Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Packaging for pulverulent material
The present invention relates to a package for pulverulent material
Stringent requirements with regard to hygiene and dosage are imposed on
packaging
for baby food. Therefore, such a powder is currently stored in cylindrical
metal cans that
are sealed by a metal lid or plastic lid that has to be opened before use and
that is reclosable
in a simple manner. Scoops that are so designed that an accurate volume for
pulverulent
material is delimited therein are used for dosage. By levelling off, a
predetermined amount
can be accommodated in the volume of the scoop cavity. It is important that
this amount is
accurately specified in order, on the one hand, to guarantee that the baby
receives sufficient
food and, on the other hand, as far as possible to prevent problems with
constipation in the
children. It must be understood that pulverulent material must be understood
to be any
granular material, in particular spray-dried food products, as well as
agglomerates of the
powder particles.
In such a packaging, such a scoop is generally loose between the top of the
contents
and the bottom of the lid on the product.
After the scoop has been used, some users replace the scoop in or on the
product.
Other users consider it to be unhygienic to put the scoop back into the
contents of the
container after use. Therefore, the scoop is frequently stored outside the
container, which in
practice further increases the risk of contamination. On the other hand, the
size and the
height of such containers are so designed that as compact as possible a volume
is obtained
in order to obtain optimum filling of the shelf at the point of sale.
US 6 604 645 B1 discloses a container having a lid to which a scoop is moulded
and
connected thereto by a film hinge. The top of the container is provided with a
seal enclosed
by the assembly of the lid and scoop. At first use the scoop is separated from
the lid.
Sealing of the container at the location where the lid should connect to the
wall of the
container is very complicated. Stack ability of the lid prior to assembly with
the container
is limited due to the shape thereof.
FR 2 747 107 discloses a container which is sealed off and having on top
thereof a
ring comprising a scoop as well as a lid. After removal of the scoop from the
ring and
tearing off the seal, the ring can be positioned on the container after which
the lid can
become effective.
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In both US 6 604 645 and FR 2 747 107 the user has to break away the scoop
from a
further plastic part involving the risk of particles getting into the food
material which might
be highly dangerous.
The invention aims to provide a container, lid, scoop assembly wherein the
scoop is
not permanently connected with the lid so that breakage is not longer
necessary.
Furthermore, the lid to be used with the container should be easily stackable
with other lids
during production thereof. The contents of the container should be guaranteed
by the
provision of a seal on top of the contents. The use of scoops having a
different volume
should be possible without substantive changes to the lid.
According to the invention this is realized with the characterizing features
of claim 1.
Stacking of the lids is provided by keeping the height of the lid relatively
low. On the
other hand there is an indication on the lid that a scoop is provided inside
the container.
Such an indication is an elevation of the lid having (part of) the shape of
the scoop. The
scoop is not connected to any of the lid and container, after filling the
container with the
intended contents. This means that breaking away of the scoop from another
part of the
package is not necessary after it has been filled.
According to the invention part of the volume of the scoop is accommodated by
the
top part of the container. To that end the seal is provided somewhat below the
top edge of
the container. This distance between the seal and the top edge of the
container is preferably
between 20 and 50 mm, and more in particular about 30 mm.
According to the present invention the user is encouraged to place the scoop
in a
accommodation made in the lid after using the scoop for the first time. This
accommodation is partially delimited by the elevation described above. In
particular, the
open end of the bowl-shaped part of the scoop can be accommodated in this
elevation. As a
result the volume of the container does not increase to a significant extent,
but, on the other
hand, it can be ensured that the scoop can be stored in the container under
the most
hygienic conditions out of contact with the filling in the container.
More particularly, the elevation described above has a height of 2 - 25, in
particular
4 - 15 mm, measured between the maximum of the height and the base of the
elevation.
The lid according to the present invention preferably consists of a plastic
material,
that is hingedly connected to a lid rim, which likewise consists of plastic
and is clamped on
the container wall or fixed thereto in some other way. Preferably, the lid rim
is provided
with a levelling off edge, that is to say an angled portion or strip to avoid
accumulation of
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powder in the corner under which the top edge of the scoop can be scraped in a
simple way
in order to provide accurate reproducable and convenient dosage of the volume
of product
in the scoop.
In the case of conventional packaging it has proved to be a problem to remove
the
entire contents from the packaging. The reason for this is that manipulation
within the
relatively restricted space of the packaging is difficult. Moreover, it is not
hygienic always
to replace the scoop in the contents of the packaging after use, as is now
customary.
