Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02879776 2016-02-26
Beverage container with improved puncture possibility
The invention relates to a beverage container, in particular a beverage pouch
with a puncture
opening for puncturing it with a drinking straw. Such beverage containers, in
particular beverage
pouches, for example with a stand-up bottom, are known from prior art. They
can be made, for
example, of foils, of a monomaterial, or of multilayer composite materials.
With such beverage containers, in particular beverage pouches, problems can
arise when the
drinking straw is punctured into them. In particular, liquid can be spilled
out in case of a flexible
beverage pouch due to the pressure during puncturing with the drinking straw.
Moreover, if
excessive pressure is applied, not only the puncture hole, but also the other
side of the beverage
container might be penetrated.
It should be simultaneously taken care that such a beverage container is
environmentally
friendly, that in particular no foils are used that might be thrown into the
environment.
Such beverage containers with a puncture opening are known, for example, from
EP 0 600 502 A2.
It is now the object of the present invention to provide a beverage container
with an improved
puncture possibility.
This object is achieved by a beverage container described herein.
A beverage container, in particular a beverage pouch, according to the
invention, such as a
stand-up foil pouch, comprises a puncture opening for puncturing it with a
drinking straw. This
puncture opening is punched into the beverage container, where usually the
total wall thickness
of the beverage container, that means in particular, for example, the complete
foil thickness of a
beverage pouch, is punched through. At the inner side of the beverage
container, a sealing foil
exposed to the outside is fixed around the puncture opening by means of a
weld. Exposed here
in particular means that no further sealing foil, sealing paper or the like
are attached from
outside.
By this weld, which comprises an inner welding edge (on the side of the
welding facing the
puncture opening) and an outer welding edge, a tight closure is formed, so
that a beverage can
be filled into the beverage container without leaking.
CA 02879776 2015-01-22
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2
According to the invention, a bag is now formed in such a beverage container
between the inner
welding edge and the lower edge of the puncture opening, in which bag the
material of the
beverage container and the sealing foil are not connected to each other.
It should be noted here that a puncture opening comprises an upper edge and a
lower edge
which are connected to each other in transition areas between the upper and
lower edges, for
example in a round manner or with corners. The lower edge may comprise, for
example, a
straight section or be embodied as such.
The bag designed according to the invention may facilitate the introduction of
a drinking straw
and the puncturing of the beverage container. It may in particular assist in
guiding the drinking
straw into the correct puncturing direction, so that a penetration through the
opposite beverage
container side is less probable.
This may be facilitated, for example, in that a drinking straw, while it is
being inserted into the
bag, may be preoriented (that means arranged symmetrically to the puncture
opening) and/or
stabilized by the bag and/or the lower edge of the puncture opening, so that a
controlled
puncturing of the sealing foil is possible.
Usually, the sealing foil exposed to the outside is made of a material that
can be more easily
punctured than the material of the beverage container. In particular, the
exposed sealing foil
may be designed to be thinner and/or to be made of other materials than the
beverage
container. However, it may also be made of the same materials which may be
arranged in the
same or in a different combination and may have the same as or other
thicknesses than the
materials employed in the beverage containers. In particular, such a sealing
foil and/or foil of a
beverage container may be designed with several layers, where at least one
layer may
comprise an oxygen barrier. The sealing foil and/or the beverage container,
however, may also
be formed of a monomaterial.
The puncture opening is usually arranged in the upper region of the beverage
container. In
particular, it may be arranged in the upper third, in particular in the upper
fourth, in particular in
the upper fifth of the beverage container. It may be arranged at a horizontal
surface or
preferably a side face of the beverage container. For foil pouches, the
puncture opening is
usually punched in at a side face.
