U.S. patent application number 10/472477 was filed with the patent office on 2004-07-08 for collapsible container.
Invention is credited to Rosen, Ake.
Application Number | 20040131286 10/472477 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 20283458 |
Filed Date | 2004-07-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040131286 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rosen, Ake |
July 8, 2004 |
Collapsible container
Abstract
A collapsible portion-type container (1) for liquid contents,
comprising a compartment (4) which is defined by flexible walls (2,
3) and whose volume depends on the relative position of the walls
(2, 3). The walls (2, 3) are joined with each other along a
connecting portion (5). A duct means (11), which is formed
integrally with two side walls (2) of said walls (2, 3), forms a
connection between the compartment (4) and the surroundings. The
container (1) is characterised in that the duct means (11) in the
filled and unopened state of the container (1) has an end which
faces away from the compartment (4) and which is sealed and
openable by manual separation of an end portion (14) arranged at
said end. Moreover stiffeners (17) are arranged along said
connecting portion (5) to give the container (1) stability in two
manually perpendicular planes (18, 20) which in turn are parallel
with a longitudinal axis (19) of the container (1).
Inventors: |
Rosen, Ake; (Rydeback,
SE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BIRCH STEWART KOLASCH & BIRCH
PO BOX 747
FALLS CHURCH
VA
22040-0747
US
|
Family ID: |
20283458 |
Appl. No.: |
10/472477 |
Filed: |
November 24, 2003 |
PCT Filed: |
March 15, 2002 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/SE02/00488 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
383/209 ;
383/107; 383/117 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 75/5811 20130101;
B65D 75/008 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
383/209 ;
383/117; 383/107 |
International
Class: |
B65D 033/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 20, 2001 |
SE |
0100985-1 |
Claims
1. A collapsible portion-type container (1) for liquid contents,
comprising a compartment (4) which is defined by flexible walls (2,
3) and whose volume is dependent on the relative position of the
walls (2, 3), said walls (2, 3) being joined along a connecting
portion (5), and a duct means (11) which is formed integrally with
two side walls (2) of said walls (2, 3) and which forms a
connection between the compartment (4) and the surroundings,
characterised in that the duct means (11) in the filled and
unopened state of the container (1) has an end which faces away
from the compartment (4) and which is sealed and openable by manual
separation of an end portion (14) arranged at said end, and
stiffeners (17) are arranged along said connecting portion (5),
which stiffeners (17) give the container (1) stability in two
mutually perpendicular planes (18, 20) which in turn are parallel
with a longitudinal axis (19) of the container (1).
2. A container (1) as claimed in claim 1, in which the end portion
(14) is removed by being torn off.
3. A container (1) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims,
in which the end portion (14) forms a tab (15).
4. A container (1) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims,
in which the end portion (14) comprises an initiation (16).
5. A container (1) as claimed in claim 4, in which the initiation
(16) comprises a locally heat-affected zone.
6. A container (1) as claimed in claim 4 or 5, in which the
initiation (16) comprises a local reduction of the wall
thickness.
7. A container (1) as claimed in any one of claims 1-3, in which
the end portion (14) comprises an opening means arranged in the
side wall (2).
8. A container (1) as claimed in claim 1, in which the duct means
(11) is arranged concentrically round the longitudinal axis (19) of
the container.
9. A container (1) as claimed in claim 1, in which the stiffeners
(17) are arranged on both sides of the compartment (4).
10. A container (1) as claimed in claim 9, in which the stiffeners
(17) are formed integrally with the connecting portion (5).
11. A container (1) as claimed in claim 9 or 10, in which the
stiffeners (17) comprise embossments.
12. A container (1) as claimed in claim 10 or 11, in which the
stiffeners (17). comprise an external reinforcement.
13. A container (1) as claimed in any one of claim 10-12, in which
the stiffeners (17) are provided with throughgoing openings.
14. A container (1) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims,
which is made of a material containing a filler of mineral material
and a binder of polyolefin material.
15. A container (1) as claimed in claim 14, in which the mineral
material consists of chalk (calcium carbonate).
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a collapsible portion-type
container for liquid contents and more specifically to a container
as defined in the preamble to claim 1.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] A container of the type described by way of introduction is
known from, for instance, WO9941155. This document describes a
container of a collapsible type which comprises three wall
portions, two forming opposite sides walls and the third forming a
bottom wall. The walls which are made of a plastic material with or
without a filler are flexible and joined with each other to form a
compartment whose volume is dependent on the relative position of
the walls. The container comprises a duct means through which the
container in the first place is filled but which can also be used
as pouring means when consuming the contents of the container. The
container further comprises a carrying means arranged along a first
side. The container has its greatest rigidity in the plane that is
formed of the connecting portion interconnecting the side wall
portions included in the container. In the other directions, the
container has a limited degree of rigidity. Such a container
functions best for foodstuffs which in consumption are portioned
out in another drinking vessel. Moreover the container is
especially intended for volumes up to a few litres.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide an
improved, durable container which is intended for use as a portion
container and from which the contents can be consumed directly
without an aid.
