Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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pA~A~;n~ made from a thin Pleated sheet forminq a baa
for loose aoods.
The present invention relates to parkag;ng made
from a pleated film and capable of packaging, in parti-
cular, loose goods such as chips, but not exclusively.
Patent FR-A-2595666 claims the packaging of a
convex body with the aid of a pleated thin sheet, the
folds of which are fastened at their ends. Patent
FR-A 2628719 claims several modes of fastening of the
said folds. Patent FR-A-2676037 degcribes pAc~Ag;n~
_ _-sed of paper, a part of which is pleated and capable
of being ~Yt~n~d out, and the other unpleated part of
which, is made from the same sheet or from a different
sheet fastened to the end of the pleated part. This
p~Ag;ng is intended to pac~age a convex object of
relatively stable shape. None of these p-~Ag;ng~ makes
it pos~;hle, on the other hand, to pac~age a set of
objects which are incoherent since they do not have a
stable shape, because it is ; ,-e-;hle to extend the
packaging around. French Patent Application No. 91-11965
proposes a solution to this problem by associating a
cardboard receptacle with a pleated paper sheet capable
of being ~Yt~n~ out: the goods are introduced into the
cardboard receptacle, then the paper sheet is ~Yt~n~
out using the cardboard receptacle as support having a
convex shape; this solution which makes it poss;hle to
obtain relatively aesthetic pA~-g;ng is expensive since
it uses cardboard; e~e it has the disadvantage of
associating a rigid sheet of complex shape and a pleated
flexible sheet which creates risks of tearing at the join
of the two types of sheets during hAn~l; ng.
The object of the invention is to propose packag-
ing such as claimed, in particular for loose goods, which
is de~ign~d solely from thin films.
The Arp~n~d drawings show illustrative embodi-
ment~ of thi8 p~~r~;n~.
Fig. 1 represents p~k~g; ng according to the
invention ~n-Yt~n~d.
Fig. 2 le~leEC~t8 pa-~g;ng according to the
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invention ~n~Yt~n~-d and f-- n; ~h~d with a concertina-
shaped bottom.
Fig. 3 represents p~r~ging according to Fig. 1
extended.
Fig. 4 represents p~rk~g;ng according to Fig. 2
extended into a configuration in which the shape of the
folds allows the creation of a receptacle.
Fig. 5 ~.~.ese~ts a variant of the packaging
according to the invention ;nrlllA;ng an unpleated part
sealed at its end.
Fig. 6 r~re~~~ts the p~r~-g;ng of Fig. 5
extended.
Fig. 7 represents r ~g; ng according to the
variant Lc~Lee~,ted in Fig. 5, the unpleated part of
which i8 fastened on the one hand at its end and on the
other hand at the join with the pleated part eo as to
constitute a bag.
Fig. 8 represents p~-~-g; ng according to the
variant depicted in Fig. 5, the pleated part of which is
replaced by a pleated part whose folds are disabled eo
that they cannot be ~Yt-n~-d out.
Fig. 9 le~lcF t~ the p8r~-~;n~ of Fig. 8 when it
is sealed by ~Yt-n~;ng-out the pleated part.
Fig. 10 le~,~eents r-c~g;ng according to the
variant depicted in Fig. 8, the folds of which are not
disabled and which can be -Y~on~-d out before sealing by
t~n~;ng out the pleated part.
Fig. 11 depicts the p-r~-g;ng according to
Fig. 10 when it is extended fully.
Fig. 12 ~e~lee_-ts the p-r~g;ng of Fig. 6 after
inversion and opening.
Fig. 13 represents a bag with offset edges
according to the invention.
Fig. 14 Le~o~_-ts a film whose edge ;nrlll~ a
hem made before pleating the film.
Fig. 15 l_p~ce_~ts the previous film pleated with
indication of the regions for fastening the folds.
Fig. 16 ~ ae _ts a bag whose folds have been
unravelled in order to widen the ~ L~ e thereof.
