Patent Application
20140004233
The present invention generally relates to containers used in food packaging industry, particularly to thermoformed plastic flanged containers, such as yoghurt pots or similar. The invention also concerns a pack comprising such flanged containers.
More particularly, the invention relates to a container for a food composition, in particular a dairy product composition, comprising:
It is known to produce such a container, and in particular a yoghurt pot or similar, by means thermoforming a sheet of plastic to form the volume. Typically, the plastic sheet is heated and then drawn into a cavity such as by vacuum and/or pressure. As the sheet is drawn into the cavity, the thickness of the portion of the sheet drawn into the cavity is reduced as the sheet material is stretched into the cavity. With such a method, the side wall of the body is thin, while the flange has the same thickness and the same rigidity as the original sheet of plastic.
The plastic containers are conventionally sealed with membranes and can be manufactured and sold in a multiple portion packaging tray comprising an array of separable containers. The containers are generally arranged in layers of four, six or height pots, the containers being connected to one another along their flanges. The French patent FR 2 432 975 describes a pack of plastic flanged containers, in which an individual container may be removed by tearing a separation region provided between two adjacent flanges. After separation, each container flange still has four outer side edges so as to keep integrity of the content. These containers work well when made of relatively brittle plastic. Use of less brittle or more pliable polymers makes the containers more difficult to break apart. Such a difficulty may cause escape of the content when breaking other parts of the container.
In food packaging industry, the plastic containers can be stacked on top of one another so as to form stacks which can be layered on a pallet. A loading weight on a pallet may be much more than 500 kg. Such stacks allow the packaging items at the bottom to withstand the compressive load of the packaging items on top. The plastic containers layers are typically stored in cardboard trays each having a bottom and side walls preventing lateral tilting of the layers.
There are already some solutions to provide to the consumers containers with less plastic material. For instance, the French patent FR 2 432 975 describes plastic containers with polygonal flanges, V-cuts being provided to recycle material of the flanges.
However, the weight of the plastic containers cannot be easily reduced since the containers made of relatively brittle plastic have to be transported in a safe manner and without any deformation. The packs of containers have to be sufficiently robust in particular for transportation on a pallet. It is also preferably required that the containers are user-friendly, i.e. not complicating user's operations such as separating an individual container, opening the membrane seal, eating the content.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide flanged containers using less plastic material and addressing one or more of the above mentioned problems.
To this end, embodiments of the present invention provide a container of the above mentioned type, characterized in that the flange comprises:
Advantageously, the size of outer straight side edges of the flange is reduced, thus allowing a higher reduction of material in the corners. Surprisingly, the flanged containers can be efficiently connected to one another along their first flange portions, without accidental separation, even when using brittle plastic material (for instance polystyrene rather than polyethylene or polypropylene). Outer convex edges longer than the outer straight edges make also the flange user-friendly and easy to manipulate when removing the membrane seal.
Furthermore, use of a body having a circular opening allows a good compromise for accessibility to the content without increasing radial dimension(s) of the container.
According to a particular feature, the first flange portions comprise at least three first flange portions, each having a continuous cut out line defining one of said outer straight side edges, each of the outer straight side edges having a length shorter than half of said inner diameter of the upper circular opening, and each of said second flange portions comprises an outer convex edge that extends between two adjacent of said outer straight side edges. With such an arrangement, container material is saved and a layer of containers can be easily stored in a stackable tray (having a parallelepiped configuration).
According to a particular feature, the opening is circular and has an inner diameter Dint, any one of said outer straight side edges having a length l that satisfies the relation:
l/D
int<0.45.
Of course, length of each the first flange portions is equal to the length l of the corresponding outer straight side edge. This length is not necessarily the same for the different first flange portions. In one embodiment, the above ratio is preferably inferior to 0.4. Accordingly, savings of a material is obtained. Preferably, four first flange portions are provided on the flange, the four corresponding outer straight side edges defining a virtual square, each of the outer straight side edges having the same length.
According to a particular feature, each of the outer straight side edges has a length l equal to about one third of the length of one side of said virtual square. With such an arrangement, a particularly soft transition is obtained between the short straight side edge and the outer curved edge forming the corner of the container, while increasing removal of material in the corner as compared to conventional flanges.
