DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to an aseptic container for pourable foodstuffs.

The aseptic containers (for example used for pourable foodstuffs such as fruit juices) are obtained starting from a continuous band of packaging material formed by a plurality of layers of different materials coupled with each other (generally paper, aluminium and heat-sealing plastic material, for example polyethylene), that is processed in a dedicated automatic machine.

Such containers are sized to contain a certain quantity of product used by a user in a determined period of time.

Often the need to verify, after the first opening, the level of the foodstuff in the container is felt.

For such a purpose, some aseptic containers are provided with a window obtained in the packaging material, so that the window is closed by a layer of transparent material (polyethylene). Such a window is arranged centrally with respect to a side wall of the container, so that to occupy at least 1/3 of the size of the mentioned wall, in order to allow the user to easily control inside the container.

However, this solution doesn't ensure the integrity of the container, that can be damaged during the making or after this. In fact, the presence of the transparent window described above considerably weakens the packaging material the container is made of.

Furthermore, the presence of the window described above allows, due to its extension, a significant amount of light rays entering inside the container. The foodstuff contained in the container is adversely affected by such a light input altering its chemical and physical characteristics.

Object of the present invention is to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks. Such an object is obtained by an aseptic container for pourable foodstuffs in accordance with the attached claims.

Advantageously, the container according to the present invention allows the quantity of the foodstuff inside it to be controlled, at the same time avoiding the damage of the packaging material and the entrance of an excessive quantity of light rays.

Further advantages will be made apparent in the following description, with the aid of the attached drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a front view of an aseptic container for pourable foodstuffs according to the invention;

figure 1 A is an enlarged view of the detail K of Figure 1; figure 2 is a front view of an aseptic container for pourable foodstuffs according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, in a first operational configuration;

- figure 3 is a front view of the container of figure 2, in a second operational configuration;

figure 4 is a plan view of a sheet for obtaining an aseptic container for pourable foodstuffs according to the invention;

figures 5 and 6 each depict a perspective view of an aseptic container for pourable foodstuffs according to the invention, in two different embodiments;

figure 7 is a plan view of a sheet for obtaining an aseptic container for pourable foodstuffs according to an embodiment of the invention together with a covering strip.

With reference to the attached Figures 1-3, with the reference number 1 an aseptic container for pourable foodstuffs according to the present invention has been depicted.

The aseptic container 1 for pourable foodstuffs has a development axis H developing along a longitudinal direction D (see Figs. 1 and 2).

The container 1 comprises: a bottom wall 2 developing transversally to the development axis H (and intended to be arranged standing on a plane when the container 1 is ready for use); side walls 3 transversal to the bottom wall 2, and at least one top wall 4 opposed to the bottom wall 2.

At least the side walls 3 are made of multilayer material comprising a plurality of layers overlapped one another, with at least one layer made of opaque material 30 (i.e. avoiding the light going through) and at least one layer made of transparent material 31 (i.e. letting the light going through and allowing a user seeing the quantity of the foodstuff inside the container 1). The mentioned multilayer material comprises for example paper, aluminium and heat-sealing plastic material, for example polyethylene.

Preferably, also the bottom wall 2 and the top wall 4 are made of the same material the side walls 3 are made of.

The container 1 comprises a plurality of openings 5, 5' made in the layer 30 of opaque material (e.g. paper and/or aluminium) in at least one of the side walls 3, so that they are closed by the layer 31 of transparent material (e.g. polyethylene).

In detail, the openings 5, 5' are flanked each other along the longitudinal direction D and each comprise a peripheral edge 50, 50' defining a closed profile; in which the maximum distance between two points of the peripheral edge 50, 50' (i.e. the distance between two distal points) is between 4 and 8 millimeters (in particular, see fig. 1A).

Advantageously, technical tests demonstrated that the maximum distance mentioned above between two points of the peripheral edge 50, 50' of each opening 5, 5' (i.e. the maximum width of each opening 5, 5'), is such to allow adequate visibility inside the container 1 without adversely affecting the integrity of the same. In fact, this size of the openings 5, 5' is such the container 1 is not weakened, at the same time allowing sufficient visibility of the foodstuff inside it.

Clearly, considering a first opening 5 and a second opening 5', the maximum distance between two points of the peripheral edge 50, 50' of the same openings can be different (i.e. the two openings 5, 5' can have different width).

The side walls 3 of the container 1 are adjacent and connected each other by means of first bending lines 6, and the bottom wall 2 and the top wall 4 are each connected to the side walls 3 by means of second bending lines 60. In other words, the first bending lines 6 and the second bending lines 60 constitute the edges of the container 1.

In detail, the distance between each opening 5, 5' and the proximal (i.e. closer) first bending line 6 and/or the proximal second, bending, line .60 is proportional to the maximum distance between two points of the respective peripheral edge 50, 50'. Advantageously, such proportionality is calculated to avoid damages of the packaging material the container 1 is made of.

Preferably, the distance between each opening 5, 5' and the proximal first bending line 6 and/or the proximal second bending line 60 is between 4 and 16.5 millimeters (depending on the maximum distance between two points of the peripheral edge 50, 50' of each opening 5, 5').

For example, the distance between two adjacent openings 5, 5' is between 11 and 12.5 millimeters. Advantageously, if two adjacent openings 5, 5' are desired, such a distance is the minimum one to ensure the integrity of the container 1.

