In the Drawings,
As used herein and in the appended claims, the term “closure” and grammatical variations thereof, refers to a lid or cap, such as a threaded cap, a lug-type cap, a snap-cap, and the like, that is designed to be repeatedly secured to and removed from a container finish, such that when the cap or lid is secured to the container finish, a seal is formed that protects the contents of the container from contamination and leakage.
The terms “lining material” and “liner” refer to a sheet material that is compressible and preferably semirigid, and is suitable for use within a closure to provide a resealable seal between the closure and a container finish. The term “liner” also refers to a section of lining material that has been cut to fit snugly within a closure against the upper inside surface thereof.
The term “seal”, when used as a noun, refers to a film or multilayer laminate material that is adhesively secured or heat-sealed over the finish of a container to provide an air and/or fluid tight seal. To access the contents of the container, the seal must be broken. A seal can provide evidence of product tampering, for example, when removal of the seal leaves a residue on the finish of the container. A container typically is fitted with a closure over a container seal. The closure protects the integrity of the seal during shipping and storage. Closures may include a liner, so that after the container seal is removed, the closure can be put back on the container to protect the contents that may remain in the container. When used as a verb, the term “seal” and grammatical variations thereof, refers to a process of covering the access opening of a container (e.g., ajar) with a sheet of flexible material bonded to the finish of the container.
The term “wax”, as used herein, is not limited to natural waxes and paraffins, but also encompasses materials commonly referred to as waxes in the packaging and converting industries, such as microcrystalline wax, polyethylene wax, polyisobutylene resins, and so-called synthetic waxes (e.g., amide waxes), as well as mixtures thereof.
As used herein, the term “thermoplastic” refers to a flexible polymeric material that reversibly softens and flows upon application of heat and pressure to the material. Two thermoplastic materials in contact with one another can be directly bonded together without the use of an adhesive by application of heat and pressure to the two materials.
The term “directly bonded” and grammatical variations thereof, as used herein and in the appended claims refers to a physical or chemical bond between two sheet materials, which is achieved without the use of an adhesive. For example, a coating of one polymeric material onto a polymeric film web is a directly bonded laminate.
As used herein as a noun, the term “laminate” refers to a composite sheet material comprising at least two layers of individual sheets, films or coatings.
The layers can be adhesively secured to one another, directly bonded to one another, or can be secured to one another by any combination of adhesive and direct bonding. When used as a verb, the term “laminate” and grammatical variations thereof, refers to the process of bonding sheet materials together in a stack (i.e., lamination).
For convenience, the term “sheet material” and grammatical variations thereof, is used herein to refer to any flexible material, which has a thickness that is substantially smaller in comparison to its length and breadth, and encompasses multilayer materials, as well as individual layers of sheets, films, coatings, foils, and the like, regardless of their thickness, and regardless of whether the layer was formed in situ by a coating process or was a preformed sheet or film.
A container seal of the invention includes at least one metal-free tab member. The container seal comprises a flexible, metal-free cover sheet and a flexible sealant sheet. The cover sheet comprises at least one layer of a flexible sheet material and includes a body portion that is sized and shaped to at least cover a container finish and has at least one metal-free tab portion extending from the periphery of the body portion. In some preferred embodiments, the cover sheet includes two opposed tab portions extending from the periphery of the body portion. The flexible sealant sheet comprises a thermoplastic sealing surface layer, an inner surface and a layer of metal foil. The inner surface can be a polymeric film, such as a barrier film, or can be the layer of metal foil. The flexible sealant sheet is of the same shape and size as the body portion of the cover sheet. The inner surface of the sealant sheet and the inner surface of the body portion of the cover sheet are bonded together in opposed, congruent contact with each other, while the tab portion of the cover sheet remains free and unbonded.
Optionally, a compressible sheet of lining material of the same size and shape as the body portion of the cover sheet can be tacked to the outer surface of the cover sheet by a layer of releasable adhesive, such as a layer of wax or like expedient. The resulting integrated liner and container seal can be utilized to seal a container and line a closure for the container, as well.
