Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of packages for storing food products. More particularly, the invention relates to packages being formed at least to some extent by a packaging material.

Background of the invention

Within the food industry, it is common practice to pack liquid and partly liquid food products in packages manufactured from a packaging laminate comprising a core layer of paper or paperboard and one or more barrier layers of, for example, plastic or aluminum foil.

A common packaging type is manufactured in a packing and filling machine in which blanks of a packaging material are formed into tube forms which are then sealed at one end by means of a top of thermoplastic material that is injection molded direct on an open end portion. After the package is filled through the open bottom end, the bottom end is sealed and folded. The blanks of packaging material may for example be cut from a magazine reel of packaging laminate.

Methods for assembling such packages are well known and several methods are subject to granted patents or pending applications in the name of the applicant.

A package of the above described type typically comprises a body of packaging material being cylindrical or having another form showing a symmetrical cross-section, and a convex top of thermoplastic material, which top is equipped with an opening mechanism for providing discharge of the enclosed product.

Such package encounters a number of disadvantages. A particular problem occurs when the size of the package is increased, e.g. to 1 to 2 liters. For such volumes, the longitudinal body of packaging material will have a large cross-sectional area leaving it hard or even impossible for some users to hold the package with only one hand. Hence, prior art packages suffer from cumbersome handling capabilities. Summary

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to overcome or alleviate the above-described problems.

Another object of the present invention is to provied a user-friendly package, also for packages enclosing a volume of e.g. 2 liters. A further object of the present invention is to provide a package that allows the user to easily understand how the package should be held during discharge.

An idea according to the present invention is to provide a package that exhibits a handle integrally formed with the package.

A yet further idea is to construct the handle such that an increased robustness is achieved when the package encloses a large amount of product, and such that the robustness is decreased as the package is emptied.

A further idea is to provide a package which allows users having differently sized hands to maneouvre the package comfortable.

A still further idea is to provide a package wherein a flexible body is conforming to the shape of a more rigid top portion. Hence, the flexible body may be made of a more environmental friendly material, while at the same time its shape is ensured.

According to a first aspect of the invention, a package for enclosing a food product is provided. The package comprises a hollow body of a packaging laminate extending from a closed bottom end towards an upper end, and a top portion of a polymeric material being connected along its periphery to said upper end of said hollow body for closing said package, wherein said periphery of said top portion is defining a shape having a waist. This is advantageous in that a handle is provided showing a sufficient stability when the package is filled as well as when the package is almost empty without the use of excess material.

The shape may be symmetrical and planar.

The top portion may comprise a reclosable opening for allowing food product being enclosed inside said package to be discharged through said opening. The opening may be arranged off-center on said top portion. Hence, the user may be directed in how to hold the package for optimum performance during discharge of enclosed food product.

The cross-section of the closed bottom end of said hollow body may have a shape being different from the planar shape being defined by the periphery of said top portion. This allows flexible design, still providing advantageous functionality and robustness.

The top portion may be made of HDPE, which is preferred since the top portion may be injection molded by well-known processes.

Each one of two lateral sides of the hollow body may comprise a crease line arrangement for assisting the lateral sides to conform to the shape of the upper end of the hollow body being formed by means of the top portion. The crease line arrangement may extend from a lower region of the hollow body to the upper end, wherein said lower region is arranged between the bottom end and said upper end. The crease line arrangements are advantageous since they provide better conformity between the hollow body and the top portion, which means that the integral or recessed handle is made more distinct.

The hollow body may be made of a packaging laminate.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a blank made of a packaging material comprising pre-formed crease lines is provided. The blank is configured such that it forms a package according to the first aspect of the invention when its lateral sides are sealed together to form a hollow body and a bottom section of said hollow body is sealed to form a closed bottom end, when it is folded along the pre-formed crease-lines, and when it is connected to a top portion of a polymeric material.

An upper end of the hollow body may be adapted to coincide with said periphery of said top portion defining a shape having a waist.

