Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SL'BSTITG"T'E SHEET
TOOLING FOR FORML~iG PALKAGI~G FRO:V1 UTv'ITARY BLA.~TKS
~~rcc;R~rnw of rxE nsvENTioN
The present invention relates to a device and method foz forming packaging.
More
specifically. the prese~z~t invention relates to tooling and a msthod of using
the tooling to mold srnali
self standing packaging containers or sachets from tmitary generally
reetaegular cardboard blanks.
Small disposable packaging containers or sachets are commonly used to pro.zde
consumer
samples for assorted products, especially for fluidie products. ?hc unitary
blanks used to form the
sachets are laminated with a moisture proof coating a:~d, when molded, form a
completely sealed and
sterile environment. The sample products include lotions, p~rfmt~as, food
products and other
consumer goods which would benefit front small sealed unitary packaging. High
quality cosmetics are
marketed tluoegh the use of sachets emblazoned with trademarks and configured
for particular tradt
dresses. Self standing sachets are used in the hotel and re~urant industry to
provide consumer
p:oducts in bathroom facilities, eli:nirating the ne~d for storage baskets or
the like. 'There is sa
ongoing need in the art to provide improved tooling for forming sachets in
appealing self standing
shapes.
Various apparatus have been developed for the formarion of packaging
containers from
unitary blan7cs including Belgian Patent No. HE 547 0$2 and United States
Patent No. 5,313,767. The
previous apparatus contain sharp comers and edges which :night damage unitary
blanks outing the
forming of packagins containers or sachets. Those previous app~tus formed
sachets that rely on
sharp folds and corners for sspport points and had difficuln~ form~n8 curved
ar bowed support
surfaces from unitary blanks. The present inventior. has been fashioned with
roundod edges and
curved suzfaces to better form c~uved or bowed surfaces from unitary blanks.
The curved su_~faces of
the preset ~vention decrease the chances of puncturing uniT.ary blanks and
create more possibilities
for the configuration of unitary blank;. The present imenrion rnay more rosily
form curved surfaces
and irteg:ate these s.rrfaces with sharply angled surfaces tc create
containers that were previously
very trocblesorne to form.
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AMEf~DED ~~iEET
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The present invention involves the use of tooling with curved surfaces and
rounded edges
to form packages or sachets from unitary generally rectangular cardboard
blanks. An object of
the present invention is to decrease the incidence of damaged packaging due to
the sharp edges
used on previous tooling. Another object of the invention is to increase the
number of packaging
shapes possible by forming curved surfaces in packaging containers fashioned
from the unitary
blanks.
FIG. 1 is a front bottom perspective of a sachet formed by the tooling of the
present
invention;
FIG. 2A is a front elevation view of the first mandrel of the present
invention;
FIG. 2B is a front elevation view of the second mandrel of the present
invention;
F1G. 2C is a side elevation view of the first mandrel of the present
invention;
FIG. 2D is a side elevation of the second mandrel of the present invention;
FIG. 2E is a bottom view of the first mandrel of the present invention;
FIG. 2F is a top view of the second mandrel of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a top view of one embodiment of the unitary blank used in the
present invention;
and
FIG. 4 is an elevation view showing the forming of a package by the
complementary
mandrels of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a bottom perspective view of the finished molded package or sachet
94 created
by the improved tooling of the present invention and illustrates the base
configuration 98. As can
be seen by FIG. 1, the sachet base 98 assumes the general configuration of the
forming surtaces
12 and 42 integral to mandrels 10 and 40, shown in FIGS. 2A-2F, from which it
was molded. End
triangular segments 74 are shown curving inwardly into the sachet structure
from center segment
72 to create recesses 87. There is no exact line of delineation or border
between triangular
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segments 74 and center segment 72, but rather a gradual succession as shown by
curved edges
73. The curved edges 73 and gradual slope between triangular segments 74 and
center segment
72 resist puncturing caused by previous tooling, as no abrupt fold or crease
is created. The
curved edges 73 also allow the sachet 94 to stand erect upon on its center
segment 72 while
being supported at opposite ends by the bottom of sealed side seams 92 created
by the fusing
of package sides 86 during the forming process, as shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 2A is a front elevation view of the first mandrel of the present
invention generally
shown as 10. The mandrel 10 has a forming surface 12 that is convex in shape
and located on
its bottom end. The forming surface 12 is hemmed by a rounded perimeter edge
17 which defines
the general exterior outline of the forming surface 12. A center segment 14 is
bowed outward and
defined by rounded edges 16. Bordering the center segment 14 are two
triangular segments 18
that slope upward from the center segment 14 to complete the forming surface
12 of the first
mandrel 10. The rounded edges 16 created a gradual succession between the
center segment
14 and the triangular segments 18.
