GB2536893A

GB2536893A - A carton

Info

Publication number: GB2536893A
Application number: GB1505405.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Neale Steve
Original assignee: Coveris Flexibles UK Ltd
Current assignee: Coveris Flexibles UK Ltd
Priority date: 2015-03-30
Filing date: 2015-03-30
Publication date: 2016-10-05
Anticipated expiration: 2035-03-30
Also published as: GB2536893B; GB201505405D0

Abstract

A carton or container 10 for food having a body portion 12 with an opening or aperture 13, a lid 14 attached to the body for sealing the opening, a flange (20, fig 2) adjacent to the opening, the flange being sealed to the lid. The body includes a substrate and a barrier material, and the carton has a primary failure mechanism configured to allow the opening of the lid via at least partial separation of the flange from the body. The barrier material has a secondary failure mechanism which allows the tearing of the barrier material upon lifting the lid, thus allowing access to the body of the carton when the primary mechanism has failed or is inhibited from operation. The carton may be for sandwiches. The primary failure mechanism may be the act of tearing along perforation lines 20 or overcoming the bond between the lid and body. The secondary failure mechanism may be incision lines 22, 24 in the barrier material, which begin to tear upon the lifting of a lid on which the primary failure mechanism does not function correctly.

Description

A Carton

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a carton for food. The present invention further relates to a blank for forming a carton for food, and a method of manufacturing such a blank.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known to create a food carton such as a sandwich carton from a substrate protected by a layer of harrier material. For example, the substrate may he laminated with a film of plastics material secured to the substrate by adhesive to act as a liquid and vapour barrier, and to act a "pane" in any viewing openings provided in the carton. Sandwich cartons are typically triangular or wedge shaped to accommodate usually one, two or three diagonally cut sandwiches made from two initially square layers of bread with a filling between. The width of the carton may vary depending upon the number of individual sandwiches, the thickness of bread and the depth of the filling.

The carton body is erected prior to being filled with sandwiches. Once filled, the carton lid is sealed against the body of the carton. Typically, the lid is sealed against flanges extending from the body for that purpose. Substantially complete sealing of the carton is desirable, in order to ensure the sandwiches remain fresh and do not spoil up until their designated use by date.

When a carton is to he filled in a typical packing facility, the erected carton body is supported in a frame. The carton is filled, then the lid is closed and sealed. Problems may arise if the frame is not the correct size, or if the carton is not correctly placed in the frame. The body can then be distorted by the frame or held in the wrong position, leading to the lid being incorrectly sealed to the body. For example, the lid can become sealed to the wrong part of the body, or sealing can occur in the wrong location across the flanges.

Such a food carton is usually intended to be opened by the consumer at least partially tearing the lid from the body. If the lid is incorrectly sealed to the body it can be prevented from opening in the desired way, making opening the lid difficult for the consumer and potentially leading to undesirable tearing of the carton body.

Similar issues may also arise in other carton types manufactured using similar materials and filled in the same way such as salad trays or packs for accommodating wraps.

The present invention seeks to overcome or at least mitigate the problems of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a carton for food, the carton comprising a body configured to receive food, the body defining an opening; and a lid secured to the body and configured for sealing in a closed position over the opening. The body comprises a flange adjacent the opening and configured for sealing to the lid. At least the body comprises a substrate and a barrier material.

The carton comprises a primary failure mechanism configured to allow opening of the lid to provide access to the body by at least partial separation of the flange from the body. The barrier material defines a secondary failure mechanism configured to allow tearing of the harrier material upon lifting of the lid, such that, when the primary failure mechanism is inhibited from operation, access is provided to the body.

The failure point allows the lid to be opened even when incorrect sailing of the lid has occurred.

The secondary failure mechanism may comprise a series of incisions in the barrier material. The incisions may be linear. The incisions may be substantially parallel to one another.

The incisions provide a failure point that is simply produced and easy to tear.

The failure mechanism may comprise at least two incisions.

The incisions may be spaced from one another by a distance of between 3mm and 6 The lid may be substantially planar. The incisions may be at a distance of at least 4 mm from the plane of the lid when the lid is in the closed position.

The body may comprise a corner between end and side walls, and at least one incision may span the corner.

Each incision may comprise end and side portions, wherein said end portion may extend along said end wall of the carton body and wherein said side portion may extend along said side wall of the body.

Such an arrangement allows the harrier material to tear easily and in the desired location.

The end portions may increase in length away from the lid when the lid is in the closed position, such that the shortest end portion is proximal the lid and the longest end portion is distal the lid.

