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Title:
PACKAGING ARTICLE WITH REMOVABLE INSERT TO DIVIDE THE ENCLOSED VOLUME INTO A LOWER AND AN UPPER VOLUME
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2020/127362
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
A packaging article comprising a container body having a bottom portion and a sidewall portion extending upwardly from the bottom portion to an upper edge defining a container opening and a lid for engaging the upper edge and sealing the container opening, said packaging article having an enclosed volume defined by the bottom portion, the sidewall portion and the lid. The packaging article further comprises a removable insert which is arranged inside the enclosed volume to divide the enclosed volume into an upper and a lower volume, said upper volume being arranged between the lid and the removable insert and the lower volume being arranged between the bottom portion of the container and the removable insert. In this way a packaging article is provided where the contents of the packaging article can be accessed in two separate stages, thereby keeping the contents in the lower volume fresher for a longer period of time.

Inventors:
NIELSEN BENNY E (DK)
Application Number:
PCT/EP2019/085772
Publication Date:
June 25, 2020
Filing Date:
December 17, 2019
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
RPC SUPERFOS AS (DK)
International Classes:
A47J47/06; B65D25/04
Foreign References:
KR20180000326U2018-01-31
US20120205376A12012-08-16
US20130233855A12013-09-12
US20170349344A12017-12-07
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
GUARDIAN IP CONSULTING I/S (DK)
Download PDF:
Claims:
Claims

1. A packaging article comprising a container body having a bottom portion and a sidewall portion extending upwardly from the bottom portion to an upper edge defining a container opening and a lid for engaging the upper edge and sealing the container opening, said packaging article having an enclosed volume defined by the bottom portion, the sidewall portion and the lid characterized in that the packaging article further comprises a removable insert which is arranged inside the enclosed volume to divide the enclosed volume into an upper and a lower volume, said upper volume being arranged between the lid and the removable insert and the lower volume being arranged between the bottom portion of the container and the removable insert.

2. A packaging article according to claim 1 , characterized in that the removable insert is arranged such that the smallest of the upper and lower volumes is at least 50%, at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80% or at least 90% of the greatest of the upper and lower volumes.

3. A packaging article according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the sidewall portion of the container tapers outwardly in an upwards direction. 4. A packaging article according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the removable insert comprises a bottom portion and a sidewall portion extending upwardly from the bottom portion, the sidewall portion having an outer shape which corresponds to the inner shape of the sidewall portion of the container at a location between the upper edge of the container and the bottom portion of the container.

5. A packaging article according to claim 4, characterized in that the sidewall of the removable insert comprises an offset portion which is offset from the sidewall portion of the container to provide a passage between the sidewall of the container and the sidewall of the removable insert.

6. A packaging article according to claim 5, characterized in that the removable insert comprises a horizontal flange attached to the offset portion of the sidewall of the removable insert to block the passage formed by the offset portion.

7. A packaging article according to claim 6, characterized in that the horizontal flange is arranged offset a vertical distance above the bottom portion of the insert.

8. A packaging article according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the removable insert comprises a finger gripping portion. 9. A packaging article according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the removable insert comprises stacking ribs arranged on the inside surface of the sidewall portion.

10. A packaging article according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the removable insert establishes an essentially air tight seal between the upper and lower volumes.

Description:
Packaging article with removable insert to divide the enclosed volume into a lower and an upper volume

The current invention relates to a packaging article comprising a container body having a bottom portion and a sidewall portion extending upwardly from the bottom portion to an upper edge defining a container opening and a lid for engaging the upper edge and sealing the container opening, said packaging article having an enclosed volume defined by the bottom portion, the sidewall portion and the lid.

Description of related art Typical packing articles of the kind described in the opening paragraph comprise a container with a single enclosed volume which can be filled with a product and then covered with a lid to seal the contents of the packaging article. For example, tobacco containers are provided with a container portion filled with tobacco and then a lid placed on the container to seal the tobacco and prevent it from drying out.

In the case of a packaging article for tobacco, once the lid is removed, air is allowed to get into contact with the tobacco and over time, the tobacco dries out and is no longer interesting to the user.

