EP0108444B1 - An opening arrangement for packing containers - Google Patents

An opening arrangement for packing containers Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0108444B1
EP0108444B1 EP83201532A EP83201532A EP0108444B1 EP 0108444 B1 EP0108444 B1 EP 0108444B1 EP 83201532 A EP83201532 A EP 83201532A EP 83201532 A EP83201532 A EP 83201532A EP 0108444 B1 EP0108444 B1 EP 0108444B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
cover strip
opening
main part
grip
lug
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
EP83201532A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0108444A3 (en
EP0108444A2 (en
Inventor
Rolf Viberg
Jan-Erik Olsen
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Tetra Pak AB
Original Assignee
Tetra Pak AB
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Tetra Pak AB filed Critical Tetra Pak AB
Priority to AT83201532T priority Critical patent/ATE35245T1/en
Publication of EP0108444A2 publication Critical patent/EP0108444A2/en
Publication of EP0108444A3 publication Critical patent/EP0108444A3/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0108444B1 publication Critical patent/EP0108444B1/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D5/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper
    • B65D5/32—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper having bodies formed by folding and interconnecting two or more blanks each blank forming a body part, whereby each body part comprises at least one outside face of the box, carton or tray
    • B65D5/322—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper having bodies formed by folding and interconnecting two or more blanks each blank forming a body part, whereby each body part comprises at least one outside face of the box, carton or tray at least one container body part formed by folding a single blank to essentially U-shape with or without extensions which form openable lid elements
    • B65D5/324—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper having bodies formed by folding and interconnecting two or more blanks each blank forming a body part, whereby each body part comprises at least one outside face of the box, carton or tray at least one container body part formed by folding a single blank to essentially U-shape with or without extensions which form openable lid elements at least two container body parts, each formed by folding a single blank to essentially U-shape
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D5/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper
    • B65D5/42—Details of containers or of foldable or erectable container blanks
    • B65D5/70—Break-in flaps, or members adapted to be torn-off, to provide pouring openings
    • B65D5/708—Separate tearable flexible elements covering a discharge opening of a container, e.g. adhesive tape

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an opening arrangement for packing containers comprising a wall with a pouring opening and a tear-off cover strip, a main part of which is applied over the pouring opening in a sealing manner, whereby one end of the cover strip is folded to form a grip-lug.
  • Packing containers of the non-returnable type are used for the packaging of various contents such as milk, juice and the like.
  • the packing containers are usually manufactured by folding and sealing laminated material in the form of sheets or a web which comprise at least on the outside a layer of thermoplastic material serving on the one hand as a liquid-tight layer, on the other hand makes possible the sealing together of the packing container.
  • the packing container is usually provided with some form of opening arrangement, e.g. in the form of a cover strip which covers a pre-punched pouring opening in the wall of the packing container and can simply be torn off when the packing container is to be opened and the contents are to be emptied out through the pouring opening.
  • the pouring opening is customarily placed near the edge of one wall of the packing container, in particular a plane top wall.
  • the cover strip is applied over the pouring opening and is sealed to the wall material around the pouring opening so that a completely liquid-tight seal is achieved.
  • an opening arrangement for packing containers comprising a wall with a pouring opening and a tear-off cover strip, a main part of which is applied over the pouring opening in a sealing manner, whereby one end of the cover strip is folded to form a grip-lug (as it is known from US-A-3 990 603) has been given the characteristic that the main part of the cover strip has a moulded part which provides a gap between the main part of the cover strip and the free end of the grip-lug, which is reversely folded over about 180° in relation to said main part of the cover strip and has a free edge which projects over a notional line intersecting the pouring opening transversely.
  • the packing container shown in Fig. 1 is of a known type and is made from two laminated sheets of packing material which on the outside have layers of thermoplastic, that is to say heat- sealable, material.
  • One sheet is bent into U-shape and forms a back wall 1, a bottom wall 2 and a top wall 3 of the packing container.
  • the other sheet too is bent substantially into a U-shape and sealed to the first sheet so that it forms a curved casing wall 4 for the packing container.
  • the two sheets are heat-sealed to each other at their contact surfaces.
  • This known package type is chosen only as an example of a suitable packing container on which the opening arrangement in accordance with the invention can be used, but it is understood that any known or new type of packing container whatever which has a substantially plane container wall can be provided with an opening arrangement in accordance with the invention.
  • the one container wall of the packing container shown, more particularly the top wall 3, is provided with a cover strip 5 which is applied over a non-visible pouring opening in the top wall 3.
  • the cover strip 5, which is shown more clearly in Fig. 2 has a doubled front end which serves as a grip-lug.
  • the grip-lug 6 is separated from the main portion of the cover strip sealing the pouring opening by a folding line 7 which extends substantially along the edge line of the container wall 3.
  • the grip-lug 6 is folded over about 180° in relation to the main part of the cover strip and situated with its free edge 8 on a level with the underlying pouring opening which is not visible in Fig.
  • moulded part 9 of the main part of the cover strip, this part having a size and shape which substantially correspond to the underlying pouring opening.
  • the moulded part 9 extends so far down into the pouring opening that it can serve as a reclosing element, since the contact between the edges of the moulded part 9 and the edges of the pouring opening provides a friction grip which retains the cover strip relatively securely over the pouring opening when the cover strip is applied again in its original position after the opening of the packing container.
  • the doubled grip-lug 6 Since the doubled grip-lug 6 is folded over about 180° and thus lies flat against the top portion of the packing container, no part of the grip-lug will project from the top wall 3 either, which also contributes to the prevention of any unintentional opening.
  • it may be suitable in certain cases, e.g. when a material is used for the manufacture of the cover strip 5 which is hard to fold, to seal the grip-lug 6 to the cover strip 5. This is accomplished by a detachable seal along the edges of the grip-lug 6 and in particular by elongated sealing zones along the longitudinal edges of the cover strip 5 on both sides of the moulded part 9.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Cartons (AREA)
  • Closures For Containers (AREA)
  • Control And Other Processes For Unpacking Of Materials (AREA)
  • Packages (AREA)
  • Supplying Of Containers To The Packaging Station (AREA)
  • Pharmaceuticals Containing Other Organic And Inorganic Compounds (AREA)
  • Bag Frames (AREA)
  • Containers Opened By Tearing Frangible Portions (AREA)

