EP0310578B1

EP0310578B1 - Tear-open container, in particular for waterice or the like

Info

Publication number: EP0310578B1
Application number: EP88830399A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Antonio D'amato
Original assignee: Seda SpA
Current assignee: Seda SpA
Priority date: 1987-10-01
Filing date: 1988-10-03
Publication date: 1992-05-06
Anticipated expiration: 2008-10-03
Also published as: GR3005384T3; ATE75682T1; ES2033007T3; IT212669Z2; DE3870792D1; EP0310578A1; IT8736042V0

Abstract

A tear-open container, in particular for waterice or the like, obtained in a three-dimansional form by means of folding and fastening operations starting from a flat single piece member of an impermeable sheet material, both relatively rigid and relatively flexible.

Description

The present invention relates to a container, destined in particular for the packaging of solid ice confectionary products, such as waterice or the like.
A known packaging for the above mentioned products includes an envelope of paper-like material wherein the waterice or the like is contained, provided with a stick to be grasped extending integrally from its base. At the moment of consumption, the product; completely freed from its envelope, is carried to the mouth by grasping said stick.
From the above one may easily deduce both the lack of hygiene of the packaging and the risk of soiling of the consumer, in particular children, in consequence of drips falling from the product itself, which liquefies rather rapidly, in particular under the summer heat. To the above inconveniences another one should be added, in that said paper-like envelope does not provide any protection for the products against shocks or falls.
Another more recent kind of packaging includes a tubular envelope made with a suitable relatively rigid material, having a closed bottom and an upper delivery mouth which is closed after the filling of said envelope with the product in question, for the consumption of which it will be necessary to open said delivery mouth through which the product is gradually pushed out of the envelope by exerting a compression action on the latter.
Even this packaging, on the other hand, is not free from inconveniences, in particular of a practical and functional kind, mainly caused by the likelyhood that following too strong a pressure on the envelope the product might come out of the latter and, anyhow, by the difficulty of maintaining an adequate quantity of product protruding from the delivery mouth for an easy consumption.
Another further kind of packaging is also known (US-A-4657142), which comprises an envelope having a closed bottom, an upper aperture which is closed after filling of said envelope with the product to be eaten, as well as removing means for removing by tearing an upper part of the container from the remaining part of the container. Even such packaging shows limitations and drawbacks: in particular the panels of its blank only allow a container having a final shape of a very flattened cone to be obtained, thus strictly limiting kinds and forms of products to be inserted within the envelope, on one hand, and rendering it difficult gradually to push the product out of the envelope through a compression action on the latter, on the other hand; moreover this packaging is rather complicate as to its starting material and its assembling.
The object of the present invention is to provide a container, in particular for waterice or the like, having a very simple structure, obtained in a three-dimensional form starting from a single-piece flat blank or punched member which, in the completely sealed condition is extremely effective for a hygenic packaging and-protection of the above mentioned product and is such as to allow, in the open condition, a trouble-free gradual consumption of the product itself without danger of soiling or other.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a container of the above mentioned kind provided with tear-open means from the completely sealed condition. The present invention will be better illustrated hereinafter from the disclosure of an embodiment thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

figure 1 is a plan view of the flat single-piece punched member for obtaining the container in question;
figure 2 is a front elevation view of the container in question obtained from the punched member of figure 1, with the top opening not sealed;
figure 3 is a side elevation view of the container of figure 2;
figure 4 is a perspective view from the rear of the container of figure 2;
figure 5 is a front perspective of the container of figure 2 in the completely sealed condition; and
figure 6 is a perspective view from the rear of the container of figure 2 with the top part taken away for the exposure of the product contained therein.

