CA2201908A1

CA2201908A1 - Self-supporting pourable substance package

Info

Publication number: CA2201908A1
Application number: CA 2201908
Authority: CA
Inventors: Reiner Pfuhl; Steffen Marx; Tomas Sjostrand; Otto Trinkhaus
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Tetra Laval Holdings and Finance SA
Priority date: 1994-11-10
Filing date: 1995-09-21
Publication date: 1996-05-23
Also published as: EP0790937A1; WO1996015046A1; DE4440173A1; AU3651195A

Abstract

The description relates to a self-supporting pourable substance package of flexible, sealable material with a base (1), side walls (2), a seal seam (4) bonding the side walls (2) and a pouring device (6) fitted in the upper region of a side wall (5) and having a basic body (9), the axis of which is perpendicular to the basic body (9). To improve the pouring process of such a package and make it easier for the end user without the manufacturer's having to use complicated tooling to make the package, according to the invention the upper region of the side wall (5) in which the pouring device (6) is fitted is folded to form two outer edges (26) and one inner edge (25); the inner edge (25) of the fold (23) is secured with a sealing seam (2) securing one of the side walls (2) and the basic body (9) of the pouring device (6) is fitted at the lower end of the fold (23).

Description

22 0~ 90 8 TETR9425. PCT

5 The invention relates to a standable package for flowable media made from flexible, sealable material, with a base, with side walls, with a sealing seam joining the side walls and with a pouring means fitted in the upper area of a sealing seam and provided with a base member, the axis of the pouring means being perpendicular to the base member.
Known packages for flowable media of this type are currently sold as refill packs for cleaning agents or bath products. The material of the package is sealable plastics in a plurality of layers in order to obtain a sealed package sufficiently rigid to also be standable when in the filled state. The side walls15 are pressed flat at the top and joined with a longitudinal sealing seam extending as far as the base, while the base is additionally sealed in and in this way the lower edges of the side walls are spread apart such that the known package, which is wider at the bottom and narrower at the top, can stand on the lower edges of the side walls. A closure of various 20 configurations is provided in the upper area of a side wall, with the aid of which the end-user can pour out the liquid and can possibly re-close the package. The known design for a tear-off tab or another known design with a screw cap or similar can be used in this case as the pouring means. In all cases, around the edge of the pouring means there is a flat, projecting base 25 member made from more rigid material than the rest of the package material, in order either to be able to stick on or seal on a covering and tear-off strip in a sealing manner, or to be able to fit on a hollow nipple onto which a screw cap, grip cap or the like can be fitted. If an imaginary plane is drawn through the edge of the pouring means, the axis of the pouring apparatus passing 30 through the centre of the pouring apparatus extends perpendicularly to this imaginary plane. This condition applies both to base members having a flat configuration and to those with a curved configuration. Normally, the base 22 ~ 1 9 ~ ~

member of a pouring means with a screw cap is flat and is formed by a flange which surrounds the pouring means.

With a known standable package for flowable media, the annular base 5 member of the pouring means is fitted in the upper area of a side wall at too great a distance from the lateral sealing seams, so that during screwing on and off of the screw cap the base member is rotated and folded, having no support in the flexible material which surrounds it. There is no torque support.It is also disadvantageous that when torque is applied and the end-user's 10 strength is used to actuate the pouring means, a pressure is exerted on the contents so that even before the first intentional pouring out, the contents well up past the half-unscrewed cap and drip down. It is furthermore disadvantageous that the side wall opposite the pouring means sags after partial emptying out of this known tubular package, with the top part of the 15 package collapsing, and comes from the rear to lie internally against the base member of the pouring means. In this way the closure is at least partially covered over from the rear and further pouring out is prevented.

With another known tubular package, the pouring apparatus has been 20 integrated into a sealing seam joining the two opposite side walls at the top.
For this, the base member of the pouring apparatus has been given a precise configuration which, in plan view, could roughly be compared to the body of a ship. A nipple with an external thread is moulded onto this base member.
The manufacture of such a standable package for flowable media is costly 25 and complicated for the package manufacturer as special tools are required in order to fit the specially configured base member correctly on the side edge of two walls and in the sealing seam thereof.