Abstract

Opening arrangements for packing containers often consist of a pouring opening formed in the packing container wall which is covered by a tear-off cover strip. To faciliate the removal of the cover strip, the same is placed so that it projects with one end portion outside the edge line of the container wall. However, this also increases the risk of unintentional opening. To reduce this risk the projecting end part (6) of the cover strip (5) may be folded about 180 DEG to lie against the main part of the cover strip, at the same time as the cover strip is provided with one or more moulded portions (9) which make it possible to insert a finger underneath the grip lug (6) and lift the same when the cover strip (5) is to be removed.

Description

  • The present invention relates to an opening arrangement for packing containers comprising a wall with a pouring opening and a tear-off cover strip, a main part of which is applied over the pouring opening in a sealing manner, whereby one end of the cover strip is folded to form a grip-lug.
  • Packing containers of the non-returnable type are used for the packaging of various contents such as milk, juice and the like. The packing containers are usually manufactured by folding and sealing laminated material in the form of sheets or a web which comprise at least on the outside a layer of thermoplastic material serving on the one hand as a liquid-tight layer, on the other hand makes possible the sealing together of the packing container. The packing container is usually provided with some form of opening arrangement, e.g. in the form of a cover strip which covers a pre-punched pouring opening in the wall of the packing container and can simply be torn off when the packing container is to be opened and the contents are to be emptied out through the pouring opening.
  • In packing containers with opening arrangements which comprise a pre-manufactured pouring opening and a cover strip sealing the same, the pouring opening is customarily placed near the edge of one wall of the packing container, in particular a plane top wall. The cover strip is applied over the pouring opening and is sealed to the wall material around the pouring opening so that a completely liquid-tight seal is achieved. In order to facilitate the removal of the cover strip when the packing container is to be opened, it is possible to provide the cover strip with a projecting grip-lug which extends outside the actual edge of the container wall or projects upwards from the upper surface of the container (US--A-3 990 603) and in this manner makes it possible simply to grip the strip between thumb and forefinger and pull it off in connection with the opening of the packing container.
  • The above-mentioned type of cover strip has been found to have a disadvantage in that this projecting grip-lug is easily deformable and gets caught on the adjacent packing container during the handling of the packing containers in collective packages of the carrier type. This means among other things an increased risk of leakages.
  • It is an object of the present invention to provide an opening arrangement for packing containers, this opening arrangement being of the type which comprises a pouring opening and a cover strip sealing the same, but which is not subject to the disadvantages of the opening arrangements described above.
  • It is a further object of the present invention to provide an opening arrangement of the type described in the introduction in which the grip-lug of the cover strip does not extend outside the contour of the container wall but is nevertheless simple to grip and utilize when the packing container is to be opened.
  • Finally it is a further object of the present invention to provide a cover strip wherein the risk of unintentional opening is minimized.
  • These and other objects have been achieved in accordance with the invention in that an opening arrangement for packing containers comprising a wall with a pouring opening and a tear-off cover strip, a main part of which is applied over the pouring opening in a sealing manner, whereby one end of the cover strip is folded to form a grip-lug (as it is known from US-A-3 990 603) has been given the characteristic that the main part of the cover strip has a moulded part which provides a gap between the main part of the cover strip and the free end of the grip-lug, which is reversely folded over about 180° in relation to said main part of the cover strip and has a free edge which projects over a notional line intersecting the pouring opening transversely.
