US20020033393A1

US20020033393A1 - Food packaging with stabiliser

Info

Publication number: US20020033393A1
Application number: US09/909,304
Authority: US
Inventors: Rudolf Fux
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-07-19
Filing date: 2001-07-19
Publication date: 2002-03-21
Also published as: EP1174353A2; EP1174353A3; DE20012640U1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a food packaging made of a thermally and/or mechanically mouldable plastic film with two bodies which display an essentially similar cross-section and are connected via at least one joint located between the first and the second body in a manner permitting opening and closing, where at least one of the two bodies has at least one foot serving as a stabiliser and where the foot ensures a stable upright position, which the packaging would not assume at all, or not assume stably, without the foot.

Description

Packaged goods, particularly foods, are nowadays increasingly being offered to the consumer for sale in plastic packagings. The packagings currently available in accordance with the prior art often have the disadvantage that they are not dimensionally stable and not firm, i.e. that they easily topple over and/or are deformed during transport or during presentation of the goods. A further disadvantage is that the packagings are often very much larger than the goods packaged in them, because the shape of the packaging and the shape of the packaged goods are not compatible. Conventional packagings of this kind usually display a large, flat base area that ensures a stable upright position due to the shape of the packaging itself.

The object of the present invention is thus to provide packagings which are easily manufactured, dimensionally stable and firm.

According to the invention, the object is solved by providing a food packaging made of a thermally and/or mechanically mouldable plastic film with two bodies which display an essentially similar cross-section and are connected via at least one joint located between the first and the second body in a manner permitting opening and closing, where at least one of the two bodies has at least one foot serving as a stabiliser and where the foot ensures a stable upright position, which the packaging would not assume at all, or not assume stably, without the foot.

Surprisingly, the packaging according to the invention makes it possible to package even irregularly shaped packaged goods in a material-saving manner. The packaging according to the invention is dimensionally stable, firm and, if appropriate, stackable.

The two bodies of a packaging display an essentially similar cross-section, although the invention is not limited in relation to the shape of the cross-section. Both bodies preferably display an essentially triangular, rectangular, preferably square, or semicircular cross-section.

The two bodies can be connected to each other by any joint familiar to a person skilled in the art. The two bodies are preferably connected by a joint at a minimum of two connecting points.

In a preferred configuration of the present invention, the two bodies and the joint are moulded from the same film. This joint is integrally moulded on the longitudinal side of each of the two bodies and preferably extends over the entire length of the corresponding body sides. This joint positions the two bodies relative to each other in such a way that they can be folded onto each other, thus allowing the packaging to be repeatedly opened and closed via this joint.

The external dimensions of the packaging according to the invention are not limited, meaning that the dimensions can be adapted to the nature and size of the goods to be packaged. The packaging preferably has a length of 50 to 500 mm, a width of 10 to 200 mm and a height of 10 to 200 mm, more preferably a length of 250 to 350 mm, a width of 40 to 120 mm and a height of 40 to 120 mm and most preferably a width and height of 70 to 100 mm each.

The packaging according to the invention has at least one foot serving as a stabiliser. For the purposes of the present invention, a stabiliser is a part or a means which prevents toppling of the packaging, particularly the rolling of a packaging displaying an essentially circular cross-section.

If more than one foot is used, the feet can be provided on both bodies of the packaging. Bodies of this kind are then stackable, if appropriate. However, multiple feet can also be located exclusively on one of the two bodies forming the packaging.

The feet can be moulded into the respective body during manufacture, preferably in the form of a protrusion.

Moreover, the feet can also be fastened to the bodies after manufacture, using any method familiar to a person skilled in the art. The feet are preferably welded on or bonded with an adhesive.

The foot or feet can be hollow or solid. If the feet are hollow, the wall thickness of the feet must be at least so great that the feet are stable enough to bear the weight of the packaging and the goods to be packaged without being deformed.

The packaging according to the invention is not limited as regards the number of feet provided, meaning that this number can be defined in accordance with aesthetic demands and the technical requirements of the manufacturing process. The packaging preferably displays two, particularly preferably four, feet on one body of the packaging.

The size and geometry of the feet are governed by the number of feet present and the size of the packaging. These parameters are selected in such a way that a firm packaging results which cannot topple over or roll. Each group of two feet of a body is preferably provided as a pair of feet located at the same distance from, and parallel to, its face end, opposite each other and mirror-symmetrical to the central longitudinal axis of the body.

