U.S. patent application number 13/254918 was filed with the patent office on 2012-01-05 for packaging bag.
This patent application is currently assigned to AMCOR FLEXIBLES KREUZLINGEN LTD.. Invention is credited to Daniel Bossel.
Application Number | 20120002906 13/254918 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40749237 |
Filed Date | 2012-01-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120002906 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bossel; Daniel |
January 5, 2012 |
PACKAGING BAG
Abstract
A tetrahedron-shaped packaging bag made of a flexible film
material and comprising in the region of a tetrahedron corner of
the bag, a pouring part which protrudes from the bag in an
essentially tubular manner and which is closed on the free end
thereof. The opening cross-section in the region of the transition
between the bag and the pouring part is stabilized by a
reinforcement in the film material of the bag, said reinforcement
extending in a manner transversal to the pouring direction (y)
opposite the tetrahedron corner.
Inventors: |
Bossel; Daniel;
(Schaffhausen, CH) |
Assignee: |
AMCOR FLEXIBLES KREUZLINGEN
LTD.
Kreuzlingen
CH
|
Family ID: |
40749237 |
Appl. No.: |
13/254918 |
Filed: |
February 17, 2010 |
PCT Filed: |
February 17, 2010 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2010/000969 |
371 Date: |
September 6, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
383/105 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 75/50 20130101;
B65D 75/52 20130101; B65D 77/225 20130101; B65D 75/5822
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
383/105 |
International
Class: |
B65D 33/00 20060101
B65D033/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 9, 2009 |
EP |
09405044.0 |
Claims
1. A tetrahedral packaging bag made of a flexible film material,
which, in the region of a tetrahedron corner of the bag, forms a
discharge part which projects from the bag, is substantially
tubular and having a free end which is closed, wherein the opening
cross section in the region of the transition from the bag into the
discharge part is stabilised by a reinforcing element in the film
material of the bag, which extends transverse to a discharge
direction (y) pointing away from the tetrahedron corner.
2. A packaging bag according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing
element is formed by a folded seam consisting of the film material
and projecting from a tetrahedron face of the bag.
3. A packaging bag according to claim 2, wherein the folded seam is
formed by sealing the film material against itself.
4. A packaging bag according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing
element is formed by a rib, which is applied to the film material
and made of a plastics material.
5. A packaging bag according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing
element has a substantially linear course.
6. A packaging bag according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing
element has substantially point-shaped elements.
7. A packaging bag according to claim 1, wherein the tubular
discharge part has a partial sealing seam extending substantially
parallel to the discharge direction (y) and passing, in the region
of the tetrahedron corner of the bag, into a sealing seam of the
bag, and the reinforcement extends in a tetrahedron face opposing
the sealing seams.
8. A packaging bag according to claim 1, wherein the discharge part
has at least one tearing notch extending transverse to the
discharge direction (y).
9. A packaging bag according to claim 8, wherein the tearing notch
passes into a weakening line running around the discharge part.
10. A packaging bag according to claim 1, wherein the discharge
part can be folded or tilted and preferably fixed to the bag in the
folded-over or tilted position and reclosed by means of an adhesive
or by means of a strip, which is glued or sealed in between the bag
wall and discharge part, with an integrated permanent adhesive
layer.
11. A packaging bag according to claim 1, wherein the discharge
part is narrowed by sealing regions to form a through-opening with
a valve action.
12. A packaging bag according to claim 11, wherein the
through-opening is configured as a slot which widens when pressure
is exerted on the bag by a filling product and automatically closes
in the absence of pressure.
13. A packaging bag according to claim 1, wherein the discharge
part is folded back against a face of the packaging bag when the
packaging bag is unopened.
14. A packaging bag according to claim 1, wherein the discharge
part is fixed in a folded-over position against a face of the
packaging bag when the packaging bag is unopened by means of an
adhesive.
15. A packaging bag according to claim 1, in combination with a
filling product.
16. A packaging bag according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing
element is formed by embossing or by the use of a reinforcing
printing dye.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a tetrahedral packaging bag made of
a flexible film material, which, in the region of a tetrahedron
corner of the bag, forms a discharge part which projects from the
bag, is substantially tubular and closed at its free end.
[0002] Tetrahedral packaging bags made of plastics material-coated
cardboard for drinks are known. To remove the drink, the packaging
bag is provided at one point, for example, with an opening, which
is closed by a film which can be pierced by a drinking straw. Other
bags may be torn open to form a discharge along a peroration line.
Furthermore, tetrahedral packaging bags made of a flexible film
material for chocolate sweets filled with a sugar paste are known.
As in many bag packagings, a tearing notch which is arranged in a
sealing seam is used for opening.
[0003] A tetrahedral packaging bag made from a flexible film
material, which, in the region of a tetrahedron corner of the bag,
forms a discharge part which projects from the bag, is
substantially tubular and closed at its free end, is known from
EP-A-1 547 935. A substantial disadvantage of this bag is that the
bag walls collapse or fold together in the region of the discharge
part and thus constrict the discharge part or even close it and
therefore strongly impede, in particular, the discharge of liquid
and pourable bulk materials.
