Soap bar wrapper

Abstract

The package with reinforced regions can be produced from a single sheet of material, preferably in-line with the packaging of an item. Gusset-like folds are made to form the reinforced regions of the film material that is to form the package. The reinforcement will be through at least a three-ply section between a center panel and side edge panels. The gusset-like folds provide a significant reinforcement due to the multi-ply nature of such folds. These folds can be made in any part of a film that is subsequently used to make a package.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the packaging of soap bars. More particularly, this invention relates to the packaging of soap bars that have radiused edges and an arched lower surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In many soap bar wrappers there is a need for a two piece wrapping. This particularly is the case when he soap bar is not in a substantially rectangular shape. This two piece wrapping is comprised of an inner partial wrapper called a stiffener and an outer wrapper which fully encircles and encloses the stiffener and the soap bar. The stiffener laterally substantially encircles the soap bar and shapes an outer wrapper into a substantially rectangular shape on an outer wrapper. The ends are open, the outer wrapper then fully surrounds the stiffener and soap bar. This dual wrapping uses more wrapping material than a single layer of material such as when the soap bar is substantially rectangular or in the use of flow wrapping techniques. This use of material in two piece wrapping can be decreased if the wrapping technique similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,009,511 is used. Here reinforcement bands adjacent each end of a package reinforce the end regions of a package. This is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. This package concept saves packaging material and can be used to package soap bars with a generally planar bottom to the soap bar. However, this package of U.S. Pat. No. 2,009,511 can be improved. It can be made from a single sheet of material rather than three separate pieces which reduces the cost of making the package.

In the process of U.S. Pat. No. 2,009,511 reinforcing bands are adhesively attached to the outer wrapper. This requires the attaching of two materials together. The result is a package with reinforced end areas. This is an effective package for soap bars. There is an effective reinforcing of the end edges to form a generally rectangular package. However, it has been found that a soap bar package with essentially the same advantages can be made from a single sheet of material in place of a sheet of material and two tapes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

It has been found that a package similar to that described in FIGS. 1 to 3 of U.S. Pat. No. 2,009,511 can be made from a single film. This is produced by forming gusset-like folds in the area where reinforcement is desired. The gusset-like folds will produce a three layer structure for the reinforcement bands. All or some of the walls of the folds can be adhesively bonded, one to the other. Such a three layer structure will provide a significant reinforcement of the area of the gusset-like fold.

The gusset-like folds will be adjacent each of the longitudinal edges of the sheet of film. The gusset-like folds can extend inwardly to about any depth. However, it is preferred that they do not extend inwardly to the extent that the gusset-like folds overlap. The folds which will provide a three-ply structure results in significant reinforcement of the part of the package with the folds.

The gusset-like folds are made continuously by means of plows that extend inwardly and that are usually used to form a gusset. Any gusset forming equipment and processes can be used. The forming of gusset folds is well-known in the bag making art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the film blank to be formed to have gusset-like folds.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the blank of FIG. 1 folded.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a soap bar packaged in a film with gusset-like end folds.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed in FIG. 1 is a sheet of material 10 (a blank) that is to be formed into a package by making gusset-like folds. This sheet of material has three types of panels. There is a center panel 14, edge panels 12 and gusset panels 16. There is a fold line 18 between center panel 14 and gusset panels 16 and a fold line 20 between edge panels 12 and gusset panels 16. The sheet of material folds at 18 and 20. The center panel 14 will form the top, bottom and longitudinal side surface of the soap bar package. This center panel also will contain most of the decoration and information on the soap bar package. The edge panels 12 will form the side closures and seals at each longitudinal end of the soap bar. The bottom surface also will contain some product information.

The sheet of material 14 can be of essentially any material this such as paper, paperboard and plastic. This includes paper/plastic, plastic/paper/plastic, plastic/paperboard, plastic/paperboard/plastic and plastic/plastic materials. However, plastics are preferred. The plastics include essentially any thermoplastics such as polyethylenes, polypropylenes, such as biaxially oriented polypropylenes, polyvinyl chlorides, polyvinyl acetates and polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate. The sheet of material can range in thickness from about 10 micron to about 300 micron, and usually about 25 micron to about 200 micron.

FIG. 2 shows the sheet of film 10 with the gusset-like folds. The center panel 14 is defined by gusset folds 18. Between gusset folds 18 and 20 there are gusset panels 16. This then leaves edge panels 12. This structure in the area of the gusset folds 18, 20 will be three-ply using parts of center panel 14, the gusset panel 16 and the edge panels 12. This three-ply structure will provide a reinforcement to this area of the package. The gusset panels 16 collectively will comprise about 10 percent to about 50 percent of the area of the center panel 14. In the wrapping of a soap bar this gusset panel usually will have a width of about 1 cm to about 5 cm and preferably about 1.5 cm to about 3 cm.