The lengthwise sides of the first mandrel 10, as shown in FIG. 1, have flat
parallel center
sections 20 defined by generally straight longitudinal edges 24 which extend
for substantially the
length of the first mandrel 10. Angled side sections 22 abut flat parallel
sections 20 and converge
to generally straight longitudinal end edges 26. This convergence of angled
side sections 22 is
consistent with the shape of the triangular segments 18 located on the forming
surface 12 which
defines the bottom ends of the angled side sections 22. A bore 30 is located
on the top end 28
of the first mandrel 10 and is used for mounting the mandrel 10 to a
positioning device such as
a cylinder shaft, gear box shaft, solenoid shaft, motor shaft and other
actuation devices known
to persons of ordinary skill in the art
The complementary or second mandrel is shown in FIG. 2B generally as 40. The
mandrel 40 has a forming surface 42 that is concave in shape and located on
its top end. The
forming surface 42 is bordered by a rounded perimeter edge 47 which defines
the general exterior
outline of the forming surface 42. A center segment 44 is bowed inward and
defined by rounded
edges 46. Bordering the center segment 44 are two triangular segments 48 that
slope upward
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from the center segment 44 to complete the forming surface 42 of the second
mandrel 40. As in
the first mandrel 10 the rounded edges 46 created a gradual succession between
the center
segment 44 and the triangular segments 48.
The lengthwise sides of the second mandrel 40, as shown in FIG. 2B, have flat
parallel
center sections 50 defined by generally straight longitudinal edges 54 which
extend for
substantially the length of the first mandrel 40, and are similar to generally
straight longitudinal
edges 24 of the first mandrel 10. Angled side sections 52, similarly to angled
side sections 22 of
the first mandrel 10, abut flat parallel sections 50 and converge to generally
straight longitudinal
end edges 56. This convergence of angled side sections 22 is consistent with
the shape of the
triangular segments 48 located on the forming surface 42 which defines the top
end of the angled
side sections 52. A bore 60 is located on the bottom end 58 of the second
mandrel 40 and is
used for mounting the mandrel to a device such as a cylinder shaft, gear box
shaft, solenoid shaft,
motor shaft and other actuation devices known to persons of ordinary skill in
the art.
The forming surface 42 of the second mandrel 40 is fashioned to be
complementary to the
forming surface 12 of the first mandrel 10, as shown in FIGS. 2A-2F. When
forming surface 12
and forming surface 42 are brought together, both surfaces should
substantially adjoin throughout.
This complementary function allows unitary blanks, when placed between the
forming surfaces
12 and 42, to be generally supported throughout on the areas which contact the
forming surfaces
12 and 42. By supporting the unitary blanks on both sides the final shape of
the sachet is better
determined and the occurrence of puncturing is decreased.
FIG. 2C is a side elevation view of the first mandrel 10 and helps to better
illustrate how
the angled side sections 22 converge to longitudinal end edges 26. Triangular
sections 18
generally assume the planar cross section of angled side sections 22 at the
forming surface 12
located at the bottom end of the first mandrel 10. Bowed center segment 14
curves to rounded
edges 16 which faintly define one side of the triangular sections 18. FIG. 2D
is a side elevation
view of the complementary or second mandrel 40 and, similar to FIG. 2C, shows
angled side
sections 52 converging to longitudinal end edges 56.