The end portion proximal the lid may be between 3.1mm and 4.1mm in length. The end portion distal the lid may be between 4.6mm and 5.6mm in length.

The incisions may extend through the full depth of the barrier material.

The lid may he substantially planar and, when the lid is in the closed position, the incisions may be substantially parallel to the lid.

The carton may be triangular-prism shaped. The substrate may be paperboard.

Said secondary failure mechanism may be located towards a first end of the lid, and the barrier material may define a further, like, failure mechanism located towards a second end of the lid, when the lid is in the closed position.

There is further provided a blank for a carton as described above. Where the secondary failure mechanism may comprise a series of incisions in the barrier material, each incision may comprise end and side portions, wherein said end portion may extend over an end wall of the body and wherein said side portion may extend over a side wall of the body adjacent said end. When the blank is in a substantially planar position the angle between said end and side portions may be between 120° and 150°. The angle between said end and side portions may he between 1300 and 137°.

There is yet further provided a method of manufacturing a blank as described above comprising the steps of: a) providing a sheet to form a carton body, the sheet comprising a substrate and a barrier material; and b) making incisions in the harrier material in order to create a secondary failure mechanism according to any preceding claim.

There is further provided a carton for food, the carton comprising a body configured to receive food, the body defining an opening; and a lid secured to the body and configured for sealing in a closed position over the opening. The body comprises a flange adjacent the opening and configured for sealing to the lid.

The carton comprises a primary failure mechanism configured to allow opening of the lid to provide access to the body by at least partial separation of the flange from the body. The carton further comprises a secondary failure mechanism configured to allow opening of the lid, such that, when the primary failure mechanism is prevented from operation, access is provided to the body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

There now follows a description of a preferred embodiment(s) of the invention, by way of non-limiting example, with reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a partially erected carton according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of a blank for the carton of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a detail view of the area marked A on the blank of Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a detail view of the area marked B on the blank of Figure 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT(S)

With reference to Figure 1, a partially erected food carton is indicated generally at 10. Figure 2 shows a blank 10 for the food carton prior to erection of the carton. The carton 10 of this embodiment is for accommodating triangular sandwiches.

The carton 10 has a body 12 and a lid 14. The body 12 is made up of first and second triangular side walls 16, 17 and first and second trapezoidal end walls 18a, 186. The first side wall 16 of this embodiment is formed from two triangular panels configured to be joined by a tab 15. When the carton 10 is erected, the body 12 forms a triangular prism suitable for receiving triangular sandwiches, and defines an opening 13 through which food can be placed in the body 12.

The lid 14 is configured for sealing in a closed position over the opening 13, in order to protect food received within the body 12. In this embodiment, the lid 14 is hingedly connected to the body 12, although in alternative embodiments the lid may be detached from the body 12. "[he lid 14 is hingedly connected to the second side wall 17.

The body 12 has a flange or a series of flanges 20 extending around the opening 13.

The flanges 20 extend from free edges of the end walls 18a, 18b and the first side wall 16. The flanges 20 arc configured for scaling to the lid 14. In this embodiment, the lid 14 is heat scaled to the flanges 20, although in other embodiments an alternative means of sealing may be used, e.g. a suitable adhesive.

The carton 10 is manufactured from a sheet of a laminate formed of a substrate covered with a barrier material. The body 12 and the lid 14 of this embodiment are both made up of a substrate covered with a harrier material. In alternative embodiments, where the lid 14 is separate to the body 12, the body 12 alone may be made up of a substrate covered with a barrier material. In this embodiment the substrate is paperboard, although in alternative embodiments other suitable materials may be used. The substrate imparts a desired degree of rigidity to the laminate and typically is readily printed with product information. The bather material of this embodiment is a sheet of plastics material (e.g. polyethylene (PE) or polylactic acid (PLA)) attached to the substrate with adhesive. The harrier material is provided to substantially prevent liquid and fats from the sandwich from contacting the substrate (which if paperboard weakens and/or discolours it), and to inhibit the passage of gases in and out of the body 12. In alternative embodiments, the barrier material may take some other suitable form, for example a co-extruded plastics material bonded to the substrate.

The carton 10 has a primary opening or failure mechanism by which a consumer is intended to open the carton 10 when access to the food held within the carton 10 is required. The primary failure mechanism allows the lid 14 to be detached from the the body 12 when the lid 14 is opened, for example by tearing along perforations between the flanges 20 and the remainder of the body 12, or to be partially separated from the remainder of the body 12 by overcoming the heat seal bond between the bather materials of the lid and flange or adhesive bond between substrate and harrier, or by paperboard fibres separating.