In use, the sealing surface of the container seal is bound to the finish of a container over the access opening of the container. The tab portion is freely graspable and not bound to the container finish. A consumer can grasp the tab and pull the container seal off of the container to access the contents sealed therein.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a tabbed container seal. The method comprises bonding a first moving web of at least one band of metal-containing sealant sheet material to a surface of a second moving web of metal-free cover sheet material to form a moving web of composite material. The sealant sheet material comprises a thermoplastic surface layer, a layer of metal foil, and an inner surface. The inner surface of the sheet material is bound to a surface of the second web of cover sheet material directly or by means of an adhesive layer. The cover sheet material is metal-free and comprises at least one layer of a flexible material such as a polymeric film, a synthetic fabric, or similar material. The at least one band of metal-containing sealant sheet material is narrower than the second web and is positioned relative to the second moving web so as to form a band of metal-containing sealing material comprising the sealant sheet bonded to the cover sheet, leaving at least one exposed metal-free strip of cover sheet material adjacent to the metal-containing band. A tabbed container seal is then cut from the composite web in a manner such that a tab portion of the container seal is formed from the at least one metal-free strip and the remainder of the container seal is formed from the metal-containing band portion of the composite web.
The sealant sheet, the cover sheet, and the liner, if present, can each independently comprise one or more layers of material, such as cellulose pulp, paper, a synthetic fabric, a polymer film, a polymer foam, and the like, or any combination thereof, the layers being stacked and bound together to form a laminate material. The sealant sheet includes a layer of metal foil, such as aluminum foil. The sealing surface of the sealant sheet preferably comprises a thermoplastic polymer film or coating (collectively referred to herein as a “thermoplastic polymer layer”) for heat-bonding to a container finish.
A sealed container of the present invention comprises a container having an access opening surrounded by a container finish. The sealed container includes a container seal of the invention bonded over its access opening. The sealing surface of the container seal is bound to the finish over the access opening of the container along the periphery of the sealing surface of the container seal. The metal-free tab portion of the container seal is not bound to the finish of the container and provides a mechanism for removing the seal from the container.
In one embodiment, the sealed container also comprises a closure secured to the container finish over the cover sheet of the container seal. Preferably, the closure includes a liner in contact with the cover sheet. The liner can be adhesively secured within the closure, if desired. In some embodiments the liner is tacked to the outer surface of the cover sheet by a layer of releasable adhesive. When a consumer removes the closure from the container, the liner, which is secured within the closure, shears away from the tab sheet, breaking the adhesive bond between the liner and the cover sheet. The cover sheet remains intact and bound to the sealant sheet. The consumer can then remove the seal from the container by grasping the tab portion and pulling the seal away from the container finish. In some embodiments, a visible residue or portion of the sealing sheet remains bound to the rim of the container finish providing an indication that a seal was once bound over the access opening, for example as evidence of tampering (i.e., if the seal is removed prior to purchase of the container by the consumer). The liner and container seal can be applied to the sealed container as a single integrated unit by tacking the liner to the tab sheet of the container seal, if desired.
Typically, a container seal has peripheral dimensions slightly larger than the peripheral dimensions of the container rim (finish). It is desirable for induction-heated container seals to seal evenly around the entire finish. Induction heating of a metallic layer in a container seal tends to result in the highest temperature region being located around the periphery of the sealing surface of the container seal. When the seal includes metal-containing tabs, as in conventional container seals, the higher temperature periphery does not strictly follow the shape of the container finish. This can lead to sealing problems.
The following examples, depicted in the drawings, are provided to further illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention. The embodiments shown in the drawings, and the descriptions thereof, and are not to be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present invention.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein similar reference-numbers refer to correspondingly similar components,
Similarly, Panel B of
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In
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Backing layer 424 can be a polymeric tie layer directly bound to sheet material 402 or can be a layer of adhesive. Metallic layer 426 preferably comprises a layer of metallic foil, such as aluminum foil. Barrier layer 430 preferably comprises a polymeric barrier film, such as a moisture barrier film or an oxygen barrier film. Sealant layer 432 comprises a thermoplastic film or coating.
