U.S. patent application number 12/477736 was filed with the patent office on 2010-12-09 for method and apparatus to wrap a plastic container.
This patent application is currently assigned to KRAFT FOODS GLOBAL BRANDS LLC. Invention is credited to Cesar Cristiano Costa, Claudine de Sa Botelho Pinto, Camila Morales Duarte, Robert Jonathan Manning, Mayra Yamamoto.
Application Number | 20100310731 12/477736 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43300934 |
Filed Date | 2010-12-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100310731 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Manning; Robert Jonathan ;
et al. |
December 9, 2010 |
METHOD AND APPARATUS TO WRAP A PLASTIC CONTAINER
Abstract
An apparatus comprises a closed container formed of
substantially rigid plastic, and a wrapper that is loosely disposed
fully about the closed container. This wrapper may also have twist
ties on opposing ends thereof. This apparatus may be used to
provide packaging for a retail commodity.
Inventors: |
Manning; Robert Jonathan;
(Curitiba-Parana, BR) ; Costa; Cesar Cristiano;
(Curitiba-Parana, BR) ; Yamamoto; Mayra;
(Curitiba-Parana, BR) ; Duarte; Camila Morales;
(Curitiba-Parana, BR) ; de Sa Botelho Pinto;
Claudine; (Curitiba-Parana, BR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FITCH EVEN TABIN & FLANNERY
120 SOUTH LASALLE STREET, SUITE 1600
CHICAGO
IL
60603-3406
US
|
Assignee: |
KRAFT FOODS GLOBAL BRANDS
LLC
Northfield
IL
|
Family ID: |
43300934 |
Appl. No.: |
12/477736 |
Filed: |
June 3, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
426/126 ;
53/138.8; 53/417; 53/483 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65B 2220/16 20130101;
B65B 25/005 20130101; B65B 5/045 20130101; B65B 51/00 20130101;
B65B 43/02 20130101; B65B 5/022 20130101; B65B 51/08 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
426/126 ;
53/138.8; 53/417; 53/483 |
International
Class: |
B65B 7/12 20060101
B65B007/12; B65B 51/08 20060101 B65B051/08 |
Claims
1. An apparatus comprising: a closed container comprised of
substantially rigid plastic; a wrapper loosely disposed fully about
the closed container and having twist ties on opposing ends
thereof.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus comprises
packaging for a retail commodity.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the closed container comprises
a clamshell-style container.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the clamshell-style container
has a flange disposed circumferentially thereabout to provide
lateral rigidity.
5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the closed container is not
hermetically sealed.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the wrapper comprises a
laminate wrapper.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the wrapper comprises, at least
in part, a container-receiving pouch.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein one of the twist ties is
disposed to close the container-receiving pouch.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a food item
disposed in the closed container.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising: aluminum foil
disposed in the closed container and about the food item.
11. A packaged food item, comprising: a food item; a substantially
rigid plastic container that is closed about the food item; a
flexible material disposed completely and non-conformally about the
plastic container; a first twist tie disposed in engagement with
the flexible material on a first side of the plastic container; a
second twist tie disposed in engagement with the flexible material
on a second side of the plastic container that is opposite the
first side of the plastic container.
12. The packaged food item of claim 11 wherein the food item
comprises a hollow chocolate.
13. The packaged food item of claim 12 wherein the plastic
container comprises a base and a cover that are pivotally connected
to one another.
14. The packaged food item of claim 13 wherein the plastic
container is configured to readily move back and forth between
opened and closed positions without loss of functionality.
15. The packaged food item of claim 11 wherein the plastic
container comprises substantially transparent material.
16. A method of providing a packaged item comprising: disposing an
item within a substantially rigid plastic container; closing the
plastic container; disposing the plastic container within a pocket
formed of a flexible material; utilizing a first twist tie to
loosely encapsulate the plastic container within the flexible
material.
17. The method of providing a packaged item of claim 16 wherein
disposing the item within the plastic container comprises:
disposing aluminum foil about the item to provide a foil-wrapped
item; disposing the foil-wrapped item within the substantially
rigid plastic container.
18. The method of providing a packaged item of claim 17 further
comprising: folding the flexible material to form a folded side and
an opposing open side; forming a seal along the open side to
provide a first seal; forming a second seal from the folded side to
the first seal to thereby form the pocket.