Also, in prior art type packaging articles for bulk products, for example tobacco, during transport, the product will fall together and assume a smaller volume. When opening the container, there will be lots of room for air, so that even when the packaging article is closed, the amount of air in contact with the product is quite high. This will deteriorate the product. Summary of the invention

It is therefore a first aspect of the current invention to provide a packaging article in which perishable items, for example tobacco, can be kept fresher for a longer period of time.

A second aspect of the current invention is to provide a packaging article in which the amount of stored air in contact with the product after opening and reclosing can be reduced.

These aspects are provided at least in part via a packaging article as mentioned in the introductory paragraph, where the packaging article further comprises a removable insert which is arranged inside the enclosed volume to divide the enclosed volume into an upper and a lower volume, said upper volume being arranged between the lid and the removable insert and the lower volume being arranged between the bottom portion of the container and the removable insert. In this way a packaging article is provided where the contents of the packaging article can be used over two separate stages. In a first stage, the lid is removed and the contents of the packaging arranged in the upper volume can be consumed. When the contents in the upper volume are fully consumed, then the removable insert can be removed and the contents from the lower portion can be accessed and consumed. In this way, the contents of the lower volume remain fresh until the removable portion is removed.

Furthermore, when the container is initially opened, the upper and lower volumes will both contain a certain amount of product. Due to shipping and handling, the volume of the product will have reduced in both the upper and lower volumes. However, since the product is evenly spread out into two separate volumes, there will be less“air” volume in the upper volume when the lid is first opened. This keeps the volume of air in contact with the product after opening lower.

In one embodiment, the removable insert is arranged such that the smallest of the upper and lower volumes is at least 50%, at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80% or at least 90% of the greatest of the upper and lower volumes. For example if the upper volume is 50ml and the lower volume is 100ml, then the largest of the volumes is the lower volume and the smallest of the volumes is the upper volume. The upper volume is then 50% of the volume of the lower volume. In one typical embodiment the removable insert is arranged such that the upper and lower volumes are essentially identical. It should be noted that it is rather difficult to make the two volumes exactly identical, hence, in typical products, it will be arranged such that the two volumes are close to being identical. In one definition, the volumes are maximum 20% different, maximum 10% different or maximum 5% different.

In one embodiment, the sidewall portion of the container tapers outwardly in an upwards direction. In this way, it is possible to stack containers inside each other in a traditional manner for storage prior to filling.

In one embodiment, the removable insert comprises a bottom portion and a sidewall portion extending upwardly from the bottom portion, the sidewall portion having an outer shape which corresponds to the inner shape of the sidewall portion of the container at a location between the upper edge of the container and the bottom portion of the container. Depending on the size of the removable insert, the removable insert will be located at different heights in the container if the container has tapered sidewalls. By making the insert smaller, the insert will sit lower. By making the insert larger, the insert will sit higher. In one embodiment, the bottom portion of the insert has an outer periphery which is larger than the inner periphery of the bottom portion of the container. This is necessary to prevent the insert from falling all the way to the bottom of the container. In one embodiment, the bottom portion of the removable insert has an outer periphery which is smaller than the inner periphery of the container opening. This is necessary to allow the insert to be inserted into the container. In one embodiment, the sidewall portion of the removable insert tapers in outwardly in an upwards direction. This will provide a good fit between the container and the insert, especially if the tapers of the two sidewalls match.

In one embodiment, the removable insert comprises an offset portion which is offset from the sidewall portion of the container to provide a passage between the sidewall of the container and the sidewall of the removable insert. In one embodiment, the offset between the sidewall of the container and the sidewall of the removable insert is large enough to provide space for a user to insert a finger between the sidewall of the container and the sidewall of the removable insert.

In one embodiment, the removable insert comprises a horizontal flange attached to the offset portion of the sidewall of the removable insert to block the passage formed by the offset portion. It should be noted that in general, the horizontal flange is arranged with a major component in a horizontal direction, but it does not need to be 100% horizontal. In one embodiment, the horizontal flange extends from an outer surface of the offset portion and extends towards the sidewall portion of the container. In one embodiment, the horizontal flange extends perpendicular to the sidewall portion of the container.