[0004] Another object of the invention is that the container should
be easy to open without an external aid.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0005] These and other objects that will appear from the following
description are now achieved by a collapsible portion-type
container for liquid contents, comprising a compartment which is
defined by flexible walls and whose volume is dependent on the
relative position of the walls, said walls being mutually joined
along a connecting portion, and a duct means which is formed
integrally with two side walls of said walls and which forms a
connection between the compartment and the surroundings. The
container is characterised in that the duct means in the filled and
unopened state of the container has an end which faces away from
the compartment and which is sealed and openable by manual
separation of an end portion arranged at said end, and stiffeners
are arranged along said connecting portion, which stiffeners give
the container stability in two mutually perpendicular planes which
in turn are parallel with a longitudinal axis of the container.
[0006] According to the invention, a container is provided, which
can easily be opened by, for instance, tearing off the end portion
of the duct means, after which this is expanded by the contents of
the container and forms a wide opening with an open connection
between the compartment and the surroundings.
[0007] The stiffeners arranged in the connecting portion give the
container, in spite of its flexible walls, stability and rigidity
in a first plane which is made up by the stiffeners and the centre
axis of the container as well as in a second plane which is
perpendicular to the first plane and parallel with the centre axis
of the container. As a result, the stability of the container will
be less dependent on its degree of filling. The stability provided
by the stiffeners thus contributes to allowing the container to be
held like a bottle and be moved to the user's mouth without the
duct means or the side walls being upset or folded.
[0008] Moreover, the stiffeners contribute to providing a container
which is convenient to hold. For instance, the container can be
held by the user using the stiffeners while drinking. If the
container and its contents, for instance, are heated in a microwave
oven, the stiffeners provide a gripping surface which is not in
direct contact with the hot side wall portions. The small thickness
of the material in combination with the large surface of the
stiffeners also results in heat being rapidly extracted. Moreover,
the stiffeners can be used to hold the container without having to
squeeze its compartment while the end portion is being separated.
This prevents unintentional spillage.
[0009] The pliable and flexible walls make it easy to finally empty
the container like a tube, by way of example a tube of toothpaste.
This is advantageous if the container is used for a product with
high viscosity, such as sauce, yoghurt and soup.
[0010] The flexible walls make the container most durable, which
allows the user to carry it in its unopened state in a bag or
pocket.
[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the end portion is separated by
being torn off. Tearing is an advantageous method since no aid is
required to open the container. This very simple opening method
also allows the container to be formed in one piece and of one and
the same material.
[0012] In order to facilitate the opening process and afford a good
grip, the end portion is preferably formed like a tab. Moreover the
tab increases the tearing moment that is formed during the tearing
motion.
[0013] In order to further facilitate the opening process, the end
portion should comprise an initiation. The initiation can be
arranged, for instance, by a locally heat-affected zone, which
causes material embrittlement, or by a local reduction of the wall
thickness caused by, by way of example, an enlarged physical
pressure. The tab in combination with the initiation significantly
facilitates the opening process so that both children and adults
can easily open the container.
[0014] It is also possible to arrange an opening means in the duct
means in connection with the end portion. The opening means can
consist of, for instance, a tear strip integrated in the wall
portion or knurls on the insides of the walls. A plug or the like
can also be arranged in the opening means.
[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the stiffeners are arranged on
both sides of the compartment. This promotes the symmetry of the
container while at the same time the container will be easier to
handle in a hot state by holding surfaces being provided on both
sides of the longitudinal axis of the container.
[0016] In another preferred embodiment, the stiffeners are
integrated with the connecting portion. In terms of production this
is very advantageous since the stiffeners can be formed by quite
simply increasing the surface of the connecting portion in the
sections of the container where stiffening is desirable. The
material of the stiffeners is thus the same as in the rest of the
container, which facilitates the handling of material as well as
the disposal of garbage.
[0017] In order to make the container easier to hold, it is
advantageous to provide the stiffener with an embossment. Also the
end portion and its tab can be provided with an embossment.