A beverage container will in this text be normally referred to as being
upright when it is arranged
such that the puncture opening is arranged in the upper region (in particular
in the upper half) of
the beverage container (in the text, the upper region is also designated as
"top"), and if an
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optional bottom, for example a stand-up bottom, is provided, the latter is
arranged horizontally,
that means that the pouch is, for example, standing. All statements requiring
an orientation of
the beverage container, for example "top" and "bottom", "upper edge", "lower
edge", "horizontal"
and "vertical", and further spatial statements about symmetries and the like
refer to an upright
beverage container, if not stated otherwise.
Below, embodiments of the invention will be described, without the respective
possible
variations due to possible finishing inaccuracies being explicitly described.
A deviation from the
described properties by less than the finishing accuracy, however, is also
implicitly included in
the description. In particular, beverage containers whose deviations from
described properties
are within the finishing accuracy are also included in the claims and the
description. In
particular, the finishing accuracy may be less than 1 mm, in particular less
than 0.5 mm, and in
particular, for example, less than 0.2 mm. Finishing inaccuracies may result
in particular in the
relation of the positions of the puncture opening to the weld, as these may be
made in different
machine parts. The shape of the puncture opening itself and the shape of the
weld itself,
however, only have very small finishing inaccuracies of less than 0.1 mm or
0.2 mm, because
these are produced with fixed tool dies. In particular in the formation of the
bag, it is preferred
for the finishing inaccuracy above and underneath the bag to be less than 0.5
mm, particularly
preferred less than 0.2 mm.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the distance between the inner
welding edge and
the lower edge of the puncture opening is longer than the distance between the
inner welding
edge and the upper edge of the puncture opening.
The distances can be determined in this text, for example, as follows: With an
upright beverage
container, the distance between each point of the lower edge of the puncture
opening and the
closest point of the inner welding edge is determined. The maximum value of
the thus
determined distances is then the distance between the lower edge and the inner
welding edge.
The distance between the points of the upper edge of the puncture opening and
the respective
closest point of the inner welding edge is determined analogously. The maximum
of this amount
of distances is then the distance between the upper edge and the inner welding
edge.
In particular, the distance between the inner welding edge and the lower edge
of the puncture
opening may be longer by more than 20 %, in particular more than 50 %, in
particular more than
100 %, in particular more than 200 %, in particular more than 300 %, than the
distance between
the inner welding edge and the upper edge of the puncture opening.
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The inner welding edge may additionally form, for example, an indentation, e.
g. a funnel-like or
triangular or rectangular recess towards the weld which may be included in the
bag. Thereby,
for example, the puncture direction for a drinking straw can be predetermined.
Moreover, the
weld with the inner welding edge and the outer welding edge may have an
additional
indentation in the region underneath the puncture opening and in the region of
the bag, the bag
obtaining an additional indentation downwards which can orient the straw tip
into the horizontal
direction, for example center it horizontally, with respect to the puncture
opening.
In some embodiments of the invention, the lower edge of the puncture opening
may be
designed to be flatter than a circle enclosing the puncture opening, or it may
comprise a region
which is flatter, i. e. less bent, than a circle that encloses the puncture
opening.
A circle that encloses the puncture opening may in particular be the smallest
circle completely
enclosing the puncture opening. The latter can be clearly determined for each
shape of
puncture opening. According to the above described embodiment, the bend of
this enclosing
circle is greater than the bend of the lower edge or of a part of the lower
edge. A lower edge
may comprise, for example, an arc of a circle with a constant bend having a
smaller bend than
the smallest circle enclosing the puncture opening. This is automatically
true, for example, with
a lower edge embodied as a straight section, or a lower edge comprising a
straight section.
In some embodiments of the invention, the puncture opening may be symmetric
with respect to
a vertical plane.
As an alternative or in addition, the inner and/or the outer welding edge may
be embodied to be
symmetric with respect to the same or another vertical plane. At this point,
it should be noted
again that this also comprises beverage containers which only have this
feature within the
finishing accuracy.
