U.S. patent application number 12/989303 was filed with the patent office on 2011-10-27 for lid with barrier property.
This patent application is currently assigned to TOPPAN PRINTING CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Masashi Gotoh, Toyoaki Naitoh, Takeshi Saitoh, Noriyuki Sasaki, Daiji Takeuchi, Takashi Terayama.
Application Number | 20110259887 12/989303 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40901783 |
Filed Date | 2011-10-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110259887 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gotoh; Masashi ; et
al. |
October 27, 2011 |
LID WITH BARRIER PROPERTY
Abstract
The invention relates to a lid with barrier property having
highly improved barrier property, sealing ability for cups, and
ease of opening in comparison with the conventional products. The
innermost layer is a resin layer including a polyethylene sealant
layer, and a metal foil layer is attached to the outside of the
resin layer of the innermost layer via an adhesive layer. The
innermost layer is provided with a plurality of weakened portions
extending radially from the center. The weakened portions
facilitate tearing the innermost layer and also the metal foil
layer, thereby facilitating opening of the lid.
Inventors: |
Gotoh; Masashi; (Tokyo,
JP) ; Terayama; Takashi; (Tokyo, JP) ; Sasaki;
Noriyuki; (Tokyo, JP) ; Saitoh; Takeshi;
(Tokyo, JP) ; Takeuchi; Daiji; (Tokyo, JP)
; Naitoh; Toyoaki; (Tokyo, JP) |
Assignee: |
TOPPAN PRINTING CO., LTD.
Tokyo
JP
NESTEC S.A.
Vevey
CH
|
Family ID: |
40901783 |
Appl. No.: |
12/989303 |
Filed: |
April 24, 2009 |
PCT Filed: |
April 24, 2009 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2009/054980 |
371 Date: |
January 3, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/266 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B32B 2307/7242 20130101;
B32B 15/08 20130101; B32B 2435/00 20130101; B32B 2307/582 20130101;
B32B 3/266 20130101; B32B 15/20 20130101; B32B 27/36 20130101; B65D
25/42 20130101; B32B 3/00 20130101; B65D 51/221 20130101; B65D
2577/2091 20130101; B32B 27/10 20130101; B32B 27/32 20130101; B32B
7/12 20130101; B65D 77/2056 20130101; B32B 27/08 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/266 |
International
Class: |
B65D 43/02 20060101
B65D043/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 24, 2008 |
JP |
2008-114566 |
Claims
1. A lid comprising: a resin layer that is an innermost layer, the
resin layer comprising a polyethylene sealant layer; a metal foil
layer that is attached to an outside of the innermost layer via an
adhesive layer; and the innermost layer is provided with a
plurality of weakened portions that extend radially from a center
thereof.
2. The lid according to claim 1, wherein the weakened portions
allow the innermost layer and the metal foil layer to be torn,
facilitating opening the lid.
3. The lid according to claim 1, wherein the weakened portions are
either perforations or cutting lines.
4. The lid according to claim 1, wherein there are at least three
weakened portions and the weakened portions are circumferentially
arranged to produce a same central angle around a central
point.
5. The lid according to claim 1 wherein the innermost layer
comprises two inner layers: one polyethylene sealant layer that is
a lowermost inner layer; and one extruded polyethylene resin layer
positioned on the lowermost inner layer.
6. The lid according to claim 1, wherein the metal foil layer
comprises two inner layers: one of resin layer as a lowermost inner
layer; and one of metal foil provided on said lowermost inner
layer.
7. The lid according to claim 1, comprising an intermediate paper
layer between the innermost layer and the metal foil layer.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a lid to be adhered to the mouth of
a paper cup, for example, and formed of a laminated structure of a
metal foil and a plastic sheet. More specifically, the invention
relates to a lid able to attach to and seal a paper cup, to
maintain the barrier property, and to be easily opened by pressing
and tearing.
[0002] Many lids to be opened by tearing, such as those opened by
piercing them with a straw have been developed and commercialized.