[0018] In another preferred embodiment, the container is made of a
material containing a filler of mineral material and a binder of
polyolefin material. The mineral material should preferably be
chalk (calcium carbonate). This combination of materials results in
a container which is inexpensive to produce, environment-friendly
and easily decomposable.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] The invention will now be described in more detail by way of
example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, which
illustrate a currently preferred embodiment.
[0020] FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of a preferred
embodiment of the container in a filled, unopened state.
[0021] FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views of the container in a
filled, opened state.
[0022] FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a container in which the front
side wall is removed.
[0023] FIG. 6 is a sectional view along line VI-VI in FIG. 5.
[0024] FIG. 7 shows the position of the planes in which the
container has its greatest rigidity.
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
[0025] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a preferred embodiment of the
present invention in a filled, unopened state. The container 1 is
particularly well suited for liquid food-stuffs such as milk, fruit
juice, water and for products of a higher viscosity, such as
sauces, soups and yoghurt. The container 1 is mainly intended as a
portion container which in its opened state serves as a drinking
vessel. To make the container comfortable to use, the volume of the
container should be less than 0.75 litre and more preferred less
than 0.5 litre. The container allows aseptic manufacture and
filling.
[0026] The container 1 is of a collapsible type, i.e. compressible
or foldable, and comprises three flexible walls, of which two
constitute opposite side walls 2 and one is a bottom wall 3. The
walls 2, 3 can be made of a plastic material or preferably a
material containing a filler of mineral material and a binder of
polyolefin material. The filler advantageously consists of chalk.
The walls 2, 3 are joined with each other to form a compartment 4
whose volume depends on the relative position of the walls 2, 3.
The three walls 2, 3 are joined by welding along a connecting
portion 5 in a manner that will be described below, to form a
closed container. It will be appreciated that methods of joining
other than welding can be applied.
[0027] With reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the construction of the
container 1 is illustrated. The Figures show the side walls 2, the
bottom wall 3 and the design of the connecting portion 5 that joins
the side walls 2 and the bottom wall 3 with each other. The
connecting portion 5 thus extends along the circumference of
essentially the entire container 1, but to facilitate the
description, it is divided into a number of connected partial
portions, which will be described in more detail below.
[0028] In the bottom area 6 of the container 1, the side walls 2
are joined with the bottom wall 3, on the one hand via a
bottom-connecting portion 7 along which each side wall 2 is
connected with the bottom wall 3 and, on the other hand, via two
lower connecting portions 8 along which all three walls 2, 3 are
joined with each other in a common weld joint 9.
[0029] The remaining part of the connecting portion 5 along the
long sides of the container 1 is below referred to as lateral
connecting portions 24 which extend from the lower connecting
portions 8 up towards the duct means 11 of the container. The upper
part of the lateral connecting portions 24 comprises stiffeners 17.
Preferably the stiffeners 17 consist of a part of the lateral
connecting portions 24, but can also be integrated as a separate
part thereof. The stiffeners 17 will be described in more detail
below.
[0030] The compartment 4 of the container 1 is thus defined by the
side walls 2 and the bottom wall 3. The connecting portion 5 forms
boundary lines 10 facing the compartment 4.
[0031] Referring once more to FIGS. 1 and 2, the container 1
further comprises a duct means 11, which preferably is arranged at
a distance from the bottom area 6 and opposite thereto. The duct
means 11 is used both to fill and to empty the container 1. The
duct means 11 is preferably formed integrally with the side walls 2
and, more specifically, is made of a wall portion of each side wall
2. The first end 12 of the duct means 11 communicates with the
compartment 4 of the container 1 and a second end 13 is sealed by
an end portion 14 which constitutes part of the connecting portion
5. The end portion 14 forms a tab-shaped gripping means, which will
be referred to below as a tab 15.
[0032] The transition between the end portion 14 and the duct means
11, in alignment with the lower edge of the tab 15, comprises an
initiation 16 for opening the container 1. The initiation 16 is
preferably arranged along the lower edge of the tab 15 and
transversely of the area of the container that is to be opened,
i.e. in this case the duct means 11. The initiation 16 is
preferably formed in connection with the forming of the connecting
portion 5. This can take place, for instance, by increasing the
supply of heat to cause a local structural change of the material
and/or by increasing the welding pressure to cause a local
reduction of the material thickness. The local reduction in
material thickness can also be arranged by applying a local
enlarged physical pressure. The reduced material thickness causes
the requisite embrittlement that is necessary for the material to
be separated by, for instance, being torn off. When tearing off the
tab 15, the break in the initiation 16 thus takes place. The
pressure induced embrittlement is a property which is specific to
materials containing a mineral-based filler in combination with a
binder of polyolefin material. In conventional plastic materials,
no such embrittlement takes place. However, the initiation 16 is
not allowed to extend through the entire material thickness. Two
opposing wall portions in the initiation 16 are in fact not allowed
to adhere to each other since in that case there will be no open
duct forming a connection between the compartment 4 and its
surroundings when the tab 15 is torn off. Moreover pores or holes
are not allowed to arise in the initiation 16 since the contents
and asepsis of the container 1 may be affected. The initiation 16,
however, must be so pronounced that the container 1 can be opened
by children as well as adults without using a tool.
