Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Tubular Sachet Pack
The invention relates to a tubular sachet pack for containing
a rectilinear detergent tablet.
Tubular sachet packs are well known and widely used to contain
a range of consumer products. The packs are quite simple:
they generally comprise a sheet material which is wrapped
around a product and sealed to form the final packaged prod-
uct.
Usually a tubular sachet pack is made by sealing (e.g. bonding
/ welding) peripheral regions of a web of film to form a tube
with a longitudinal seam. The two ends of the tube are sealed
around the product being packaged by transverse seams. In
forming the transverse seams the longitudinal seam is brought
next to the surface of the packaged product and is normally
disposed in the middle of the rear face of the packaging.
As an illustration WO-A-92/16431 discloses a tubular sachet
pack, comprising a web of film having a composite structure. z- =
The opposite peripheral regions of the film are sealed to form
a tube having a longitudinal seam. The tube is sealed about
the object to be packaged by two parallel transverse seams.
The longitudinal flap seam is disposed along the middle of the
pack, flush with the surface.
Whilst the position of the longitudinal flap seam makes for a
very compact shape, it is difficult to hold the pack whilst
=
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taking it out of a packaging box. Also, although the pack has
an opening aid, it is still necessary to take hold of the
transverse flap seam of the tubular sachet with both hands in
order to open the pack.
EP-A-0 226 835 describes two kinds of tubular sachet pack
sealed by one longitudinal and two transverse seams. The lon-
gitudinal seam of the packaging described in this document is
also arranged in the middle of the rear of the pack flush with
the surface.
In the first kind of packaging (made of flexible material) the
packaging can only be opened in a narrow region around the
longitudinal seam. This makes it difficult to remove the con-
tents, particularly as the opening is small. Additionally as
the printed surfaces of the packaging are torn in the opening
process any markings on these parts of the packaging (such as
instructions / warnings) are disturbed and are no longer legi-
ble.
In the second kind of packaging, a strip of material (typi-
cally a red ribbon) is integrated into the longitudinal seam
to assist in the provision of a larger opening. However, this
is only obtained with the added inconvenience and associated
expense of incorporation of the additional material.
EP-A-0 024 271 describes a similar tubular sachet pack for
tablet-shaped objects.
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Thus it can be seen that existing tubular sachet packs do have
a number of disadvantages connected with the difficulty on
opening associated therewith.
These disadvantages are exacerbated when the content of the
tubular sachet pack comprises a detergent tablet (such as 'a
tablet suitable for use in an automatic washing machine or an
automatic laundry machine). In these uses, especially in
automatic dishwashing, the. hands of the user are typically
wet/damp when trying to open the tubular sachet wrap. The
wetness/dampness arises either from contact with dishware
which has been pre-washed/pre-soaked or simply with the food
soil present on the dishware. It has been found that tablets
which are wrapped in a tubular sachet wrap having the arrange-
ments described above are extremely difficult to manually open
in these circumstances.
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided
a tubular sachet pack containing a rectilinear detergent tab-
let, the sachet pack comprising a sachet having a transverse
flap seam disposed at each end of the pack and a longitudinal
flap seam disposed adjacent a border between two sides of the
tablet, with each of the two sides being parallel to the lon-
gitudinal axis of the tablet.
The positioning of the longitudinal flap seam makes it easier
to take hold of the tubular sachet pack, particularly when
compared with embodiments of wrapped tablets of the prior art
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in which the longitudinal flap seam sits flat against the pack
(fixed in place by the transverse seams).
The arrangement of the longitudinal flap in the present inven-
tion means that there is a large surface available for graphi-
cal communication. Surprisingly it has been found this in-
crease in the visible surface has been achieved while using
the same quantity of wrapping film (as in previous film ar-
rangements). Additionally, as generally the area of the lon-
gitudinal seam is undisturbed by opening the pack this area
can be used to support any required labelling (such as infor-
mation/warnings) which is still legible after the pack has
been partially/fully opened.