Furthermore, many proposals have been made to try to facilitate
opening lids by perforations, breaking lines, or cutting lines. In
general, lids for paper cups are designed to have a thick sealing
layer in the innermost layer to cover steps so that they can seal
the step on the flanges or the curls of paper cups when they are
attached to the paper cups. For a paper cup, a rectangular paper is
rolled into a cylinder or a paper shaped in a sector is rolled into
an inverted circular truncated cone, and the opposite ends are
superposed and the superposed portions are used as a joining part.
If the opening has a flange or curl, a step is generated on the
superposed portions, which is troublesome in maintaining
airtightness. Hence, the resin layer in the lowermost layer of the
lid is thickened to maintain the airtightness.
[0003] Furthermore, hot-melted layers are often used as the
innermost layers in lids for paper cups, like in the following
Japanese publications: Registered Utility Model Publication No.
3035303, Utility Model Application Publication No. 06-085295,
Patent Application Publication No. 2002-104515, Patent Application
Publication No. 09-110077, Patent Application Publication No.
06-001375, Patent Application Publication No. 06-320278, Utility
Model Application Publication No. 07-017762.
[0004] However, an embodiment of the above-mentioned conventional
lids that is to be pierced by a straw to be torn is not configured
to open largely and may generate broken pieces of the lid to cause
contingency such as accidental ingestion depending on a way of
tearing the lid. In the case where the resin layer in the innermost
layer is thick so as to cover a step at the flange or curl of a
cup, it is quite difficult to tear and open the lid because of its
thickness. Furthermore, if a hot-melted layer is used, there may be
a problem in cleanness of hot melting (residues of hot-melting are
generated). Furthermore, there are also problems that the
hot-melted layer is melted to be accidentally opened if it is
exposed to a high-temperature environment and that the smell
peculiar to hot-melted layers degrades the value of products.
[0005] To solve these problems, it is an object of the invention to
provide a lid with barrier property that is highly superior to the
conventional products in barrier property, stable sealing property
for cups, and ease of opening.
[0006] The invention concerns a lid with barrier property,
comprising:
[0007] a resin layer as an innermost layer, the resin layer
including a polyethylene sealant layer,
[0008] a metal foil layer being attached to the outside of the
innermost layer via an adhesive layer,
[0009] the innermost layer being provided with a plurality of
weakened portions extending radially from the center.
[0010] The weakened portions allows the innermost layer and also
the metal foil layer to be torn, thereby facilitating opening the
lid. The weakened portions can be are either perforations or
cutting lines. Preferably, the number of the weakened portions is
at least three and the weakened portions are circumferentially
arranged to produce the same central angle around a central
point.
[0011] According to a preferred embodiment, the innermost layer can
comprise two inner layers:
[0012] one of polyethylene sealant layer as a lowermost inner
layer, and
[0013] one of extruded polyethylene resin layer provided on the
lowermost inner layer.
[0014] According to another preferred embodiment, the metal foil
layer can comprise two inner layers:
[0015] one of resin layer as a lowermost inner layer, and
[0016] one of metal foil provided on said lowermost inner
layer.
[0017] According to another preferred embodiment, the lid comprises
an intermediate paper layer between the innermost layer and the
metal foil layer.
[0018] Actually, to solve the technical problems mentioned above,
the invention relates to a lid with barrier property, comprising a
resin layer as an innermost layer, the resin layer including a
polyethylene sealant layer, a metal foil layer being attached to
the outside of the innermost resin layer via an adhesive layer, the
innermost layer being provided with a plurality of weakened
portions extending radially from the center, and the weakened
portions allowing the innermost layer and also the metal foil layer
to be torn, thereby facilitating opening the lid. The resin layer
includes a polyethylene sealant layer. A metal foil layer is
attached to the outside of the innermost resin layer via an
adhesive layer. The innermost layer is provided with a plurality of
weakened portions extending radially from the center. The weakened
portions allow the innermost layer and also the metal foil layer to
be torn, thereby facilitating opening the lid.