In the case of known packaging, on hygienic grounds the scoop is first
introduced
into the container, after which the container is filled with the pulverulent
material. Closure
then takes place and on turning the packaging upside down the scoop will come
to the top.
This has the disadvantage that under adverse conditions pieces of plastic that
break away or
other particles from the production process can get into the powder, with all
the associated
consequences. Moreover, as a result of this procedure there is a relatively
large empty
space between the top of the product, such as powder, and the bottom of the
lid (the so-
called headspace). In the case of perishable substances, such a large head
space filled with
gas is disadvantageous. During the long storage time, certain substances
contained in the
product can be converted by the oxygen that is present in the gas.
A further aim of the present invention is to provide a packaging that does not
have
these disadvantages or has them to a lesser extent.
This further aim is realised with a packaging as described above in that the
container
wall contains a heat-sealable material on the inside and in that a plastic
film seal extending
over the free cross-sectional surface area of the container is arranged close
to the top of the
container, which seal is fixed to said container wall by heat sealing.
According to the present invention the space in which the scoop is
accommodated is
separated in an essentially gastight manner from the space in which the powder
is present.
Such a separation is possible by making the interior of the container wall of
a heat-sealable
material and, after introducing the powder, to produce a film cover on the
powder with the
heat-sealable material by heat sealing. A film providing a gastight seal is
thus produced
above the powder. The scoop can be placed on this film in some way or other.
The film is preferably a film that can be fixed to the peripheral wall by
means of heat
and that has odour-absorbing characteristics.
Optionally it is possible further to counteract perishing by, before or during
application of the seal described above, removing the air or oxygen that is
present in the
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powder or container by applying a vacuum and introducing into the product a
gas that
counteracts perishing, such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide or any other inert gas
or mixture of
such gases under normal conditions.
Under normal conditions, the quality of the product will not deteriorate or
will barely
deteriorate after the packaging has been opened because the contents of the
packaging will
be used relatively rapidly after opening. The problem is the potentially long
storage time,
which can be achieved without any problem with the seal according to the
invention. The
packaging can be provided with a hinging lid, as a result of which the
packaging can be
effectively closed again after use.
However, it is also possible to arrange a snap-fit accommodation in the lid
for
snapping the scoop into this. This accommodation is preferably in or close to
the centre of
the lid and can enclose the bowl of the scoop and possibly the handle.
Preferably during
production the scoop is entered in the space between the lid and the seal
without using the
snap-fit accommodation. Only after first opening of the container the user
will clamp the
scoop to the snap-fit accommodation to prevent contact with the contents of
the container.
According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the
packaging is made essentially rectangular. A rectangular construction has
significant
advantages with regard to packing and positioning on the shelf. Optimum use of
volume
can be achieved, it also being possible, when positioning on the shelf, easily
to place the
desired side facing the consumer in order to increase the power for
stimulating an impulse
to buy. A further advantage of an essentially rectangular packaging is that
manipulation
with the scoop is appreciably simplified. After all, for a given surface area,
compared with
a circle, the length of the diagonal of a rectangle is appreciably greater
than the diameter of
a circle. Preferably, the corners of the rectangle are rounded. There is
preferably a
levelling-off edge in the corner. This edge is preferably more than 9 mm wide
measured
from the corner and can comprise a triangle or a strip spaced from the corner.
If a strip is
used powder cannot accumulate in the adjacent corner. Such strip can have a
width of 7-11
mm. The space from the nearest edge thereof to the corner is more than 4 mm
and
preferably about 5-9 mm.
It is possible to fit an accommodation for at least partially accommodating
the scoop
in the lid. The various aspects depend on the amount of product that has to be
packed in the
container, the desired cross-sectional surface area and the height of the
container. As
indicated above the free space ( r) between the seal described above and the
bottom of the
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lid is preferably between 14 and 27 mm. It has been found that in this way an
optimum
volume for the scoop is provided, whilst the packaging, when containing, for
example, 900
g product, can be arranged stacked on a shelf in a simple mamier.
Stringent requirements in respect of gas tightness and opacity are imposed on
the
5 packaging for certain products, such as baby food. Therefore, it is
proposed according to
the invention to make the wall of the container, like the bottom thereof, from
a paper/metal
foil/plastic laminate. The metal foil provides gas tightness and opacity.