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Fig. 17 L eyreg_~ts a bag according to the inven-
tion cnn~;n;n~ a sandwich.
Fig. 18 ~e~lc~_~ts the bag r~nt~;n;ng the sand-
wich according to Fig. 17 sealed by a flap.
Fig. 19 represents the bag according to Fig. 17,
the folds of which have been unravelled in order to widen
the ~..L~-- thereof.
Fig. 20 shows a section through the pleated
region according to Fig. 15 located beneath the hem.
In a first variant of the invention a pleated
pAr~g;ng is made from a thin sheet in accordance with
one of the Patents FR-A-2595666 and FR-A-2676037; the
pleating assumes a subst~nt;~lly plane and ~-_L- y~lar
shape; the p~r~g;ng is folded up on itself (Fig. 1) in
such a way that the resulting crease 1 or creases 2
(Fig. 2) are perp~n~;c~ to the folds 3 (Fig. 1)
constituting the p~r~g;ng; n ~t, the lateral edges 4 and
5 are fastened together by a means ~L~ ate to the
composition of the thin sheet 80 as to form a bag; it is
possihle, by ~l~.iate folding, to make a concertina 6
at the bottom of this bag (Fig. 2) in ~uch a way as to
provide more room in the bottom of the bag. This bag
(Fig. 1 or Fig. 2) can be employed adv~L y.~sly in the
fast-food trade as repl~ t for the traditional cornet
of chips; it is ~igr~d for example from a complex
formed of paper and polyethylene in a thin layer, the
fastening of the folds 3 at their ends 7 and of the
lateral edges 4 and 5 is done by welding; the bag such as
described can be filled with chips as a cardboard cornet
would be; like the cornet, the bag serves as metering
device for the guantity of chips delivered; the hand of
the operator is protected whilst operating by several
th; rk~8~ of paper regulting from the initial folding
A1 ~ ng the fold8 3 to be obtained; the folding can be
devised 80 that there are a minimum of 3 th;ckn~ses of
paper by rhnos; ng the ratio between the small side of the
fold and its large side, a~ defined in the above-
referenced patents, appropriately; for a ratio greater
than 2, a region rnnt~;n;ng three th;r~n~ alternate~
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with regions containing a single th; ckn~8 only, whilst
for a value less than 2, there are at least three
th;r~n~ee~ of paper. When the bag (Fig. 1) is filled
with its quantity of chips, it is possible, by parting
the base 8 by pulling on the corners 9, to unfold the
folds 3; the volume of the bag increases (Fig. 3) and the
chips thus fall into a cavity which protects them from
going cold, whilst keeping the initial ~eL L~-e 10 which
then serves as ventilation and which tends to reseal
itself partially like lips; the ~Yt~n~ bag thus formed
can be set down on a plate and keep a stable position
thereon; as a function of the height 29 of the bag of the
degree of ~t~n-i~n as a function of the shape of the
folds (Fig. 3 and Fig. 4), it is possible to create a
mass effect making it po~;hle to limit the escape of
chips if the extended bag is inverted; if for example the
ratio of the sides of the folds is high and for example
greater than 2 with a height 29 for example subst~nt;Ally
equal to the width 30, the profile of the ~Yt~ pouch
(Fig. 3) le~ '1~ a sector of a circular annulus con-
sisting of two cnn~nt~ic circular arcs, bounded by
radii, formed by the lateral weld lines 4 and 5 making
with one another an angle 11 of less than 180~; if the
pouch is inverted the chips are able to be guided prefer-
ably towards the ~e~L~e of the bag ~pec;~lly if theangle is small; if the ratio of the sides of the folds is
small, for example of the order of 1.5 (Fig. 4), and the
ratio of the width 30 to the height 29 remains for
example of the same proportions, the angle 11 of the
radii formed by the lateral welds 4 and 5 is greater than
180~; the formed bag exhibits kinds of horns in which the
chips can be ae ' ted when the bag is inverted and
thus they cannot fall through the ~ e 10 which is
then above the goods. None of this prevents the c~nl
inserting his fingers through the ~_ L~- e of the
extended bag (Fig. 3 and Fig. 4) in order to extract the
chips therefrom eo as to eat them. Equally repre~ented
are a bag with a concertina bottom (Fig. 2 and Fig. 4)
and a bag with a concertinaless bottom (Fig. 1 and
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Fig. 3); the solut;nn~ described earlier, like those to
follow, apply equally to both these types of folding of
the bottoms 1 and 2: in what follows, just one of the two
caseO will be described.