The known package for flowable media described first and many others have 30 the common disadvantage that the axis of the pouring apparatus which is perpendicular to the base member is spatially orientated sometimes this way 220~9~ ~

and sometimes that without any particular consideration, with the resuit that in all cases where the axis projecting outside the package points downwards, that is to say is in the area of the angle between horizontal and vertical, liquid inevitably collects adjacent to the closing member (for example a screw cap).
5 When the closing member is removed for the first time, liquid can run out unintentionally.

In order to simplify the known packages, and also the package according to the invention described hereinafter, an imaginary planar surface is assumed, 10 which is horizontal and upon which the base of the package stands. The explanations given here do not relate to a package Iying on its side or on its head because of corresponding reversed packing, but instead it is assumed that the base is at the bottom on the horizontal base plane. The base of the package can be configured in any manner, either itself forming a plane or 15 being sealed in additionally between two side walls, so that the package stands on the lower edges of the side walls, as explained with reference to the known package previously described. Proceeding from this it is logical that with each package the side walls project from the base and are joined together at the top end in some manner, for example by folding and/or 20 sealing. Rationally, a pouring means is also located "at the top", so that with a package normally standing on its base, it is understood that with a vertical component the outward pointing axis of the pouring means can point sloping upwards or sloping downwards. The terms "bottom", "top", "horizontal", "vertical" and so forth used hereinafter are understood in this sense.
The object of the invention is to improve the pouring procedure of known standable bag-type packages and to make it easier for the end-user, without the manufacturer having to use complicated tools for producing the standable package for flowable media of the type described in the introduction.
According to the inventlon, this object is solved in that the upper area of the 2~0190 ~

side wall, where the pouring means is fitted, is folded forming two outside edges and an inside edge, the inside edge of the fold is joined to a sealing seam joining the side walls and the base member of the pouring means is fitted in the area of the lower end of the fold. Regardless of the configuration5 of the base and also of the pouring means itself, to the extent that the latter only has the base member described, a holder and support for the pouring means is provided using the features according to the invention, although the material of the package for flowable media surrounding the pouring means is flexible and sealable, for example a plastics foil. Although the pouring means 10 can be fitted to a side wall in a variety of ways, for example, mechanically gripped, clipped on, stuck on, or form-fitted or materially fixed onto the side wall in another manner, the pouring means still obtains a certain spatial fixing, so that opening, pouring and re-closing is made easier for the end-user. In addition, the package manufacturer can fit the pouring means onto the side 15 wall using simple means, for example by welding on. By means of the fold it is reliably ensured that the side wall opposite does not fall against the pouring aperture from the inside and the rear, unintentionally sealing it and preventing pouring out.

20 By means of the fold the package manufacturer is advantageously also able to fix the base member in a spatially defined position on the side wall such that no more product is found in the pouring aperture which would drip out unintentionally when the package is opened.

25 It is therefore particularly advantageous according to the invention when the straight axis orientated towards the outside of the package, which is perpendicular to the base member of the pouring means, forms an angle of 0 with the planar surface on which the base of the package stands. By provision of the fold according to the invention, the package manufacturer can 30 place the pouring aperture in the position defined by him by taking into consideration the orientation of the straight axis. In this way the axis 22~ 8 perpendicular to the base member of the pouring means and pointing towards the outside of the package (a straight arrow could be imagined) comes to lie where required in an approximately horizontal position, and preferably with more or less large vertical components points at a slope or completely 5 upwards so that practically no horizontal components are any longer present.
This ensures that contents cannot collect under the screw cap and also when opening takes place for the first time no contents unintentionally drip out.