In particular, with a puncture opening that is symmetric to a vertical plane,
and/or an inner
welding edge that is symmetric to a vertical plane, the bag may have the
region of its largest
expansion on this plane of symmetry, or on one of these planes of symmetry. So
in particular,
the connection between a point on the lower edge of the puncture opening and
the closest point
on the inner welding edge which, of all points of the lower edge, reaches the
maximum for this
distance which is achieved in this combination of puncture opening and inner
welding edge,
may lie on this or on one of these planes of symmetry.
CA 02879776 2015-01-22
In some embodiments of the invention, the puncture opening may be designed
such that it is
not symmetric with respect to each horizontal plane. A horizontal plane is
here defined as a
plane which extends horizontally when the beverage container is held upright.
This feature may in particular mean that the puncture opening is precisely not
circular but only
has, for example, some symmetry in the vertical direction.
In some embodiments, the lower edge of the puncture opening is embodied to be
flat. This may
mean in particular that the lower edge comprises a region with a bend that is
smaller than the
bend of a region (or of all regions) of the upper edge or the remaining parts
of the puncture
opening.
In some embodiments of the invention, the puncture opening is embodied to be
wider at the
bottom than at the top. This may mean in particular that the widest region is
obtained at the
bottom at the lower edge which is embodied, for example, as a straight
section. In other
embodiments, this may mean that the widest region is obtained in the lower
half, the lower third,
the lower fifth or else the lower tenth of the puncture opening.
One may consider in this text the lower fraction / upper fraction each as the
fraction of the
puncture opening / of the container, which is determined as follows: Between
the lowermost or
one of the lowermost points on the lower edge and the highest point or one of
the highest points
on the upper edge, a straight section is placed. Then, that fraction of the
section which
corresponds to the desired fraction of the puncture opening / of the container
is determined. For
the lower fraction / upper fraction, this fraction is then (mentally) marked
from the bottom / from
the top along the section. A (mental) horizontal plane through the upright
container through this
point would divide the puncture opening / the beverage container and determine
the lower /
upper fraction of the beverage container respectively.
In some embodiments of the invention, the edge of the puncture opening is
partially or
completely bent and/or non-circular. In particular, the edge of such a
puncture opening may
comprise, for example, an arc of a circle or two arcs of a circle, or more
than two arcs of a circle.
In some embodiments, the edge of the puncture opening is partially or
completely defined by
straight sections, so the puncture opening may be partially or completely
defined by straight
sections. In particular, the edge of the puncture opening may be embodied as a
polygon, for
example as a triangle, in particular as an isosceles, in particular e. g.
right-angled or equilateral
(equiangular) triangle.
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The parts comprised by the edge of the puncture opening, e. g. the upper and
lower edges or
parts comprised by them, may each be connected in an angular or round manner.
A polygon
may have, for example, rounded corners (that means the straight sections are
connected in a
round manner).
For example, the puncture opening can be crescent-shaped, where usually the
straight section
is horizontal, and the bent part is arranged above the straight section when
the container is held
upright. The bent part and the straight section of the edge of the puncture
opening may be
connected to each other in an angular or rounded (round) manner. The bent part
may be, for
example, embodied in the form of an arc of a circle or comprise arcs of an
oval, in particular be
embodied to be semicircular or semioval.
In beverage containers according to the invention, the inner and/or outer
welding edge may
follow the shape of the puncture opening (e. g. the upper edge) at the upper
side of the
puncture opening. At the lower side, the inner and/or outer welding edge may
have a different
shape than the lower edge of the puncture opening (e. g. the lower edge).
Thereby, e. g. the
bag may be formed.
In beverage containers according to the invention, the inner and/or outer
welding edge may be
embodied to be bent and/or non-circular. In particular, the inner and/or outer
welding edge may
be, for example, oval or comprise one or two or more arcs of a circle with
different bends which
are connected in a round manner, that means where the transition is in
particular usually not
embodied to be angular. In some embodiments, all or only some of the arcs of a
circle may be,
however, connected in an angular manner.