[0004] The invention is based on the object of providing a
packaging bag of the type mentioned at the outset, with which
liquid and pourable solid ingredients can be removed in a metered
manner by way of a defined opening.
[0005] In the packaging bag, the solution according to the
invention is achieved in that the opening cross section in the
region of the transition from the bag into the discharge part is
stabilised by a reinforcing element in the film material of the
bag, which extends transverse to a discharge direction pointing
away from the tetrahedron corner.
[0006] The reinforcing element is preferably formed by a folded
seam consisting of the film material and projecting from a
tetrahedron face of the bag, the folded seam expediently being
formed by sealing the film material to itself.
[0007] The reinforcing element may also be formed by a rib, which
is applied to the film material, made of a plastics material, such
as, for example an adhesive or hotmelt. Further possibilities are,
for example, a reinforcing embossing or a reinforcing material
application of, for example, a printing ink.
[0008] The reinforcing element preferably has a substantially
linear course. The reinforcing element may have a straight or
curved course. The reinforcing element may also be constructed from
substantially point-shaped elements.
[0009] The tubular discharge part preferably has a partial sealing
seam extending substantially parallel to the discharge direction
and passing in the region of the tetrahedron corner of the bag into
a sealing seam of the bag, and the reinforcing element runs in a
tetrahedron face opposing the sealing seams.
[0010] The discharge part expediently has at least one tearing
notch extending transverse to the discharge direction. The tearing
notch may pass into a weakening line running round the discharge
part.
[0011] The discharge part can expediently be folded or tilted and
preferably fixed by means of an adhesive on the bag in the
folded-over or tilted position. The discharge part may also be
fixed to the bag and reclosed in the folded-over or tilted position
by means of a strip, which is glued or sealed in between the bag
wall and discharge part, with an integrated permanent adhesive
layer.
[0012] The discharge part projecting according to the invention
from a tetrahedron corner of the bag may, for example, be folded
back against one of the bag faces when the packaging bag is
unopened, and fixed in the folded-over position by means of an
adhesive arranged on the bag face or on the discharge part. During
transportation and storage of the packaging bag, the discharge part
is thus relatively well protected against mechanical damage. Once
the packaging bag has been opened by severing the discharge part in
the region of its free end, by suitable arrangement of the adhesive
in conjunction with the capacity of the discharge part to fold or
tilt, a simple possibility is produced for reclosing the opened
bag. At least in the case of pourable, solid bulk materials, the
filling product can be effectively prevented from escaping when the
packaging is tipped over with this simple closure.
[0013] The discharge part may also be formed by sealing regions
into a narrowed discharge channel, optionally with a valve
action.
[0014] The discharge part may be narrowed by sealing regions into a
through-opening with a valve action. The through-opening is
preferably configured as a slot, which can be widened when pressure
is exerted on the bag by the filling product and which
automatically closes without pressure.
[0015] The preferred filling products for the packaging container
according to the invention include drinks of all types and pourable
solids such as, for example, maize, semolina and granular food of
this type as well as washing powder.
[0016] Further advantages, features and details of the invention
emerge from the following description of preferred embodiments and
with the aid of the drawings, which are merely used for
illustration and are not to be interpreted in a restrictive manner.
In the drawings, schematically:
[0017] FIG. 1 shows the continuous production of packaging bags as
tubular bags with a longitudinal sealing seam;
[0018] FIG. 2 shows an enlarged detail of FIG. 1;
[0019] FIG. 3 shows the plan view of a packaging bag produced by
the method according to FIG. 1;
[0020] FIG. 4 shows the side view of the packaging bag of FIG. 3 in
the viewing direction X;
[0021] FIG. 5 shows the view of the lower side of the packaging bag
of FIG. 3;
[0022] FIG. 6 shows the side view of a discharge part with a valve
action;
[0023] FIG. 7 shows the side view of a folded-over discharge
part;
[0024] FIG. 8 shows a section through the folded-over discharge
part of FIG. 7 along the line I-I.
[0025] According to FIG. 1, a film strip 32 which is provided to
produce tetrahedral packaging bags 10 is unrolled from a supply
roll 34 and continuously formed in a known manner with the
formation of a longitudinal sealing seam 12 into a tube 13 in a
device which is not shown in more detail. After the provision of a
first transverse sealing seam 14, the filling product can be poured
in in the arrow direction A. Although the film tube 13 runs in the
horizontal direction in the drawing, it is readily understandable
for the tube to be guided vertically when liquid or pourable
filling products are poured in. After each filling operation with
the filling product, apart from the continuously formed
longitudinal sealing seam 12, a second transverse sealing seam 16
closing the packaging container is also provided, in each case,
respective consecutive transverse sealing seams 14, 16 being
arranged rotated through an angle of 90.degree. with respect to one
another, forming a tetrahedron.