10 It is furthermore advantageous according to the invention when one end of the sealing seam, namely the front end, which faces the pouring means, is located in the upper area of the upper end of the fold. The sealing seam being referred to here joins two opposite side walls to one another, this being in the upper area of the package. A standing bag-type package or a 15 standable package for flowable media can be imagined, which in a particularlyadvantageous manner has a rectangular, preferably a trapeze-shaped base.
In this preferred embodiment two side walls project from the lateral base edges such that they meet at the top entirely or at least in the front area (thefront is the side with the pouring means) in an upper line. Correspondingly 20 there is a front base edge from which a front wall runs to the common upper line of the two side walls. This common upper line can also be described as the front longitudinal edge. Correspondingly, with this preferred embodiment a rear wall extends above the rear base edge which terminates in a rear upper edge running perpendicular to the longitudinal edge. Between this and 25 the front longitudinal edge an approximately triangular upper wall can also be provided. If such a package is viewed from the front in a direction parallel to the planar surface upon which the base stands, a front vertical projection can be seen, that is to say a vertical from the front base edge to the front longitudinal edge at the top. Likewise, in the opposite direction of view from 30 the rear towards the rear wall of the package, a rear vertical projection can be seen. This extends from the rear base edge at the bottom upwards to the ~2~90 ~

rear upper edge. In the theoretical instance, the side walls are planar, however they will actually bulge because of the flowable contents. Essentially the front wali can nevertheless be triangular, and the rear wall trapeze-shaped or preferably also triangular. In the empty state, and in particular in the filled 5 state, the planar base lies on the imaginary horizontal base plane, and the triangular front wall stands up approximately perpendicularly, while the side walls are inclined corresponding to the legs of the triangle of the front wall, and meet in the centre vertically above the b~se at the top along the longitudinal edge.
Another preferred embodiment is based on the model described above and differs only in the feature wherein from the front upper point, that is to say upwards above the front wall to the top point of the triangle, sealing off takesplace as far as the rear upper edge.
Folding of the base is known from general manufacturing of packages for flowable media made of paper coated with plastics, in which in the base area of a tube a cross-sealing seam is provided, the ends of which each form the points of triangular tabs opposite one another with respect to the base. These 20 triangular tabs are folded over in the case of the known packages for flowable media and are stuck to the base in order to provide a planar, rectangular standing base for the known package for flowable media. With the package described here, made from flexible, sealable material, for example a plastics foil, triangular tabs can be provided adjacent to the front and/or rear base 25 edges, which can be folded over and sealed in a manner similar to that with the known packages for flowable media. A sealing seam can, however, be provided along these folded edges, that is to say the front and/or rear base edge, and they can be configured as separating lines by means of which the respective triangular tabs are separated from the base.
In the case of another advantageous configuration of a standable package for -~2 ~ ~ 9Q ~

flowable media, a cross-sealing seam can also be applied in the base, running from the front to the rear base edge. In addition or alternatively an upper cross-sealing seam can also be applied to the upper ends of the side walls.
These cross-sealing seams can be configured curved, but are preferably 5 straight.

Furthermore, the package according to the invention can also be configured such that the upper cross-sealing seam is composed of at least two straight and/or curved part sections. In this case the upper cross-sealing seam does 10 not run in a straight line over the whole upper area of the package, but instead divides into various sections. In this way the head volume of the package can be reduced, the centre of gravity shifted downwards, and pouring improved.

15 It is further advantageous according to the invention when both the inside edge and the upper edge of the fold running a~ right-angles thereto are straight, and when the upper edge forms an angle of between approximately 0 and 90 with the planar surface. With this embodiment the lower area of the fold again begins at or near the pouring means, wherein the upper edge 20 is turned away more or less downwards from the uppermost boundary line of the package at an angle. If a straight line is plotted through the upper edge, it leaves the upper boundary line of the package described, which should be thought of as approximately horizontal, although it can also be placed at certain angles with respect to the horizontal. Between this boundary line and 25 the line through the upper edge, because of the fold, an angle occurs which can be set initially at 0 in the case of a limit position for other embodiments, to another iimit position at which the angle is approximately 90. In this case also, these are only approximate limit angles and details of angles, as the following description of a preferred embodiment will show that in the upper 30 edge the line can even be rotated to a little over 90, so that this angle could be designated as being approximately 100. It is evident how by appropriate ~ 22 0 ~ ~Q 8 configuration of the fold, the axis of the pouring means can be set differently.In this way, the manufacturer can prefer one angle setting or another according to his objective and to economic calculations.