In some embodiments, the inner and/or outer welding edge of beverage
containers according to
the invention may be embodied to be flat at the bottom. For example, it may
comprise a region
in the lower region (the bottom) where the bend is smaller than in another
region of the
respective welding edge (that means a smaller bend in the inner welding edge
in a lower region
than in another region of the inner welding edge, and/or a smaller bend in a
lower region in the
outer welding edge than in another region of the outer welding edge), for
example in the upper
region and/or the lateral regions. Moreover, for example the region of the
inner and/or outer
welding edge situated underneath the lower edge may be less bent than the
region of the
respective welding edge situated above the upper edge, and/or one or all
lateral regions of the
respective welding edge.
For example, the bend of the inner and/or the outer welding edge may be
smaller at the lower
side, that means, for example, in the lower half, the lower third, the lower
fifth or in particular the
CA 02879776 2015-01-22
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lower tenth of the respective welding edge, than a bend or all bends in
regions of the upper part
of the respective welding edge, and/or than the bend of the smallest circle
into which the
respective welding edge can be inscribed. The circle may in particular be the
smallest circle in
which the respective welding edge can be inscribed.
A beverage container according to the invention may comprise a drinking straw
with which it
may be distributed, for example. This may in particular mean that a beverage
container is
usually sold with a drinking straw. Such a drinking straw may be fixed, for
example, to the
beverage container. As an alternative, a number of drinking straws (e.g. a
corresponding or a
higher one) suited for these beverage containers may be included in a package
with several
such beverage containers, or there may be a possibility of having handed out
the drinking
straws by which the beverage container can be opened together with the
beverage container.
The drinking straw may be packed (individually) or non-packed. Moreover,
several drinking
straws may be packed in one package. For example, one (or several) packs with
a number of
drinking straws may be included in a package with several beverage containers.
In particular,
the total number of drinking straws included in one or more packages in a pack
with several
beverage containers is usually equal to or higher than the number of beverage
containers in the
pack.
Usually, in beverage containers according to the invention, the diameter of
the drinking straw is
smaller than the diameter of the puncture opening at its smallest point. This
means that such a
drinking straw can usually be passed through the puncture opening without it
being necessary
to compress the drinking straw, for example to squeeze it. On the other hand,
the diameter of
the drinking straw may also be equal to or (somewhat, for example up to 15 %,
in particular up
to 10 %, for example in particular up to 5 %) larger than the diameter of the
puncture opening at
the point of its smallest diameter. This may be e. g. advantageous since it
may reduce the
probability of liquid leaking after the penetration operation.
Here, the diameter of the drinking straw is considered to be the diameter of
the smallest circle
into which the drinking straw can be inscribed when the drinking straw is seen
perpendicularly
to the axis in the direction of which the beverage can be sucked through the
drinking straw. With
a drinking straw with an oval cross-section perpendicular to the axis in the
direction of which the
beverage can be sucked through the drinking straw, the diameter would be, for
example, the
long axis of symmetry of the oval.
Such a drinking straw may optionally comprise a pointy end at one side to
permit an easier
introduction or puncturing into the beverage container.
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In particular, a sealing foil according to the invention, for example with a
drinking straw with a
pointy end, may be more easily punctured open because the bag, and in some
embodiments
also the lower edge of the puncture opening, which comprises e. g. a flat
region, may take care
of preorientation, so that the tip symmetrically meets the sealing foil and
can penetrate the latter
more easily.
In some beverage containers, the maximum extension of the bag to the bottom
may be at least
1 mm, in particular at least 2 mm, and in particular, for example, at least 3
mm. As an alternative
or in addition, the maximum extension of the bag to the bottom may be more
than one fifth of
the diameter of the drinking straw, it may in particular be more than one
third, in particular more
than half the diameter of the drinking straw. The drinking straw may comprise
a pointy end.