Circumstances may arise wherein the primary failure mechanism is prevented from operation. For example, as described above, this may be the case when the sealed pack is "crushed", or folded inwardly during the scaling process. In such circumstances the substrate material may be ruptured under the application of increased force. However, the harrier material is more likely to plastically deform or stretch, thus preventing convenient access to the food product.

Thus, the carton 10 according to the present invention also has a secondary failure mechanism 22, 24. The secondary failure mechanism 22, 24 is configured to allow opening of the carton 10 when the primary failure mechanism is prevented from operation. The secondary failure mechanism 22, 24 is believed to act as a stress concentration point, allowing tearing of the barrier material upon opening of the lid 14, even when the lid 14 is wrongly sealed to the body 12.

The carton 10 of this embodiment has first 22 and second 24 secondary failure mechanisms. The first secondary failure mechanism 22 is partially located on the first end wall 18a, near a first end 14a of the lid 14 when the lid 14 is in the closed position.

The second secondary failure mechanism is partially located on the second end wall 18b, near a second end 14h of the lid 14 when the lid is in the closed position. Providing two secondary failure mechanisms 22, 24 allows the carton 10 to be opened from either end in the event of prevention of operation of the primary failure mechanism. In other embodiments only one or more than two secondary failure mechanisms may he provided.

The secondary failure mechanism 22, 24 of this embodiment is a series of incisions in the bather material, as shown in detail in Figures 3 and 4. The incisions 22, 24 of this embodiment are linear, although in alternative embodiments they may be in some other suitable form, such as circular. The incisions 22, 24 of this embodiment are substantially parallel to one another. In alternative embodiments the incisions may not he parallel to one another. For example, the incisions may be zigzagged. The incisions 22, 24 are substantially parallel to the plane of the lid 14.

In this embodiment, the secondary failure mechanism 22, 24 is a series of four incisions 22, 24. The incisions 22, 24 are spaced from one another at regular intervals of between 3mm and 6mm. The incisions 22, 24 arc spaced from the plane of the lid by a distance of at least 4 mm In an alternative embodiment, the secondary failure mechanism 22, 24 may be a series of at least two incisions 22, 24. The incisions 22, 24 may he spaced from one another at irregular intervals, and/or may be spaced from one another at regular intervals of between 2mm and 7mm. The incisions 22, 24 may be spaced from the plane of the lid by a distance of less than 4mm, e.g. at least 2mm.

The carton 10 defines a corner 26 between the end walls 18a, 18b and one of the side walls 16, 17. In this embodiment, the corner 26 is a right angled corner between the end walls 18a, 18b and the first side wall 16. At least one of the incisions 22, 24 spans the corner 26. In this embodiment, all of the incisions 22, 24 span the corner 26. This arrangement allows the barrier material to be easily torn in the desired location.

Each of the incisions 22, 24 has an end portion 22a, 24a and a side portion 22h, 24h. The end portions 22a, 24a extend along the end walls 18a, 18b. The side portions 22b, 24b extend along the side wall 16. In this embodiment, when the carton blank is planar as shown in Figure 2, the angle x between the end 22a, 24a and side 22h, 24h portions is substantially 133.7°. In other embodiments, the angle x is between 120° and 150°, or between 130° and 137°.

The end portions 22a, 24a of this embodiment increase in length away from the carton opening 13, or away from the lid 14 when the lid 14 is in the closed position. The end portion 22a, 24a proximal the lid 14 is in this embodiment between 3.1mm and 4.1mm in length. The end portion 22a, 24a distal the lid 14 is in this embodiment between 4.6mm and 5.6mm in length.

In this embodiment, the incisions 22, 24 extend through the full depth of the bather material. In alternative embodiments the incisions 22, 24 may not extend through the full depth of the barrier material, forming scores that create a weak point in the harrier material that allows the barrier material to he easily torn there. It will he appreciated that the incisions arc small enough not to have an appreciable impact on the air-tightness of the carton. Further they are in locations where liquids / fatty material is unlikely to be present, so are unlikely to affect the liquid-tightness.

As can be seen most clearly in Figure 4, the apex between each of the end portions 22a, 24a and side portions 22h, 24h is offset slightly from the corner 26. A plane is thus created adjacent to the lid 14.

The lid 14 is substantially planar. When the lid 14 is in the closed position, the incisions 22, 24 are substantially parallel to the lid 14. In alternative embodiments, the incisions 22, 24 may not be parallel to the lid 14.

