaging container as disclosed herein and having an upper reinforcing rim an inner profile of the reinforcing rim including the combined scraper bar and scoop holder defines a shape and a size of an access opening. The access opening is smaller than the container body opening and has an opening area which is from 85% to 99% of the container body opening area, such as from 90% to 98% of the container body opening area or from 94% to 97% of the container body opening area.
The present invention will be further explained hereinafter by means of non-limiting examples and with reference to the appended drawings wherein:
It is to be understood that the drawings are schematic and that individual components, such as layers of material are not necessarily drawn to scale. The packaging container, reinforcing rim and lid component shown in the figures are provided as examples only and should not be considered limiting to the invention. The combined scraper bar and scoop holder as disclosed herein, may be used with packaging containers having completely removable lids. The combined scraper bar and scoop holder as disclosed herein is also useful in packaging containers having a hinge-lid arrangement different from the rim/frame arrangement shown in the figures. Such hinge-lid arrangement may be any suitable hinge-lid arrangement as known in the art including hinge-lid arrangements where the hinge is a two-part hinge and hinge-lid arrangement without a reinforcing rim and/or without a frame-structure. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is determined solely by the appended claims.
With reference to
The packaging container 1 comprises a container body 2 formed by a tubular container wall 3 including a front wall portion 3a, a rear wall portion 3b and two side wall portions 3c, 3d. The container wall 3 extends from a container body bottom edge 4 to a container body opening edge 5 at a container body opening 6 in a height direction H of the packaging container 1. The container wall 3 has an inner surface 7 facing towards an inner compartment 11 in the packaging container 1 and an outer surface 8 facing away from the inner compartment 11 and being exposed to the exterior of the packaging container 1. A bottom disc 9 is positioned at the bottom edge 4 of the container body 2. The container body 2 is made from paperboard material as defined herein. The container body 2 may be formed by bringing together the side edges of a web of paperboard causing the material to assume a tubular shape, where after the side edges are sealed together. Sealing of the side edges may be made by any suitable method as known in the art, such as by welding or gluing, with welding being preferred. Sealing of the side edges of the container body web may involve using a sealing strip, as known in the art. The bottom disc 9 may be made from paperboard, metal, plastic, or from any suitable combination of such materials as known in the art.
The container body bottom edge 4 is reinforced by a plastic bottom rim 10 which is applied to the inner surface 7 of the container wall 3, between the bottom disc 9 and the container body bottom edge 4 and which has an outwardly directed flange 12 which covers the container body bottom edge 4 and forms a bottom edge 13 of the packaging container 1. The bottom rim 10 reinforces the container body paperboard bottom edge 4, stabilizes the shape of the container body 2 and protects the container body bottom edge 4 from mechanical deformation. The plastic bottom rim 10 also serves as a protective barrier against water and other fluids which may be present on a surface on which the packaging container is placed. The bottom rim 10 delimits a downwardly open space between the bottom disc 9 and the bottom edge 13 of the packaging container 1 which may be used to accommodate stacking elements arranged at an upper end of another packaging container when stacking two or more packaging containers on top of each other.
As an alternative to a plastic bottom rim, the bottom edge of the packaging container may be formed by a rolled edge of the paperboard container body, or may be provided by a simple, non-rolled join between the bottom disc 9 and the container body 2.
The container bottom may alternatively be formed without a bottom disc by folding of the container wall material, as known in the art.
The paperboard packaging container 1 is provided with a closure arrangement comprising a lid 14 and an upper reinforcing rim 15 extending along the container body opening edge 5 and defining a perimeter of a container access opening 35 which is smaller than the container body opening 6 which is defined by the upper edge 5 of the tubular container body 2.
The upper reinforcing rim 15 is preferably a plastic rim, most preferably a thermoplastic rim and is attached to the inner surface 7 of the container body wall 3 at the container body opening 6. The upper reinforcing rim 15 has an extension in the height direction, H, of the container 1 and has a lower rim part 16 with a lower rim edge 17 facing towards the container bottom 9 and an upper rim part 18 with an upper rim edge 19 facing away from the container bottom 9. The upper reinforcing rim 15 extends around the full periphery of the container body opening 6. The upper rim part 18 protrudes upwards in the height direction, H, above the container body opening edge 5, whereby the upper edge 19 of the upper reinforcing rim 15 is arranged above the container body opening edge 5 in the height direction, H, of the packaging container 1.
The upper reinforcing rim 15 is joined to the inner surface 7 of the container wall 3 by means of a weld seal 20 extending around the container opening 6. The weld seal 20 preferably extends continuously around the container body opening 5 and is a sift-proof weld seal and is preferably also a moisture proof weld seal and most preferably a gas-tight weld seal.