[0019] In the preferred embodiment, the innermost layer can
comprise two inner layers of the polyethylene sealant layers:
[0020] one of polyethylene sealant layer as a lowermost inner
layer, and
[0021] one of extruded polyethylene resin layer provided on the
lowermost inner layer. A polyethylene terephthalate resin layer is
generally provided on the extruded polyethylene resin layer as an
adhesive. In this preferred embodiment, the outermost layer can
comprise a metal foil such as an aluminum foil attached to the
outside of the adhesive polyethylene terephthalate resin layer via
a layer such as an extruded polyethylene resin layer.
[0022] The weakened portions can be either perforations or cutting
lines. Preferably, a plurality of (preferably 3 to 8) weakened
portions formed of perforations or cutting lines are provided in
the innermost layer so as to extend radially from the center.
According to a preferred embodiment, the number of the weakened
portions is at least three and the weakened portions are
circumferentially arranged to produce the same central angle around
a central point. These weakened portions pass through the sealant
layer and the extruded polyethylene resin layer as an adhesive
layer, and reach the polyethylene terephthalate resin layer. The
weakened portions enable the innermost layer and also the metal
foil to be torn, thereby facilitating opening the lid.
[0023] In this lid with barrier property, the metal foil of the
outermost layer successfully secures barrier property. If an
external force is applied to the weakened portions provided
radially in the innermost layer to break them, the lid is easily
divided and torn into sectors along the weakened portions from the
center to the edge. Furthermore, because the innermost layer has
the polyethylene sealant layer, if it is used for paper cups, it is
possible to achieve airtightness by covering a step generated on
the flange or curl of the cup. Further, because hot melting is not
used, no melting occurs if the lid is exposed to a high-temperature
environment, and there is no peculiar smell at all.
[0024] Thus, the invention has the advantageous effects as
follows.
[0025] The lid with barrier property according to the invention is
able to secure adequate airtightness by the outer metal foil layer,
and is able to be pressed to be torn and to properly prevent broken
pieces of the lid from being generated by the weakened portions
such as perforations or cutting lines provided in the inner layer
so as to extend radially from the center. Furthermore, because the
innermost layer has the polyethylene sealant layer, it is possible
to appropriately seal a cup to adequately secure airtightness
regardless of the step on the flange or curl of the cup. Further,
because hot melting is not used, it is possible to obtain stable
sealing ability and to eliminate influence of smell.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] The characteristics and advantages of the invention will be
better understood in relation to the figures which follow:
[0027] FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the
inventive lid with barrier property taken along A-A line in FIG.
2,
[0028] FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing the lid in FIG. 1,
[0029] FIG. 3 is an overall exploded perspective view including an
enlarged view showing an enlarged part of a container to which the
lid with barrier property of FIG. 1 is applied,
[0030] FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing an end of the container
of FIG. 3 in its closed position,
[0031] FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the operation of
the lid with barrier property of FIG. 1 and showing the
relationship between the lid, container, and jar before contents
are supplied to the jar,
[0032] FIG. 6 is a sectional view illustrating the operation shown
in FIG. 5 and showing the main part,
[0033] FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the operation of
the lid with barrier property of FIG. 1 and showing the
relationship between the lid, container, and jar during supplying
contents to the jar,
[0034] FIG. 8 is a sectional view illustrating the operation shown
in FIG. 7 and showing the main part,
[0035] FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing the second embodiment of
the inventive lid with barrier property taken along A-A line in
FIG. 10,
[0036] FIG. 10 is a bottom view showing the lid corresponding to
that of FIG. 9 having eight weakened portions.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0037] In the present application, the terms "lower", "innermost",
"outside", "upper" indicate the position of elements inside the lid
in the context of the use of the lid to seal a container. It means
then that the "lower" and "innermost" layers of the lid are placed
nearer to the inside of the container whereas the "upper" and
"outside" layers of the lid are placed nearer to the outside of the
container.
[0038] Embodiments that apply the lid with barrier property
according to the invention to a container 1 for instant coffee
refill will now be explained in detail referring to the drawings.
The invention is basically a lid with barrier property to be
attached to a paper cup and is able to be applied to the overall
embodiments that are opened by tearing the lid. Thus, the invention
is not limited to the structures of the embodiments described
below.