19. The method of providing a packaged item of claim 18 further
comprising: utilizing a second twist tie to engage the flexible
material on a side of the plastic container that is opposite to the
first twist tie.
20. The method of providing a packaged item of claim 19 further
comprising: attaching a hook to the flexible material to facilitate
hanging the packaged item with the first twist tie being disposed
above the second twist tie.
Description
FIELD
[0001] The invention relates generally to the wrapping of a plastic
container.
BACKGROUND
[0002] It is known in the art that individual articles may be
packaged for sale. A known packaging method involves wrapping the
otherwise-unwrapped articles in a flexible material that may be
twisted at opposing ends to secure the article within the wrapper.
It is also known to use a twist tie to hold the twisted ends shut
to further secure the article within the flexible material,
especially where the wrapper material is somewhat resilient and
therefore tends to untwist itself. Another known method packages
articles within plastic blister packs, boxes, or both.
Additionally, padding can be used within these packages to fill
space and better secure and support an article.
[0003] For some purposes, these prior art practices are adequate
and acceptable, however, they do not fully address all applications
of packaging articles that may be desired. For example, the twisted
flexible material package approach is generally confined to small
articles such as bite-sized candies. The twisted flexible material
package can be used singularly when the articles are durable and
can withstand the rigors of transportation while only having the
flexible material as a protective cover. For example, solid, hard
candies can often be successfully packaged in this manner. As the
article becomes more fragile, however, such a packaging approach
becomes less and less viable.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] The above needs are at least partially met through provision
of the method and apparatus to wrap a plastic container described
in the following detailed description, particularly when studied in
conjunction with the drawings, wherein:
[0005] FIG. 1 comprises a flowchart as configured in accordance
with various embodiments of the invention.
[0006] FIG. 2 comprises a perspective view as configured in
accordance with various embodiments of the invention.
[0007] FIG. 3 comprises a cross-section view as configured in
accordance with various embodiments of the invention.
[0008] FIG. 4 comprises a perspective view in accordance with
various embodiments of the invention.
[0009] FIG. 5 comprises a perspective view in accordance with
various embodiments of the invention.
[0010] FIG. 6 comprises a top-plan view in accordance with various
embodiments of the invention.
[0011] FIG. 7 comprises a side-elevation view in accordance with
various embodiments of the invention.
[0012] Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the
figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not
necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or
relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be
exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve
understanding of various embodiments of the present invention.
Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or
necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not
depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these
various embodiments. It will further be appreciated that certain
actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular
order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand
that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually
required. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions
used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to
such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical
field as set forth above except where different specific meanings
have otherwise been set forth herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0013] Generally speaking, pursuant to these various approaches an
apparatus is provided comprising a closed container comprised of
substantially rigid plastic and a wrapper loosely disposed fully
about the closed container, the wrapper also having twist ties on
opposing ends thereof. This apparatus may be used to provide
packaging for a retail commodity.
[0014] So configured, a plastic container may be economically and
efficiently wrapped, shipped, and offered to the consumer in
packaging that resembles the appearance of traditionally smaller
articles, thus benefiting from considerable emotional goodwill.
This plastic container, however, can provide satisfactory
protection for commodities that are fragile and that are not
ordinarily associated with such outer wrapping. These teachings may
be implemented using existing deployed technology. These teachings
may also be scaled to accommodate single or multiple portions, and
varying sizes of articles. These teachings will provide an
apparatus that resembles a typical double-twist package
traditionally encountered in the small-article market, which will
provide an unexpected and enjoyable surprise for many consumers
while still providing the protection of a substantially rigid
plastic container.
[0015] These and other benefits may become clearer upon making a
thorough review and study of the following detailed description.
Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 2, in this
example method and apparatus to wrap a plastic container an item
200 is optionally provided. The item 200 may be any material,
including, for example, plastic, metal and organic. One example
item 200 is a food item. By one approach, the example food item may
be made of chocolate. This chocolate item may further be hollow or
solid.