Another way of creating a receptacle- i8 to start
from a pleated p~ g;ng of the type of that described in
Patent Application FR-A-26767037 in which the pleated
part 13 is prolonged by an unpleated part 14 making it
possible to envelop for example a sandwich made from a
semi-rigid crepe folded in half: thio p~ g;ng is folded
up on itself, while possibly ma~ing a concertina as
before, and only the end 15 of the unpleated part is
fastened: the goods are placed in the unpleated part 14
co as to fill it optimally and thus constitute, in co-
operation with the latter, a COhe~e~t whole which can
then be sealed (Fig. 6) by extending~the pleated part
(13). The same result can be obtained using an unpleated
part 14 of different width 16 from the length 17 of the
folds, and which is added and fastened to the part 13 as
described in Patent Application FR-A-2676037: the whole
being folded up as before and the end 15 of the unpleated
part 14 fastened to itself. One of the advantages of this
sort of p~ ?;ng is that it can be inverted in order to
support the ~YtonA~d part 13 (Fig. 6) next, the un-
pleated part 14 can be lifted like a cover to reveal the
loose goods held in the extended part 13 which has the
shape of a bowl (Fig. 12). In one variant of the version
of the invention just described, the unpleated sheet 18
~Fig. 7) fastened to itself at each of itc ends 19 and
20, forms a bag which can be covered over by the extend-
ing of the pleated part 21. An on~--- t to the
variants of the invention just described consists in
ropl~;ng the unpleated part 14 or 18 with a pleated
sheet 22 (Fig. 8), the foldO of which are fastened at
their ends, either with the same pitch as the pleated
part 23, or with a different pitch the folds 24 thus
plod~ced can serve as thermal insulation when they are
not oYt~n~od if n~co~-.y it is po~;hle to fasten them
together, for example along one or more lines 25
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perpDn~;c~lA~ to the direction of the folds 24, 80 as to
prevent them from being ~Yton~d out and insulated
peckAg;ng (Pig. 8 and Fig. 9) i8 obtained, operating like
those just described (Fig. 5 and Fig. 7). It is also
pos~;hle not to disable the folds 26 (Fig. 10) and allow
them to be ~Yt-n~d in such a way as to create a kind of
receptacle 27 which, when it is filled with goods and
extended, can be covered over by r~Yt-n~;ng (Fig. 11) the
pleated part (28) in such a way as to seal the ~e~ L~e
thereof. The variants just described apply as stated to
pArkAg;ng ;nr~ ;ng a concertina-shaped bottom 6 (Fig. 2)
as regards the pleated part 13 (Fig. 5) as well as the
unpleated part 14, the figures cited being eo by way of
example and not being limiting. Similarly, the unpleated
parts can be replaced with a pleated part 22 (Fig. 8)
with ~;AAhl~A folds or non-~;AAhl~d folds 26 (Fig. lO) in
all the variants described.