According to the attached figures, the peripheral edge 50, 50' of the openings 5, 5' is circular shaped. Thus, in this case, the maximum distance between two points of the peripheral edge 50, 50' corresponds to the diameter of the circular edge.

Clearly, the peripheral edge can have a non-circular profile (for example square, triangular or rectangular). In Figure 6, ovoid or elliptical shaped openings are depicted.

Still with reference to the figure, the openings 5, 5' are arranged along a curved path developing along the mentioned longitudinal direction D.

Advantageously, this specification on the one hand allows having visibility along the whole longitudinal development of the container 1, on the other hand it offers optimal aesthetic aspect to the container 1.

Preferably, the openings 5, 5' are arranged along two flanked and parallel rows. Such an aspect not only contributes to provide optimal aesthetic aspect to the container 1, but also offers higher visibility inside the container 1.

Alternatively, the rows can be one or more than two, i.e. three, four, five etc. The rows can be longitudinal or transversal with respect to the development axis H.

For example, if there is more than one row of openings, the distance between two openings 5, 5' between adjacent rows can be between 11 and 12.5 millimeters.

For example, the number of openings 5, 5' can be different for each row (considered longitudinally or transversally to the development axis H (see Fig. 5)).

According to a not depicted variation, the container 1. can further, comprise at least one reference sign disposed along the longitudinal direction, next to the openings, and that represents the quantity of the foodstuff in the container 1.

In this way, advantageously, the user can have a reference of the corresponding quantity by verifying the level of content in the container 1. For example, the reference sign is a notch to which the value of the corresponding quantity is flanked. Alternatively, the same result can be obtained with rows of openings 5, 5' where, transversally to the development axis H of the container 1, each row comprises a different number of openings, proportional to the quantity of the foodstuff in the container 1 at that level (see Figure 5).

According to an alternative depicted in Figure 6, the width of the openings 5, 5' is proportional to the quantity of the foodstuff in the container 1. In other words, the openings 5, 5' closer to the bottom wall 2 will have smaller width with respect to the openings 5, 5' closer to the top wall 4.

According to the preferred embodiment depicted in Figures 2 and 3, the container 1 further comprises at least one covering strip 7 made of opaque material and detachably fixed above the openings 5, 5'. Advantageously, the covering strip 7 allows the openings 5, 5' to be covered against the light and can be removed only when a user needs to verify the quantity of content inside the container 1.

For example, the strip comprises an adhesive substance allowing an easy removal of the covering strip 7.

Preferably, the covering strip 7 comprises aluminium. Advantageously, the presence of aluminium allows light rays to be reflected.

Figure 2 depicts a container 1 with the covering strip 7 applied on the openings 5, 5'. Figure 3 depicts the same container 1 of Figure 2 instead, in which the covering strip 7 has been partially removed from the openings 5, 5' (i.e. from the side wall 3).

With reference to Figures 5 and 6, the container 1 can further comprise at least an auxiliary opening 11 (in the figures there are two auxiliary openings 11) to allow entering such a quantity of light to optimize the visibility inside the container 1 for a user.

For example, the auxiliary opening 11 is made in the top wall of the container 1. In this case, clearly, also the top wall 4 is made of multilayer, material comprising a plurality of layers overlapped one another with at least one layer made of opaque material 30 and at least one layer made of transparent material 31, so that the auxiliary opening 11 is only interesting the opaque material layer 30 and is closed by the transparent material 31.

For example, each auxiliary opening 11 is ovoid or elliptical shaped, as in the case of Fig. 5 and 6. Alternatively, each auxiliary opening can have any other shape suitable to allow sufficient light entering in the container 1 in order to optimize the visibility of the foodstuff inside it.

Figure 4 depicts a sheet 8 (for example a roughed element or die-cut element) from which a container 1 can be obtained. As it is evident from what is depicted, the openings 5, 5' are made in sheet panels that are going to constitute the side walls 3 of the container 1 and are closed by the transparent material.

In Figure 4 the first bending lines 6 and the second bending lines 60, that are going to constitute the edges of the container 1, are also visible.

Furthermore, in Figure 4 an opening 9 is visible and predisposed for the application of a dispensing device and a corresponding cap 10 on the container 1 (the cap 10 is visible in Figures 1-3, 5-6).

Figure 7 depicts a sheet 80 analogous to that of Figure 4, but where two auxiliary openings 11 and the above described covering strip 7 are visible. Furthermore, in the sheet of Figure 7 the first bending lines 6 have curvilinear instead of rectilinear profile.

Thus, the sheet 8, 80 from which it is possible to obtain the container 1 can be, as described above, a single roughed element 8, 80 bended, filled and closed, or else a continuous band (not depicted) of laminated material, for example unwound from a reel. Clearly, in the latter case, several containers 1 can be obtained from the band, by sequentially predisposing on the same the mentioned, suitable bending lines. In this case, the band is continuously fed to a machine for making and filling the containers for pourable foodstuffs.

The container 1 and sheet 8, 80 proposed with the invention advantageously allow constantly monitoring the quantity of the foodstuff inside the container 1 and, at the same time, avoiding both damages and the undesired passage of.a. huge quantity of light rays in the container 1 itself.