The present invention relates to a package comprising one or more mineral fibre products, such as a stack of mineral fibre boards or a roll of a mineral fibre web and a plastics film wrapping with a carrying means attached thereto, e.g. in the form of a handle or a carrying grip.

DE patent publication No. 4,026,807 discloses a method of packing a stack of mineral fibre boards in a plastics film. In this known method a film web is caused to surround the stack in such a manner that the upper, lower and back sides are covered by said film and so that portions of the film web extend out from the front side of the stack. The thus extending portions of the film web are then joined so that the front side of the stack is covered and the joined film portions are welded together to form welding seams which are located at varying distances from the front side of the stack thereby forming a zone delimited by one of said welding seams and comprising two film layers and wherein holes are subsequently made which serve as carrying grips.

In the known method the film web is constituted by a shrinking film and when the stack packed in the film is subsequently passed through a heating zone the film shrinks and is thereby wrapped tightly around the stack.

As the film portions extend to opposite sides at the welding seam which is most proximate to the stack there is a risk of rupture of the welding seam and thus of the film wrapping when heavy packages are carried in such grips and in particular when the packed mineral fibre product(s) are compressed due to the resulting pull in said film portions.

Attempts have been made to secure a carrying handle to the wrapping of a mineral fibre board package by welding or gluing it directly onto the film wrapping but it has been found that the film types which are commonly used to form the film wrapping do not possess sufficient strength to prevent tearing of the film when exposed to the pull imposed thereon during transportation when the package is

lifted in the carrying means. On the other hand, attempts to use thicker films have resulted in an unacceptably high cost increase.

According to the present invention a package is provided which is characterized in that the film wrapping forms at least one overlap¬ ping area wherein one film portion overlaps another and wherein the overlapping film portions are interconnected, and in that the carrying means is fastened to the exterior side of the film wrapping in the overlapping area.

By providing an overlapping area wherein the overlapping film portions are interconnected, e.g. by hot welding, lamination or gluing, a strong securing point for the carrying means is provided without substantial costs so that the package may be carried therein without ensuing damage to the film even in case of thin films.

The overlapping area is conveniently formed during wrapping of the stack or the roll in film, but a further film layer may also be attached to the film wrapping after the stack or the roll has been provided with a film wrapping.

As mentioned, two overlapping film portions may be interconnected by welding. The welding may e.g. be effected across the entire overlap¬ ping area or in a number of spots within said area. However, the overlapping film portions may be also be interconnected by glueing.

Preferably, the overlapping area extends longitudinally of the package and where a stack of elongated mineral fibre boards is concerned, the overlapping area is preferably provided on one of the sides of the stack and proximally to a longitudinal edge so that the carrying means attached to the overlapping area is caused to be close to an edge thereby facilitating the transportation of the package.

The carrying means preferably comprises a strip of a thick film or two layers of a thin film folded longitudinally and at the ends thereof the strip is fastened to the film wrapping, e.g. by hot welding. Hereby at least one open zone is provided which may be used as a handle or a carrying grip.

Such carrying means presents the advantage that the material and processing costs are comparatively low and that it may be quickly and readily attached to the film wrapping. Additionally, it may be so designed that it abuts the package surface closely and thus does not prevent close stacking of packages of both wound-up mineral fibre webs and stacks of mineral fibre boards.

However, the carrying means may also be produced from a comparative¬ ly strong film provided with an overlapping portion resulting from longitudinal folding and attached, e.g. by welding, to the the exterior side of the wrapping in the overlapping area said film comprising an opening which serves as a carrying grip. Nor will such carrying means make it difficult to stack packages according to the invention.

The wrapping may cover all sides or only some of the sides of the package and may comprise an overlapping area on more than one side and carrying means may also be secured on more than one side of the stack.

Usually, however, it will suffice to provide one overlapping area and a carrying means attached thereto on one of the sides of the packing.

The packing according to the invention is preferably provided with tear means, such as a tear strip, for tearing the wrapping open. The tearing strip is preferably located halfway down the side on a stack of longitudinal mineral fibre boards and in the axial direction on a roll of a mineral fibre web.

The specification of US patent No. 5,054,619 discloses a package containing a light, compressible material, such as a stack of diapers and comprising a film wrapping having a carrying means the ends of which are secured to the film wrapping. The ends of the carrying means are either secured to the exterior side of the film wrapping on spots where it forms a single layer or constitutes portions of welding seams that form closures at the ends of the package.

The invention will now be described more in detail with reference to the drawings, wherein

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a package according to the invention,

Figure 2 shows a side view the package according to Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the package according to Figure 2 according to line II-II.

In the drawings 1 denotes a stack of mineral fibre boards 2 contain¬ ed in a film wrapping 3 which at the ends of the stack is closed by welding seams 4, and which on the one side of the stack forms an overlapping area 5. A carrying handle formed from a plastics strip 6 is at the ends thereof attached to the film wrapping in the overlap¬ ping area 5 in such a manner that a hand 7 may be inserted below the strip 6.

The package shown further comprises a tear strip 8 having a grip to be used for tearing open the wrapping 3 when the package is to be opened.