In
Outer layer 442 preferably is a layer of polymeric film, a layer of paper, a layer of polymeric foam, a layer of paper, or a layer of synthetic fabric. First backing layer 446 preferably is a polymeric film or layer of polymeric foam. Alternatively, layer 444 can be a polymeric film, a layer of paper, or a layer of synthetic fabric, which is directly bound to layers 442 and 446. For example cover sheet 441 can be a polymer coated paper in which layer 442 is a polymer coating, layer 444 is a paper, and layer 446 is a second polymeric coating.
Second backing layer 448 can be a polymeric tie layer directly bound to sheet material first backing layer 446 or can be a layer of adhesive. Metallic layer 450 preferably comprises a layer of metallic foil, such as aluminum foil. Sealant layer 452 comprises a thermoplastic film or coating.
In
Outer layer 462 preferably is a layer of polymeric film, a layer of paper, a layer of polymeric foam or a layer of synthetic fabric. First backing layer 466 preferably is a polymeric film or layer of polymeric foam. Alternatively, layer 464 can be a polymeric film, a layer of paper, or a layer of synthetic fabric, which is directly bound to layers 462 and 466. For example cover sheet 461 can be a polymer coated paper in which layer 462 is a polymer coating, layer 464 is a paper, and layer 466 is a second polymeric coating.
Second backing layer 468 can be a polymeric tie layer directly bound to first backing layer 466, or can be a layer of adhesive. Metallic layer 470 preferably comprises a layer of metallic foil, such as aluminum foil. Barrier layer 472 preferably comprises a polymeric barrier film, such as a moisture barrier film or an oxygen barrier film. Sealant layer 476 comprises a thermoplastic film or coating.
In
Outer layer 482 preferably is a layer of polymeric film, a layer of paper, a layer of polymeric foam or a layer of synthetic fabric. Each of first and second backing layers 486 and 490 preferably is a polymeric film or layer of polymeric foam. Third backing layer 492 can be a polymeric tie layer directly bound to second backing layer 490, or can be a layer of adhesive. Metallic layer 494 preferably comprises a layer of metallic foil, such as aluminum foil. Sealant layer 496 comprises a thermoplastic film or coating.
In
Outer layer 502 preferably is a layer of polymeric film, a layer of paper, a layer of polymeric foam or a layer of synthetic fabric. Each of first and second backing layers 506 and 510 preferably is a polymeric film or layer of polymeric foam. Third backing layer 512 can be a polymeric tie layer directly bound to second backing layer 510, or can be a layer of adhesive. Metallic layer 514 preferably comprises a layer of metallic foil, such as aluminum foil. Barrier layer 518 preferably comprises a polymeric barrier film, such as a moisture barrier film or an oxygen barrier film. Sealant layer 520 comprises a thermoplastic film or coating.
The container seals of the present invention can include any combination of single-layer or multilayer sealant sheet, cover sheet, and liner, as described above. Multilayer sealant sheets, cover sheets, and liners preferably are two-layer, three-layer, four-layer or five-layer structures. Multilayer structures generally comprise sheets of cellulose pulp, paper, synthetic fabric, polymer film, polymer foam, metal foil, and the like, or any combination thereof, adhesively bonded together, thermally fused, extruded or coated, to form a unitary structure, as is well known in the materials converting and laminating arts. In the container seals of the present invention, the cover sheet is metal-free.
In one illustrative use, a container seal of the invention can be die-cut to an appropriate size and shape and conveniently placed within a container closure (e.g., a cap) as a single unit. The container seal is sized and shaped to fit securely within the closure and is placed in the closure with its sealing surface facing outward. When the container seal includes a liner portion, the liner preferably is bound to the inside top of the closure by an adhesive, such as a hot-melt adhesive. The closure is then secured to the finish of a container (e.g., a bottle or a jar), for example, by torquing a threaded closure onto a threaded finish of a container after the container has been filled with a product. Heat is then applied to the container seal to bond the sealing surface to the container finish.