[0039] First, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the refill container 1
consists of a tubular container body 2, a hopper 3, a lid 4 with
barrier property and a protection cap 5. The container body 2 is in
a cylindrical shape with a bottom and made of a rectangular piece
of paper. The paper cylinder is formed of a composite laminated
sheet in which polyethylene, an aluminum foil, polyethylene
terephthalate, and polyethylene are laminated sequentially and
inwardly from the outermost layer of the cylinder. This is for
fully blocking the moisture and the airflow. The polyethylene resin
on the inner surface is provided for allowing adhesion to the lid
4. The art publicly known is used as means for processing. For
example, a common technique such as lamination or coating is used.
To produce the container body 2, a rectangular piece of paper with
a surface processed as mentioned above is rolled into a cylinder,
both the left and right ends are superposed, and the superposed
portions are used as a joining part to achieve appropriate
adhesion. As means for adhesion, any appropriate known art such as
adhesion by an adhesive or thermal fusion bonding is used. On the
upper end, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an annular curling portion
(simply "curl portion" hereinafter) 6 curls outward and annularly.
Consequently, a vertical step 6A is generated on the superposed
portions on the upper surface of the curl portion 6. It is
important to address the step 6A because the step 6A degrades the
airtightness.
[0040] As shown in FIG. 3, a cylindrical hopper 3 is fitted into an
opening portion 2A of the container body 2. The hopper 3 is made of
the same material as that of the container body 2 or any
appropriate resin material with a thickness of 0.8 mm such as
high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polypropylene. The hopper 3 has
a straight, upright wall 3A extending circumferentially without an
outward flange on its upper end. The upright wall 3A is fitted into
the opening portion 2A of the container body 2 with the upper end
of the wall 3A placed at the same height as that of the upper end
of the opening portion 2A, that is, as the height of the upper end
face of the curl portion 6.
[0041] The hopper 3 is fitted into the opening portion 2A and
properly fixed to the inner circumferential surface of the opening
portion 2A while precisely positioning the hopper upright wall 3A
so that the upper end of the funnel 3B is placed at the same height
as that of the upper ends of the upright wall 3A and the opening
portion 2A of the container body 2, that is, so that the upper ends
are placed in the same plane. Most preferable means such as thermal
fusion bonding, radio frequency bonding, or use of adhesive is used
as means for fixing.
[0042] The lid 4 with barrier property is adhered to the upper end
of the hopper 3.
[0043] As shown in FIG. 1, the innermost layer 7 of the lid 4 with
barrier property is a resin layer including a polyethylene sealant
layer 8. A composite sheet in which a metal foil film 10 is
attached to the outside of the resin layer of the innermost layer 7
via an adhesive layer 9 is used for the lid 4. Furthermore, the
innermost layer 7 is provided with a plurality of weakened portions
11 extending radially from its center, thereby allowing the
innermost layer 7 and also the metal foil film 10 to be easily torn
so as to facilitate opening the lid.
[0044] The structure mentioned above will now be explained more
specifically. The innermost layer 7 presents a lowermost layer
which is a 40 .mu.m sealant layer 8 of polyethylene (linear
low-density polyethylene: LLDPE), and a 20 .mu.m extruded resin
film 12 of polyethylene (low-density polyethylene: LDPE) that is
laminated on the upper surface of the polyethylene sealant layer 8.
A 9 .mu.m aluminum foil 13 is used in the metal foil layer 10, and
a 15 .mu.m extruded resin film 14 of polyethylene (low-density
polyethylene: LDPE) is laminated on the bottom surface of the
aluminum foil 13. The laminated resin layers 12 and 14 for the
lowermost polyethylene sealant layer 8 and the aluminum foil 13 in
the metal foil layer 10 are adhered to each other via an adhesive
layer 9 to form a composite sheet. The art publicly known other
than the above-mentioned art, which is a common method such as
lamination and coating, may be used in processing this composite
layer.
