GB1597906A - Packages constituted by thermoformed shells - Google Patents

Description

(54) PACKAGES CONSTITUTED BY THERMOFORMED SHELLS (71) We, N. V. PHILIPS' GLOEILAM PENFABRIEKEN, a limited liability Com- pany, organised and established under the laws of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, of Emmasingel 29, Eindhoven, the Netherlands do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The invention relates to a package of the type comprising two shells each constituted by a sheet of plastics material thermoformed around an inner packaging space having contours when the two shells are together resembling those of the packaged object.

Packages of this type are described in British Patent Specification 722,423, in French Patent Specification No. 2,168,670 or in French Patent Application published under No. 2,306,140.

The materials used nowadays are in particular polystyrenes (PS) and polyvinyl chlorides (PVC). Starting from thin sheets, so with a small mass of material, they permit of obtaining, by thermoforming, a shell which protects the contents whose contours, which are sometimes of a complex shape, are reproduced on the inner packaging space.

Thermoforming also permits of providing around the contents an external space of the container which constitutes, due to the rigidity of the thermoformed material, a protection against shocks and external pressures.

It is thus possible to replace the reinforcements of cardboard or moulded plastics material used in other types of packages.

The criteria of the study and choice of such a package are of an industrial and commercial nature.

From the industrial point of view, the very large series of manufacture justify the search for saving of material: in order to illustrate this requirement it may be stated that such packages, each weighing a few grams, necessitate at the present moment, on a national basis, approximately 105 tons of starting material per year for their manufacture.

In addition, the filling and sealing of this type of package tend to be automated, as its manufacture. It is hence necessary to design the package to obtain an easy handling by machines. For example, since the shells are delivered in quantities of hundreds nested one in the other, their unstacking must not present difficulties.

The package according to the aforementioned Application No. 2,306,140 necessitates additional material for the manufacture of its hinging face connecting the two shells. On the other hand, the packages according to this document, when they are stacked at the end of their manufacture, are difficult to separate and to handle, notably by an automatic machine.

From the commercial point of view, the package frequently serves to exhibit the merchandise to the purchaser. So it must be possible for the package to be labelled. In addition, due to its integrity, the package often constitutes a guarantee of the good condition of the packaged object.

The packages described in the abovementioned three documents ensure separately the functions of labelling and closing the package. Although the aforementioned Specification 2,168,670 describes a possibility of labelling the packaging shell, said labelling is independent of the closure which is obtained by locking by pins. The closure of the package according to the aforementioned Specification 722,423 is obtained by an adhesive tape which is adhered only to the shells at their extremities. Since said tape is not supported between its fixing zones, it confers a great fragility and complicates its treatment by automatic machines.

Finally, the aforementioned Application 2,306,140 does not enable the labelling on the packaging shells themselves.

It is the object of the invention to combine the two functions of labelling and closing.

According to the invention there is provided a package of the type comprising two shells each constituted by a sheet of plastics material thermoformed around an inner packaging space having contours when the two shells are together resembling those of an object which is packaged therein, in which each shell has a thermoformed area which defines at an outside edge of the shell one half of a bipartite labelling surface, and an adhesive label attached to the bipartite labelling surfaces to hold the edges together and close the package.

The label, for example of the selfadhesive type, thus provided while ensuring the inviolability of the package before selling the merchandise, permits it to be opened with a minimum effort by tearing the label.

A particular embodiment of the invention is characterized by the fact that the labelling surface extends from one edge of the shell to the other.

It is thus possible to close the package by means of a single label traversing it from one edge to the other. Moreover, since the thermoformed area is situated above the useful space over an important area, it ensures a better protection of the contents in that locally an increased thickness of the package has been realised.

For facilitating automatic packaging operations, if any, a particular package according to the invention is characterized by the fact that the labelling surface comprises at least one flat face.

In an embodiment destined more particularly for packaging fragile objects it is suitable to avoid movements of the contents in the container, in which the dimension of the thermoformed area having the labelling surface may be very large, the package is thus characterized by the fact that the labelling surface is interrupted by cavities joining on the inside the contour of the packaging space. The packaged object is thus held centrally throughout its contour.

In order to protect the presented object and to ensure an external outline of the package having a shape resembling that of a parallelepiped, which shape will facilitate the arrangement and the storage of the pao kaged objects, an embodiment of such packages of thermoplastic sheets comprises a peripheral reinforcement blister around each shell and forming in part the thermoformed area.

The two shells may have different shapes.

For commercial purposes the packages could present several aspects of appearance, notably various colours. In a preferred embodiment the package according to the invention is characterized by the fact that the thermoformed plastics material con stituting the shells is transparent. In this manner the purchaser, without having access to the object itself, may examine the shape. the colour, the characteristics, the label masking only partly or possibly not masking at all.

