Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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PACKAGE FURNISHED WITH A SEAL
The invention refers to a packing or package in accordance
with preamble of patent claim l.
Packages of this type, especially for liquid contents such as
drinks (e.g. fruit juices, milk, etc.) are known in a wide
variety of constructions. As a rule the cut for the respective
package is shaped in such a way that it forms lobe-shaped
sections that are closed toward the outside and are connected
with the interior of the package, whereby the sides of these
lobe-shaped sections continue into connecting side sections
that border the actual interior of the package, for example
into the top and into one of the peripheral sides of the
package. Especially with square-shaped packages it is also
customary that each of these lobe-shaped sections is folded
onto an outer surface, for example onto a peripheral side of
the package and fastened there by gluing, welding, etc. In
order to remove the contents a pouring aperture is made in the
package, for example by cutting off the end of one of the
lobe-shaped sections, or the package is opened on a prepared
aperture, for example by puncturing the surface of a foil,
membrane, etc.
The disadvantage of the known packages is that these cannot be
tightly resealed after the first time they are opened until
the contents have been completely used up, at best only by
using special, additional sealing elements, for example in the
form of inserts made of plastic.
The object of the invention is to depict a package that can be
tightly resealed after opening of the original seal during
consumption without additional sealing elements. In order to
fulfill this purpose a package corresponding to patent claim l
is exemplified.
At the invention, the lobe-shaped section is wrapped or bent
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around a predefined edge and folded onto the outer surface of
the package for sealing, so that the seal closes the gap
formed in the area of the edge between the two neighboring
sides of the lobe-shaped projection between the inner side of
the projection and the interior of the package. This seal is
extremely effective since the package possesses a high degree
of stiffness in the area of the cant around which the folding
occurs and a lever effect is exerted on the seal located
between the cant and the side opposite of it by the linear
extension of the lobe-shaped section, so that the seal is
sufficiently distorted to achieve an absolutely tight reusable
seal.
Examples of the invention are the subject of the sub-claims.
In the following the invention is illustrated in more detail
with examples of models in the figures.
Fig. lin simplified depiction and in front view, a package in
accordance with the invention;
Fig. 2a depiction as in Fig. l, however with an open package;
Fig. 3the open package in side view;
Fig. 4in simplified depiction, a cut of the package in
accordance with Fig. l;
Fig. 5a cut corresponding to the line l - l of Fig. 2 in a
package not completely opened;
Fig. 6in an enlarged partial depiction or view, the cut of a
further model of the package according to invention in the
area of the pouring aperture;
Fig. 7a cut similar to Fig. 5 of the package in Fig. 6;
Fig. 8and 9 depictions similar to Figures 6 and 7;
Fig. 9 in simplified depiction, a cut corresponding to the
line ll - ll of Fig. l;
Fig. lO in a depiction similar to Fig. 5, a further possible
model of the invention;
Fig. ll a depiction similar to Fig. 5 of a further embodyment
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of the invention;
Fig. 12 a depiction as in Fig. 11, however with a fully closed
container.
In the figures there is a package 1 for liquid contents, for
example a package for fruit juices or similar drinks. The
package 1 consists of a cut la from a multi-layer material,
for example from a material that possesses several layers or
plies made of cardboard, plastic, metal foil etc. and which is
constructed for example according to materials usually used
for such disposable packages. The cut la is constructed in
such a way that the package has a roughly square shape in a
filled and closed state. For this purpose the cut la is sealed
or formed for example by sealing or welding or in another
suitable manner to the package 1 along the edge areas 2 and 3,
from which the two edge areas 2 are on the top 4 and bottom 5
of the package and the edge area 3 is on one of the two larger
peripheral or long sides 6 or 7, i.e. in the model illustrated
in Fig. 1 on the left long side 6, and extends over half of
the top 4 and half of the bottom 5. The cut 1 is furthermore
folded along the lines 8 in such a way that this results in
the square-shaped package 1, which possesses on the two narrow
sides 9 and 10 a triangular lobe or section above and below,
namely on the narrow side 9 the two lobe-shaped sections 11,
on the narrow side 10 the lower lobe-shaped section 11 and the
upper lobe-shaped section 12, which corresponds to the
sections 11 with respect to shape and folding, but which
possesses the pouring aperture on the side or surface 13.
The sections 11 are connected with the outer surface of the
respective narrow side 9 or 10 in a suitable manner, for
example by sealing, welding or gluing, so that these sections,
into which the welded edge areas 2 extend, lie tightly against
the respective narrow side 9 or 10.
The folding lines 8 form vertical folding lines 8v, each of
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which extends between the lower and upper edge area 2 of the
cut la and perpendicular to these edge areas and each of which
forms with its middle section in the finished, folded package
1 the edge between a narrow side 9 or 10 and a connecting long
side 6 or 7. Furthermore, horizontal folding lines 8h are
provided for that extend parallel and at a distance to the
edge areas 2. The parts of the horizontal folding lines 8h
designated in figures as 8hl form the edge between the
respective narrow side 9 or 10 and the inner surface of the
lobe-shaped section 11 or 12 in the finished package and those
designated as 8h2 form the edges between the top 4 or the
bottom 5 and the two long sides 6 or 7 of the finished
package. Additionally, diagonal folding lines 8s are provided
for, which, after folding of the package, form the edges 20 of
the section 11 or 12 and especially for section 12 form the
crossover between the wall section 13 and wall section 17 or
18.