  • Preferred embodiments of the opening arrangement in accordance with the invention have been given moreover the characteristics which are evident from the enclosed subsidiary claims.
  • Through the design of the opening arrangement in accordance with the invention a readily openable cover strip is provided wherein the risk of unintentional opening has been wholly eliminated whilst material consumption and costs have not been raised by comparison with knwon cover strips.
  • A preferred embodiment of the opening arrangement in accordance with the invention will now be described in more detail with special reference to the enclosed schematic drawings which only show the details required for the understanding of the invention.
    • Fig. 1 shows in perspective a packing container with an opening arrangement according to the invention.
    • Fig. 2 shows on a larger scale a part of the top container wall with an opening arrangement according to Fig. 1.
  • The packing container shown in Fig. 1 is of a known type and is made from two laminated sheets of packing material which on the outside have layers of thermoplastic, that is to say heat- sealable, material. One sheet is bent into U-shape and forms a back wall 1, a bottom wall 2 and a top wall 3 of the packing container. The other sheet too is bent substantially into a U-shape and sealed to the first sheet so that it forms a curved casing wall 4 for the packing container. The two sheets are heat-sealed to each other at their contact surfaces. This known package type is chosen only as an example of a suitable packing container on which the opening arrangement in accordance with the invention can be used, but it is understood that any known or new type of packing container whatever which has a substantially plane container wall can be provided with an opening arrangement in accordance with the invention.
  • As is also evident from Fig. 1, the one container wall of the packing container shown, more particularly the top wall 3, is provided with a cover strip 5 which is applied over a non-visible pouring opening in the top wall 3. The cover strip 5, which is shown more clearly in Fig. 2, has a doubled front end which serves as a grip-lug. The grip-lug 6 is separated from the main portion of the cover strip sealing the pouring opening by a folding line 7 which extends substantially along the edge line of the container wall 3. The grip-lug 6 is folded over about 180° in relation to the main part of the cover strip and situated with its free edge 8 on a level with the underlying pouring opening which is not visible in Fig. 2 but whose contour is indicated by a moulded, recessed part 9 of the main part of the cover strip, this part having a size and shape which substantially correspond to the underlying pouring opening. The moulded part 9 extends so far down into the pouring opening that it can serve as a reclosing element, since the contact between the edges of the moulded part 9 and the edges of the pouring opening provides a friction grip which retains the cover strip relatively securely over the pouring opening when the cover strip is applied again in its original position after the opening of the packing container.
  • Since the free edge 8 of the grip-lug 6 is on a level with the underlying pouring opening, a gap will be produced between the doubled grip-lug 6 and the main part of the cover strip 5 in spite of the doubling over 180° of the cover strip (the grip-lug 6 is shown in Fig. 2 for the sake of clarity not fully in contact with the main part of the cover strip), which makes it possible to introduce a finger underneath the free edge 8 of the grip-lug 6 and lift up the grip-lug 6 as a preparation for the tearing off of the main part of the cover strip 5. Through the doubling of the grip-lug 6 of the cover strip no part of the cover strip will project outside the edge line of the packing container thus eliminating the risk of unintentional opening. Since the doubled grip-lug 6 is folded over about 180° and thus lies flat against the top portion of the packing container, no part of the grip-lug will project from the top wall 3 either, which also contributes to the prevention of any unintentional opening. To prevent the grip-lug from "raising itself" and projecting from the surface of the top wall 3, it may be suitable in certain cases, e.g. when a material is used for the manufacture of the cover strip 5 which is hard to fold, to seal the grip-lug 6 to the cover strip 5. This is accomplished by a detachable seal along the edges of the grip-lug 6 and in particular by elongated sealing zones along the longitudinal edges of the cover strip 5 on both sides of the moulded part 9.