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SUBSTITUTE SHEET
Figure 2E is a bottom view of the first mandrel 10. In this viev~ the
hor;.zontal planar features
of the forming surface 12 are beuac illustrated. The center seginent 14 is
located between t=~iangular
segments 18 and bordered by rounded edgts 16. Longitudinal end tdges 26 ue
shown at the vertexes
of triangular segments 18 as angled side sections 22 converge outwardly from
flat parallel center
sections 20.
Figure ZF is a top yew of the second mandrel 40. In this view, sinnilar to
Figure 2E, the
horizontal planar features of the forming surface 42 are better illustrated.
The center segtttent 44 is
located between triangular segments 48 and bordered by rounded edges 46. 'lie
center se~nent 44
and rounded edges 46 differ slightly from the rounded edges 16 of the first
mandrel, as the arc of the
center segment 44 and rounded edges 46 extend inwardly to the steond mandrel
40 in a concave
fashion. The degree of curvature for the xourtdcd edges 46 is also less than
the degree of curvaa~re
for ~e rotmded edges 16. Longi:ud'r~al end edges 56 are shown at the vertcxea
of triangular ser~ients
48 as angled side sections 52 converge outwardly from flat parallel center
sections 50.
Figure 3 is a top view of one ~r!bodiment of the unitary blanks ?0 used to
form the packages
or sachets- The unitary bleak ?U may be composed of a relatively rigid sheet
of paper coated or
otherwise covered with a thermoplastic mattrial. Tn other embodiments a
suitably substantially
thermoplastic or metallic unitary blank may also tx used. Unitary blank 70 is
generally rectangular in
form with integral cap segments 7I located on either end..At the center of the
unitary blank 70 is a
bottom segment 80, defined by parallel creases 82, from which the final molded
container hill stand
upright upon. The center segment 72 is located in this bottom segment 80.
Bordering the center
sc,ment 72 are triangular segments 74. There is no exact line of delineation
or border between
triangular segments ?4 and cents scgcncrn 72, but rather a gradual succession.
'tVhcn the bottom 80 is
fully forrsed the triangular segments 74 will slope upward from tht center
segment 72. Finger creases
78 are positioned along Iit~es A and A'. Vi~hen the forming surfaces 12 acrd
42 sand~cvich the unitary
blank, these finger creases 78 will create a cun~ing point a:ong lines A~ and
A' to allow the center
scgraent ?2 to gradually curve upa-ard to triangular segments 74. Opposing end
triangle segments 85
vsZll become upright and.
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opposing end rectangular segments 88 will become upright and make contact with
their opposite
rectangular segments 88.
The formation of the container takes place when the two mandrels are brought
together
and sandwich the unitary blank 70, as shown in FIG. 4, by a package forming
and filling machine.
Such a machine is disclosed within the following U.S. patent, 5,313,767
entitled "Multiple Package
Forming and Filling Machine" issued to Gentile on May 24, 1994 and is
incorporated by reference
herewithin. When the two opposing sides 86 of the unitary blank 70 are brought
together by
mandrels 10 and 40 in a forming die 96, the two opposing sides 86 will pivot
upward about
parallel creases 82, the triangular segments 74 will slope upward about finger
creases 78 forming
recesses, opposing end triangle segments 85 will become generally upright and
opposing end
rectangular segments 88 will become upright and make contact with their
opposite rectangular
segments 88. The die 96 will then heat and fold the blank unitary blank 70
along side creases 84
and, after the sachet is filled, close the top of the unitary blank 70 to seal
the package in its
molded form.
It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact
construction illustrated
and described above, but that various changes and modifications may be made
without departing
from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
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