Paper or board
functions as a support, whilst the plastic functions as heat-sealable
material. The plastic
used can be any material known in the state of the art.
According to a further advantageous embodiment, the seal, which is applied on
the
product, is provided with a tear lip and a weakening line. By pulling on the
lip an opening
can be obtained along the tear line, via which opening the contents can be
removed from
the packaging. On the one hand this provides easy access to the product, the
user having to
perform few special operations, and, on the other hand, tampering can easily
be detected in
this way. A further advantage is that any product particles that have come
between the seal
and the wall during heat sealing are not able to escape and remain enclosed.
After removing the film along the tear line, an edge of the film remains on
the side
walls. This edge will preferably be less than 5 mm, more preferably less than
4 mm, in
order to allow the opening to the product to be as large as possible. The film
consists of a
material on which the user cannot injure him- or herself.
The container is preferably provided with means promoting gripping, such as
finger
recesses. As a result of the rectangular design of the container, one side of
the packaging is
optimum for each size of hand. One of the sides may have a maximum width of at
most
approximately 12.0 cm and is preferably 6 to 11.6 cm in order to make good
grasping by
the consumer possible. The other side may have size of 11.6-15.0 cm and more
preferably
12.4-13.5 cm. The maximum height of the packaging including the lid is 22 cm
and
preferably approximately 10 - 20 cm and more preferably 15-20 cm.
The invention also relates to a method for providing a pack filled with
powder,
comprising the provision of a container provided with a base, the inside wall
of the
container consisting of a heat-sealable material, filling powder into said
container, placing
a heat-sealable film above the powder and joining said film to said container
wall,
provision being made for the fitting of a lid.
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More particularly, the containers are produced from blanks at the packing
location, so
that only small volumes of packaging material have to be fed to the packaging
installation.
More particularly, the container is first produced and this is then filled and
provided with
the seal described above and only then is the lid, including lid rim, fitted.
The introduction
of gas before/during application of the seal can be carried out either on a
continuous basis
or batchwise.
It has been indicated above that the container is preferably of rectangular
cross-
section. More particularly, this rectangular shape bulges outwards to some
extent in the
middle of at least two opposing sides. Such bulging can be limited and is
preferably less
than approximately 7 mm and more preferably less than 2 mm on the short side
and less
than approximately 16 mm on the long side. However, acute angles should
preferably be
avoided. That is to say, with respect to the straight line connecting the
points of greatest
deflection/inflection, the outward deviation is less than approximately 7 mm
and
approximately 16 mm, respectively, and preferably 3 - 6 and 7 - 15 mm,
respectively.
Moreover, the container can be provided with finger holds to facilitate
handling.
As a result of the specific choice of the abovementioned dimensions, the base
surface
area of the container is 120 - 150 cm2, in particular 125 - 140 cm2, for
example 126 - 136
cm2.
The invention is in particular provided with a closure indicating tamper
(tamper
evidence). This is implemented in that the lid rim is provided with a
peripheral part that
extends upwards and that extends to the top of the lid periphery or beyond
this. As a result
it is not easily possible to raise the lid located within it. The
circumferential rim of the lid is
not accessible in the closed position. The peripheral edge accommodating the
circumferential rim can be interrupted to obtain access to for example a lip
extending from
the lid. Such means for interrupting the peripheral edge can comprise a break
away portion
thereof. This is effected, for example, by fixing the break away part at two
points on each
side of edge. By breaking away the part the lip of the lid is exposed and the
lid can be
opened. When the part is broken away the abovementioned joins to the lid rim
(peripheral
edge) are destroyed, so that it is clear that tampering has taken place
through the
interruption of the circumference line. Thereafter the lid can always easily
be opened after
closing.
The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to an
illustrative
embodiment shown in the drawing. In the drawing:
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Fig. 1 shows, diagrammatically, a perspective and partially exposed view of
the
container according to the invention;
Fig. la is a detail of fig. 1 with the lid in closed condition;
Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the seal according to the invention;
Fig. 3 shows the section along the line in Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 shows the section along the line IV-IV of the lid and the container in
closed
position;
Fig. 5 shows in perspective view a further embodiment of the lid according to
the
invention;
Fig. 6 shows in top view the lid of Fig. 5; and
Fig. 7 shows, diagrammatically, an installation for the production of packs
according
to the invention.
In Fig. 1 a packaging according to the invention is indicated by 1. This
consists of a
container 2 with base 17. The base 17 is positioned inside the container so
that it is
somewhat raised, so that an upright rim 29 is produced. This upright rim
facilitates
stacking of further containers.