In a preferred configuration of the present invention, in which the two bodies of the packaging have an essentially semi-circular cross-section, the feet extend from the surface of one body in such a way that they display a triangular cross-section. In this context, the base area of the feet extends parallel to the plane formed by the edges of the body.

The two bodies connected via a joint can be tightly sealed by the methods familiar to a person skilled in the art. In a preferred configuration, heat-sealing surfaces that border the bodies are provided for this purpose. These heat-sealing surfaces surround the two bodies and form a horizontal plane. In this way, the two bodies can be sealed together in gas-tight fashion via these heat-sealing surfaces after being filled with the goods to be packaged.

Particularly preferably, the two bodies each display a tab, located in the middle of the heat-sealing surface on the longitudinal side opposite the joint, lying in a plane with the heat-sealing surfaces and extending outwards away from the body. These two tabs facilitate the first-time opening of the packaging by the user, as well as the opening and closing of the two bodies following first-time opening.

Furthermore, the packaging can be re-sealable. For this purpose, the heat-sealing surfaces bordering the two bodies are preferably provided with flexible sealing lips of complementary shape, which penetrate each other under mechanical pressure. Likewise preferably, Velcro closures of any form are provided on the heat-sealing surfaces for this purpose.

The means for re-sealing the packaging, such as sealing lips or Velcro closures, are preferably provided on the heat-sealing surface, outside the heat-sealed area.

In order to identify the contents envisaged for the packaging, a label consisting of one or more parts can be affixed to one or both of the bodies of the packaging.

The packaging can be manufactured from any thermally and/or mechanically mouldable plastic film. A transparent and/or gas-tight film is preferably used for manufacturing the packaging.

The packaging according to the invention is particularly suitable for packaging objects having an essentially circular or rectangular, particularly square, cross-section, particularly for packaging foods of the corresponding shapes, preferably cooked meats, fish, cheese, bread and cakes, as well as tobacco products, preferably cigarettes and cigarillos.

