U.S. patent application number 16/616060 was filed with the patent office on 2020-04-02 for deep-drawn tray, in particular aluminum tray.
The applicant listed for this patent is Constantia Teich GmbH. Invention is credited to Baptiste PILON, Franz PLANER.
Application Number | 20200102110 16/616060 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004521555 |
Filed Date | 2020-04-02 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200102110 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
PLANER; Franz ; et
al. |
April 2, 2020 |
DEEP-DRAWN TRAY, IN PARTICULAR ALUMINUM TRAY
Abstract
A deep-drawn tray, in particular an aluminum tray, having a
rolled edge and an encircling sealing face, by means of which it
can be sealed to a plate. In order to provide readily visible
markings or to improve the appearance, the rolled edge of the tray
is provided with a lacquer.
Inventors: |
PLANER; Franz; (Weinburg,
AT) ; PILON; Baptiste; (Wien, AT) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Constantia Teich GmbH |
Weinburg |
|
AT |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000004521555 |
Appl. No.: |
16/616060 |
Filed: |
May 22, 2018 |
PCT Filed: |
May 22, 2018 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2018/063368 |
371 Date: |
November 22, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 2203/12 20130101;
B21D 22/28 20130101; B65D 1/34 20130101; B65D 1/40 20130101; B65D
25/34 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B65D 1/34 20060101
B65D001/34; B65D 1/40 20060101 B65D001/40; B65D 25/34 20060101
B65D025/34; B21D 22/28 20060101 B21D022/28 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 23, 2017 |
DE |
20 2017103 121.7 |
Claims
1-4. (canceled)
5. A deep-drawn tray having a rolled edge and an encircling sealing
face, where the deep drawn tray is capable of being sealed to a
plate via the encircling sealing face, further comprising a lacquer
provided on the rolled edge.
6. The deep-drawn tray of claim 5, where the deep-drawn tray is an
aluminum tray
7. The deep-drawn tray of claim 5, wherein the lacquer is also
provided on at least one of the encircling sealing face and the
opposite surface of the deep-drawn tray.
8. The deep-drawn tray of claim 5, wherein one or more of the
color, brightness, and intensity of the lacquer along the rolled
edge changes.
9. A method for producing a tray made of a continuous material, the
tray having a rolled edge and an encircling sealing face and being
capable of being sealed to a plate via the encircling sealing face,
and further comprising a colored lacquer overprint provided on the
rolled edge, the method comprising: a. applying a marking to the
continuous material; b. punching out a tray material from the
continuous material based upon a position of the applied marking;
and c. deep-drawing the tray material to form the desired tray
based upon the position of the applied marking; wherein the method
further comprises applying the colored lacquer overprint to the
continuous material in an area that will be an inside and/or
outside of the rolled edge, or applying the colored lacquer
overprint to the tray material in an area that is an inside and/or
outside of the rolled edge.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising printing the
continuous material prior to punching out the tray material.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein applying the marker to the
continuous material occurs before or optionally during printing the
continuous material.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein applying the colored lacquer
overprint occurs before, during, or after printing the continuous
material.
13. The method of claim 9, wherein applying the colored lacquer
overprint includes extending the colored lacquer overprint into a
region of the sealing face and/or a sealing surface disposed
opposite to an outer surface of the tray.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a deep-drawn tray, in particular an
aluminum tray, having a rolled edge corresponding substantially to
EP 2 334 564 and the preamble of claim 1.
[0002] The cited document discloses the production of a tray made
of aluminum, in particular for food or beverage ingredients but
also for animal food, with a rolled edge in which the inside and
outside are colored differently, on the one hand to allow for a
visually appealing appearance after sealing a plate onto it, on the
other hand to provide, by appropriate combination of the interior
color and the exterior color, wherein the former is also visible on
the roll edge from the outside, to the user joy and/or information
about the contents of the still closed shell or other information
by means of the visually pleasing impression.
[0003] The steps in the cited document for the production of such a
container fulfill their purpose but are insofar disadvantageous as
that consumers do not appreciate various colors in association with
a food, animal food, beverage ingredients, etc., such as green or
yellow; however, according to the content, other colors may also be
undesirable. Furthermore, the previously known method does not
allow for the provision of more detailed information; it is merely
possible to combine the barely variable exterior color with an
interior color to be selected from only a small group of
colors.
[0004] From DE 87 09 640 U, which relates to the stiffening of
containers made of aluminum, it is well known that the surface is
laminated with a plastic film or coated with a heat-sealable
lacquer.
[0005] The application of sealable lacquer on an aluminum tray is
also disclosed in DE 690 28 628 T2, the translation of EP 468
079.
[0006] There is thus a desire for a greater choice over the former
document, and there is also a desire to be able to determine and
display the visual appearance of more diverse and communicable
information within wide limits and independent of the raw material
of the tray and its contents.
[0007] It is the object of the invention to provide a solution for
this problem.
[0008] According to the invention, this is done by the features
specified in the characterizing part of claim 1, in other words,
that during imprinting of the tray which on its bottom surface, the
outer surface, receives an imprint of information and/or a
decorative motif, in the area of its rolled edge is provided on the
later inside and/or the later outside with a colored lacquer
overprint, which optionally also extends into the region of the
sealing face and/or the sealing surface opposite to the outer
surface.