5 With a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the inside edge of the fold is bent or curved such that the upper end section of the inside edge is substantially parallel to the upper end section of the outside edge of the fold. By means of the folding of the material located in the front upper area of the foil package, instead of the original two layers of material (without a 10 fold) Iying one above the other, or viewed from the side Iying on top of eachother (which are possibly separated from one another by the contents) in the area of the fold there are now four layers of material present. In this way the original base member of the package lacks material in the front upper area, for which reason the outer edge, which was originally approximately vertical 15 (in which case differences in the angle of from 5 to 20 are possible) is bent away backwards at an angle. With the embodiment with the straight inside edge the outside edge can also be straight. In the case of the bent or curved inside edge, the outside edge also changes accordingly so that it has different sections, wherein the upper end section is more upright than the lower 20 section. Preferably, the upper section of the outside edge is substantially vertical or at least at less than 90 to the outer upper boundary line of the package. The upper end section of the inside edge should be parallel to this upper section of the outside edge.

25 The fold can be made with different positioning of the axis of the pouring means in both the latterly described embodiment and those previously described.

In the latterly described embodiment, the outermost upper boundary line of the 30 package, which is approximately horizontal, can be applied as a straight cross-sealing seam and then the upper edge of the fold runs in this cross-2201gO ~`

sealing seam. By means of this simple horizontal cross-sealing seam, the package can be sealed better and more conveniently by sealing off, with the advantage of better use of material.

5 All embodiments of the described types described above have the common advantage that the fold provides a fixing point for the pouring means, so when opening movements are made, it can be held better and the user does not need to lean on the contents when employing the pouring aperture. On the contrar,v, the pouring means is arranged accordiny to the invention in a part 10 of the package which is not filled, that is to say in the area of the head room, so that there is no increase in pressure in the contents even when the end-user presses to some extent against the pouring means.

Further advantages, features and possibilities for application of the present 15 invention will be apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. In these is shown in:

Figure 1 a schematic side view of a package in a first embodiment according to the invention provided with the fold, 20 Figure 2 a similar view to Figure 1, however of a second embodiment in which the inside edge is bent, Figure 3 again a similar view to Figures 1 and 2, however of a third embodiment which has in principle the same conditions as that in Figure 1, that is to say a straight inside edge, 25 Figure 4 in perspective a preferred fourth embodiment of the package for flowable media in a geometric diagram, Figure 5 a plan view of the filled package according to Figure 4, and Figure 6 a cut-away and schematic cross-section view along the line Vl-VI
of Figure 2.
The package shown in all the embodiments is provided with a base 1, side 22 01 gO ~-walls 2, 3, a sealing seam 4 joining the side walls 2, 3 together in the upper area, a front side wall 5, a rear side wall 7 and a pouring means 6 fitted in the upper area of the side wall 5.

5 The pouring apparatus, generally labelled 6, is shown here with a screw cap 8, which is screwed onto a nipple, which is not visible and is provided with an external thread, on which a flange-like base member 9 is moulded. This provides a plane in which the pouring aperture, not shown here, lies, through the centre of which the axis 10 of the pouring means passes perpendicularly 10 with respect to the base member 9.

The whole package is set up on the surface 11 shown schematically in Figure 1, which is assumed to be a plane Iying in the horizontal.

15 In the embodiment in Figure 4 in the rear side wall 7 there is located a substantially vertically rising sealing seam 12 which is continued upwards by a section 13 over the cross-sealing seam 4. The outer upper boundary line of the package in Figure 4 is formed by a further end sealing seam 14, which joins the cross-sealing seam 4 at joining points 15. In this way an 20 approximately triangular section 16 is formed above the cross-sealing seam 4, in which two grip handles 17 are fitted, so that the triangular section 16 can be used as a handle. A straight lower cross-sealing seam 18 passes across the base 1. Perpendicular to this can be seen the front base edge 19 and on the right the rear base edge 20. The triangular tabs 21 and 22 (rear and front) 25 formed by the folding are folded over on the base and stuck to it.

In the upper area of the front side wall 5, where the pouring means 6 is fitted,there is a fold labelled 23. This occurs because the material of the front side wall 5 adjacent and above the pouring means is folded in a V-shape, seen 30 from above, as shown in Figure 6. There are then four layers of material 24.1, 24.2 on one side and 24.3, 24.4 on the other side, directly one on top ~2 Q 190 8-of another in the upper area of this front side wall 5, for example in the cross-sealing seam 4. In this way an inside edge 25 and two outside edges 26.1, 26.2 are formed. In the elevation diagrams in Figures 1 to 3 the two outside edges are represented only by the reference number 26.