It is desirable that the packages permit the commercialization in self-service stores.

For that purpose it is useful to provide the package with a perforation permitting its suspension on commercial display units.

The following description and the accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of packages according to the invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a packaging shell thermoformed according to the prior art, Figure 2 shows a shell for a package according to the invention, Figure 3 shows a shell for a package according to the invention, and Figure 4 is a perspective view of a package without its contents formed from two independent shells.

Figure 1 shows, very generally, a packaging shell 1 according to the prior art obtained by thermoforming a sheet of polyvinyl chloride, in this example, a transparent sheet. Said shell is destined to be sealed to a similar shell to form a package.

The shell 1 is formed around a useful space 2, in the example divided into two compartments.

The thickness of the sheet of thermoplastic material is of the order of a tenth of a millimetre.

Outside the packaging space the thermoplastic sheet is maintained flat, in the example shown on surfaces 3 destined to receive the remainder of the package which is to close the shell.

Figure 2 shows an embodiment of a packaging shell for the package of the invention.

On the useful space 2 of the shell, the thermoforming has superimposed a projecting supplementary space or thermoformed area 4 presenting on the outside of the package a regular surface 5, for example, geometrically developable suitable to receive a label 7.

The labelling surface 5 extends up to the edge 6 of the shell. In the example shown in Figure 2 the labelling surface extends from one edge of the shell to the other.

The label 7, for example self-adhesive, is used for marking the product and as a guarantee strip ensuring the closure of the package.

When the two shells are provided one on the other, the two surfaces 5 present a bipartite labelling surface divided by the joint between the shells. A self-adhesive label provided on said surface will thus unite the two shells to close the package.

Figure 3 shows a packaging shell for a package according to the invention in which a thermoformed area 24 in the form of a parallelepiped has been thermoformed simultaneously with the useful space 2. Said thermoformed area extends from one edge of the shell to the other and offers a peripheral surface 25 for labelling constituted by three faces 26, 27, 28.

In order to better support the packaged objects, the face 27 which is large has been interrupted by a cavity 28 created during thermoforming and the walls of which join again at 29 the contours of the effective packaging space.

The packaged objects will hence be supported by these wall elements 29 in the same manner as by the walls of the packaging space 2 not visible due to the formation of the shaped area 24.

In addition, since the area of the labelling face 27 is large, the cavity 28 plays the part of a stiffening rib of the package, notably if its bottom reaches the level of the initial surface 3 of the thermoplastic sheet constituting the shell.

Figure 4 shows a pair of shells intended to form a package with a pair of electric lamps of the "candle" type. Said package has two independent identical shells 30. Each shell encloses a useful space formed by two semiimpressions of "candle" lamps. The edge of the thermoplastic sheet has been raised during forming to a peripheral skirt 31 the height of which is slightly larger than the depth of the impressions. Said skirt permits of strengthening the shell and better protecting the contents.

Above the impressions there has also been thermoformed a parallelepipedic thermoformed area offering a labelling surface 35 covered in the Figure by a label 38 indicating the electrical characteristics of the enclosed lamps and serving as a guarantee strip.

In the example shown, the label 7 has been replaced by a single strip label 38 surrounding the package. At the level of the thermoformed area, the peripheral skirt is ribbed and curved at 39 to lie flat against the labelling surface on a flat part facilitating the provision of the label. Figure 4 shows in addition that the packaging spaces destined to receive the lamps are open on the outside at 40 so that there is access to the lamp caps without tearing the label. Said opening permits of testing the packaged lamps, either by applying their nominal voltage to operate them, or by applying a high-frequency voltage destined to test by luminescence the gaseous atmosphere inside each bulb.

It has already been mentioned that between the manufacture of the shells and their use to constitute the packages, they are sometimes stacked so as to reduce their volume during storage or during transport. It is hence difficult to unstack them, since two nested shells can tend to stick together by electrostatic forces, frictional forces or atmospheric pressure. In order to facilitate the said unstacking, each shell of Figure 4 comprises slots 41 forming abutments for the shell to be nested in it. Said abutments are preferably provided on reinforced zones of the shell: for example in the corners of the blister. In this manner the stacked shells are not completely nested and a certain space separates them.

The packages of the type of that shown in Figure 4 permit the storage of the merchandise on shelves. Their shape which is approximately parallelepipedic permits in fact their stacking. In order to facilitate the presentation to the purchasers, it may be useful to suspend the packages. For that purpose a perforation may be provided-to traverse simultaneously the two shells of the package in their flat part 3 (Figure 3).