In one embodiment, the horizontal flange is arranged offset a vertical distance above the bottom portion of the insert. In this way, when the sidewall portion is bent inwardly, air can flow between the outer edge of the horizontal flange on the insert and the sidewall of the container. In one embodiment, the horizontal flange is arranged offset a vertical distance below the upper edge of the sidewall portion of the removable insert. In this way, a user can grip the offset portion above the horizontal flange. In one embodiment, the horizontal flange is arranged between the bottom portion and the upper edge of the removable insert.

In one embodiment, the removable insert comprises a finger gripping portion. In one embodiment, the removable insert comprises two finger gripping portions arranged on either side of a vertical plane passing through the removable insert. In one embodiment, the finger gripping portion is provided on the offset portion of the sidewall portion of the removable insert. In one embodiment, the finger gripping portion comprises horizontal gripping ribs. In one embodiment, the finger gripping portion comprises finger holes. In one embodiment, the finger gripping portion comprises a strap element.

In one embodiment, the removable insert comprises stacking ribs arranged on the inside surface of the sidewall portion.

In one embodiment, the removable insert establishes an essentially air tight seal between the upper and lower volumes. In one embodiment, the sidewall portion of the container is pressed outwardly by the sidewall portion of the removable insert. In one embodiment, a sealing element is arranged between the sidewall portion of the container and the sidewall portion of the removable insert.

The above description has provided a number of features described as embodiments. These embodiments can be combined freely as will be known to the person skilled in the art. It should be emphasized that the term "comprises/comprising/comprised of when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof. For example, in the claims it is mentioned that the packaging article comprises a removable insert. However, within the scope of the invention, the packaging article could comprise additional removable inserts. Hence this should be interpreted as the packaging article comprises at least one removable insert.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a container according to the current invention with a removable insert partially shown in dashed lines.

Figure 2 shows an exploded perspective view of the container of figure 1 , where the removable insert is shown displaced away from the container.

Figure 3 shows a cross section view through the container and removable insert of figure 1 according to the line Ill-Ill in figure 1.

Figure 4 shows a cross section view through the container and removable insert of figure 1 according to the line IV-IV in figure 1.

Figure 5-7 show a top, side and front view respectively of the removable insert of figure 1.

Figures 8 and 9 show a front and section view of two removable inserts stacked on top of and inside each other. In the following, the invention will be described in greater detail with reference to embodiments shown by the enclosed figures. It should be emphasized that the embodiments shown are used for example purposes only and should not be used to limit the scope of the invention.

Detailed description of the embodiments

Figures 1 to 9 show different views of a packaging article according to the current invention. The packaging article 1 comprises a container 2, a lid (not shown) and a removable insert 4. The container 2 comprises a bottom portion 6 and a sidewall portion 8 extending upwardly from the bottom portion to an upper edge 10 defining an opening 12. The lid (not shown) is arranged to be mounted on the upper edge of the sidewall portion to close the opening 12. This is a standard arrangement and should be well known to the person skilled in the art.

The actual connection between the lid and the container in this case is a snap connection of a type which is well known in the art. The scope of protection of the current invention should not be limited to the type of lid connection as many different types of lid connection could be suitable.

The sidewall portion 8 in this embodiment has a roughly square shape with four rounded corners 14 and four essentially straight sides 16 between the corners. In this case, the sides are all roughly the same shape and size to provide a roughly square container with rounded corners. In other embodiments (not shown), the container could be rectangular, for example having two opposing sides which are longer than the other two opposing sides. In another embodiment, instead of being rectangular or square, the bottom portion could be circular and the sidewall portion could also have a circular cross section, with no corners. The sidewall portion in this embodiment tapers slightly outwardly from the bottom portion 6 to the upper edge 10. In other words, the inner side of the upper edge 10 of the sidewall portion has a peripheral shape which is greater than the outer peripheral shape of the bottom portion 6 of the container. This is again well known in the art to allow the containers to be stacked inside each other. In this case, we could also say that the outer size of the bottom portion is less than the inner size of the opening.