[0033] The tab 15 should have a shape so as to make an angle in the
transition between the tab 15 and the duct means 11. This angle
forms a natural start initiation when the tab 15 is to be torn
off.
[0034] The tab 15 contributes to giving a good grip, and the grip
can be additionally improved by the tab 15 being provided with an
embossment (not shown).
[0035] It is also possible to form the inner surfaces of the duct
means with knurls so that the surfaces can be pulled apart like a
bag (not shown).
[0036] For increased stability of the container 1, the upper part
of the lateral connecting portions 24 is given a somewhat greater
width and, thus, a larger surface. These portions form the
previously mentioned stiffeners 17 which serve two purposes, i.e.
giving the container 1 stability and rigidity and facilitating the
holding of the container 1. The stiffeners 17 are formed in
connection with the connecting portion 5, which preferably takes
place by welding.
[0037] With reference to FIG. 7 there is formed in the inventive
container 1 a plane 18 which is made up by a longitudinal axis 19
of the container 1 and by the lateral connecting portions 24. The
axis 19 preferably is the centre axis in the longitudinal direction
of the container 1. The plane 18 is thus parallel with and
intersects the lateral connecting portions 24 on both sides of the
compartment 4. The lateral connecting portion 24 and the stiffeners
17 arranged in this portion give the container 1 rigidity and
stability in the plane 18 and also in a second plane 20 which is
perpendicular to the plane 18 and parallel with the longitudinal
axis 19 of the container, which preferably coincides with its
centre axis. Also the construction of the bottom wall 3 contributes
to the rigidity and stability of the container 1. These factors
make it possible to drink directly from the container 1 without the
side walls 2 or the duct means 11 being folded or upset.
Furthermore, stability and rigidity will be less dependent on the
degree of filling of the container 1. It is thus possible to drink
or hold the container 1 independently of how the duct means 11 is
angled to the user's mouth or a cup. Further no aids in the form of
e.g. straws are required.
[0038] The stiffeners 17 can have different extents depending on,
for instance, the desired stability of the container 1. It is most
preferred to arrange the stiffeners 17 along the entire length of
the container 1.
[0039] In order to further reinforce the grip and the stability,
respectively, the stiffeners 17 can in connection with the welding
operation be formed with an embossment (not shown). It is also
possible to add an external reinforcement to the stiffeners (not
shown). Further the stiffeners can be formed with one or more
openings to form, for instance, lifting lugs (not shown).
[0040] The connecting portion 5 and the boundary line 10 can also
be used to give the container 1 an aesthetically pleasing
appearance. An example of this is to let the boundary line 10
follow the contour of a bottle or illustrate a trademark that is
associated with the contents of the container 1.
[0041] With reference to FIGS. 3-4, a container 1 is illustrated in
an open state. To open the container, the user holds the stiffeners
17, after which the flap 15 and, thus, the end portion 14 is torn
off along the initiation 16. The contents of the container 1 in
combination with the flexibility of the side walls 2 result in the
opening 22 of the duct 11 being expanded and forming an open
connection between the compartment 4 and the surroundings. Thus the
container 1 forms a type of bottle or drinking vessel from which
the contents can be consumed immediately without an aid in the form
of e.g. a straw.
[0042] The container 1 is aseptic even from production and can be
provided with a provisional seal that is broken in connection with
filling, after which it is sealed once more. As a result, the
asepsis can be maintained.
[0043] When producing the container 1, the forming of the
stiffeners 17 preferably takes place simultaneously with the
forming of the connecting portion 5. The joining of the wall
portions 2 included in the connecting portion 5 and thus also in
the stiffeners 17 preferably takes place by welding.
[0044] In the description above, the container has been produced in
such manner that the duct means forms a bottleneck. This is a
preferred embodiment, but it will be appreciated that the duct
means and, thus, the upper portion of the container can also be
given such a width that the container, with its function
maintained, serves as a cup.
[0045] It will be appreciated that the present invention has only
been described with reference to a preferred, non-restricting
embodiment. Several modifications and variations are feasible and
the invention is thus defined exclusively by the appended
claims.
* * * * *