According to a third aspect of the invention, a method for forming a package according to the first aspect of the invention is provided. The method comprises the steps of providing the hollow body by sealing two lateral ends of a blank, closing one end of said hollow body by injection molding the top portion onto the upper end of said hollow body, filling said hollow body with a food product, and closing the package by sealing the bottom end of said package.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a package for enclosing a food product is provided. The package comprises a hollow body of a packaging laminate extending from a closed bottom end towards an upper end, and a top portion of a polymeric material being connected along its periphery to said upper end of said hollow body for closing said package, wherein said closed bottom end is defining a planar surface having a D-shape. This is advantageous in that the package may be held comfortably, as the fingers of a user' s hand may follow the smooth curvature of the hollow body, defined at its lower end as a D-shape. A D-shape is hereby defined as a planar shape having two corners in a first end and three or more corners in the second end. Thus, a package having a bottom D-shape may thus have a main body having two folding/creasing lines coinciding with the two corners of the first end such that a package with the properties of a rectangular parallelepiped in one end and with properties of a cylinder formed package in the other end is provided.

The closed bottom end may have a back side, a front side, and two lateral sides connecting the front side to the back side, wherein the back side extends between two corners, and the front side extends between four corners. Hence, facilitated folding is provided. The periphery of said top portion may define a shape having a waist. The shape may be symmetrical and planar. This is advantageous in that a handle is provided showing a sufficient stability when the package is filled as well as when the package is almost empty without the use of excess material.

The top portion may comprise a reclosable opening for allowing food product being enclosed inside said package to be discharged through said opening. Said opening may be arranged off-center on said top portion. Hence, the user may be directed in how to hold the package for optimum performance during discharge of enclosed food product.

The cross-section of the closed bottom end of said hollow body may have a shape being different from the shape being defined by the periphery of said top portion. This allows flexible design, still providing advantageous functionality and robustness.

The top portion may be made of HDPE, which is preferred since the top portion may be injection molded by well-known processes.

Each one of two lateral sides of the hollow body may comprise a crease line arrangement for assisting the lateral sides to conform to the shape of the upper end of the hollow body being formed by means of the top portion.

The crease line arrangement may extend from a lower region of the hollow body to the upper end, wherein said lower region is arranged between the bottom end and said upper end. The crease line arrangements are advantageous since they provide better conformity between the hollow body and the top portion, which means that the integral or recessed handle is made more distinct.

The hollow body may be made of a packaging laminate.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, a blank made of a packaging material comprising pre-formed crease lines is provided. The blank is configured such that it forms a package according to the fourth aspect of the invention when its lateral sides are sealed together to form a hollow body and a bottom section of said hollow body is sealed to form a closed bottom end, when it is folded along the pre-formed crease-lines, and when it is connected to a top portion of a polymeric material.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, a method for forming a package according to the fourth aspect of the invention is provided. The method comprises the steps of providing the hollow body by sealing two lateral ends of a blank, closing one end of said hollow body by injection molding the top portion onto the upper end of said hollow body, filling said hollow body with a food product, and closing the package by sealing the bottom end of said package. As been mentioned the periphery of the top portion may define a shape having a waist. Such shape having a waist may be defined as an hourglass shape. An hourglass shape should in this context be interpreted broadly as a shape being defined by a closed loop having said waist. For example, an hourglass shape includes a continuous parametric curve, which when observed in 2D coordinates starts at a first point, and continues in the presented order to a local maximum, a local minimum, a local maximum, and to a turning point, at which the curve changes direction and returns to the starting point via a local maximum, a local minimum, and a local maximum in said order.

Brief description of the drawings

The above, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention, with reference to the appended drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a package according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a top view of the package shown in Fig 1.

Fig. 3 is a top view of a blank of packaging material for forming the package in Fig 1.

Fig. 4a is a view from below of the package shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4b is a front view of a bottom part of the package in Fig. 1.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments

With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, a first embodiment of a package 100 is shown. The package 100 has a hollow body being made of a packaging laminate 110 and extending from a closed bottom end 112 towards an upper end 114. The upper end 114 is closed by means of a top portion 120 made of a thermoplastic material, such as HDPE (high density polyethylene). The top member 120 has a convex shape for allowing a smooth transition between the hollow body 110 and the top portion 120.

The top portion 120 is defined by its periphery 122, to which the upper end 114 of the hollow body 110 is attached. The periphery 122 is forming a closed loop having a front side 124, a back side 126, and two lateral sides 128a, b.

The front side 124 of the periphery 122 may have a shape of an arc Ai of a first circle, while the back side 126 can have a shape of an arc A ₂ of a second circle. In this particular embodiment, the radius of the first circle corresponding to the arc Ai is smaller than the radius of the second circle correspondning to the arc A ₂ . Each one of the two lateral sides 128a, b is extending from an endpoint of the arc Ai to an endpoint of the arc A ₂ in a curved direction, such that the periphery 122 of the top portion 120 is forming an hourglass shape, i.e. a shape having a waist. Hence, the width of the top portion 120 exhibits a minimum, being the waist, somewhere between the front side 124 and the back side 126.