3 indicates a lid with lip 18 that is joined via a hinge 5 to a lid rim 4. Lid
and lid rim
consist of a plastic material and are produced by injection moulding. As can
be seen from
Fig. 4, in the closed position the top of lid 3 close to the periphery thereof
is somewhat
below the top of the raised peripheral edge 23 of the lid rim. The lid 3 is
provided with a
depending edge 26 fitting relatively closely inside the circumferential edge
27 on the lid
rim 4. The circumferential upper part of lid 3 is referred to by 28 and fits
closely adjacent
to peripheral edge 23. As a result it is not possible to grasp the lid except
at the location of
the cut-out 24 in the peripheral edge 23. In the closed position the depending
part of lip 18
extends in front of cut-out 24. Access to lip 18 is prevented by part 25 being
in front of lip
18. This is shown in more detail in fig. la. It is clear that lip 18 has a
barbed protrusion
engaging below a projection of part 25 and preventing lifting of lip 18 as
long as part 25 is
present. On delivery, the cut-out 24 is closed off by part 25, which is joined
to the
peripheral edge 23 on either side by two points 48 in each case. Connection of
part 25 to
the circumferential edge 23 can be realised in any other way such as by local
decrease in
thickness. Part 25 can be broken away easily and after breaking away the lid
can be opened
by lifting lip 18. In this way it is clear to the user that he or she is the
first person to open
the pack.
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If part 25 has been tampered with this will be immediately evident because it
is at the
outer circumference of the container. It must be understood that the evidence
of first opener
described above (tamper-proof evidence) can also be used in combination with
packagings
other than are described here and rights are explicitly requested for this.
The lid rim is
clamped or bonded to the container wall, or fixed in some other way known in
the state of
the art. The outer periphery of the lid/lid rim is such that this falls within
the periphery of
upright lower rim 29. The container is of essentially rectangular
construction, but it can
clearly be seen from the drawing that there is slight bulging in the middle of
the flat walls.
This is indicated diagrammatically by b for the front face. Such bulging can
be limited and
is preferably less than approximately 7 mm on the short side and less than
approximately
16 mm on the long side. That is to say, with respect to the straight line that
joins the points
of greatest deflection/inflection, the outward deviation is less than
approximately 7 mm and
approximately 16 mm, respectively, and preferably 3 - 6 and 7 - 15 mm,
respectively.
Furthermore, the container can be provided with finger holds to facilitate
handling thereof.
As can be seen from Fig. 1, the lid rim 4 is provided with a levelling-off
strip 6.
When the pack is held at an angle, the overfilled scoop can then be moved
under edge 6
and an accurate volume is thus determined. Moreover, as a result of the
construction of the
edge, no compression of the powder or product takes place, so that there is
always a
reproducible amount of material in the scoop.
Product 11, such as baby food, is contained in the container 2. A seal 13,
consisting
of a film material that has been applied to the inside of the wall of the
container 2 by heat
sealing, has been arranged immediately above this product. This film material
is provided
with a weakening line 14 and a pull lip 15. When pull lip 15 is grasped, film
13 will tear
along weakening line 14 and access to the product thus becomes possible.
Lid 3 is provided with a convex portion 9 that falls within the elevation
produced by
the upright rim 28 of a further pack optionally stacked on top of the pack
shown here.
Moreover, there is a further elevation 10 in which part of scoop 8 is
accommodated. This
part is preferably the bowl of the scoop. Optionally there can be yet a
further elevation for
the (end of) the handle.
The size of the scoop is dependent on the desired dosage. The elevation 10 can
extend above the elevation 9, as can be seen from the cross-section according
to Fig. 3. The
maximum of the elevation 10 with respect to the base is indicated by "a" and
is between 4
and 12 mm. Because the container is provided with a peripheral rim 28 at the
bottom, these
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elevations fall within the space delimited by said rim 18 and base 17. For
accurate centring,
rim 18 is flanged inwards to some extent from the base 17, so that a clearly
fixed position
is obtained when stacking. The height of the base with respect to the
positioning surface of
the container is matched to the height of the elevation with respect to the
position where
the side walls of the container bear on the underlying pack. This is shown by
"b" in
Figure 4. The handle of scoop 8 can be clamped with a snap fit between lips 7
that are
integral with the lid and are preferably located close to or in the middle of
the lid. The
container wall is provided with recesses 16 that correspond to the shape of
the user's
fm.gers. Clamping the scoop to the lid avoids the scoop being dropped back
into the powder
after first use. If the scoop is clicked into the lid, bacterial contamination
can be prevented
as far as possible. Before the first opening of the container, i.e. after
shipment from the
filling facility the scoop 8 might be loosely arranged on seal 13. This is
shown in Fig. 4. It
can be concluded from Fig. 4 that the size of scoop 8 is such that the
accommodation
defined by the top of the lid and the lower side thereof is not sufficient to
receive the scoop.