[0009] The aluminum trays for the intended use are imprinted on the
outside prior to the deep draw process and, either during printing
or independently of printing prior to printing, markers which can
be of various types, which effect the placement of the deep draw
tool and of the stamping tool, are applied to the web. Therefore,
during the printing process, it will pose not problem to apply,
precisely matching these markings on the desired side of the
continuous material, be it the later inside and/or the later
outside, printing material exclusively in the area of the later
rolled edge, optionally also extending into the region of the
sealing face and/or the sealing surface opposite to the outer
surface. Since this is a printing process, preferably a gravure
printing process, it is easily possible to apply various colors,
which thus enable correct color coding or visually appealing
running colors (rainbow, etc.).
[0010] The accuracy of the color application is to be kept, without
much adjustment, in such close geometric tolerances that, if so
desired, the actual sealing face of the plate which lies within the
rolled edge and/or the surface opposite to this area may be kept
free of the lacquer application, so that any sealing properties of
the lacquer would in this case not need to be considered.
[0011] Through application according to the invention of the
lacquer only in the region of the rolled edge the user may continue
to be assured of the appearance of the interior of the tray
familiar to and appreciated by him, especially when the tray comes
in contact with the food, the animal food, or the beverage
additives, and the consumer's negative assessments known from the
prior art have no basis.
[0012] The invention is explained in more detail below with
reference to the drawing.
[0013] FIG. 1 shows a perspective top view of the underside of an
"upside down" tray according to the invention;
[0014] FIG. 2 shows a top view of the empty tray in a perspective
view from a viewpoint similar to that of FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 3 shows a section in the region of the rolled edge in a
purely schematic fashion and highly magnifies;
[0016] FIG. 4 shows a variant of the minor figure of FIG. 1 with
indicated multi-colored coding; and
[0017] FIG. 5 shows a view in accordance with FIG. 2 with an
additional lacquer application on the sealing face.
[0018] Shown in FIG. 1 is an example of a deep-drawn aluminum tray
1 usually with an imprint on the bottom and optionally on the
slanted side walls 3, as well as on the stiffening ribs within side
wall 3 and on the colored rolled edge 4, the imprints for the most
part not shown in the figure. Coloring 5 is indicated by the dots
only in the minor character depicted in a larger scale.
[0019] The exterior color of tray 1 may be uncolored aluminum, it
may be a lacquer or plastic coating, optionally mostly yellow or
golden, or any other design desired by the manufacturer, the
filler, or the consumer. It is vital and evidently shown in the
figure that the rolled portion of the rolled edge 4 on the inside 2
of the aluminum foil from which the tray was deep-drawn is colored,
so that the color becomes visible from the outside during rolling,
both from below (FIG. 1) as well as seen from above (FIG. 2).
[0020] The rolled edge is shown "neutral" in FIG. 3, because while
in most cases it is rolled in such a manner that the inside of the
foil is rolled outwards, there are also applications in which the
outside is rolled inward. Most of time, the roll is situated
completely or substantially below or above the sealing face 6, and
rarely, as shown, in a centered manner. Through this neutral
depiction, FIG. 3 is intended to indicate all these possibilities.
Depending on the intended rolling direction, the ink application
should be carried out on the "right" side, which is not a problem
with the commonly available printing presses.
[0021] FIG. 2 shows the variant in which the coloring covers only
the area of the rolled edge but not, or hardly, the shoulder 6 of
the tray on which the sealing with the plate (not shown) takes
place. Since in almost all applications the inside of an aluminum
tray is coated with a sealable plastic layer, such as to preserve
the content from direct contact with the aluminum, this solution
still provides the entire or almost entire shoulder surface
extending in form of a ring around the opening of the tray for
sealing with the plate.
[0022] FIG. 5 shows a variant in which the lacquer also covers the
sealing face 6; it may either be itself sealable or shine through
from under the then preferred transparent sealing layer. The
variant in which the opposite surface 7 (FIG. 1) facing sealing
face 6 is imprinted is not shown.
[0023] Finally, it can be seen from FIG. 3 that the ink or lacquer
applied in the course of the imprinting of the continuous material
if so desired actually only covers the region flanged to the rolled
edge later during deep drawing and thus fulfills its purpose in a
visually appealing and technologically meaningful manner.
[0024] Irrespective of the imprinting of the rolled edge, it is of
course possible, as already known from the prior art, to
independently of one another imprint the inside and/or the outside
of the tray away from the rolled edge. Since printing processes may
be carried out very accurately, the boundary to the printed rolled
edge may be maintained very accurately.
[0025] The term "paint" or "lacquer" is to be understood in the
broadest sense and includes all materials that can be applied by a
printing process. The change in color, brightness, intensity along
the roll edge may be due to purely aesthetic reasons but may also
encode information as is known mutatis mutandis from the bar code
and other identification features.
[0026] Markers may be printed onto the continuous material; they
may also consist of imprints of continuous material, and they may
consist of "multiple parts" per later tray, for example, to specify
the correct angular position in respect to the deep draw mold and
the like, as provided for in the prior art.
[0027] The individual variants of the invention may be combined in
any way. Even though the focus of the invention may specify an
aluminum foil as starting material, it is nevertheless possible to
form in accordance with the invention other deep drawable starting
materials. The usable colors will be readily apparent to those of
ordinary skill in the packaging arts, knowing the invention and
application, and will most likely be those already used in the art
of printing such trays.
REFERENCE
[0028] 1. Tray
[0029] 2. Inside
[0030] 3. Outside
[0031] 4. Rolled Edge
[0032] 5. Lacquer, Color
[0033] 6. Sealing Face, Shoulder
[0034] 7. Opposite Surface
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