The arrangement of the longitudinal seam adjacent the border
between two sides of the tablet, especially where in the pres-
ent invention the tablet is rectilinear, means that the whole
longitudinal flap seam can be torn away from the tablet with
ease. Unexpectedly it has been found that whole of the longi-
tudinal flap may be torn away from the tablet without the need
for any weakness to be introduced at or near the point at
which the flap meets the remainder of the package. This has
the advantage that a homogeneous packing material may be used
without the need for any additional functionalised features.
A further advantage of the pack of the present invention is
exhibited when the packaged tablets are handled and stored
both in the manufacturing and in a retail/domestic storage.
Without wishing to be bound by theory it is proposed that as
the longitudinal seam projects away from the main body of the
tablet the seam provides a cushion to protect the tablet.
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Thus when tablets are handled in bulk, e.g. in a hopper or
even in the boxes in which they are commonly sold the tablet
has an additional form of protection. This is especially im-
portant in the field of detergent tablets, as the tablets
which are commonly compressed particulate material, have a
high friability. Thus abrasion, particularly against other
tablets, can cause dust formation within the packet and even
tablet breakage and is to be avoided.
In accordance with a second aspect of the invention there is
provided a rigid body accommodating a plurality of tubular sa-
chet packs containing a rectilinear detergent tablet, the sa-
chet pack comprising a sachet having a transverse flap seam
disposed at each end of the pack and a longitudinal flap seam
disposed adjacent a border between two sides of the tablet,
with each of the two sides being parallel to the longitudinal
axis of the tablet.
It is preferred that the flap is disposed along the length of
the border between the two sides. It will be appreciated that
the flap generally extends beyond the length of the tablet,
preferably to meet up with the transverse seams.
Generally the flap is disposed adjacent the tablet such that
it projects away from the tablet. Usually it projects in an
orientation such that it is substantially parallel to one of
the sides of the tablet. Preferably the flap is parallel to a
side having the largest surface area (of the sides of the tab-
let).
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In an embodiment of the invention, a tear-off aid is provided.
The tear-off aid is preferably positioned at an outer end of
the longitudinal flap seam, most preferably adjacent the bor-
der between the sides of the tablet. The process of opening
the tubular sachet pack can be further facilitated by applying
incisions or perforations in the outer regions of the ends of
the longitudinal flap seam sealed off by the transverse seal,
although these have been found not to be necessary as with
some designs of the prior art (see above).
It is of advantage to use a monoaxially oriented film as this
type of film has a tendency to split in this direction of ori-
entation. This makes opening the pack easier.
The packaging material is preferably an opaque material, usu-
ally coloured. The material typically has printed matter
thereupon. The printed matter may comprise details of the
brand of origin of the tablet and/or instructions for use.
As described above it has been found that the pack is easily
opened, especially when considered against the packs of the
prior art. Thus according to a third aspect of the invention
there is provided the use of a pack according to the first as-
pect of the invention in an automatic washing machine, the use
comprising removing (where necessary) the tablet from it sec-
ondary packaging, opening the tablet and placing the tablet
into the automatic washing machine.
The arrangement of the longitudinal flap makes removal of the
wrapped tablet from its secondary packaging and then removal
from the sachet pack an extremely straightforward operation.
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It is even more surprising that this operation has been found
to be so trouble-free when the typically use conditions are
considered, namely when a user has damp/soiled hands, which
detrimentally affect the purchase of a user's hands on the sa-
chet pack.
When opening the tubular sachet pack, it can be held in one
hand (without having to hold the longitudinal flap seam at the
same time) and the pack may be opened by taking hold of the
top end of the longitudinal flap seam with the second hand and
tearing the longitudinal flap seam off along the entire longi-
tudinal side. The thus created opening is large, making it
easy and convenient to remove the contents. The shape of the
opening makes it particularly suitable for packaging rectilin-
ear objects (cubes, tubes, etc.). As the packaged object can
be held with one hand this prevents the packaged object from
undesirably/prematurely falling. Furthermore the single hand
use also offers the possibility of being able to remove the
object from the pack without having to touch it. This of is
particularly importance in the context of the present inven-
tion as typical detergent tablets comprise a caustic formula-
tion which should not be brought into contact with user's
hands. The ease of removal of the tablet from the sachet pack
of the present inventions helps to ensure that contact of the
user's hands with the tablet is brought to a minimum.