The top portion 120 can include an opening mechanism 130 which may be arranged off-center towards the front side 124. The opening mechanism 130 may be a screw cap, a snap-locking cap or any other reclosable mechanism known per se.

The top portion 120 is made of a material being more rigid than the packaging laminate of the hollow body 110. Hence, the upper end 114 of the packaging laminate will adapt to the permanently shaped periphery of the top portion 120.

The hollow body 110 may have a closed bottom end 1 12, of which the bottom surface, i.e. the surface facing the support surface when the package is standing, has a shape that differs from the shape of the periphery of the top portion 120. This allows the bottom end 112 to be shaped by folding along predefined crease lines, while the top portion 120 may have rounded corners for increasing the appeal to the user.

When folding the bottom end 112, the most simple shape to be achieved is a rectangle having perpendicular corners. However, due to e.g. tensile stress within the packaging material, it is advantageous if the shape of the bottom end to some extent conforms to the shape of the upper end 114, i.e. the shape of the periphery 122 of the top portion 120. This may be achived by adding crease lines such that perpendicular corners are avoided. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 and 2, the front side of the bottom end 112 has three faces being angled relative each other, while the back side has only one. This configuration is advantageous in that the bottom end 112 is conforming to the upper end 114 such that the tensile stress within the hollow body 110 is reduced. Hence, as the arc Ai of the front side has a small radius, this is compensated by the multi-edge front side of the bottom end 112. Contrary to this, as the arc A ₂ of the back side has a larger radius, it does not need to be compensated leaving a single edge back side of the bottom end 1 12. A further advantage with the provision of multi edge sides is that sterilisation agents may more easily reach the interior corners, which allows for a more thorough sterilisation process.

Hence, the gripable portion of the package, i.e. the hollow body 110, has a polygonial bottom and a waist-shaped upper end 114. The waist will thus contribute to the formation of a handle, a user grip, integrally formed within the hollow body 110, which structure being increasingly pronounced as the upper end 114 is approaching. The lateral sides of the bottom end 112 are both single edge sides, and the hollow body 110 further comprises a crease line arrangement 140 for allowing the lateral sides of the hollow body 110 to conform to the periphery 122 of the top portion 120.

The crease line arrangement 140 is preferably identical on both sides of the package, and the package is preferably symmetric in relation to a plane of symmetry S. Said symmetry plane S is substantially perpendicular to a plane constituting the bottom 112 of the package. The symmetry plane S naturally extends through the center of the package 100, from the front side 124 to the back side 126.

The crease line arrangement 140 will be described in detail in relation to the description of the corresponding blank.

The waist of the top portion 120 allows for an increased functionality and stability of the package 100, as an integral handle is formed within the package 100. The recessed portion along the hollow body 110 being formed by means of the waist of the top portion 120 is suitable to receive the fingers of a user, i.e. a thumb on one side and the resulting fingers on the opposite side. The recessed portion is further emphasized by the additional crease line arrangement 140.

When the package 100 is completely filled with a food product, the enclosed food product is creating a resistance against the recessed portion being further recessed when a user grasps the package. In the same way, when the package is almost empty, there is no longer a food product to resist the pressing force of the user. Hence, by determining the shape of the top portion as a function of the dimensions of the package, the robustness of the packaging laminate, as well as the physical properties of the food product to be enclosed, a package may be provided having an integral handle which is formed by a minimum of material costs, while still providing a sufficient rigidity relative the weight of the package.

A blank 400 of packaging material is shown in Fig. 3. The blank 400 is provided to form a package according to what has previously been described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. The blank 400 of packaging material has a first end 402, a second end 404 and two lateral ends 406, 408 extending between the first end 402 and the second end 404. The blank comprises a first set of crease lines 410 arranged at said first end 402, and a second set of crease lines 420 arranged at said second end 404, wherein said blank is sealable along the two lateral ends 406, 408 for forming a hollow body. The first set of crease lines 410 is disposed such that said first end 402 is forming a closed bottom end when said blank is sealed and folded along said first set of crease lines 410. The second set of crease lines 420 may be disposed such that said second end 404 is assisted in conforming to a top portion having a waist.