[0016] When the item 200 comprises a hollow chocolate item, the
hollow interior may be left hollow, or alternatively it may be
filled. The optional filling may be any material, including, for
example, plastic, metal and organic materials. The filling may
include, for example, a toy or other combination of plastic and/or
metal, optionally disposed within a plastic bag. The filling may
also include a second edible substance. The second edible substance
may include, for example, chocolate, caramel, nougat, cream, a
wafer, at least one nut, a gel, at least one pretzel, a hard candy,
a gum, or combinations or layers of such edible substances. Those
skilled in the art will recognize and understand that these
examples are intended to serve only in an illustrative capacity and
are not intended to comprise an exhaustive listing of all
possibilities in these regards.
[0017] For the sake of illustrative example and not by way of
limitation, for the purposes of this description this item 200 is a
hollow chocolate bon-bon. In this illustrative example the item 200
has a substantially circular planar base 205. The base may also
optionally include at least one ridge 205. The at least one ridge
205 facilitates extraction of the item 200 from the mould during
the chocolate molding process, which can be difficult due to the
size of the example item 200. For example, the item 200 At least
one sidewall 210 extends upwardly from the base 205 at an angle
other than perpendicular with the base 205. The at least one
sidewall 210 extends up to a substantially circular edge 215. A
dome 220 is disposed on the edge 215. In one example, the base 205
has a diameter of 90 mm, the edge 215 has a diameter of 150 mm, and
the overall height of the bon-bon is 114 mm.
[0018] In step 100, and referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3, this item
200 may optionally be disposed in aluminum foil 300. A person of
ordinary skill in the art, however, will recognize that other
materials may also be used to wrap the item 200, such as wax paper
or other paper products or plastic wraps.
[0019] The aluminum foil 300 may fully encapsulate the item 200 to
act as a barrier to moisture that might otherwise damage the item
200. The aluminum foil 300 may also be tightened around the item
200. By one approach, the aluminum foil 300 has a conventional
appearance. By another approach, the aluminum foil 300 has images,
words, or some combination thereof marked or printed thereon that
may also include an array of colors. This printed or marked
material may be disposed on either side of the aluminum foil 300,
or on both sides if desired. This approach may provide a medium
upon which to dispose advertising or other information that a
consumer of the item would see before unwrapping the aluminum foil
300 from the item 200, after unwrapping the aluminum foil 300 from
the item 200, or both.
[0020] Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, in step 105 of this illustrative
process the item 200 may then be disposed, with or without the
optional aluminum foil 300, within a plastic container 305. In one
example, the plastic container 305 may be made out of polyethylene
terephthalate (PET). In step 110 the plastic container 305 is
closed about the item 200 to contain the item 200 within the
plastic container 305. So configured, the aluminum foil 300 (when
present) may be disposed in the closed container 305 and about the
item 200.
[0021] By one approach this plastic container 305 is substantially
rigid to provide protection to its contents. Being substantially
rigid, the plastic container 305 holds its shape and provides some
protection to any contents within it. Those skilled in the art will
recognize, however, that such a container 305 may also have
malleable sections as well. By one approach this plastic container
305 may be shaped to enclose any item 200 of choice. In this
illustrative example the shape of the example plastic container 305
closely conforms to and is complementary to the shape of the item
200 disposed within it to provide protection for the item 200 from
damage due to jarring and/or changing positions and orientations
during handling and transportation. As shown in FIG. 3, the shape
of the plastic container 305 in this example is substantially
complementary to the shape of the item 200 disposed within it,
providing only a small additional tolerance for the optional
aluminum foil 300.
[0022] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, by one approach the plastic
container 305 is a clam-shell container having a first portion and
a second opposing portion that pivotally couple one to the other.
This illustrative clam-shell container 305 is shown in FIG. 4 in an
open configuration and those skilled in the art will recognize and
appreciate that the halves of this container 305 are movable
between an open and a closed configuration.
[0023] The plastic container 305 in this example can be viewed as
having a base 400 and a cover 405. The base 400 includes a
substantially planar circular bottom 410. At least one sidewall 415
extends upwardly from the bottom 410 at an outwardly-oriented
angle. The at least one sidewall 415 extends up to the top of the
base 400 to form an edge 420. A base member 425 may then extend
radially outwardly of the edge 420. The base member 425 is disposed
circumferentially about the plastic container 305 to provide
lateral rigidity. This lateral rigidity provides further mechanical
strength to the container 305 and thereby serves to also aid in
protecting the aforementioned item 200 from at least some
potentially harmful external influences. By one approach, the base
member 425 is a flange.