To allow better opening of the pleated bag
described earlier, it suff;c~ to offset the edges 31 and
32 (Fig. 13); the wall 33 of the bag c~ ;ng to the
longer edge 32 serves as guide for parting the other wall
31 and thus opening the bag. ~nder these conditions, when
the folds 34 are fastened by a hem 35, based for example
on a sheet of paper coated with polyethylene on one face,
an offset 36 between the two edges 31 and 32 is prefer-
ably chosen greater than the height 37 of the hem 35; the
hem 35 of the edge 32 set furthest back comes into con-
tact with a polyethylene-coated wall 33 when effecting
the weld 14 of the lateral edges 4 and 5 of the bag, and
can therefore be fastened to the other face 33. The off-
set 36 between the two edges 31 and 32 can be increased
deliberately 80 that one of the two walls 41 (Fig. 17)
can constitute a flap making it pos~;hle to seal the bag
(Fig. 18) thus produced, in the manner in which an
envelope is sealed. It is noted that in the bag thus pro-
duced the p. e~ce of the folds implies that at least one
part 42 (Fig. 20) of the surface of the sachet ;n~n~~~
at least three th i ~ r ~ of paper 43, 44, 45 and
constitutes, in these regions, more effective insulation
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against heat losses.
If it is desired to be able to unravel the folds
of the bag (Fig. 16) in order to open it wide without any
risk of tearing the pleated film by initiating a fracture
starting from the margin of the film, it suff;c~ to ma~e
a hem 46 (Fig. 14) prior to the pleating (Fig. 15) of the
film 47 (Fig. 14); this hem 46, which can be fastened
~p~n~;~g on the materials used by any known means,
precludes the margin 48 from being subjected directly to
the tensile stresses; next, the folds 49 are fastened
together (Fig. 15) preferably on just one side of the
film in such a way that, for example, the sheets 44 and
45 (Fig. 20) adhere together by welding of the outer coat
of the film when it is added, for example by adhesive
bonding or coating, or by applying glue directly to the
surface of the film, whereas the sheets 43 and 44 do not
adhere to one another. When, for example, polyethylene-
coated paper is used, the hem 46 (Fig. 14) is made by
positioning the plastic inside the fold and the hem 46 is
welded at 50; to be spec;f;c, the hem 46 is, for example,
between 5 and 10 m~m [sic] in width for packaging
;nt~n~d to contain of the order of 150 g of chips; then,
the pleating (Fig. 15) is made and the folds are fastened
in the region 51 adjacent to the hem 46 by direct heating
of the paper in such a way that the walls 52 and 53
(Fig. 20) of the polyethylene-lined sheets 44 and 45,
which are in contact with one another, are fastened
together by welding; the pleated region 54 (Fig. 15)
C~ ;ng to the hem 46 merely having paper walls,
there is no fastening-together of the folds in this
region 54 which is therefore free of any stress when the
folds 34 are pulled in the direction 55 p~ cnlAr to
the folds 34 in order to unravel them; on the other hand,
in the region 51 of fastening-together of the folds, the
polyethylene coat co~mon to both walls 52 and 53
(Fig. 20) facing one another is separated from one of the
walls under the action of the tension 55 which is exerted
pe ~ rly to the folds 34; this wrenching is
facilitated by the fact that, in the te~n;3 - adopted
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for the fastening of the folds, the weld operates in
peeling and not in shear. It is po~;hl~ for certain
applications to fasten the folds 34 (Fig. 15) in the same
way as just described in other regions of the bag and in
particular in the vicinity of the bottom 56 (Fig. 16);
Indeed, it may be desired to widen the ~pelLu-e 57 of the
bag in order to give it the shape of a basket without the
bottom being AYtAn~, or C~ve Dely~ to extend merely
the bottom 56 of the bag eo that the ~_ Lu e is resealed
and retains the heat of the c~ntAntA to best effect.
This type of bag may very well be used (Fig. 17)
for placing sAn~wi~hA~ of various shapes therein; sealing
(Fig. 18) can be provided for by a flap 41 formed by the
longest side and retained for example by a sticker 58 or
any other system available on the market. In order to
consume the sandwich 59 (Fig. 17), ~nt~;n~ in this bag,
it suffices to part the edges 60 (Fig. 19) of the bag 80
as to increase the size thereof and expose a part of the
sandwich 59 without however needing to remove it from its
20 p~k~g;ng. This bag is ~Aper;Ally well suited to long
sandwiches.