Because of that seal 13 is provided at a distance r from the lowest point of
the
accommodation in the lid for spoon of the container. This distance r is
preferably between
and 50 mm and more in particular about 40 mm. In this way the height of the
lid can be
kept relatively low which allows for easy stacking during production thereof.
Preferably, the height of the lid is such that also after first use, when the
seal is
20 removed and scoop 8 is clamped between lips 7, the scoop extends
partially in the space
below the lid and defined by the top of the container 2.
The edge 23 is made upright in order to make it possible that powder that is
spilt
during movement of the filled scoop falls back into the container.
It can be seen from Fig. 3 that the wall of the container is made up of a
laminate.
From outside to inside this consists of a layer of board/paper 20, a
relatively thin
aluminium foil 21 and, arranged inside this, a layer of a plastic material 22
that can be
joined to seal 13 by heat sealing. As a result of the use of the seal, the
risk that foreign
bodies could reach the product is limited. After all, after the seal has been
applied such
undesired bodies, such as plastic parts of the scoop, will remain on top of
the seal and not
be able to reach the powder.
A few typical dimensions of the packaging will be given below. However, it
must be
understood that these must be interpreted as non-limiting if baby food is
packed.
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The distance between the bottom of the lid and the top of the seal is
preferably
between 14 and 27 mm. More particularly this distance is between 7 and 23 mm.
Such a
gap is precisely enough to accommodate a scoop. However, this height will vary
depending
on the desired volume of the scoop.
5 The
gap below the seal and above the powder is preferably less than 10 mm and more
particularly less than 5 mm. That is to say the seal is positioned as close as
possible to the
powder during packing.
As can be seen from the drawing, the container is of rectangular construction,
as a
result of which this can be emptied to the optimum with the aid of scoop 8. In
order to
10
optimise emptying, the length of the scoop is preferably 60 - 95 % of the
diagonal of the
container and more particularly 70 - 90 % thereof.
As a result of the use of rectangular containers, optimum use can be made of
the
available volume either in the packaging or on the shelf of the retail
organisation.
In Fig. 5 a further embodiment of the lid according to the invention is shown.
This is
generally referred to by 53 and basically correspond with lid 3 according to
the previous
figures. The elevation for the scoop is referred to by 60, 61. Elevation 60 is
adapted to
receive part of the bowl 52 of scoop 58 whilst elevation 61 is provided to
receive stem 54
thereof. In between both elevation 60, 61 reinforcement ribs of the lid
extend. Clamping
means 57 are shown in dotted lines. This embodiment arrangement is such that
in clamped
position the open side of bowl 52 is directed to accommodation 60. This means
that it is
possible to receive bowls having different "height" between clamping lips 57
This allows
for the use of several sized bowls of scoop 58 without adaptation to the
design of the lid.
Also, in this embodiment only part of the scoop is accommodated by the lid
whilst the
remaining part is accommodated by the space above the seal in the container.
An installation for the production of a pack is shown in Fig. 6. This consists
of a feed
station 31, into which blanks 32 are introduced. With the aid of a
folding/sealing station 33
the containers 34 according to the present invention are produced therefrom.
These
containers consist of a wall and a base without lid. The product is then
introduced at 35. At
the sealing film is applied by heat sealing while introducing an inert gas
into the space
30 in
which the product is stored. In this way a volume that remains gastight is
obtained in
which the product can be stored for a very long period without damage. The
introduction of
gas can be carried out either batchwise or continuously in station 30. Checks
on the
packaging and the contents are carried out at 39. The lid, together with the
lid rim, is then
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pressed onto the container wall and fixed thereto at 37. Collection and
packing takes place
at 38.
Although the invention has been described above with reference to a preferred
embodiment, it must be understood that numerous modifications can be made
thereto
without going beyond the scope of the present application as defined in the
appended
claims.