[0024] The cover 405 of the example plastic container 305 is a dome
430 complementary to the dome 220 of the item 200. The dome 430
extends down to an edge 435. A cover member 440 may then extend
radially outwardly of the edge 435. The cover member 440 is
disposed circumferentially about the plastic container 305 to again
provide lateral rigidity. By one approach, the cover member 440 is
a flange.
[0025] A hinge 445 connects the base 400 to the cover 405 of the
clam-shell container 305 in this example. The hinge 445 pivotably
connects the base 400 and the cover 405 to one another.
Accordingly, the example plastic container 305 is configured to
readily move back and forth many times between opened and closed
positions without loss of functionality.
[0026] By one approach, the plastic container 305 may be made of at
least partially transparent material. By another approach, the
plastic container 305 may be made from an opaque material. A person
of ordinary skill in the art will also appreciate that any
combination of colors, images, and/or alphanumeric content may also
be disposed on (or formed in) the plastic container 305 to provide
yet another medium upon which to advertise, display nutritional
information, or to display aesthetically pleasing elements or
combinations of each.
[0027] In this illustrative example plastic container 305 is not
hermetically sealed when closed. More to the point, when the item
200 is disposed within the plastic container 305 and the plastic
container is closed about the item 200, the base 400 is not sealed
to the cover 405. A person of ordinary skill in the art, however,
will recognize that if the select application of the item 200 and
the plastic container 305 requires sealing or hermetic sealing,
this can be done by any method known in the art, including, for
example, a hot seal, a cold seal, or an induction seal.
[0028] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 5, in step 112 a wrapper 500 is
provided. In one example, the wrapper 500 is made of a flexible
material, for example, a metal foil, a plastic sheet, an organic
material, or any combination of the three. In this illustrative
example the wrapper 500 is a metalized laminate wrapper made of a
layer of clear biaxially oriented propylene (BOPP) and a layer of
metalized biaxially oriented propylene.
[0029] A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that
any combination of colors, images, and/or alphanumeric content may
also be disposed on the wrapper 500 to provide another medium upon
which to advertise or to otherwise display nutritional information
or aesthetically pleasing elements or combinations of elements.
[0030] Referring now to FIGS. 1, 5, and 6, an example approach to
disposing this wrapper 500 about the plastic container 305 is
illustrated. In optional step 115, the wrapper is folded
longitudinally to form a folded side 505 and an opposing open side
510. Next, in optional step 120, a first seal 515 is formed along
the open side 510 to close the open side 510 and to provide a
tubular wrapper open at each end. Then in optional step 125, a
second seal 520 is formed from the folded side 505 to the first
seal 515. By one approach, the second seal 520 is formed
perpendicular to the folded side 505 and the first seal 515. By
providing the folded side 505, the first seal 515, and the second
seal 520, a pouch 525 is thereby formed from the wrapper 500. The
pouch 525 has three edges formed of the folded side 505, the first
seal 515, and the second seal 520, with a fourth edge 530 being an
open edge to provide the container-receiving pouch 525.
[0031] A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that
any method known in the art may be used to provide the first and
second seals 515, 520 on the wrapper 500, including, for example, a
cold seal, a hot seal, and an induction seal.
[0032] With continued reference to FIG. 1, and as shown in FIG. 5,
in step 130 the plastic container 305 is disposed within the pouch
525 formed of the flexible material wrapper 500 as described above.
As noted earlier, the plastic container 305 may also optionally
include the item 200 disposed within it.
[0033] Now referring to FIGS. 1 and 6, an example package 600 is
provided as follows. In step 135, a first twist tie 605 is disposed
in engagement with the flexible material wrapper 500 on a first
side 610 of the plastic container 305. The first twist tie 605 may
be utilized to loosely encapsulate the plastic container 305 within
the example flexible material wrapper 500 by being disposed to
close the container-receiving pouch 525. With the open edge 530
being closed by the first twist tie 605, the wrapper 500 is loosely
disposed fully about the closed plastic container 305.
