U.S. patent application number 10/467346 was filed with the patent office on 2004-06-17 for method for packaging a product.
Invention is credited to Bethune, Alain, Hould, Jean-Francois.
Application Number | 20040112787 10/467346 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 8860315 |
Filed Date | 2004-06-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040112787 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bethune, Alain ; et
al. |
June 17, 2004 |
Method for packaging a product
Abstract
The present invention relates to a method for packaging a
product (10), in particular a cosmetic product, in a support (20)
of flat overall shape through which a cavity (30) passes, which
cavity opens onto a first face (21) of the support (20) via a first
opening (31) and onto a second face (22) of the support (20), on
the opposite side from the first, via a second opening (32), the
said method consisting in: a) closing (100) the first opening (31)
by means of a removable capsule (40), which is to be removed prior
to first use of the product with a view to accessing the product;
b) introducing (200) the product (10) into the cavity (30) via the
second opening (32); c) closing (400) the second opening (32).
Inventors: |
Bethune, Alain; (Savigny
Longjumeau, FR) ; Hould, Jean-Francois; (Hoboken,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
OBLON, SPIVAK, MCCLELLAND, MAIER & NEUSTADT, P.C.
1940 DUKE STREET
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22314
US
|
Family ID: |
8860315 |
Appl. No.: |
10/467346 |
Filed: |
February 2, 2004 |
PCT Filed: |
February 19, 2002 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/FR02/00630 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/581 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45D 40/0087 20130101;
B65B 1/24 20130101; B65B 51/06 20130101; A45D 33/00 20130101; B65B
7/164 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/581 |
International
Class: |
B65D 069/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 22, 2001 |
FR |
01/02411 |
Claims
1. Method for packaging a product (10), in particular a cosmetic
product, in a support (20) of flat overall shape through which a
cavity (30) passes, which cavity opens onto a first face (21) of
the support (20) via a first opening (31) and onto a second face
(22) of the support (20), on the opposite side from the first, via
a second opening (32), the said method consisting in: a) closing
(100) the first opening (31) by means of a removable capsule (40),
which is to be removed prior to first use of the product with a
view to accessing the product; b) introducing (200) the product
(10) into the cavity (30) via the second opening (32); c) closing
(400) the second opening (32).
2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the product
(10) is introduced into the cavity (30) in powder form, then the
said powder is compacted (300) in the cavity (30) before closing
the second opening (32).
3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that a
quantity of product is introduced so as to at least fill the cavity
(30).
4. Method according to claim 3, characterised in that the excess
product is removed so as to only fill the cavity (30).
5. Method according to any one of the preceding claims,
characterised in that the second opening (32) is closed by means of
an adhesive sheet (50) which is fixed onto the second face (22) of
the support.
6. Method according to claim 5, characterised in that the adhesive
sheet (50) is fixed by pressing it with a roller (60) so as to make
the product (10) adhere at least in part to the adhesive sheet
(50).
7. Method according to claim 5 or 6, characterised in that the
adhesive sheet (50) is formed by a thermoplastic material, in
particular a polyolefin or polyester.
8. Method according to any one of the preceding claims,
characterised in that the capsule (40) is attached to the first
face (21) of the support (20) by means of an adhesive so that it
can be detached and reattached at least once.
9. Method according to claim 8, characterised in that the capsule
(40) has no adhesive function in the region (42) intended to face
the first opening (21).
10. Method according to any one of the preceding claims,
characterised in that the capsule (40) has a gripping region (41)
making it possible to hold the capsule (40) in order to detach it,
at least in part, from the support (20).
11. Method according to claim 8, characterised in that the capsule
(40) is in part covered with a non-adhesive thermoplastic film on
its adhesive face, in particular in region(s) (41) and/or (42).
12. Method according to any one of the preceding claims,
characterised in that the capsule (40) is made of a transparent
material.
13. Method according to any one of the preceding claims,
characterised in that the capsule (40) is made of a thermoplastic
material, in particular a polyester or polypropylene.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a method for packaging a
product, in particular a solid cosmetic product, in the form of a
sample.
[0002] It is common to distribute cosmetic product samples in
magazines, for example by associating them with an advertisement
page. For packaging cosmetic products in sample form, use is made
in particular of tubes or bottles with small dimensions. However,
such packaging may be difficult to distribute in magazines for
advertising purposes because of its size. Other packaging, for
example sachets which contain liquid or cream products in
particular, or alternatively tissues impregnated with liquid
products, may be easier to insert into magazines. Nevertheless, it
may be difficult for sachets to contain solid products, for example
compacted powders.