Said perforation might alternatively be provided in the skirt of each shell in which case the rigidity of the suspension is likely to be reduced to some extent.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A package of the type comprising two shells each constituted by a sheet of plastics material thermoformed around an inner packaging space having contours when the two shells are together resembling those of an object which is packaged therein in which each shell has a thermoformed area which defines at an outside edge of the shell one half of a bipartite labelling surface, and an adhesive label attached to the bipartite labelling surfaces to hold the edges together and close the package.

2. A package as claimed in Claim 1, in which the labelling surface extends from one edge of the shell to the other.

3. A package as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, in which the labelling surface comprises at least one flat face.

4. A package as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, in which the labelling surface is interrupted by cavities joining on the inside the contour of the packaging space.

5. A package as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, in which a reinforcement blis ter is formed at the periphery of each shell and forms in part the thermoformed area.

6. A package as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, in which the thermoformed plastics material constituting the shells is transparent.

7. A package as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, in which it is traversed by a perforation permitting suspension of the

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (8)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. of the shell to the other and offers a peripheral surface 25 for labelling constituted by three faces 26, 27, 28. In order to better support the packaged objects, the face 27 which is large has been interrupted by a cavity 28 created during thermoforming and the walls of which join again at 29 the contours of the effective packaging space. The packaged objects will hence be supported by these wall elements 29 in the same manner as by the walls of the packaging space 2 not visible due to the formation of the shaped area 24. In addition, since the area of the labelling face 27 is large, the cavity 28 plays the part of a stiffening rib of the package, notably if its bottom reaches the level of the initial surface 3 of the thermoplastic sheet constituting the shell. Figure 4 shows a pair of shells intended to form a package with a pair of electric lamps of the "candle" type. Said package has two independent identical shells 30. Each shell encloses a useful space formed by two semiimpressions of "candle" lamps. The edge of the thermoplastic sheet has been raised during forming to a peripheral skirt 31 the height of which is slightly larger than the depth of the impressions. Said skirt permits of strengthening the shell and better protecting the contents. Above the impressions there has also been thermoformed a parallelepipedic thermoformed area offering a labelling surface 35 covered in the Figure by a label 38 indicating the electrical characteristics of the enclosed lamps and serving as a guarantee strip. In the example shown, the label 7 has been replaced by a single strip label 38 surrounding the package. At the level of the thermoformed area, the peripheral skirt is ribbed and curved at 39 to lie flat against the labelling surface on a flat part facilitating the provision of the label. Figure 4 shows in addition that the packaging spaces destined to receive the lamps are open on the outside at 40 so that there is access to the lamp caps without tearing the label. Said opening permits of testing the packaged lamps, either by applying their nominal voltage to operate them, or by applying a high-frequency voltage destined to test by luminescence the gaseous atmosphere inside each bulb. It has already been mentioned that between the manufacture of the shells and their use to constitute the packages, they are sometimes stacked so as to reduce their volume during storage or during transport. It is hence difficult to unstack them, since two nested shells can tend to stick together by electrostatic forces, frictional forces or atmospheric pressure. In order to facilitate the said unstacking, each shell of Figure 4 comprises slots 41 forming abutments for the shell to be nested in it. Said abutments are preferably provided on reinforced zones of the shell: for example in the corners of the blister. In this manner the stacked shells are not completely nested and a certain space separates them. The packages of the type of that shown in Figure 4 permit the storage of the merchandise on shelves. Their shape which is approximately parallelepipedic permits in fact their stacking. In order to facilitate the presentation to the purchasers, it may be useful to suspend the packages. For that purpose a perforation may be provided-to traverse simultaneously the two shells of the package in their flat part 3 (Figure 3). Said perforation might alternatively be provided in the skirt of each shell in which case the rigidity of the suspension is likely to be reduced to some extent. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A package of the type comprising two shells each constituted by a sheet of plastics material thermoformed around an inner packaging space having contours when the two shells are together resembling those of an object which is packaged therein in which each shell has a thermoformed area which defines at an outside edge of the shell one half of a bipartite labelling surface, and an adhesive label attached to the bipartite labelling surfaces to hold the edges together and close the package.

2. A package as claimed in Claim 1, in which the labelling surface extends from one edge of the shell to the other.

3. A package as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, in which the labelling surface comprises at least one flat face.

4. A package as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, in which the labelling surface is interrupted by cavities joining on the inside the contour of the packaging space.

5. A package as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, in which a reinforcement blis ter is formed at the periphery of each shell and forms in part the thermoformed area.

6. A package as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, in which the thermoformed plastics material constituting the shells is transparent.

7. A package as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, in which it is traversed by a perforation permitting suspension of the

package on a commercial display unit.

8. A package substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of Figures 2 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.