According to a particular feature, the flange has a geometrical shape, wherein the longitudinal axis forms an intersection between:
With such a specific geometry, there is provided a C-shape portion (the first one) more attractive for the removal of the membrane seal or similar closure means, while the other C-shape portion (the first one) is optimized for lowering weight of the container. Symmetry of the first C-shape portion is also advantageous for a better manipulation by a left-handed person.
In various embodiments of the flanged container of the invention, recourse may optionally also be had to one or more of the following dispositions:
⅔*Dint≦c≦¾*Dint,
where b is the length of the small side of the first virtual isosceles right triangle, c is the length of the small side of the second virtual isosceles right triangle and Dint the inner diameter of said opening;
A further purpose of the invention is to provide a food pack easy to be manipulated in a supermarket (before exposure of the containers by the operators and thereafter by the final consumer) and resistant while reducing amount of plastic material.
To this end, embodiments of the present invention provide a food pack comprising a plurality of containers according to the invention arranged in at least one row, and preferably at least four containers arranged in two rows, the flanges of the pack being integrally formed and separably joined to each other at a junction between two of the first flange portions of two distinct containers of the pack.
Accordingly, there is provided a pack, which is particularly well adapted for transportation in a stackable tray, while limiting the amount of material.
Two of the second flange portions may be advantageously rounded and define external portions of the pack. These two second flange portions are adjacent corner portions separated by one of the first flange portions. This geometry is user-friendly (without sharp edges).
According to a particular feature, the pack comprises a group of four containers provided with a star-cut pattern between the individual containers, said star-cut pattern having a length L1, such that the following relation is observed:
0.75≦L1/Dint≦0.95.
Accordingly, the material saved by the larger cut at the central region may be re-used for other packs, for example by recycling. It should be noted that the flanges may have a constant thickness, this thickness being provided at the junction. Here, tearing the separation region for removal of an individual container is not facilitated by a reduction of thickness, the shorter length of the outer straight side edges being sufficient to make the removal easy for the user.
It is also provided, according to the invention, a use of a container according to the invention for containing a dairy product, preferably a yoghurt composition having a weight not inferior to 50 g and not superior to 500 g, preferably not inferior to 75 or 80 g and not superior to 400 g, and more preferably not inferior to 100 g and not superior to 200 g. A yoghurt composition having a weight comprised between 100 and 200 g is highly preferred. The shape of the opening and the flange are particularly user-friendly while the arrangement of the body is very compact when containing a yoghurt composition or similar dairy product having a weight comprised between 100 and 150 g, preferably about 125 g.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art during the description which will follow, given by way of a non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawings.
a and 5b show the same top view of a container without the membrane seal;
In the various figures, the same references are used to designate identical or similar elements.
Referring to
The bottom 6 provided with the cavity 6a has a better strength for better supporting a compression load.
Of course, the bottom 6 may still be considered as a generally planar bottom, at least because the bottom 6 has a flat shape and the container 2 is adapted to be maintained vertically when the bottom 6 is in contact with a horizontal base support (the longitudinal axis X being vertical). Of course, the height of the cavity 6a is preferably very small, for instance about 0.5 mm.
Referring to
Referring to
In the exemplary embodiment shown in
Preferably, the second flange portions 14, 15 have curved and/or rounded outer side edges, two of which (outer side edges 14a as shown in
l/D
int<0.45,
where l is length of any one of the first flange portions 12 and Dint is the inner diameter of said circular opening 8. The ratio i/Dint may also be inferior to 0.4 in one particular embodiment. With this arrangement, the change of direction between the straight direction defined by the first flange portion 12 and the tangent direction of the adjacent second flange portion 14 or 15 is minimized (at the corresponding end of the first flange portion 12). The soft transition may prevent a sharp protrusion from forming when the flanges 10 are cut. The perimeter of the flange 10 of an individual container 2 is free of serrated surfaces in one embodiment.