Heat can be applied to the container seal inductively or conductively. In the inductive heating process, a filled container having a container seal of the invention secured over its access opening is passed through an induction-sealing device in which radio frequency (rf) energy inductively heats the metal foil layer, preferably to a temperature in the range of about 65 to about 150° C. For a container seal having a heat-releasable liner, the heat from metal foil also liquefies a layer of wax that tacks the liner to the cover sheet. The wax is then absorbed by a wax-absorbent material in contact with the wax layer, causing the liner to release and separate from cover sheet. The wax layer that binds the liner to the cover sheet preferably is selected to have a melting point in the range of about 65 to about 150° C.
Upon removal of the closure by a consumer, the liner, if present, remains in the closure, while the container seal, with its integral tab portion, remains bound to the finish of the container as a protective seal. The seal is peelably removable by a consumer by grasping the tab and pulling the seal off of the container finish after the closure is removed.
Liner components preferably include compressible materials, such as a cellulose pulp material, a polymeric foam, or a polymeric film. Preferred polymeric foams include a polyolefin foam, a substituted polyolefin foam, or a polyurethane foam. Suitable polyolefin foams include foams of polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene propylene copolymers, and blends thereof. Non-limiting examples of suitable substituted polyolefins include polystyrene foam, polyvinyl chloride foam, and foam rubber. Preferably, the polyolefin foam is a polyethylene foam, more preferably a low-density polyethylene foam.
The liner, when present, preferably has a thickness in the range of about 15 to about 60 mils (thousandths of an inch), and more preferably about 20 to about 40 mils.
Cellulose pulp-based substrates, which are commonly used in closure liners and container seals, can be laminated to other materials such as a metal foil, a polymer film, or to a foil/film laminate using conventional lamination techniques that are well known in the art.
Polymeric foams useful in the container seals of the present invention can be secured to other layers of material, such as a metal foil, paper, synthetic fabric, or polymer film, by lamination or by extruding the foam directly onto a web of the other material, or by extruding a polymeric resin onto a web of the polymeric foam, for example. Methods of extruding polymeric foams are well known in the polymer art. For example, methods of producing polymeric foams are described in A. Brent Strong, Plastics Materials and Processing, 2nd Ed., Prentice Hall Inc., Upper Saddle River, N.J., Chapter 17, pp. 589-614 (2000), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The polymeric foams can be manufactured using any known foaming process, e.g. by mechanical foaming, chemical foaming, physical foaming, and the like. Preferably, the polymeric foam is formed by chemical foaming with a blowing agent, or gas injection foaming with a nucleating agent including passive nucleating agents (e.g., particulate materials such as talc) or active nucleating agents (e.g., foaming agents). Blowing agents are well known in the polymer arts.
Non-limiting examples of suitable blowing agents include the following chemicals designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as suitable replacements for chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) for use as blowing agents in polyolefin foams: methylene chloride (dichloromethane); 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC- 134a); 1,1,-difluoroethane (HFC-152a); 1,1,1-trifluoro 2,2-dichloroethane (HCFC-123); 1,1,1-trifluoroethane (HFC-143a); 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane (HFC-245fa); saturated light hydrocarbons (C3-C6 hydrocarbons); water; and carbon dioxide.
Other suitable blowing agents include chemical blowing agents such as carbonate and azo type compounds. Such compounds include, without being limited thereto, ammonium carbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, diazoaminobenzene, diazoaminotoluene, azodicarbonamide, diazoisobutyronitrile, and the like.
Metal foils useful in the container seals of the present invention can comprise any metal that is suitable for use in a closure liner or container seal, for example, steel foil (including stainless steel foil), tin foil, aluminum foil (including aluminum alloy foils), and the like. Choice of a particular metal will depend on the nature of the material to be included in the container to be sealed by the container seal of the invention, although aluminum foil is the most common conventional metal foil used for induction dealing purposes, and is particularly preferred. Preferably, the metal foil is aluminum foil having a thickness in the range of about 0.35 mil to about 2 mils.