For the weld to enclose the puncture opening, the inner and/or the outer
welding edge includes
a bend, this bend preferably only running in one direction (to the inside
towards the center of the
puncture opening). Regions where the inner and/or outer welding edge are bent
to the outside
(away from the puncture opening) are preferably not provided, or only provided
in not more than
two regions. Such regions with a bend to the outside could be provided, for
example, to obtain,
underneath the puncture opening in the region of the bag, an additional
indentation of the bag
which is preferably centered underneath the center of the puncture opening.
In some embodiments of the invention, the puncture opening is non-circular.
For example, the
edge of the puncture opening may comprise at least two regions with different
bends, for
example an upper edge which comprises, at least in one region, a first bend,
and a lower edge
which comprises, at least in one region, a second bend, where preferably the
bend in the region
considered for the lower edge is smaller than the bend in the considered
region of the upper
edge. In particular, the bend may be smaller for each point of the lower edge
than for each
region of the upper edge, that means the maximum bend in any region of the
lower edge may
be smaller than the minimum bend in a region of the upper edge. Thereby,
guidance for the
drinking straw may be already provided by the puncture opening.
In some embodiments, the edge of the puncture opening may comprise one, two or
more bent
regions and one, two or more straight regions, which may also serve the
guidance of a drinking
straw.
The upper and the lower edges may respectively meet in transition regions
which may be
embodied to be, for example, round and/or angular. Moreover, parts of the
upper and/or lower
edge may meet in transition regions which may also be embodied to be angular
and/or round.
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These transition regions may be neglected for the determination of the bend of
the upper and/or
lower edge.
In some embodiments, the width of the puncture opening is greater than the
height of the
puncture opening. Here, the maximum distance between two points on the edge of
the puncture
opening in the horizontal direction is seen as width of the puncture opening,
and the maximum
distance between two points on the edge of the puncture opening in the
vertical direction is
considered as height. This may for example be advantageous because there is
space across a
sufficient width for puncturing and guiding the drinking straw. This in
particular leads to the fact
that a drinking straw can be better inserted into the puncture opening from
above than from the
side.
In some embodiments of the invention, the ratio of the width of the outer
welding edge to the
height of the outer welding edge is higher than the ratio of the width of the
inner welding edge to
the height of the inner welding edge. Here again, the maximum distance between
two points on
the inner/outer welding edge in the horizontal direction is considered as the
width of the
inner/outer welding edge. The maximum distance between two points on the
inner/outer welding
edge in the vertical direction is considered as the height of the inner/outer
welding edge. This
may be advantageous as this may lead to an increased stability of the weld in
the lateral region
of the puncture opening.
In some embodiments, the outer welding edge and/or the inner welding edge is
embodied to be
non-circular, but comprises at least two regions with different bends.
Thereby, the shape of the
welding edge may be adapted to the shape of the puncture opening. Thereby, an
oxygen
introduction through the puncture opening into the filling may be minimized.
In some embodiments, the maximum extension of the bag may be situated on a
plane of
symmetry of the puncture opening and/or the inner and/or outer welding edge
and/or the
beverage container. In some embodiments, this maximum extension is only
obtained on the
plane of symmetry. This may be advantageous as a drinking straw may be guided
along the
plane of symmetry thereby.
In other embodiments, the maximum extension of the bag is not only obtained on
one plane of
symmetry. Normally, the maximum distance between the upper edge of the
puncture opening
and the inner welding edge is smaller than the maximum extension of the bag.
This may also
assist in guiding the drinking straw.
Further embodiments and examples are shown in the following figures. In the
figures:
CA 02879776 2016-02-26
Fig. 1 shows a view of a beverage container according to the
invention, in this
case by way of example a beverage pouch;
Fisg. 2a, 2b and 2c show various embodiments of a puncture opening with an
inner welding
edge;
Figs. 3a and 3b show details of two possible different embodiments of
beverage
containers according to the invention.