[0003] Patent FR 2 740 013 describes packaging for a sample of
cosmetic product in solid or paste form, which is intended to allow
the sample to be distributed for advertising purposes by insertion
into a publication. The packaging consists of a plate which has a
central cavity into which a cup that contains the product sample is
inserted. The cup is fixed by an adhesive sheet attached to one
face of the plate. A capsule is placed on the other face of the
plate in order to close the cavity containing the cup. Although it
is in the form of a plate, such packaging is relatively thick owing
to the presence of the cup.
[0004] Patent U.S. Pat. No. 2,061,139 also describes packaging for
a cosmetic product sample in the form of a plate into which a cup
containing the product is inserted. Here again, it is difficult to
obtain packaging which is not very thick.
[0005] It is hence desirable to obviate the cup and to insert the
product directly into the cavity. However, it is difficult to
produce such packaging which allows the product to be held firmly
in the cavity and in which the external surface of the product,
namely the surface which is visible when the packaging is opened,
is acceptable in aesthetic terms, that is to say in particular it
has a fairly regular surface.
[0006] It is therefore one of the objects of the invention to
provide a method for packaging a product, in particular a cosmetic
product, in a support of flat overall shape having a cavity into
which the product is directly inserted, obviating any additional
means for containing the product.
[0007] It is, in particular, an object of the invention to provide
such a method which makes it possible to obtain a packaged product
that has a visible surface when the packaging is opened which is
acceptable in aesthetic terms, and which in particular has a
regular surface.
[0008] It is furthermore an object of the invention to provide such
a method which enables the product to be held firmly in the
cavity.
[0009] It is also an object of the invention to provide such a
method which is inexpensive.
[0010] According to the invention, these objects are achieved by
providing a method for packaging a product, in particular a
cosmetic product, in a support of flat overall shape through which
a cavity passes, which cavity opens onto a first face of the
support via a first opening and onto a second face of the support,
on the opposite side from the first, via a second opening, the said
method consisting in:
[0011] a) removably closing the first opening by means of a
removable capsule, which is to be removed prior to first use of the
product with a view to accessing the product;
[0012] b) introducing the product into the cavity via the second
opening;
[0013] c) closing the second opening.
[0014] Since the product is inserted into the cavity after having
fixed the capsule which is used as the means for opening the
packaging, the surface of the product which will be the external
surface when the packaging is opened corresponds to the bottom of
the cavity during filling. Since the bottom of the cavity is filled
first, the product's external surface delimited by the said capsule
is perfectly smooth and there is no risk of the product spilling
out of the cavity on this side of the support.
[0015] Advantageously, the product is introduced into the cavity in
powder form, then the said powder is compacted in the cavity before
closing the second opening. No gap is hence possible between the
product and the support, so that the product is held perfectly in
the cavity and there is no risk of some of it escaping when the
packaging is opened.
[0016] Advantageously, a quantity of product is introduced so as to
at least fill the cavity, so that no movement of the product in the
cavity is possible. The product is hence held perfectly in its
packaging, in particular when it is being opened by removing the
capsule.
[0017] When a quantity of product greater than the quantity which
the cavity can contain is introduced, the excess product which has
been introduced is advantageously removed so as to only fill the
cavity. The internal face of the support hence remains perfectly
flat and the thickness of the packaging is not increased. It is
thus readily possible to close the second opening without any
protuberance which impedes closure. Furthermore, a constant volume
of product is obtained in each packaging of this type, which makes
it possible in particular for a user to know the quantity of the
product available to him or her when using further packaging of the
same type.
[0018] According to one embodiment, the second opening is closed by
means of an adhesive sheet which is fixed onto the second face of
the support. This serves to form the bottom of the packaging, that
is to say the opposite side from the opening of the packaging and
therefore from the access to the product. Advantageously, the
adhesive sheet is fixed by pressing it with a roller to as to make
the product adhere at least in part to the adhesive sheet. This is
also beneficial for holding the product firmly in the packaging,
because the surface of the product facing the second opening is
held in the support by adhering to the adhesive sheet. The adhesive
sheet is, for example, formed by a thermoplastic material selected
in particular from polyolefins or polyesters, which is covered with
a permanent adhesive composition, that is to say one which is not
intended to permit detachment of the adhesive sheet. The adhesive
composition fixes the sheet on the support and adheres in such a
way that it is difficult to remove it from the support.
Advantageously, the label may be decorated beforehand so as to
decorate the packaging, in addition to its closure function.
[0019] The capsule forming the means for opening the packaging is
attached to the first face of the support by means of an adhesive
so that it can be detached and reattached at least once. The user
will hence be able to open the packaging and use the product a
first time, re-close the packaging if he or she has not used all of
the product, and remove the capsule again in order to access the
product again.