The invention is explained below on the basis of FIGS. [0025] 1 to 3. These explanations are merely of an exemplary nature and do not limit the general idea of the invention.
FIGS. 1[0026] a to 1 c show a side view of packagings according to the invention.
FIG. 1[0027] d is a top view of a packaging according to the invention.
FIG. 2 is a top view of the packaging illustrated in FIG. 1[0028] a.
FIG. 3 is a side view of two packagings according to the invention, which can be stacked on one another.[0029]
FIG. 1[0030] a shows a side view of the packaging according to the invention. The packaging is made of a transparent, thermally mouldable plastic film and comprises two bodies 1 and 2, which have a semi-circular cross-section and are connected via a joint 3 located between these bodies. This joint 3 is integrally moulded on the longitudinal side of both bodies and extends over the entire length of the corresponding body sides. Lower body 2 contains four feet 6, moulded into this body in the form of protrusions, which prevent rolling of the packaging. The feet project from the semicircular cross-section of the body, each protrusion having a rectangular crosssection. Groups of two of these feet are provided as a pair of feet located at the same distance from, and parallel to, the face end of body 2, opposite each other and mirror-symmetrical to the central longitudinal axis of the body.
FIG. 1[0031] b shows a side view of another packaging according to the invention. The packaging is made of a transparent, thermally mouldable plastic film and comprises two bodies 1 and 2, which have a triangular cross-section and are connected via a joint 3 located between these bodies. This joint 3 is integrally moulded on the longitudinal side of both bodies and extends over the entire length of the corresponding body sides. Lower body 2 contains four feet 6, moulded into this body in the form of protrusions, which prevent the packaging from toppling out of its intended upright position. The feet project from the triangular cross-section of the body, each protrusion having an angular cross-section. Groups of two of these feet are provided as a pair of feet located at the same distance from, and parallel to, the face end of body 2, opposite each other and mirror-symmetrical to the central longitudinal axis of the body.
FIG [0032] 1 c shows a side view of the other packaging according to the invention. The packaging is made of a transparent, thermally mouldable plastic film and comprises two bodies 1 and 2, which have a triangular cross-section and are connected via a joint 3 located between these bodies. This joint 3 is integrally moulded on the longitudinal side of both bodies and extends over the entire length of the corresponding body sides. Left-hand body 2 and right-hand body 1 each contain two feet 6, moulded into these bodies in the form of protrusions, which prevent toppling of the packaging. The feet project from the angular cross-section of the body, each protrusion having a triangular cross-section. Groups of two of these feet are provided as a pair of feet, located mirror-symmetrically to central vertical axis 4 of the opposite body.
FIG. 1[0033] d shows a perspective view of another packaging according to the invention. The packaging is made of a transparent, thermally mouldable plastic film and comprises two bodies 1 and 2, which have a triangular cross-section and are connected via a joint 3 located between these bodies. This joint 3 is integrally moulded on a side end of both bodies and extends over the entire side of the corresponding bodies. Right-hand body 1 and left-hand body 2 each contain two feet 6, moulded into these bodies in the form of protrusions, which prevent toppling of the packaging. The feet project from the triangular cross-section of the body, each protrusion having an angular cross-section. Groups of two of these feet are provided as a pair of feet, located mirror-symmetrically to central vertical axis 4 of the opposite body.
FIG. 2 shows a top view of the packaging illustrated in FIG. 1[0034] a. The two bodies 1 and 2 are surrounded by three heat-sealing surfaces 4, via which the two bodies are heat-sealed in gas-tight fashion. The longitudinal side of the two bodies 1 and 2 opposite joint 3 is provided with a tab 5 for opening the packaging, which is located in the middle of the heat-sealing surface and extends outwards away from the bodies. The four feet 6, moulded into lower body 2 in the form of protrusions, are arranged in point-symmetrical fashion in relation to the longitudinal section of the packaging, the distance of each foot from the nearest face and longitudinal end of the body being identical.
FIG. 3 shows a side view of a slightly modified version of the packaging illustrated in FIG. 1[0035] a. In FIG. 3, the two bodies each display four feet 6, moulded into the bodies in the form of protrusions, which prevent rolling of the packaging and permit stable stacking of the packagings on top of one another. In each case, 4 feet project from the semi-circular cross-sections of the individual bodies, the protrusions each displaying a triangular cross-section. Groups of four of these feet on one body are provided as a pair of feet located at the same distance from, and parallel to, the body of another packaging, opposite each other and mirror-symmetrical to the central longitudinal axis of both bodies.

Claims

1. Food packaging made of a thermally and/or mechanically mouldable plastic film with two bodies which display an essentially similar cross-section and are connected via at least one joint located between the first and the second body in a manner permitting opening and closing, characterised in that at least one of the two bodies has at least one foot serving as a stabiliser, where the foot ensures a stable upright position, which the packaging would not assume at all, or not assume stably, without the foot.

2. Packaging as per claim 1, characterised in that the packaging displays at least one foot, allowing stable stacking of at least two such packagings.

3. Packaging as per claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the bodies display an essentially triangular, rectangular, particularly square, or semi-circular cross-section.

4. Packaging as per one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the packaging has a length of 50 to 500 mm, preferably 250 to 350 mm, a width of 10 to 200 mm, preferably 40 to 120 mm, particularly preferably 70 to 100 mm, and a height of 10 to 200 mm, preferably 40 to 120 mm, particularly preferably 70 to 100 mm.

5. Packaging as per one of claims I to 4, characterised in that the foot or feet is or are moulded into the body, preferably in the form of a protrusion.

6. Packaging as per one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the foot or feet is or are fastened to one of the bodies, preferably by welding and/or bonding.

7. Packaging as per one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4 or 6, characterised in that the foot or feet is or are solid.

8. Packaging as per one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the foot or feet is or are hollow.

9. Packaging as per one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the two bodies display a heat-sealing edge.

10. Packaging as per one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that at least one of the two bodies is provided with a tab for opening and/or swinging open the two bodies.

11. Packaging as per one of claims 1 to 10, characterised in that it displays a closure, preferably a Velcro closure, and can be re-sealed by means of this.

12. Packaging as per one of claims 1 to 11, characterised in that a marking and/or a label is provided on the surface of one of the two bodies or on the surface of both bodies.

13. Packaging as per one of claims 1 to 12, characterised in that it consists of a transparent, gas-tight film.