The weld seal 20 is formed by supplying energy to heat and locally soften or melt one or more thermoplastic component in a thermoplastic rim 15 and/or in a coating or film on the inner surface 7 of the container body wall 3 and by pressing the reinforcing rim 15 and the container wall 3 together in a direction perpendicular to the container wall 3. The temperature and pressure can be controlled and adjusted to form a strong and tight seal without damaging the welded components. The thermoplastic material used to create the weld seal 20 may be provided by a fully or partly thermoplastic reinforcing rim 15, by a thermoplastic film or coating on the inner surface 7 of the container wall 3, or by both a fully or partly thermoplastic reinforcing rim and by a thermoplastic film or coating on the inner surface 7 of the container wall 3. A plastic reinforcing rim 15 is preferably made from thermoplastic material which allows it to be thermoformed, e.g. by injection molding. An injection molding process may be used to form plastic components having different polymer compositions in different parts of the plastic component. By way of example, the surface of a plastic reinforcing rim which is welded to the container body may be formed from a polymer composition having a lower softening and melting point than other parts of the reinforcing rim. Moreover, an abutment surface on the upper reinforcing rim 15 may be formed from a resilient thermoplastic polymer. Any suitable welding technique may be used, such as ultrasonic welding or high frequency welding, with high frequency welding being preferred.
The lid 14 is formed from an outer lid part 14a and an inner lid part 14b. The outer lid part 14a is a profiled part with a three-dimensional shape providing an upper outer surface 25 of the lid 14. As is shown in
The outer lid part 14a is connected by a hinge 29 to a frame structure 30, the lid 14 and the frame structure 30 together forming a lid component 31. The hinge 29 is a live hinge, formed integrally with the upper lid part 14a and the frame structure 30 as a flexible connection between the upper lid part 14a and the frame structure 30. As set out herein, the illustrated hinge is only intended as a non-limiting example and it should be understood that any other type of functional hinge may be used for the connection between the frame structure and the lid. Moreover, the lid may be of the removable kind, without any permanent connection to the frame structure.
The frame structure 30 is applied to the packaging container at the container body opening edge 5 and is mechanically attached to the upper reinforcing rim 15 by a snap-on connection. The frame structure 30 is attached to the upper reinforcing rim 15 after the reinforcing rim 15 has been welded to the inner surface 7 of the paperboard container wall 3. The frame structure 30 is applied to the upper reinforcing rim 15 by pressing the frame structure 30 down over the upper edge 19 of the upper reinforcing rim 15 until the frame structure 30 locks in place on the upper reinforcing rim 15 by means of mating snap-in features on the upper reinforcing rim 15 and the frame structure 30. When the frame structure 30 has been attached to the upper reinforcing rim 15, it can only be removed again by breaking or damaging the snap-in connection between the rim 15 and the frame structure 30.
The interior compartment 11 is sealed with a fully or partly removable sealing membrane 33 which is applied over the packaged goods 34 and which is sealed to the container body wall 3. The removable sealing membrane 33 may be attached to the container wall either from the top end of the container body 2 or from the bottom end of the container body 2. In order to gain a first access to the packaged goods, a user needs to open the lid 14 and expose the packaged goods 34 by fully or partly removing the sealing membrane 33. The sealing membrane 33 may be arranged to be peeled away from the wall 3 of the container body 2 or may be arranged with means for breaking the membrane 33 so that it can be at least partly removed from the opening 6, 35. Such means may be in the form of one or more predefined weakenings, such as perforations or a cut partly through the membrane. When the membrane is of the tear-open type, a narrow edge part of the sealing membrane may be left at the inner surface 7 of the container wall 3. Any such remaining part of the sealing membrane should preferably not be so large so that it extends into the access opening which is defined by the inner perimeter of the upper reinforcing rim. Accordingly, it may be preferred that a remaining membrane part has an extension perpendicular to the height direction H of the packaging container of at most 7 millimeters such as from 1-6 millimeters, from 2-5 millimeters or from 3-4 millimeters. It may be preferred that the inward extension of a remaining membrane part is 4 millimeters or less. The sealing membrane 33 is an optional feature of the disclosed packaging container 1 and may be omitted.
Once the sealing membrane 33 has been removed, it is sufficient to open the lid 14 in order to gain access to the packaged goods 34 in the interior compartment 11 through the access opening 35. As is seen in
Although not preferred, more than one combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 may be provided in the packaging container 1.
The combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 may be integrally formed with the upper reinforcing rim 15 or may be provided as a separate part which can be attached at any one of at least two selectable locations at the access opening 35 of the packaging container 1 as disclosed herein. A separately formed combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 is preferably provided with snap-in means cooperating with corresponding snap-in means on the upper reinforcing rim 15 allowing a user to select the most appropriate corner portion in which to attach the combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40. The attachment is preferably a non-permanent attachment so that a user can change the placement of a combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 according to his/her preference. By way of example, a combined scraper bar and scoop holder which has been pre-attached by a manufacturer may be detached and moved to a more suitable location or different users such as right-handed users and left-handed users may wish to use the combined scraper bar and scoop holder in different locations.