In a preferred embodiment the tablet is not simply a regular
cube / elongated cube but has a functional feature on a side
thereof. The feature may comprise an indentation or more
preferably a projection. Indeed a most preferred functional
feature is a projection based on a portion of a sphere pro-
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jecting from a surface of the tablet. (The remainder of the
sphere is preferably accommodated in a suitable indentation is
the surface of the tablet). Where present such a functional
feature may further assist in the opening of the sachet pack
as it may aid in the provision of greater purchase for the
hand of a user when opening the sachet pack.
The invention further relates to a method of producing a tubu-
lar sachet pack. Thus according to a fourth aspect of the in-
vention there is provided a method of forming a tubular sachet
pack containing a rectilinear detergent tablet, the sachet
pack comprising a sachet having a transverse flap seam dis-
posed at each end of the pack and a longitudinal flap seam
disposed adjacent a border between two sides of the tablet,
with each of the two sides being parallel to the longitudinal
axis of the tablet, the method comprising:-
a) bonding opposite peripheral regions of a packaging material
to form a sachet;
b) enclosing a tablet within the sachet;
c) moving the flap seam to the side so that it is disposed
along adjacent a border between two sides of the tablet; and
d) bonding the transverse seams of the sachet.
In this way the tubular sachet pack of the first aspect of the
invention may be produced and the advantages associated with
the same may be realised.
It will be appreciated that the aspects which apply to the
first and second aspect of the invention shall also apply to
the third aspect of the invention.
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Once it has been moved to the side, preferably the longitudi-
nal flap seam is orientated such that it projects away from
the tablet.
Alternatively, the longitudinal flap seam may be orientated
such that it projects away from the tablet simultaneously as
it is moved to the side. Indeed this is the most preferred
option.
The invention will be described in more detail below with ref-
erence to the appended drawings:-
Fig. 1 shows a tubular sachet pack as proposed by the inven-
tion with a longitudinal flap seam disposed on one side of the
pack;
Fig. 2 shows one possible position of the longitudinal flap
seam proposed by the invention; and
Fig. 3 shows a further position of the longitudinal flap seam
proposed by the invention.
Figs. 1 and 2 show a tubular sachet pack 1 in accordance with
the first aspect of the present invention. The pack comprises
a rectilinear product 2 around which the pack 1 is formed.
Thus the pack 1 is also rectilinear in form. The rectilinear
form has a height (h), a width (w) and a length (1) wherein h
and w are similar in magnitude with 1 being significantly
larger. The rectilinear form has a surfaces a,b,c,d,e,f.
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The pack 1 comprises two terminal flap seams (not shown), one
at each end. The flap seams lie in a plain parallel to the
longitudinal axis, said plain bisects the product into two
equal portions along a plain disposed at around half (h).
The pack 1 comprises a longitudinal flap seam 3. The longitu-
dinal flap seam 3 projects from a corner of the rectilinear
form and is positioned parallel to the surface d of the pack
1. The longitudinal flap seem has a tear-off aid 4, in the
form of a nick of the pack material disposed adjacent the cor-
ner between the surfaces a and d of the pack 1.
The embodiment shown in Fig. 3 is identical to that shown in
Figs. 1 and 2, with the exception that the longitudinal flap 2
is positioned parallel to the surface a of the pack 1.
The tubular sachet pack 1 may be opened by holding the pack 1,
(with the packaged product 2 therein) in the middle with a
hand. The top section of the longitudinal flap seam 2 is held
with the second hand. By pulling off the longitudinal flap
seam 2, the tubular sachet pack is completely opened along the
surface a of the packaging 1, enabling the packaged object 2
to be removed. The tear-off aid 3 make it easier to open the
tubular sachet pack.
It will be understood that the scope of the invention is not
limited to that illustrated in the attached Figures.