Referring to the preferred embodiment of
Referring to
The second C-shaped portion 17b as shown in the left part of the
In one non-limitative embodiment, the ratio between the maximal radial extension e1 of the first C-shaped portion 17a and the inner diameter Dint of the circular opening 8 is comprised between 0.18 and 0.22, while the ratio between the maximal radial extension e2 of the second C-shape portion, 17b and the inner diameter Dint is comprised between 0.15 and 0.18. Accordingly, the radial extension of the flange remains much lower than one quarter of the inner diameter Dint, thus allowing saving much more plastic material. More generally, the second flange portions 14, 15 have a maximal radial extension longer than the radial extension of the first flange portions 12. With the maximal radial extension e1 provided at the second flange portion 15, the corresponding angle is well adapted for a handling and an adequate pulling of the membrane seal S by the user's hand. As shown in the non-limitative example of
In one alternative embodiment, three of the second flange portions could be rounded to form circular segments, so as to remove more plastic material. In such a case, only one of the second flange portions has a higher maximal radial extension e2, with the same shape as in the ends of the first C-shaped portion 17a.
Now referring to
⅔*Dint≦b≦c≦¾*Dint,
where b is the length of the small side of the first virtual isosceles right triangle T1, c is the length of the small side of the second virtual isosceles right triangle T2 and Dint the inner diameter of the circular opening 8.
With such a flange 10 provided with the circular opening 8, a good compromise is obtained between savings of material, size of the diameter Dint for an easy access to the content, and facility to remove the membrane seal S. Furthermore, with a short junction J, the containers 2 can be separated without forming any sharp corner or hook in the corners, large curved edges being defined by the second flange portions 14 and 15. Preferably, the angle defined between the direction defined by one of the outer straight side edges and the tangent direction of the adjacent second flange portion 15 of the first C-shaped portion 17b is about 10° and not superior to 15°.
It should be also noted that the radial extension of the flange 10 is not a parameter easy to reduce, at least because essential functions of the flanges 10 in a pack 1 include:
As shown in
As shown in
Referring to
As shown in
0.75<L1/Dint<0.95
With such a configuration and a sufficient thickness E at the junctions J, the containers 2 of a pack 1 cannot be accidentally separated. Furthermore, two and preferably all the second flange portions 14, 15 may each define an external perimeter portion corresponding to at least 1/7 of the external perimeter defined by the flange 20. Preferably, for an individual container 2 separated from a four containers pack 1 as shown in
Referring to
The containers 2 are intended to be filled with a liquid or semi-liquid dairy product or similar food, preferably a yoghurt composition. The containers 2 can be used for 50-500 g capacity, preferably 75-200 g capacity. Of course, the containers 2 of the present invention are not in any way limited to yoghurt but can be intended to contain all sorts of liquid, semi-liquid or flowable edible products. A container 2 adapted to receive 125 g of a yoghurt composition or similar may be provided with a flange 10 having a diameter of the circular opening equal to about 53-54 mm, while the length L of the flange 10 (i.e. the distance between two parallel outer straight side edges) is equal to about 63 mm and the height H of the container 2 may be equal to about 66-67 mm. The length l of each of the four outer straight side edges 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d may be equal to about 21 mm or less.
Referring to the non-limitative embodiment of
Before the cut, the sheet Sh may be punched to form the body cavities that are filled with the food (typically a dairy product composition). The cut is performed after closing the cavities using a foil that is suitable for food contact.
In this example, the surfaces cut according to the star-cut pattern 20 represent about 3-4% and preferably about 3.3% of the whole surface of the sheet Sh. The surfaces 34 cut to delimit the outer side edges 14a represent between 5 and 7% of the whole surface of the sheet Sh, preferably 6%. Accordingly, the useful surface of the sheet Sh for producing the twenty-four containers 2 may be inferior to 90% and preferably inferior to 85% of the whole surface of the plastic sheet Sh (including margins 35 that represent less than 8%, and preferably less that 7% of the whole surface). Containers 2 shown in
The present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments. These embodiments, however, are merely for example and the invention is not restricted thereto. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that other variations and modifications can easily be made within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims, thus it is only intended that the present invention be limited by the following claims.
Any reference sign in the following claims should not be construed as limiting the claim. It will be obvious that the use of the verb “to comprise” and its conjugations does not exclude the presence of any other elements besides those defined in any claim. The word “a” or “an” preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2011/000797 | 3/15/2011 | WO | 00 | 9/13/2013 |