The second set of crease lines 420 (corresponding to the crease line arrangement 140 in the package 100) extends from the upper end 404 towards a lower region, said lower region being arranged between the closed bottom end 402 and said upper end 404. Further, the second set of crease lines 420 comprises a first pair of mutual reversed crease lines 422. One crease line is positioned on each side of the plane of symmetry S of the package to be formed. The plane S is shown as a symmetry line in Fig. 3. Said mutual reversed crease lines 422 are being positioned at a distance from the symmetry plane S and are angled in respect of said plane. Further, the second set of crease lines 420 comprises a second pair of mutual reversed crease lines 424, wherein one crease line is positioned on each side of the symmetry plane S. As with the first mutual reversed crease lines 422, the second crease lines 424 are being positioned at a distance from the plane and are angled in respect of said plane. Furthermore, the second set of crease lines 420 comprises a third pair of mutual reversed crease lines 426, wherein one crease line is positioned on each side of the symmetry plane and, like the other crease lines, they are positioned at a distance from said plane and angled in respect of said plane.

The first pair of crease lines 422 is arranged closest to the plane S and is having a first angle a to the plane S. The second pair crease lines 424 is having a second angle β to the plane S, said second angle β being larger than the first angle a. The third pair of crease lines 426 is having a third angle γ to the plane, said third angle γ being larger than the second angle β. The crease lines of the first and third pairs 422, 424, 426 on each respective side of the plane, are connected by a curve 428. Hence, a first and a third crease line 422, 426 from each pair forms a single crease line.

The crease lines of the first, second and third pairs 422, 424, 426 are angled such in relation to the plane that the angles α, β, γ increase in a direction towards the upper end 404 of the blank, i.e. the crease lines diverge in a direction towards the uppe end 404.

Further, the first set of crease lines 410 may comprise a first configuration of crease lines 412 disposed such that a front side of the bottom end 402 is having four corners formed when the blank is folded along the first configuration of crease lines 412.

The first set of crease lines 410 may comprise a second configuration of crease lines 414 disposed such that a back side of the bottom end 402 is having two corners formed when the blank 400 is folded along the second configuration of crease lines 414.

The first set of crease lines 410 and the second set of crease lines 420 may be arranged such that a longitudinal sealing formed when the two lateral ends 406, 408 are sealed to each other does not pass through the first or second set of crease lines 410, 420.

As can be seen in Fig. 3, the second set of crease lines 420 is arranged in the same end of the blank as the second configuration 414 of the first crease lines 410. Both the second set of crease lines 420 and the second configuration 414 of the first crease lines 410 are centrally aligned to the symmetry plane S.

Fig. 4a illustrates an example of a bottom end 500, seen from below, of the package according to the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 based on the blank illustrated in Fig. 3. For illustrative purposes the creasing lines are indicated by dotted lines. The bottom is defining a planar surface having a D-shape.

A first end, which may be placed under a handle portion of the package, can be provided with two corners 502a, 502b, and a second end, which may be placed under a part of the top portion provided with an opening, can be provided with four corners 504a, 504b, 504c, 504d.

A first bottom sealing end 506 and a second bottom sealing end 508 can be folded inwardly towards a middle portion 510 of the bottom sealing. Before folding the package bottom end has the shape of a fin 514, as illustrated in Fig. 4b.

The first end 506, provided with four corners 504a, 504b, 504c, 504d, is folded by means of the following steps: folding the fin 514 such that a primary flap 516 is created at the transversal end of the fin, breaking corners on the folded fin 514 in the boundary regions between the primary flap 516 and the edge between the part of the hollow body 110 forming the bottom and the rest of the hollow body 110, such that secondary flaps 518 are folded in between the primary flap 516 and the remaining part of the fin 514, the secondary flaps 518 on each side of the primary flap 516 thereby being folded essentially towards each other, and folding the primary flap 516 towards the bottom sealing.

The second end 508 is folded in that the fin is formed into a flap 520, which flap 520 is folded down towards the bottom sealing of the package.

A longitudinal sealing 512 of the package can be placed in an end of one of the lateral sides 128a,b of the package placed next to the backside of the bottom, which may be provided with four corners. An advantage of placing the longitudinal sealing in this end is that no longitudinal sealing is needed in the handle portion of the package. This is an advantage, since it is easier to form a handle portion of the hollow body of the package without the longitudinal sealing being present.

The invention has mainly been described above with reference to a few embodiments. However, as is readily appreciated by a person skilled in the art, other embodiments than the ones disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended patent claims. It should further be noted that any reference to "front", "back", "upper", or "lower", etc., is only made for illustrative purpose and is by no means limiting the scope of the claims.