Fig. 1 shows a view of a beverage pouch 1. Such a beverage pouch may have, as
shown, a
puncture opening 2 with a surrounding inner welding edge 3 in the upper
region. In the figures,
for example the puncture opening 2, the inner welding edge 3 and the drinking
straw 5 are not
necessarily drawn in the correct proportion in size with respect to the shown
container.
Details of possible embodiments of such a puncture opening and of such an
inner welding edge
are shown in Figs. 2a to 2c.
The outer welding edge and the weld are not shown in Figures 1 and 2. Possible
arrangements
of the outer welding edge and the weld with respect to the inner welding edge
will be discussed
in Figures 3a and 3b and the corresponding description. All embodiments shown
there can be
combined with a beverage container 1 as is shown in Figure 1 and/or with a
puncture opening
(with an inner welding edge) as is disclosed in Figure 2 and its corresponding
description.
At the edges, such a beverage pouch may comprise, for example, sealing seams
4. If such a
pouch is a stand-up pouch, it normally comprises a stand-up bottom (not shown
here). A drinking
straw 5 may be fixed to such a beverage pouch. In this case, this drinking
straw 5 is shown to be
fixed, for example glued, to the pouch. However, it may also be connected to
the pouch in any
other way or distributed together with the pouch. Such a drinking straw may be
packed into an
additional package, for example a transparent or non-transparent plastic
cover, where the
additional package can be fixed (e. g. glued) to the beverage pouch (not shown
here). Usually,
such drinking straws have a pointy end 5a which may also assist in puncturing
the beverage
container. To now drink the beverage from the beverage container, the drinking
straw can be
removed, unwrapped if the drinking straw is packed, and then pierced through
the puncture
opening 2 through the sealing foil. Then, the beverage can be withdrawn
through the drinking
straw.
Figs. 2a to 2c show possible embodiments of the puncture openings 2 present in
the beverage
container with the respectively surrounding inner welding edges 3. The bags 6
formed between
the lower edge of the puncture opening and the inner welding edges are also
drawn in in each
figure.
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Fig. 2a in particular shows a puncture opening 2 which has a crescent shape.
This may be, for
example, a segment of a circle. In this example, the upper edge 2a comprises
an arc of a circle
and the lower edge 2b a straight section, or they are embodied as such.
Preferably, such a
puncture opening 2 is arranged at a beverage container according to the
invention such that the
straight edge is situated at the bottom. Thereby, the bag 6 may also extend
downwards. The
connection between the arc of a circle and the straight section can be
embodied to be angular
or rounded (not shown here).
If now a drinking straw, which usually has a diameter that may be inscribed in
the puncture
opening, is introduced into the puncture opening, it may be preoriented by the
lower edge 2b,
for example a straight section as shown here, in such a way that the tip meets
the sealing foil
and can puncture the latter.
Simultaneously, the bag 6, into which the drinking straw is guided, may reduce
the probability of
also puncturing the back of the beverage container by puncturing the drinking
straw
perpendicularly to the container surface.
Moreover, the drinking straw may also be guided through the upper edge 2a of
the puncture
opening 2 as this region usually guides the drinking straw in the direction of
the axis of
symmetry (if present as in this example) of the puncture opening 2.
The inner welding edge 3 in Fig. 2a can, in the shown example, be described,
for example, as
comprising two arcs of a circle which are connected in a round manner.
In particular, the inner welding edge may approximately follow, at the upper
edge of the
puncture opening, the shape of the upper edge of the puncture opening, so that
the distance
between the boundary of the puncture opening having the shape of an arc of a
circle and the
inner welding edge remains approximately the same.
At the lower edge of the puncture opening, the inner welding edge 3 may, as in
this example, for
example have a different edge shape than that of the lower edge 2b which is
designed here as
a straight section. It is bent in the example shown here. However, as it is
shown by way of
example, the bend of the inner welding edge may be less distinct in the lower
region in the
shown example than in the upper region and/or the lateral regions of the inner
welding edge.