Claims (5)

1. An opening arrangement for packing containers comprising a wall (3) with a pouring opening and a tear-off cover strip (5), a main part (9) of which is applied over the pouring opening in a sealing manner, whereby one end of the cover strip (5) is folded to form a grip-lug (6), characterized in that the main part (9) of the cover strip (5) has a moulded part (9) which provides a gap between the main part of the cover strip (5) and the free end of the grip-lug (6), which is reversely folded over about 180° in relation to said main part of the cover strip (5) and has a free edge (8) which projects over a notional line intersecting the pouring opening transversely.
2. An opening arrangement in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the moulded part (9) is situated with a limited region of the main part of the cover strip (5) and has a size and a shape which substantially correspond to the underlying pouring opening.
3. An opening arrangement in accordance with claim 2, characterized in that the moulded part (9) of the cover strip (5) extends down into the pouring opening and serves as a reclosing element.
4. An opening arrangement in accordance with one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the double grip-lug (6) is detachably joined along its edges to the main part of the underlying cover strip (5).
5. An opening arrangement in accordance with one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that a folding line (7) between the main part of the cover strip (5) and the grip-lug (6) extends substantially along the edge of the container wall (3).
EP83201532A 1982-11-08 1983-10-25 An opening arrangement for packing containers Expired EP0108444B1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AT83201532T ATE35245T1 (en) 1982-11-08 1983-10-25 OPENING DEVICE FOR PACKAGING CONTAINERS.

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
SE8206311 1982-11-08
SE8206311A SE434250B (en) 1982-11-08 1982-11-08 PACKAGING CONTAINER OPENING DEVICE

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0108444A2 EP0108444A2 (en) 1984-05-16
EP0108444A3 EP0108444A3 (en) 1985-08-14
EP0108444B1 true EP0108444B1 (en) 1988-06-22

Family

ID=20348486

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP83201532A Expired EP0108444B1 (en) 1982-11-08 1983-10-25 An opening arrangement for packing containers

Country Status (13)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0108444B1 (en)
JP (1) JPS59103865A (en)
AT (1) ATE35245T1 (en)
AU (1) AU562111B2 (en)
CA (1) CA1236783A (en)
DE (1) DE3377121D1 (en)
DK (1) DK157799C (en)
ES (1) ES285006Y (en)
FI (1) FI70187C (en)
NO (1) NO164589C (en)
PT (1) PT77594B (en)
SE (1) SE434250B (en)
SU (1) SU1364233A3 (en)

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2168312B (en) * 1984-12-13 1989-05-17 Metal Box Plc Containers
US4679693A (en) * 1986-05-14 1987-07-14 Harold Forman Label resealing container
EP0947433A1 (en) 1998-04-03 1999-10-06 Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance SA Device for opening packages of pourable food products

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3977591A (en) * 1974-06-28 1976-08-31 Ab Ziristor Cover strip for the pouring opening in a packing container
US3990603A (en) * 1975-12-09 1976-11-09 Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company Easy open closure system
US4116359A (en) * 1977-10-21 1978-09-26 The Continental Group, Inc. Through hole deformation and inside sealing tear strip
US4176760A (en) * 1978-12-08 1979-12-04 The Continental Group, Inc. Easy opening container unit having a domed end panel
US4244488A (en) * 1979-09-28 1981-01-13 The Continental Group, Inc. Plastic pull tab with memory

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DK509983D0 (en) 1983-11-07
NO164589C (en) 1990-10-24
SE434250B (en) 1984-07-16
FI70187C (en) 1986-09-15
PT77594B (en) 1986-03-12
JPS59103865A (en) 1984-06-15
EP0108444A3 (en) 1985-08-14
NO164589B (en) 1990-07-16
DK157799B (en) 1990-02-19
SU1364233A3 (en) 1987-12-30
PT77594A (en) 1983-12-01
NO834051L (en) 1984-05-09
JPH0571469B2 (en) 1993-10-07
FI834047A0 (en) 1983-11-03
DK157799C (en) 1990-09-24
AU2104783A (en) 1984-05-17
ES285006U (en) 1985-06-16
DK509983A (en) 1984-05-09
ES285006Y (en) 1986-04-01
SE8206311L (en) 1984-05-09
CA1236783A (en) 1988-05-17
DE3377121D1 (en) 1988-07-28
EP0108444A2 (en) 1984-05-16
ATE35245T1 (en) 1988-07-15
FI834047A (en) 1984-05-09
FI70187B (en) 1986-02-28
SE8206311D0 (en) 1982-11-08
AU562111B2 (en) 1987-05-28

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