[0045] The thickness of the polyethylene sealant layer 8 is
appropriately chosen in the preferable range of 30-200 .mu.m, the
thickness of the overlying polyethylene extruded resin film 12 in
the range of 5-20 .mu.m, and the thickness of the aluminum foil in
the metal foil layer 10 in the range of 6-50 .mu.m.
[0046] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the overall shape of the
above-mentioned lid 4 is a circle with the same diameter as that of
the opening portion 2A of the container body 2, for example, about
90 mm and its periphery 4A is properly attached to the upper end of
the opening portion 2A of the container body 2, that is, the upper
end surface of the curl portion 6. Typically, thermal fusion
bonding is performed. Although the periphery 4A may be attached to
the upper end face of the upright wall 3A of the hopper, the
periphery 4A is merely in contact with the upper end of the funnel
3B of hopper 3, that is, the upper edge of opening 3B1.
[0047] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lid 4 with barrier property
is further provided with perforations or cutting lines
(perforations, in the shown example) as a plurality of weakened
portions 11 extending radially from the center so that they reach
the innermost layer 7 and the adhesive layer 9 of polyethylene
terephthalate. The perforations or cutting lines as the weakened
portions 11 enable the innermost layer 7 and also the metal foil
layer 10 to be easily torn, thereby facilitating opening the lid.
As shown in FIG. 2, the perforations or cutting lines are three
straight lines crossing at the center, and the length of the line
is 9 mm and the length of the connection is 1 mm. The number of the
lines which is 3 is the minimum number to achieve the given object
of the invention. Although the maximum of the number of the lines
depends on the size of the lid 4, the desirable maximum is 10. If
the number is 10 or more, the strength of the lid 4 may be
weakened, which is not preferable. The number is ideally 3 to 8 (an
example with 8 lines is shown in FIG. 10).
[0048] The protection cap 5 is made of the same material as that of
the container body 2 or an appropriate resin with a thickness of
about 0.8 mm such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or
polypropylene. The cap 5 fits externally with the opening portion
2A of the container body 2 to protect the lid 4 and also keep the
interior sanitary.
[0049] In general, an operation of supplying powdery instant coffee
P to the inside of the refill container 1 is performed through the
opening 3B1 of the hopper.
[0050] The usage of the first embodiment constructed as previously
mentioned will now be explained.
[0051] First, the protection cap 5 is removed, then, as shown in
FIGS. 5 and 6, the container body 2 is inverted and placed at a
position where the hopper 3 internally fits with the cylindrical
mouth 15A of a jar 15 which is an example the refillable container.
The instant coffee P in the container body 2 flows down into the
hopper 3, but it is retained by the lid 4. Thereafter, as shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8, a pressing force is applied against the container
body 2 so as to push the funnel 3B toward the mouth 15A of jar 15.
This pressing force acts as a force allowing the mouth 15A of jar
15, which is, in general, a tubular portion cylindrically, upwardly
extending from the body, to press and tear the lid 4. That is, it
acts as a force allowing the mouth 15A of jar 15 to push the lid 4
upward and force the lid 4 into a space S with a triangular section
defined between the upright wall 3A and the funnel 3B of hopper 3.
Because the perforations which are the weakened portions 11 are
provided radially, the lid 4 to which the pressing force is applied
is very easily torn and divided into a plurality of division pieces
along the perforations. At the same time, the funnel 3B enters the
mouth 15A of jar 15. Consequently, the opening 3B1 of funnel 3B of
hopper 3 is opened and the instant coffee P in the container body 2
flows down into the jar 15 at a stretch while it is guided to the
center by the funnel 3B of hopper 3. The refill container 1 is
discarded after the refilling of the jar 15 is finished. In the
figures, 2B indicates the bottom of the container body 2.
[0052] Thus, the funnel 3B fitting internally with the mouth 15A of
jar 15 guides the instant coffee P down into the jar 15 without
spilling it outside of the jar 15. The funnel 3B allows the instant
coffee P not to be exposed to the air unnecessarily, thereby
preventing the aroma and the flavor from deteriorating as much as
possible.