Usually, the inner and/or outer welding edges do not have any corners as these
would be, for
example, particularly strained. In particular, the parts of the inner and/or
outer welding edges
with different bends are therefore usually connected in a round manner.
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In Fig. 2b, a triangular puncture opening 2 is shown. Here, one side of the
triangle, which is in
this example approximately equiangular, is situated at the bottom. The inner
welding edge 3 is
in the shown example embodied such that the bag 6 is at the bottom larger than
the bags
formed next to the upper sides of the triangle. In particular, an inner
welding edge 3 may be
formed around an equiangular triangle in a circular manner, as is shown, where
the circle is
shifted downwards such that a bag 6 is formed at the bottom. Preferably, the
distance between
the lower edge 2b and the inner welding edge 3 is greater than the distance
between the upper
edge 2a and the inner welding edge 3. Thereby, a bag 6 is formed as described.
In particular,
the distance between the lower edge 2b and the inner welding edge 3 may be
greater by at
least 10 %, in particular at least 20 %, and in particular at least 50 %, in
particular at least
100 %, than the distance between the upper edge 2a and the inner welding edge
3.
In other embodiments, the inner (and/or outer) welding edge can also be
embodied by several
arcs of a circle which are connected in a round manner. In particular, the
lower region (bottom)
of the inner (and/or outer) welding edge may be designed to be flatter (that
means less bent)
than one or several or all arcs of a circle or regions of the remaining
respective welding edge.
A puncture opening may also be embodied as an isosceles or other triangle (not
shown here).
In some cases, triangles may also have rounded corners.
In Fig. 2c, a further puncture opening 2 with a further inner welding edge 3
is shown. In
particular, the puncture opening 2 is in this case defined by two arcs of a
circle 2a, 2b. The arc
of a circle defining the lower region (in this example comprised by the lower
edge 2b, or the
lower edge 2b) is in the shown example flatter than the upper arc of a circle
(which in this
example is comprised by the upper edge 2a or embodied as the upper edge 2a),
meaning it has
a less distinct bend. In the example shown in Fig. 2c, the arcs of a circle
meet such that they
form corners. In other embodiments (not shown here), the regions where the
arcs of a circle of
the edge of the puncture opening 2a join may also be rounded, as was already
described
above, for example, for the inner welding edge 3.
The inner welding edge 3 shown in Fig. 2c may also be described as being
defined by two arcs
of a circle with different bends. In particular, here again, the bend of the
lower region is flatter
than the bend of the upper (and/or the lateral) region(s). In the shown
example, the two arcs of
a circle are connected in a round manner, so that no corners are formed which
could increase
the strain on the inner welding edge 3. With an outer welding edge, too, the
arcs of a circle
comprised by the welding edge may be connected in a round manner, so that no
corners are
formed.
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In other embodiments, the inner (and/or outer) welding edge 3 may also be
designed to be
round, or as an oval.
The inner and/or outer welding edge may each be symmetric with respect to one
or two or more
(for example vertical and/or horizontal) planes.
In the example shown in Fig. 2c, the lower edge of the puncture opening is
(slightly) bent
convexly or comprises a (slightly) convexly bent region. In other examples, it
may also comprise
(slightly) concavely bent regions or be (slightly) concavely bent.
In Figs. 3a and 3b, two alternative possibilities of fixing the sealing foil
in the interior of the
pouch are shown. The puncture opening 2 is drawn in the two examples shown
there, but it may
also be invisible from this direction in some embodiments (for example, if the
sealing foil 9 is
opaque).
Fig. 3a shows an embodiment where the sealing foil 9 is attached in the pouch
as a strip. Here,
usually the two ends of the sealing foil strip are fixed in the edge sealings
(sealing seam) 4 of
the foil pouch, so that less force will act on the weld 7 and in particular
the inner welding edge 3
and the outer welding edge 8 in the finished beverage container as it does not
have to hold the
sealing foil 9 fixed without any further support.