The pouring aperture 14 is provided for on the surface 13 of
section 12 and lies against the narrow side 10 of the closed
package. The pouring aperture 14 is pre-punched in cut la as a
slit or oval opening and is sealed in the original, sealed
package by a foil that can be removed and/or punctured. The
foil can be for example an additional closing or sealing foil
attached to cut la during manufacture, or part of the
multi-layer material from which cut la is manufactured.
Section 12 is wrapped on one of the folding lines 8hl of the
closed package in such a way that it lies against the narrow
side 10 with its side 13 and its point 12' which contain the
pouring aperture and is held in place there in a folded state
by releasable connection elements 15 and 16. These releasable
connection elements 15 and 16 are elements of a Velcro
fastener in package 1. Element 16 on section 12 is located in
the section of side 13 between the point 12' of the section
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and the pouring aperture 14.
Fig. 3 shows the opened package, in which section 12 is
wrapped toward the top, juts out or extends beyond the top of
the package 1 and forms a sack-like pouring spout, with the
S pouring aperture 14, that becomes narrower toward the point
12'. The interior of this pouring spout 12, which is connected
with the remaining interior of the package, is limited or
bount by the side section 13, which has a convex shape on the
outer side, as does the narrow side 10, for pouring the
contents from the package 1 and by the side sections 17 and 18
enclosing the one angle, which continue into the top 4 and
form the outer side of the folded section 12 of the finished
package 1. The convex shape of the side section 13 which
continues on the folding line 8hl into the narrow side 10 is
lS achieved by exerting slight manual pressure on the package 1
between the two sides 6 and 7 in the area of section 12.
In a closed state the section 12 as illustrated in Fig. 1 is
wrapped toward the bottom or folded around the upper folding
line 8hl which runs obliquely to the plane of the two long
sides 6 and 7 and extends between the side section 13 and the
narrow side 10. The section 12 is fixed by the two elements 15
and 16 in its closed position, folded toward the bottom.
In order to re-close the package 1 during consumption of the
contents after opening the original seal the first time, a
seal in the form of a sealing strip made of an elastic,
flexible sealing material is provided for on the package 1 on
the inner side of the cut la along the folding line 8hl. This
strip 19 extends along the entire width of the narrow side 10
or along the entire length of the folding line 8 hl. As shown
in Fig. 5, upon closing or re-closing of the section 12 this
sealing strip 19 is pinched between the upper cant of the
narrow side 10, which cant is formed by the folding line 8hl
and around which cant the section 12 is folded, and the inner
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surface of the top 4 of the package 1, so that the section 12
or the interior of this section 12 formed between the sides
13, 17 and 18 is tightly closed to the remaining interior of
the package 1. The sealing strip follows the folding line 8 of
the package 1.
The exceptional feature of the package 1 consists in the fact
that, after opening the original seal the first time, it can
at any time be re-closed absolutely tightly by turning down or
folding down section 12, without additional sealing elements
that must be inserted into a pouring or spending aperture.
Whereas the sealing strip of package 1 follows the folding
line 8hl, Figures 6 and 7 show an embodiment, in which the
sealing strip 19' is provided for on the inner side of the
package 1' or of the corresponding cut la' below the folding
line 8hl and parallel to it.
Figures 8 and 9 show, as a further possible embodiment, a
package 1'', in which the sealing strip 19'' not only follows
the folding line 8hl, but also the two joining folding lines
8v, in the section extending between the folding line 8hl and
the upper edge area 2, so that in the finished, folded package
1'' sealing strips are provided for both at the cant formed by
the folding line 8hl as well as opposite of this.
All models have in common that when the package is closed or
re-closed, i.e. when the package is tightly closed with the
point 12' folded down and the section 12 fastened on the
narrow side by elements 15 and 16, by the sealing strip 19,
l9'or 19'', the package is sealed tightly. Instead of the
sealing strip, another seal can be provided for. Although the
top 4 does not form a flat interior surface on the connected
or sealed or welded edge areas 2, as illustrated very
schematically in Fig. 10, a tight working seal is possible due
to the elastic, flexible seal 19, 19', 19''.
Figures 11 and 12 show as a further model a package
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l'''according to invention that differs from the packages of
figures 1 - 10 in that, instead of the elastic seals 19, 19',
19'' a seal 19''' is provided for that consists of two seal
sections l9a''' and l9b'', which are exemplified in the
depicted model as beads molded into the material of the
package and which interlock when re-closing the package, thus
effecting a tight seal.
The seal sections can also be manufactured as extra elements
from plastic or from another suitable material.
List of reference terms
1, 1', 1'' package
la, la', la'' cut
2, 3 edge area
4 top
bottom
6, 7 long side
8 folding line
9, 10 narrow side
11, 12 lobe-shaped section
12' point
13 side
14 pouring aperture
15, 16 fastener
17, 18 side section
19, 19', 19'' sealing strip
19''' seal
edge