Materials suitable for use as a polymer film in the container seals of the invention include, for example, polyolefins such as polyethylene or polypropylene, polyesters such as PET, functionalized polyolefins such as ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) or ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) polymers, halogenated polyolefins such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyvinylidene chloride (PVdC), acrylonitrile methacrylate copolymer films (e.g., BAREX® film, BP Chemicals, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio), and the like. The polymer film can be a single layer of polymer, or a multilayer structure comprising two or more layers of polymer bound together. A particularly preferred polymer film is PET film. Preferably, the polymer film has a thickness in the range of about 0.5 to about 2 mils.
Adhesives suitable for permanently securing various layers of the container seals of the invention to one another include epoxy adhesives, solvent-based cements containing synthetic rubber or a phenolic resin, acrylic adhesives, urethane adhesives, waxes or any other suitable adhesive, or a tie-layer. Tie-layers are often used to provide adhesion between a nonpolar polymer, such as polyethylene, and a polar polymer such as ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH). Typically, tie-layers are functionalized polyolefins such as ethylene acrylic acid copolymers, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA), and the like, as is well known in the art.
One preferred form of adhesive is a solventless adhesive system, such as MOR-FREE® 403A/C117, available from Rohm & Haas Corp., Springhouse, Pa.). Another preferred adhesive is the two part adhesive available under the trade name ADCOTE® 503 adhesive, from Rohm & Haas Corp, which is a polyester resin used in combination with a curing agent such as Coreactant F, also available from Rohm & Haas Corp. Another suitable adhesive is Airflex 426, available from Air Products, Inc. Other preferred adhesives include, for example, solventless adhesive systems, which are available from Rohm & Haas, and H. B. Fuller (e.g., Fuller WD4120 and WD4122). Adhesives useful in a variety of applications are discussed in detail in Arthur H. Landrock, Adhesives Technology Handbook, Noyes Publications, Park Ridge, N.J., (1985), incorporated herein by reference (hereinafter “Landrock”).
Releasable adhesives useful for tacking a liner to the cover sheet include weakly bonding adhesives, such as pressure-sensitive adhesives, wax and wax-based adhesives, and the like. Intermittent layers of permanent adhesives can also be utilized.
Pressure sensitive adhesives are discussed at pages 174-175 of Landrock. Such pressure sensitive adhesives include natural rubber adhesives, natural rubber/styrene-butadiene rubber adhesives, polyisobutylene adhesives, butyl rubber adhesives, as well as mixtures of natural rubber with tackifying resins such as rosins, petroleum, and terpenes. Other pressure sensitive adhesives include ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymers tackified with resins or softeners, vinyl ether polymers, silicone rubber and silicone resin adhesives, and the like.
When a pressure sensitive adhesive is used, one surface in contact with the adhesive can include a release coating, so that the adhesive will have a greater affinity for one surface that the other surface with which it is in contact. Release coatings include acrylic acid esters of long-chain fatty alcohols, polyurethanes incorporating long aliphatic chains, cellulose esters, polytetrafluoroethylene, and the like.
If an adhesive is utilized to bond a polymeric foam and/or a polymeric film to another layer of material, the bonding surfaces of the polymer foam or film can be surface-treated to improve adhesion. Non-limiting examples of suitable surface treatments include chromic acid etching, corona treatment, oxidizing flame treatment, gas plasma treatment, and the like.
Wax-absorbent materials useful in the present invention include paper, cellulose pulp (e.g., pulp board), or an absorbent synthetic fabric, such as a nonwoven fabric, an absorbent polymeric foam, a porous polymeric film, and the like. The wax-absorbent material can be a single layer of absorbent material, or a multilayer structure comprising two or more layers of absorbent material bound together (e.g., by an adhesive). In any event, the wax-absorbent material is selected to be capable of absorbing a sufficient quantity of the wax to cause the liner to release from the cover sheet.
The thickness of a wax-absorbent material is selected so that the material will absorb a sufficient amount of a wax layer to allow the liner to release from the cover sheet when the wax is melted. Preferably, the wax absorbent material has a thickness in the range of about 1 mil to about 12 mils, more preferably about 2 mils to about 10 mils, and most preferably about 2.5 mils to about 6 mils.