When the packaging container 1 has a hinged lid 14 as shown in the figures, it may be preferred that the combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 can be attached at least across the container wall corner portions at the front of the packaging container 1, i.e. the corner portions formed between the front wall portion 3a and the side wall portions 3c, 3d.
As is shown in
A combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 placed at the front of the packaging container may be preferred in a packaging container having a hinged lid 14 as such placement is convenient both when removing and fastening the scoop 44 and when using the scraping function. The arrangement of the combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 and the scoop 44 shown in
The first and second scoop fastening elements are not limited to the hook-and-opening arrangement shown in
In the scoop fastening arrangement shown in
In the scoop fastening arrangement shown in
In the scoop fastening arrangement shown in
When the packaging container 1 is open, a desired quantity of the packaged goods 34 may be removed from the packaging container 1 through the access opening 35 by means of the scoop 44. The scoop is provided together with the packaging container 1. The scoop 44 may initially be placed on the sealing membrane 33, if present, may be removably attached to the inner lid surface 24 or may be attached to the combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40.
The second scoop fastening element 43, 43a, 43b, 43c on the scoop 44, 44a, 44b, 44c is arranged to cooperate with the first scoop fastening element 42, 42a, 42b, 42c on the combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40, 40a, 40b, 40c, whereby the scoop 44, 44a, 44b, 44c may be attached to the reinforcing rim 15 such that the handle 50 on the scoop 44, 44a, 44b, 44c is prevented from falling down into the contents in the packaging container compartment 11 between dispensing occasions. Users find it more appealing and hygienic to be able to remove the scoop from the container without having to dig it out from the remaining contents in the packaging container.
The scoop 44 is held with the scoop handle inclined downwardly, such that the proximal end 52 of the scoop handle 50 is located below the distal end 53 of the scoop handle. The connection between the combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 and the scoop 44, may be arranged to allow the inclination of the scoop handle to increase as the packaging container is successively emptied of its contents, such as when the fastening elements are constituted by a hook and an opening e.g. as shown in
Even if provided with the combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 as disclosed herein, the packaging container has a large access opening with an opening edge without any portion of the edge being curved or inwardly in the plane of the access opening or having any edge portion forming an inwardly directed protrusion from the container body edge. A regularly shaped access opening edge without any protruding features that may obstruct the access opening greatly facilitates removal of the contents from the packaging container by scooping and also by pouring.
The access opening 35 may have an opening area which is from 85% to 99% of the opening area of the container body opening 6, such as from 90% to 98% of the container body opening area or from 94% to 97% of the container body opening area.
A tight closure between the lid 14 and the container body 2 is provided by a first abutment surface 51 on the upper rim edge 19 and a corresponding second abutment surface 52 arranged on the inner lid surface 24. The first abutment surface 51 on the upper reinforcing rim 15 is arranged to abut against the second abutment surface 52 on the lid 14 when the lid is in the closed position on the container access opening 35 and to form a seal between the upper reinforcing rim 15 and the lid 14.
The vertical distance between the combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 and the inner lid surface 24 may be smaller than the vertical release distance of the second scoop fastening element 43 in a closed configuration of the packaging container 1. The vertical distance between the inner surface 24 of the container lid 14 and the combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 is selected to be sufficiently small to prohibit a scoop 44 which is connected to the combined scraper bar and scoop holder from moving out of engagement with the combined scraper bar and scoop holder when the closed packaging container 1 is moved, shaken, or turned upside-down. The vertical release distance of the second fastening element 43 is the minimum distance between the second fastening element 43 and the inner surface 24 of the container lid 14 which is required in order to be able to move the second fastening element out of engagement with the first fastening element. The vertical release distance of the second fastening element is >0 millimeters. It may be preferred that the vertical release distance of the second fastening element is ≦30 millimeters.
As is illustrated in
In order to keep the lid 14 secured in the closed position between dispensing occasions, the closure arrangement of the packaging container 1 may further comprise a locking arrangement 45. The locking arrangement 45 may comprise mating locking elements 45a, 45b. A male locking element 45a is arranged on the lid 14 and a female locking element 45b is arranged on the frame structure 30. The male locking element 45a is constituted by one or more protrusions, such as one or more knobs or ribs arranged on a locking flap 46 and the female locking element 45b is constituted by one or more corresponding cavities or grooves arranged on the frame structure 30. The locking arrangement 45 is preferably designed such that it exerts a force on the connection between the lid 14 and the upper rim edge 19 by pressing the first and second abutment surfaces 51, 52 together.
It is to be understood that the particular closure construction with a rim and a frame structure as disclosed herein is not essential to the packaging container of the claimed invention. Accordingly, the combined scraper bar and scoop holder as disclosed herein may be applied to any packaging container for bulk solids having an access opening and being provided with a scoop for removing bulk solids out of the packaging container through the access opening.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1550126-5 | Feb 2015 | SE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/SE2016/050079 | 2/2/2016 | WO | 00 |