At the same time, by means of the fold 23 an upper edge 27 is also formed, which seen greatly enlarged has the shape of the folding in Figure 6.

The straight axis 10 of the pouring member 6 which is at an angle a in the 10 direction of the arrow 10' to the planar surface 11 (Figure 1) is common to all the embodiments. This angle is 0 when the axis l O is parallel to the planar surface 11 and is greater than 0 when the arrow is rotated in a clockwise direction away from the horizontal position, as shown in the embodiment in Figure 1. In this case the axis 10, orientated to the outside of the package 15 (arrow direction 10') having a vertical component, slopes upwards as is the case with all other embodiments (with the exception of the extreme case shown in Figure 3). In the special case in Figure 3, the axis 10 forms an angle a of 90 with the planar surface 11, that is to say is substantially perpendicular to this surface 11.
In the embodiment in Figure 1, the upper edges 27 of the fold 23 and also the inside edge 25 are straight lines in the lateral projection (Figures 1 to 3); this is, however, also substantially the case in Figure 4. When these embodiments in Figures 1 and 3 to 5 are correspondingly folded, the upper 25 edge 27 must inevitably be folded outwards downwardly from the horizontal so that the upper edge 27 forms an angle ~ with the planar surface 11 (or with any plane parallel thereto) of between 0 and 90 in the manner shown particularly clearly in Figure 1. This angle ,~ is 0 when the upper edge 27 is horizontal, as in the embodiment in Figures 2 and 4. It takes on positive 30 values when an extended line Iying along the upper edge is rotated in the clockwise direction about the front, upper end point 28 of the package. The ~ 22Q1gO 8 angle ,B reaches 90 or somewhat more when the upper edge is approximately vertical, as is shown in Figure 3.

The embodiment in Figure 2 differs from that according to Figures 1 and 3 in 5 that the inside edge is bent at the bend 29 such that an upper end section 25.1 and - at an angle to it - a lower end section 25.2 are formed.
Correspondingly, the outside edge 26 can also be bent, its upper end section being shown in the area of the cross-sealing seam 4 in Figure 2 but not provided with a particular reference number.
In order to seal tight the package with the special fold according to Figure 3, the upper edge 27is closed by a further sealing seam 30. It is evident that the inside edge 25 of the fold 23 is joined by means of this additional sealing seam 30 to the cross-sealing seam 4.

Claims

1. Standable package for flexible, sealable material with a base (1), with side walls (2, 3), with a sealing seam (4) joining the side walls (2, 3) and with a pouring means (6) fitted into the upper area of a side wall (5) and provided with a base member (9), the axis (10) of said pouring means being perpendicular to the base member (9), characterised in that - the upper area of the side wall (5), where the pouring means (6) is fitted, is folded forming two outer edges (26.1, 26.2) and an inner edge (25);
- the inside edge (25) of the fold (23) is joined to a sealing seam (4, 30) joining the side walls (2, 3); and - the base member (9) of the pouring means (6) is fitted in the area of the lower end of the fold (23).

2. Package for flowable media according to claim 1, characterised in that the straight axis (10) directed towards the outside of the package, which is perpendicular to the base member (9) of the pouring means (6), and the planar surface (11) on which the base (1) of the package stands form an angle (.alpha.) 0°.

3. Package for flowable media according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that one end the sealing seam (4) joining the two side walls (2, 3) opposite one another in the upper area of the package is located in the area of the upper end of the fold (23).

4. Package for flowable media according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that both the inside edge (25) and the upper edge (27) of the fold (23) at right angles thereto are straight and that the upper edge (27) and the planar surface (11) form an angle (.beta.) of between approximately 0° and 90° (Figures 1 and 3).

5. Package for flowable media according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the inside edge (25.1, 25.2) of the fold (23) is bent or curved such that the upper end section (25.1) of the inside edge (25) is substantially parallel to the upper end section of the outside edge (26) of the fold (23) (Figure 2).