In use to form a package such as that shown in FIG. 3 to wrap soap bar 22 the underside of film material 10 will usually have an adhesive layer and preferably a heat activated adhesive. In the alternative the film material is readily heat bonded to itself. In the wrapping of soap bars the adhesive or heat bonding only needs to be strong enough to hold the gusset-like structure prior to and during the packaging operation. Once the package is formed, and all seals made, the package will maintain its own integrity and the gussets will provide the reinforcing structure. Any adhesive that will bond to the plastic film can be used for the underside of film material 10. Acrylics have been found to be useful, and in particular, heat activated acrylics. The adhesive layer will be in a thickness of about 1 micron to about 10 microns. An adhesive also can be applied between panels 16 and 12 to bond these panel sections together.

In wrapping soap bars the film material of FIG. 2 with the gussets bonded closed will be folded laterally around the soap bar with the center panel substantially covering the longitudinal extent of the soap bar on the top, bottom and side surfaces. The parts of edge panels 12 that are not a part of the reinforcing gusset-like fold form the side panels for the soap bar wrapping. These side edge panels are folded to form inner fold segments 24(a) and 24(b) and outer fold segments 26(a) and 26(b) and sealed in the usual way. This is conventional folding and sealing. The wrapped soap bar of FIG. 3 illustrates the use of the film of FIG. 2. The fold points of the gusset-like fold is shown at 16 between folds 18 and 20 (shown as dashed lines). The ends of section 14 of the film which forms a major part of the package are reinforced by the gussets. There will be a conventional longitudinal seal on the bottom of the soap bar.

There is produced soap bar wrappers having reinforced areas from a single sheet of material. This represents a savings in processing over the packages which use two films. The forming of the gusset-like folds can be made in-line in the packaging of the soap bars or articles of a related shape. A single sheet of film is fed to the packaging machine which makes the gusset folds and feeds the film with the gusset folds into the packaging machine. The packaging machine then wraps the film around the soap bar and forms the seals on the ends and on the bottom of the soap bar package.

Claims

1. A packaged soap bar comprising a soap bar, said soap bar surrounded by a plastic film, said plastic film folded inward on itself in a multi-layer gusset-like fold adjacent the longitudinal edge of said film, a margin of plastic film extending beyond said gusset-like fold.

2. A packaged soap bar as in claim 1 wherein the layers if plastic film in said gusset-like multi-layer fold are at least partially attached.

3. A packaged soap bar as in claim 2 wherein said layers of plastic film are adhesively attached.

4. A packaged soap bar as in claim 2 wherein said layers of plastic film are attached by heat welding.

5. A packaged soap bar as in claim 1 wherein said margin of plastic film is sufficient to form the sidewalls of said packaged soap bar.

6. A packaged soap bar as in claim 5 wherein said margin of plastic film is sealed by heat welding.

7. A packaged soap bar as in claim 5 wherein said margin is adhesively sealed.

8. A packaged soap bar as in claim 1 wherein said gusset-like fold is a fold of three layers of said film.

9. A packaged soap bar as in claim 1 wherein said gusset-like fold has a width of about 1 cm to about 5 cm.

10. A packaged soap bar as in claim 9 wherein said gusset-like fold has a width of about 1.5 cm to about 3 cm.

11. A packaged soap bar as in claim 11 wherein said film has a thickness of about 10 micron to about 300 micron.

12. A packaged soap bar as in claim 11 wherein said film has a thickness of about 25 micron to about 200 micron.

13. A method of packaging a soap bar and a plastic film having a length with a longitudinal edge and a width, forming a gusset-like fold adjacent each longitudinal edge to provide at least three layers in said gusset-like fold, a margin of plastic extending beyond the gusset-like fold, wrapping said film around said soap bar to fully envelop said soap bar, and folding and sealing said film to form said packaged soap bar wherein said soap bar is fully enclosed within said film.

14. A method of packaging a soap bar as in claim 13 wherein said gusset-like multi-layer fold is a three-layer fold.

15. A method of packaging a soap bar as in claim 13 wherein the plastic film in gusset-like layers are at least partially attached.

16. A method of packaging a soap bar as in claim 13 wherein the gusset-like folds are adhesively attached.

17. A method of packaging a soap bar as in claim 13 wherein the gusset-like folds are heat welded.

18. A method of packaging a soap bar as in claim 13 wherein the margin is sufficient to form the end walls of said soap bar package.