Paper, cellulose pulp, and synthetic fabric materials are useful components of the container seals of the invention even when a wax layer is not utilized. In particular, paper and synthetic fabric materials can be used as a facing for a liner or as a facing for the outer surface of the cover sheet. Printed matter can be present on the facing to provide product identification information, product promotion information, instructions for use of the container contents, and the like, if desired.
Suitable paper and cellulose pulp materials for use in the container seals of the invention include bleached or unbleached Kraft paper, single-layer or multilayer glassine paper, bleached or unbleached cellulose pulp, clay-coated papers, or any other paper or cellulose sheet material commonly used in container seals or liners in the packaging industry.
Synthetic fabrics that are useful in the container seals of the invention include nonwoven polyolefin fabrics and nonwoven polyester fabrics. Suitable nonwoven polyolefin fabrics include nonwoven polyethylene materials, such as a microporous polyethylene film or spunbonded high density polyethylene, as well as nonwoven polypropylene, nonwoven ethylene-propylene copolymer, and nonwoven blends thereof. Suitable nonwoven polyester fabrics include nonwoven polyethylene terephthalate fabrics and spunlaced DACRON® polyester-based fabrics available from E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co., Inc. of Wilmington, Del. (Dupont), under the trade name SONTARA®. Preferably, the synthetic fabric is an absorbent polyethylene non-woven fabric such as TYVEK® non-woven fabric, available from DuPont, or a microporous polyethylene film sold under the trade name TESLIN® by PPG Industries, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa.
A wax layer for tacking a liner to a cover sheet preferably comprises paraffin, a microcrystalline wax, a polyethylene wax, a polyisobutylene resin, a butyl rubber resin, a synthetic wax such as an amide wax (e.g., a stearamide, an oleamide, or erucamide), or any combination thereof. More preferably the wax layer comprises paraffin, a microcrystalline wax, or a combination thereof. Most preferably the wax layer comprises a microcrystalline wax. A wax layer can be deposited utilizing an emulsion of a wax material, as described above, suspended in an aqueous medium. A wax layer, when present preferably has a melting point in the range of about 65 to about 150° C. Preferably, a wax layer has a thickness of about 0.2 to about 2 mils, more preferably about 0.5 to about 0.75 mils.
A barrier film, when present, preferably comprises a polymeric material having oxygen barrier, moisture barrier, solvent barrier, or toughness (i.e, puncture resistance) properties, as desired, based on the type of contents that will be included within a container sealed by the container seal of the invention. The barrier film can be a single layer of polymer, or a multilayer structure comprising two or more layers of polymer either directly bound to one another or adhesively secured to each other. Non-limiting examples of materials that can be used as a moisture barrier film include vinyl chloride/vinylidene chloride copolymer (i.e., PVC-PVdC) films marketed by Dow Chemical Company under the trademark SARAN®, polyethylene, oriented polypropylene (OPP), OPP/polyvinyl chloride (PVC) laminates, and OPP/PVC-PVdC laminates. Non-limiting examples of materials that can be used as an oxygen barrier film include PVC-PVdC, PET, PVC-PVdC/PET laminates, acrylonitrile methacrylate copolymer films, PVdC, and OPP/PVC-PVdC laminates. Non-limiting examples of solvent resistant films include PET and polyethylene. Non-limiting examples of puncture resistant films include PET and PVC. Preferred barrier films are PET, PVdC, and acrylonitrile methacrylate copolymer films. Preferably the barrier film has a thickness in the range of about 0.5 to about 3 mils.
The thermoplastic heat-sealable film or coating at the sealing surface of the sealant sheet is a thermoplastic material that will soften and bond to a container finish with which it is in contact when heated at temperatures achieved during typical induction or conduction sealing operations, under the pressure exerted by the closure on the container seal between the closure and the container finish. Typically the pressure on the container seal is achieved by torquing a closure over the container seal onto a container finish with a torque in the range of about 15 inch-pounds to about 90 inch-pounds.