Usually, the weld 7 with the inner welding edge 3 and the outer welding edge 8
and the
puncture opening 2 are then attached in the center of the sealing foil. The
puncture opening 2
and/or the weld 7 with the inner welding edge 3 and the outer welding edge 8,
however, may
also be attached at other points of the sealing foil 9 than in the center. A
sealing foil may, but
does not have to, comprise axes of symmetry. A bag 6 is formed between the
lower edge of the
puncture opening 2 and the inner welding edge.
In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3a, the inner and the outer welding edges 3
and 8 are
embodied such that at the lateral regions, the width of the weld 7 is larger
than in the upper and
lower regions of the weld. This may be advantageous, for example, as regards
fabrication,
when the transport of beverage container material (e. g. the foil for pouches)
and the sealing foil
9 is effected laterally during the welding of the beverage container material
with the sealing foil
(lateral indicating the direction which would be lateral in the finished
pouch), so that a higher
force will act on the side of the weld than on the upper and lower regions.
This may be
advantageous in particular since possibly the (supporting) sealing seams 4 are
not present at
this time. Some force on the lateral regions of the weld 7 may occur, for
example, when the
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sealing foil and/or the beverage container material must be reeled off, for
example, from a reel,
or must be moved by traction during the operation, for example.
In other embodiments, the inner welding edge 3 and the outer welding edge 8
may also have a
constant distance with respect to each other, or they may comprise the maximum
distance with
respect to each other in other regions than the lateral ones.
In the example shown in Fig. 3a, the puncture opening 2 is crescent-shaped
with an inner
welding edge 3 that may be described as two different arcs of a circle which
are connected in a
round manner. However, the puncture opening 2 and the inner welding edge 3 may
also
comprise any one of the other embodiments described above.
Fig. 3b shows an embodiment in which the sealing foil 9 is held by the weld 7.
The inner and
outer welding edges 3 and 8 are also drawn in. Here, the distance between the
two welding
edges 3, 8 may be constant or vary. For example, the distance between the two
welding edges
3, 8 can be greater in the lateral regions than in the upper and lower regions
of the weld, as is
described e. g. in Figure 3a. Other embodiments, where the inner and outer
welding edges 3, 8
have their maximum distance at other points than the lateral regions, are also
possible.
Moreover, the outer welding edge may partially or completely extend to the
edge of the sealing
foil 9. The sealing foil 9 may comprise one or more symmetries or no symmetry
at all.
In an embodiment in which the sealing foil is fixed to the beverage container,
in particular the
beverage pouch, as a patch, the patch may be, for example, rectangular,
square, oval or round,
or have some other shape. For example, two sides of the patch can be parallel
with respect to
each other, while the other boundaries of the patch can have an arbitrary
shape, in particular
also be torn off or irregularly frayed, for example.
Such a patch may in some embodiments hang beyond the outer welding edge in all
regions of
the outer welding edge. In other embodiments, the patch may hang beyond the
outer welding
edge in some regions of the latter, and in others terminate with the outer
welding edge. In
further embodiments, the outer welding edge may respectively altogether extend
to the edge of
the patch.
An embodiment in which the sealing foil 9 is held by the weld 7 may be
advantageous as then,
less material for the respective sealing foils is required. Here, the sealing
foil is fixed to the foil
as a patch, the patch being held by the weld 7. One can here also see again a
puncture
opening 2 and the bag 6. The puncture opening 2 is in this case shown as
crescent-shaped. As
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in Fig. 3a, all other puncture openings and welding edge shapes as they were
described or
shown above may be used for the inner and/or outer welding edge 3, 8 in such
an embodiment.
In both the embodiments described in Fig. 3a and in Fig. 3b, the sealing foil
that lies on the side
of the inner welding edge where no puncture opening is provided may be flatly
welded to the
pouch.