[0020] Advantageously, the region of the capsule intended to be in
contact with the product has no adhesive function, so as to avoid
removing any product which might remain on the capsule when it is
opened by the user. To this end, for example, the capsule is not
coated with adhesive in this region. Alternatively, provision may
be made to negate the function of the adhesive in this region by
covering the adhesive with a varnish. A further alternative is for
the film constituting the back support of the adhesive capsule to
be left remaining in this region.
[0021] Also advantageously, the capsule has a gripping region
making it possible to hold the capsule in order to detach it, at
least in part, from the support. The gripping region is, for
example, an extension of the capsule which, like the region of the
capsule intended to be in contact with the product, has no adhesive
function.
[0022] According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the
capsule is made of a transparent material. The packaging which is
obtained hence allows the user to see the packaged product. The
capsule is, for example, a sheet of thermoplastic material, in
particular polyester or polypropylene, covered with an adhesive of
the semi-permanent type.
[0023] Apart from the provisions explained above, the invention
consists of a certain number of other provisions which will be
explained below, by way of non-limiting exemplary embodiments that
are described with reference to the appended figures, in which:
[0024] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the steps of the method
according to the invention;
[0025] FIG. 2 represents packaging which is obtained by the method
according to the invention.
[0026] The packaging method whose steps are illustrated in FIG. 1
is described, according to the example, for packaging a solid
cosmetic product.
[0027] A rectangular support 20 of the credit-card format has, in
its thickness, a cavity 30 which is intended to hold the product.
It is clear that the support may have any other shape; it may for
example be square, round, oval, etc. The support 20 has two flat
and parallel surfaces 21 and 22, onto each of which the cavity 30
opens. The cavity 30 therefore has two openings 31, 32,
respectively on each face 21 and 22 of the support. The support 20
has a small thickness of the order of one millimetre, for example
between 0.5 and 2 mm. According to a particular example, the
support has a thickness of 0.8 mm. The support is, for example,
obtained by moulding or alternatively cut out. The cavity has a
circular cross section, although it may also be square,
rectangular, oval or of any other shape in cross section. The
cavity is intended to hold a small quantity of product, for example
0.15 g.
[0028] A removable capsule 40 is fixed 100 onto one of the faces of
the support--the upper face 21--so as to close one of the openings
of the cavity, namely the one through which the user will be able
to access the product. It is, for example, a glazed label of the
polyester type which is attached to the upper face of the support.
A transparent label will preferably be chosen so as to allow the
user to see the product present in the packaging. The label is
covered with a semi-permanent adhesive allowing it to be held
firmly in contact with the face, so as to close the opening while
being easy to remove from the face. Advantageously, an adhesive
will be selected which allows reattachment of the label to the
support at least once after first opening. The back support of the
label has been kept during a particular cutting or trimming
operation (double cut-out, for example) on two regions of the label
40. The back support is kept, on the one hand, in the region 42
which comes in contact with the product, so as to prevent the
product from adhering to the label during opening and, on the other
hand, in a gripping region 41 lying at the periphery of the label
so as to form a tongue which is easy for the user to hold in order
to remove the label from the support. The label has a smooth
surface so that the upper surface of the product has a smooth
appearance, that is to say the surface which is visible to the user
when he or she opens the packaging. But it is clear that, if the
intention is to obtain a visible surface of the product which has a
different appearance, a label with an appropriate surface will then
be chosen.
[0029] Secondly, the cosmetic product 10 is introduced 200 in
powder form through the second opening 32, into the cavity 30 which
is closed by the label 40 in the lower part. The powder which is
introduced is then compacted 300 so as to form a pellet of product
which is then held firmly in the packaging. The quantity of product
which is introduced is preferably just sufficient to fill the
cavity. When too large a quantity is introduced, the excess product
is removed by suction after compacting. According to a variant, the
product is introduced in liquid form.
[0030] Lastly, the second opening 32 is closed 400 using an
adhesive film 50, by pressing the latter onto the lower face with
the aid of a press roller 60 in order to expel the air and make the
film adhere to the product. The adhesive film 50 hence forms the
bottom of the packaging and contributes to holding the pellet in
the cavity.
[0031] Packaging such as that represented in FIG. 2 is hence
obtained, which can be opened using the label 40 that was fixed
before filling. The user then has access to the surface of the
product which corresponded to the bottom of the cavity during
filling.
[0032] In the detailed description above, reference has been made
to preferred embodiments of the invention. It is clear that
modifications may be made to them without departing from the spirit
of the invention as claimed below.
* * * * *