[0026] During the production of packaging bags 10, shown in FIG. 1,
as shown in detail in FIG. 2, one of the transverse sealing seams,
in each case, is placed in such a way that a discharge part 20 is
produced in the region of one of the formed tetrahedron corners 18.
The second transverse sealing seam 16 which is located in the plane
of the longitudinal sealing seam 12 initially extends in a first
partial region 16a corresponding to the desired tetrahedron shape.
A first seam region 16a extends in the region of the container
corner 18 in the discharge direction y of the discharge part 20,
which is thus formed in a tubular manner. A second partial region
16b of the second transverse sealing seam 16 extends substantially
parallel to the original seam direction and is used to close the
discharge part 20 tapering here at the free end 22 thereof.
[0027] In the present production example, the discharge parts 20,
20' of two consecutive packaging bags 10, 10' are in each case
directed toward one another and, between the corresponding
transverse sealing seams 16, 16', a film portion 17 is produced,
which, once the two packaging bags 10, 10' have been separated
along a separation line s, is discarded. Obviously, other mutual
arrangements of the discharge parts of two consecutive packaging
bags are also possible during the production of the tubular
bags.
[0028] The packaging bags 10 which are formed between consecutive
transverse sealing seams 14, 16 are separated in a cutting device,
not shown. An individual packaging bag 10 is shown in FIGS. 3 to
5.
[0029] It can be seen from FIGS. 4 and 5 that a folded seam 30
which is formed in the film material of the bag 10 extends in the
region of the transition from the bag 10 into the discharge part 20
transverse to the discharge direction y pointing away from the
tetrahedron corner 18. This folded seam 30 is produced in that film
material is sealed against itself, forming a sealing seam. The
opening cross section in the region of the transition from the bag
10 into the discharge part 20 is stabilised by this reinforcement.
The folded seam 30 is arranged in a tetrahedron face 36, which
extends, as part of the tubular discharge part 20, substantially
parallel to the discharge direction y, and opposes the second
transverse sealing seam 16 and the partial sealing seam 16a.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 5, a diaphragm valve 37 is sealed in the
tetrahedron face 36. A diaphragm valve 37 of this type may, for
example, be necessary if the bag 10 is used as packaging for coffee
present in the form of beans or in ground form. In this case, a gas
pressure building up in the interior of the bag is counteracted in
that gases can escape to the outside. On the other hand, the
diaphragm valve 37 prevents a passage of gas, for example of
oxygen, from the outside to the inside. The diaphragm valve 37 is
sealed, for example before the formation of a tube, at a
predetermined point on the film strip 32 (FIG. 1).
[0031] In the example shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the folded seam 30
runs in a straight line on the outside of the bag. A folded seam
30' with a curved course is shown by dashed lines. The course of
the folded seam 30, 30' may, however, have any desired form and
depends on the product to be filled. The folded seam 30, 30' may
also be provided on the inside of the bag 10. A further possibility
is to press film material with a tool from the outside to the
inside and to seal it as an inwardly directed folded seam.
[0032] Instead of a folded seam 30, 30' it is, for example, also
possible to apply a rib made of plastics material as a reinforcing
element in molten form to the outside or inside of the bag 10. The
material used for the rib may, for example, be an adhesive or a
hotmelt. Further possibilities for local reinforcement are
produced, for example with an embossing or by the use of a
reinforcing printing dye.
[0033] The reinforcing element in the form of a folded seam 30, 30'
or a plastics material rib arranged with a corresponding course is
preferably provided simultaneously with the production of the
bag.
[0034] For better metering of liquid and viscous filling products,
a through-opening 42 with a type of valve action may be arranged in
the discharge part according to FIG.
[0035] 6 by the provision of additional sealing regions 38, 40. The
sealing regions 38, 40 are, for example, arranged in such a way
that a slot is produced as the through-opening 42, which is firstly
opened by pressure on the bag and allows filling product through.
When the pressure is removed, the slot closes automatically and
prevents filling product from escaping.
[0036] In order to avoid mechanical damage to the discharge part 20
during transportation and storage and to prevent unintentional
escape of filling product when the bag is opened, the discharge
part 20 may be tilted or folded over about an axis e transverse to
the discharge direction y. To fix the folded-over discharge part 20
to the bag (indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 4), an adhesive 28 is
provided, which is arranged in the present example in the form of
an adhesive strip on the discharge part 20.
[0037] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, instead of an adhesive 28 applied
to the bag wall or to the discharge part 20, a strip 50 with an
integrated permanent adhesive layer 44 may also be glued or sealed
in between the turned-over discharge part 20 and bag wall 49. The
strip 50, for example, consists of two outer layers 46, 48 made of
a polyolefin, such as polyethylene, with the permanent adhesive
layer 44, which is arranged between the two outer layers 46, 48 and
may consist, for example, of a hotmelt. The bag 10 can thus be made
reclosable by a simple material selection.
* * * * *