Non-limiting examples of materials that can be used as sealing surface layer include low-density polyethylene (LDPE), medium density polyethylene (MDPE), polypropylene (PP), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), ionomer films, and amorphous PET, including heat-sealable polymeric hot melt coatings, such as an EVA copolymer, a styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS) copolymer, a styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) copolymer, an ethylene ethyl acrylate copolymer (EEA), a polyurethane reactive (PUR) copolymer, and the like. Typically the sealing surface layer is selected to be of the same material as the container finish or of a material that is compatible with the container finish. Accordingly, a polyethylene film would be selected as a heat-sealable film to seal a high-density polyethylene container finish. Similarly, a PET film can be used as the heat-sealable film to seal a PET container finish. Preferably, the heat-sealable film is medium density polyethylene, polypropylene, EVA copolymer, or PET. When a relatively strong, puncture-resistant sealant sheet is desired, a tough barrier film can be included over the heat-sealable film.
Thermoplastic materials, many of which are commodity materials are well known in the art. Non-limiting Examples of thermoplastic materials are described in chapter 6 of A. Brent Strong (ed.) Plastics Materials and Processing, Second Edition, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, N.J. (2000), chapter 6 of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The selection of appropriate shape and dimensions for a container seal to be used with a particular closure and container combination is routine for one of ordinary skill in the packaging art. Typically, the dimensions of the container seal are chosen to be substantially equal to the inside dimensions of the upper surface of the closure, so that the upper surface of the container seal will fit snugly within the closure. The thickness of the container seal is selected based on the clearance between the upper inside surface of the closure and the finish of a complementary container. Preferably, the thickness of the container seal is selected so that the container seal is slightly compressed when the material is sealed between the closure and a container finish. Such compression aids in forming a fluid and/or air-tight seal. Container closures are selected to match container finishes of complementary dimensions and design, as is well known in the packaging art.
Preferably, the container seal of the invention has an overall thickness in the range of about 8 to about 85 mils, more preferably about 20 to about 40 mils. It is preferred that a liner, when present, have a thickness in the range of about 5 to about 40 mils. Preferably, the sealant sheet portion has a total thickness in the range of about 0.5 to about 10 mils, more preferably about 0.5 to about 5 mils.
The container seals of the present invention can be manufactured using standard coating and lamination techniques that are well known in the art. For example, a web of substrate material (e.g., a polymeric film) and a thermoplastic film can be laminated to a sheet of metal foil using one or more conventional adhesives to form a sealant sheet. A surface of the sealant sheet material can be bonded, in zones (bands), to a metal-free cover sheet comprising, for example, a layer of paper laminated to a polymeric barrier film, to form a multilayer sheet material having strips of metal-free cover sheet material alternating with bands of metal-containing, multilayer material comprising both the cover sheet and the sealant sheet material. The resulting roll of composite material can then be die-cut in register with the metal-containing bands and metal-free strips to form container seals of the invention, such that the tab portion of the container seal is formed from a metal-free strip and the remainder of the seal is formed from a metal-containing band.
In preferred embodiments, the composite web comprises a strip of metal-free cover sheet material on each side of each band of metal-containing sealing material. Preferably, the composite web comprises a plurality (e.g., two or more) of metal-containing bands separated from one another by metal-free strips of cover sheet material.
The container seals of the present invention can be manufactured to full machine width in a master roll form, utilizing standard roll coating and laminating equipment, which are well known in the materials converting an processing arts. Typically, the master roll of sheet material is slit to a desired width and shipped to a closure manufacturer. The closure manufacturer, in turn, die-cuts the slit roll in register with the metal-containing bands and metal-free strips to the desired size and shape for use in particular container closures. The die-cut container seals are then inserted or pressed into the closure and sealed to a filled container as described above.
Any common closure design suitable for use with a liner or container seal can be used in conjunction with the container seals of the present invention. Preferred closures include standard, continuous threaded (CT) closures, which are well known in the art. Such closures are described, for example J. L. Heid and Maynard A. Joslyn, Eds. Fundamentals of Food Processing Operations Ingredients, Methods, and Packaging, The AVI Publishing Company, Inc., Westport, Conn. (1967), pp. 649-655.
Numerous variations and modifications of the embodiments described above may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel features of the invention. No limitations with respect to the specific embodiments illustrated herein are intended or should be inferred.