The blank for the carton 10 is manufactured by providing the carton body 12 in the form of a substrate and a barrier material, and making incisions 22, 24 in the bather material. The incisions 22, 24 are made by die cutting the barrier material after it has been laminated to the substrate. This may he undertaken in line with other die cutting and other processes that take place on a press to form a blank from the sheet material.

In use, in a situation where a consumer lifts a lid 14 of a carton 10 that has been incorrectly scaled, the substrate paperboard starts to tear (fail) adjacent one or more of the incisions 22, 24 and the barrier film then starts to tear adjacent the end of one or more of the incisions 22, 24. The tear in the substrate and barrier film then propagates towards the junction between the side / end walls 26 and the lid 14, at which point it will then continue as is typical for the primary failure mechanism.

It will he apparent to a skilled reader that the present invention provides a significant advantage over known cartons in practical scenarios. The secondary failure mechanism allows the carton to he easily opened even when scaling of the lid has been incorrectly carried out. The secondary failure mechanism allows the lid to be opened, leaving the main part of the body unaffected, so that food can still be held in the body, leading to a convenient experience for the sandwich consumer.

Numerous changes may be made within the scope of the present invention. For example, the carton could be adapted for use with other food types such as sandwiches of some other shape, salads, wraps, flatbrcads, etc with the shape and/or layout changed accordingly.

Claims

Claims 1. A carton for food, the carton comprising: a body configured to receive food, the body defining an opening; and a lid secured to the body and configured for scaling in a closed position over the opening; the body comprising a flange adjacent the opening and configured for scaling to the lid; wherein at least the body comprises a substrate and a barrier material; wherein the carton comprises a primary failure mechanism configured to allow opening of the lid to provide access to the body by at least partial separation of the flange from the body; and wherein the barrier material defines a secondary failure mechanism configured to allow tearing of the barrier material upon lifting of the lid, such that, when the primary failure mechanism is inhibited from operation, access is provided to the body.
2. A carton according to claim 1 wherein the secondary failure mechanism comprises a series of incisions in the harrier material.
3. A carton according to claim 2 wherein the incisions are linear.
4. A carton according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the incisions are substantially parallel to one another.
5. A carton according to any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein the failure mechanism comprises at least 2 incisions.
6. A carton according to any one of claims 2 to 5 wherein the incisions are spaced from one another by a distance of between 3mm and 6mm.
7. A carton according to any one of claims 2 to 6 wherein the lid is substantially planar, and wherein the incisions are at a distance of at least 4mm from the plane of the lid when the lid is in the closed position.
8. A carton according to any one of claims 2 to 7 wherein the body comprises a corner between end and side walls, and wherein at least one incision spans the corner.
9. A carton according to claim 8 wherein each incision comprises end and side portions, wherein said end portion extends along said end wall of the carton body and wherein said side portion extends along said side wall of the body.
10. A carton according to claim 9 wherein the end portions increase in length away from the lid when the lid is in the closed position, such that the shortest end portion is proximal the lid and the longest end portion is distal the lid.
11. A carton according to claim 10 wherein the end portion proximal the lid is between 3.1mm and 4.1mm in length.
12. A carton according to claim 10 or claim 11 wherein the end portion distal the lid is between 4.6mm and 5.6mm in length.
13. A carton according to any of claims 2 to 12 wherein the incisions extend through the full depth of the bather material.
14. A carton according to any one of claims 2 to 13 wherein the lid is substantially planar and, when the lid is in the closed position, the incisions are substantially parallel to the lid.
15. A carton according to any preceding claim wherein the carton is triangular-prism shaped.
16. A carton according to any preceding claim wherein the substrate is paperboard.
17. A carton according to any preceding claim wherein said secondary failure mechanism is located towards a first end of the lid, and wherein the bather material defines a further, like, failure mechanism located towards a second end of the lid, when the lid is in the closed position.
18. A blank for a carton according to any preceding claim.
19. A blank for a carton according to any one of claims 2 to 17 wherein each incision comprises end and side portions, wherein said end portion extends over an end wall of the body, wherein said side portion extends over a side wall of the body adjacent said end, and wherein when the blank is in a substantially planar position the angle between said end and side portions is between 120° and 150°.
20. A blank according to claim 19 wherein the angle between said end and side portions is between 1300 and 137°.
21. A method of manufacturing a blank according to any one of claims 18 to 20 comprising the steps of: a) providing a sheet to form a carton body, the sheet comprising a substrate and a bather material; and b) making incisions in the bather material in order to create a secondary failure mechanism according to any preceding claim.
22. A carton, a blank, or a method of making a blank substantially as described herein, and/or with reference to the accompanying drawing(s).