With reference to figure 2, there is shown in a plan view the starting flat single-piece punched member for obtaining the container according to the present invention by means of folding and fastening operations.
The punched member generally shown in 1, made of paper-like material, substantially rigid and substantially flexible, and treated for impermeabilization, for instance polyethylene coated so as to impart to it characteristics of heat welding, includes in a central position a panel 2 having the shape of a trapezium having each of the non parallel sides united through a crease line to a side of a respective panel 3 and 4 constituting the side wall and having the shape of an isosceles triangle, the opposite side of each of which is connected by means of a crease line to one of the non-parallel sides of a respective half- panel 5, 6 of the front wall, having the shape of a trapezium.
The greatest base of the trapezium shaped panel 2, the bases of the triangular panels 3 and 4 and the greatest bases of the trapezium shaped panels 5, 6, which constitute the contour of the upper opening of the container in question following its assembly into a threedimensional form, are connected by means of crease lines to long sides corresponding to the respective substantially rectangular flaps 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 which limit said upper opening of the container.
The punched member formed in this way has, in a position lying between the top and bottom ends of said panels, two reduced strengh lines 12 and 13 spaced from one another, constituted by a double sequence of segments obtained on each of said panels, in a relationship which is parallel to each other and to the respective bases of said panels.
A tear tab 14, having a width equal to the distance existing between the two reduced strength lines 12 and 13 and positioned as a continuation of these, extends integrally from the side of the panel 5 opposed to that of connection to panel 3.
It should be then remarked that, starting from a central point of the base of each panel 3, 4, two crease lines 15, 16 and 17, 18, respectively, extend obliquely, with the same slope of 45° with respect to the axis of said panels, up to intersect the respective edges of the panel 3, 4 itself, so as to constitute in the panel 3 a first and a second triangular portion 19 and 20 bounded by the crease line 15, the terminal portion of the connection edge to the panel 5, and a first half of the base, and, respectively, by the crease line 16, the terminal portion of the connection edge to panel 2, and the second half of the base and in the panel 4 third and fourth triangular portions 20 and 22 bounded by the crease line 17, by the terminal portion of the connection edge to the panel 2, and a first half of the base and, respectively, by the crease line 18, by the terminal portion of the connection edge to the panel 6, and the second half of the base; said pairs of crease lines 15, 16 and 17, 18 together with said triangular portions 19, 20 and 21, 22 being destined to allow the formation of the closure of said top opening of the container in its three-dimensional form, as it will be better explained hereinafter.
When the starting punched member 1 has been formed in this way, the assembly of the container according to the present invention in its three-dimensional form is performed as follows: the half- panels 5 and 6 are folded at right angles with respect to the panels 3 and 4 along the respective connection crease lines so as to overlap a portion of the longitudinal free edge of the panel 5 over the corresponding portion of longitudinal free edge of the panel 6, said overlapping entailing moreover the overlapping of the corresponding portions of the flaps 10, 11; said overlapped edge portions of the panels 5, 6 and of the flaps 10, 11 are sealed in watertight manner, for instance by thermal welding if this is allowed by the starting material, without, obviously, involving in said sealing the tear tab 14; then the closed bottom is formed, indicated in 19 in the figures 2-6, by a watertight sealing one with the other of the lower terminal portions of the panel 2 and of the whole constituted by the two half- panels 5 and 6 made integral as previously disclosed.
The container according to the present invention, assembled in its three-dimensional form, is shown in its open condition in figures 2, 3 and 4, where it is generally shown in front elevation, side elevation and rear perspective, respectively.
After the introduction of the product into the interior of the container through its top opening, the tight closing of said opening is performed by exerting a pressure on the portions of the panels 3 and 4 included between the crease lines 15, 16 and 17, 18, respectively, with the consequent folding inwards along said pairs of crease lines of the first, second, third and fourth triangular portions 19, 20, 21 and 22 until bringing the first two into contact with the correspondign portions of the half-panel 5 and of the half-panel 5, respectively, as well as into contact with each other and the second two into contact with the corresponding portions of the panel 2 and of the half-panel 6, respectively, as well as also these into contact with one another, the above entailing the foldover of the flaps 8 and 9 and the adhesion of the respective halves, as well as the adhesion of the flap 7 to the flaps 10 and 11, the latter having been fastened to one another as previously said.
At this moment the sealing is effected, for instance by thermal welding if the material is such as to allow such procedure, of the abutting half of each of the flaps 8 and 9, as well as of the flap 7 with the integral whole of the flaps 10 and 11, obtaining in this way the container of the present invention which is completely watertightly closed and which appears as shown in front perspective in figure 5.
In the actual use, when one desires to consume the product introduced into the container 23 of the present invention prior to its total sealing, the container is held grasped in one hand, grasping it under the second reduced strength line 13, and with the other hand one grasps the tab 14, then exerting on it a tear away action in such a way as to take away, with relative ease because of the presence of the reduced strength lines 12 and 13, the peripheral strip included between said reduced strength lines, thus separating the upper part, extending above the reduced strength line 12, from the lower part, extending below the reduced strength line 13, and, while the former will be eliminated, the latter will perform the function of support of the contained product which will conveniently protrude out of its upper opening, defined by the reduced strength line 13, to be easily consumed, as shown in figure 6 in which said product is an ice cream 24, partially consumed. Once the protruding part of the product is finished, for consumption of the remaining portion which is in the interior of said lower part of the container 23, it is sufficient to exert a compression action on this latter so that this remaining portion is also compelled to protrude from the upper opening formed in said lower part of the container 23 following its separation from its upper part.