[0034] By one approach, this is done by compressing the folded side
505 with the first seal 515 of the wrapper 500 to close off the
open edge 530, wrapping the first twist tie 605 about the
compressed wrapper 500 and twisting the first twist tie 605 to
tighten it about the compressed wrapper 500. By another approach,
the wrapper 500 may be twisted to provide a compressed area upon
which the first twist tie 605 may be disposed and tightened. By a
third approach, an adhesive may be used to secure the first twist
tie 605 on the wrapper 500.
[0035] Then, in optional step 140 and as shown in FIG. 6, a second
twist tie 615 is disposed in engagement with the example flexible
material wrapper 500 on a second side 620 of the plastic container
305 that is opposite the first side 605 of the plastic container
305. The second twist tie 615 may be disposed over or proximate to
the second seal 520 and utilized to engage the example flexible
material wrapper 500.
[0036] By one approach, this is done by compressing the folded side
505 with the first seal 515 of the wrapper 500, wrapping the second
twist tie 615 about the compressed wrapper 500, and twisting the
second twist tie 615 to tighten it about the compressed wrapper
500. By another approach, the wrapper 500 may be twisted to provide
a compressed area upon which the second twist tie 615 may be
disposed and tightened. By a third approach, an adhesive may be
used to secure the second twist tie 615 in place on or about the
wrapper 500.
[0037] A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that
the first twist tie 605 and the second twist tie 615 may be made of
any suitable material, including for example a metal, a plastic, an
organic material, or any combination of the three. This includes,
for example, a plastic adhesive tape, a paper adhesive tape, a
twist tie including a metal wire with paper disposed about the
wire, twine, a ribbon, adhesive tape, and a cord. Those skilled in
the art will recognize and understand that these examples are
intended to serve only in an illustrative capacity and are not
intended to comprise an exhaustive listing of all possibilities in
these regards.
[0038] A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that
any combination of colors, images, and/or alphanumeric content may
also be disposed on the first twist tie 605 and the second twist
tie 615 to provide another medium upon which to provide
instructions, advertise, or to otherwise display nutritional
information or aesthetically pleasing elements or combinations of
elements. The first twist tie 605 and the second twist tie 615 may
further include an easy open feature, such as, for example, a
notch, scores or perforations, such as made mechanically or by a
laser, or a pull tab.
[0039] In addition, it will be understood that the first twist tie
605 and the second twist tie 615 may be fixed to the wrapper 500 in
any order. For example, the second twist tie 615 may be disposed
onto the wrapper before the first twist tie 605 is used to close
off the pouch 525.
[0040] Pursuant to these teachings, the illustrative package 600
includes a closed plastic container 305 made of substantially rigid
plastic having a wrapper 500 loosely disposed fully about the
closed plastic container 305 and having first and the second twist
ties 605, 615 on opposing ends 610, 620 thereof.
[0041] If desired, in optional step 145 and as shown in FIG. 7 a
hook 700 may be attached to the package 600 on one edge 610, 620
thereof. The hook 700 may then facilitate hanging the package 600
(which in turn optionally contains the packaged item 200
therewithin). By one approach this hook 700 is attached to the
first end 610 to thereby hang the package 600 with the first twist
tie 605 being disposed above the second twist tie 615. This
configuration thereby utilizes the second seal 520 to support the
plastic container 305 and the item 200 if the item 200 is disposed
within the plastic container 305. In other words, by this approach
the twist tie on the lower portion of the package is not solely
relied upon to retain the container within the package when the
package is hanging, for example, in a retail establishment.
[0042] Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety
of modifications, alterations, and combinations can be made with
respect to the above described embodiments without departing from
the spirit and scope of the invention, and that such modifications,
alterations, and combinations are to be viewed as being within the
ambit of the inventive concept. For example, the method described
herein may be streamlined into a continuous method for a larger
production. For example, a continuous roll of flexible material may
be provided to be used as the wrapper 500. As the flexible material
is fed into the production process, the folded side 505, the first
seal 515 and the second seal 520 can then be formed. The continuous
flexible sheet may then be singulated into discreet wrappers 500.
The process may then continue as described above for each
singulated, discreet sheet.
* * * * *