[0053] In the tests of the performance of the produced lid, its
central portion was successfully torn. The pressing force was no
greater than 100 N. In the test of checking the behavior of
penetrant at the step 6A of the opening portion 2A in a paper cup,
no leakage was observed. Furthermore, removal of the lid from the
opening portion 2A of the paper cup was not observed during
high-temperature preservation. The barrier property of the overall
lid was equivalent to that of aluminum lids and a preferable result
was obtained. In contrast to hot-melted lids, any bad smell was not
generated.
[0054] Thus, because the innermost layer of the lid 4 has a sealant
layer 8 of polyethylene (linear low-density polyethylene: LLDPE),
the lid 4 is able to appropriately seal the opening portion of a
paper cup to adequately secure the airtightness even if the opening
portion is directly sealed by the lid 4 regardless of the presence
of the step 6A on the mouth that is peculiar to paper cups.
Furthermore, it is possible to achieve stable sealing and remove
bad smells because hot melting is not used.
[0055] An alternative structure of the inventive lid with barrier
property will now be explained referring to FIG. 9. This
alternative structure has the same effect as that of the first
embodiment and furthermore has a structure in which opening the lid
is simpler and weakened portions can be produced more easily. The
same reference numerals will be used for the same structures as
that of the first embodiment and detailed explanations for such
structures will be omitted.
[0056] The second embodiment is characterized in that the lid 4
further comprises a paper layer 16 between the innermost layer 7
and the metal foil layer 10 as an intermediate layer.
[0057] The paper layer 16 is attached to the extruded resin film 14
of polyethylene (low-density polyethylene: LDPE) laminated on the
lower surface of the aluminum foil 13. For the paper layer 16,
quality paper with a basis weight of 40 g/m.sup.2 is used. The
bottom surface of the quality paper of the paper layer 16 and the
extruded resin film 12 of polyethylene (low-density polyethylene:
LDPE) in the innermost layer 7 are adhered together by an adhesive
17 to form a composite sheet. A two-liquid curing type
ester-urethane adhesive for dry lamination can be used as an
adhesive 17. The quality paper for the paper layer 16 is
appropriately chosen from those with a basis weight in a preferable
range of 15-150 g/m.sup.2. The perforations or cutting lines as the
weakened portions 11 are formed so as to fully reach the top
surface of the paper layer 16. Layers 8 and 9 present the same
composition as mentioned above.
[0058] Because of the paper layer 16 is interposed, the paper layer
16 acts as a mount and, when the perforations or cutting lines
which are weakened portions 11 are formed in the innermost layer 7,
the penetrating process is more stable and it is possible to form
the weakened portions 11 more precisely in comparison with the
structure having resin layers and metal foil layers only.
Furthermore, when the lid 4 is pressed to be torn via the weakened
portions 11, a breaking sound is generated from the paper layer 16,
thereby generating a good feeling of opening.
[0059] An outward flange that hermetically abuts the opening edge
of the container body 2 may be provided on the upper end of the
upright wall 3A. The same effect can be obtained without degrading
the merits of the lid 4 in the first and second embodiments, such
as the ability of opening, high-temperature preservation property,
barrier property, smell, stable processibility of the weakened
portions 11.
[0060] In the above embodiments, the contents are instant powdery
coffee; however, alternatively, it is possible to apply the
invention to other food or non-food powdery material, such as
water-soluble milk (powdery milk), cocoa powder, tea powder, or
combination of these powders. Other examples are dried mashed
potatoes or other dried foods, sauce or gravy powder, soup powder,
and also toner for copy machines.
[0061] Instead of the jar 15, it is possible to apply the invention
to coffee powder tanks of coffer maker apparatus or refill
containers for toner for copy machines.
DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0062] 1 refill container [0063] 2 container body [0064] 2A opening
portion [0065] 3 hopper [0066] 4 lid [0067] 5 protection cap [0068]
6 curl [0069] 6A step [0070] 7 innermost layer [0071] 8 lowermost
sealant layer [0072] 9 adhesive layer [0073] 10 metal foil layer
[0074] 11 weakened portion [0075] 12, 14 extruded resin film [0076]
13 aluminum foil [0077] 15 jar [0078] 16 paper layer
* * * * *