Claims

1. A tear-open container in particular for waterice or the like, obtained in a three-dimensional form by means of folding and fastening operations starting from a flat single piece blank of an impermeable sheet material, relatively rigid and relatively flexible, comprising a lapping side seam through portions of panels (5, 6) and a closed bottom (19′), which are both sealed, and a boundary (7, 8, 9, 10, 11) of the upper aperture which is sealable after placing said waterice or the like into the container therethrough, as well as removing means (12, 13, 14) for removing by tearing an upper part of said container from the remaining part of the container, said container being characterised by that it comprises in a central position a rear wall panel (2) of a trapezoidal shape, having two opposed longitudinal sides connected by means of a crease line to corresponding respective first longitudinal sides of a first (3) and of a second (4) side wall panel having the shape of an isosceles triangle, which have the longitudinal sides opposed to said first sides connected by means of a crease line to respective first longitudinal sids of a first (5) and of a second (6) front wall half-panel, having a trapezoidal shape, suitable to be partially overlapped in the assembling step and sealed one on the other along respective free longitudinal sides opposed to said first sides so as to form said lapping side seam, each of said panels and half-panels having the upper side connected through a crease line to a respective flap (7, 8, 9, 10, 11) of a substantially rectangular shape, these flaps forming said boundary of the upper aperture of said container, said closed bottom of which is formed, following the assembly, by sealing to each other the lower portions of said rear wall panel (2) and of said half-panels (5, 6) at the respective sides opposed to said upper sides, said panel and half-panels being transversally provided with said removing means, consisting of at least one continuous reduced strength line (12), ending on one end with a tear tab (14) protuding integrally from the longitudinal free side of one of said first and second front half-panels (5, 6), in the upper portion of each of said first and second side wall panels (3, 4) being formed crease lines (15, 16; 17, 18) arranged in such a way as to allow, following the assembly, the effectuation of a sealed closure of said upper aperture of said container in a three-dimensional form by folding inwards said upper portions of said first and second side wall panels (3, 4), so as to fold on themselves said flaps (8, 9) respectively associated to said first and second side wall panel (3, 4), and to bring said flap (7) on said rear wall panel (2) into contact with said flaps (10, 11) on said first and second front wall half-panels (5, 6) and then sealing one against the other the portions folded on themselves of said flaps (8, 9) associated to said first and second side wall panels (3, 4) and said flap (7) of rear wall panel (2) in contact with said flaps (10, 11) on said first and second front half-panels (5, 6).

2. A container according to claim 1, wherein a second continuous reduced strength line (13) parallel to said at least one reduced strength line (12) is provided so as to form between them a strip which can be torn away, ending with a tear tab (14) having a width corresponding to that of said strip and extending integrally from the longitudinal free side of one of said first and second front wall half-panels (5, 6).

3. A container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said crease lines (15, 16; 17, 18) formed in the upper portion of each of said first and second side wall panels (3, 4) include two crease lines extending from the central point of the side of said panels (3, 4) which forms the border of said upper aperture of said container, in an opposed relationship with a slope of 45° with respect to the axis of said panels, up to intersect respective longitudinal sides of said first and second side wall panels (3, 4).

4. A container according to any of the preceding claims wherein said impermeable sheet material constituting said flat single-piece blank is a thermally weldable material.

5. A container according to claim 4, wherein said impermeable thermally weldable sheet material is a polyethylene coated material.

6. Container according to claim 4 or 5, wherein said sealing of the overlapped portions of said first and second front wall half-panels (5, 6) and of the overlapped portions of the associated relative flaps (10, 11), of said lower portions of the said rear wall panel (2) and of said half-panels (5, 6) to form said sealed bottom of said container, and of said flaps (7, 8, 9, 10, 11) associated to said rear wall panel (2), to said first and second side wall panels (3, 4) as well as to said front wall half-panels (5, 6) to form the sealed closure of said upper aperture of said container, is carried out by means of thermal welding.