Inside the container 2, a removable insert 4 is arranged. The insert 4 in this case, is also provided with a bottom portion 20 and a sidewall portion 22 extending upwardly from the bottom portion 20. The sidewall portion is also arranged to taper slightly outwardly going from the bottom portion to the upper edge of the sidewall portion.

The outer surface of the sidewall portion of the insert is arranged to essentially correspond to the inner surface of the sidewall portion of the container so that the insert can be nested inside the container. In this case, the dimensions of the insert are arranged such that the insert rests at a location in the container such that the enclosed volume of the container is divided roughly into two almost equal portions, an upper portion 24 above the bottom portion of the insert and a lower portion 26, below the bottom portion of the insert. Likewise, the taper on the sidewall of the insert matches the taper of the sidewall of the container.

In another embodiment (not shown), more than one insert could be provided to divide the enclosed volume in the container into additional partial volumes. In one example, two inserts are provided: a lower insert and an upper insert. The lower insert having a smaller dimension than the upper insert so that when inserted into a container which has slightly tapered sidewalls, the lower insert will be arranged lower into the container than the upper insert. In this way, the enclosed volume inside the container can be split into three separate volumes, a lower volume, a middle volume and an upper volume.

In the embodiment shown in the figures, a portion 28 of the sidewall portion of the insert is offset from the sidewall portion of the container to form a recess 30 between the sidewall of the container and the sidewall of the insert. In effect, a form of tunnel or passage is provided between the insert and the container via this offset portion. In this case, two similar offset portions 28 are provided on opposing sides of a vertical plane passing through the centre portion of the insert. The offset portion 28 is dimensioned to allow a finger of a user to enter between the sidewall of the container and the sidewall of the insert and to grip onto the sidewall of the insert to pull it out of the container. The offset dimension (perpendicular to the surface of the sidewall) is chosen to be the thickness of a users finger and the length dimension (parallel to the surface of the sidewall and parallel to the bottom portion of the insert) is chosen to be enough to allow at least one finger of a user to slide into the recess. In the embodiment shown in the figures, there is room for two or three fingers in the recess formed by the offset portion.

In this embodiment, the upper part of the offset portion is provided with gripping ribs 32, or protruding elongated ridges on the offset portion to allow the user to more easily grip onto the gripping portion. This forms a form of finger gripping portion to allow the user to more easily grip onto the insert and withdraw the insert from the container. Finger gripping portions could be formed in other ways as should be known to the person skilled in the art. For example, in one embodiment, not shown, a finger hole could be provided in the upper part of the offset portions of the insert.

In order to provide a relatively airtight seal between the upper and lower portions of the enclosed volume, the insert is provided with a horizontal flange 34 which closes the recess (or tunnel) 30 formed between the sidewall of the container and the sidewall of the insert by the offset portion. The horizontal flange 34 is provided offset in a vertical direction away from the bottom portion 20 of the insert. Due to this, when the user grips onto the gripping portion of the offset portion, the user can bend the offset portion slightly inwardly, thereby pivoting the offset portion 28 slightly about the bottom portion of the insert. This causes the horizontal flange 34 to pull away from the sidewall of the container. In this way, air can flow past the sides of the horizontal flange and into the bottom portion. This prevents any vacuum from forming in the bottom portion which could make removal of the insert difficult. It could be imagined that if the horizontal flange had been placed at the same level as the bottom portion, then it could be difficult to remove the insert from the container, as it would be difficult to create a gap between the sidewalls of the container and the insert. Furthermore, it can be imagined that if the horizontal flange were not present, then it would be difficult to seal the bottom portion of the enclosed volume.

It can also be noted that in the current embodiment, the container and the insert are both made from plastic, for example Poly Propylene, in a plastic injection moulding operation. As such, the material of both the container and the insert is pliable and elastic. As the insert is pressed into the container, the sidewalls of the container will be pressed slightly outwards. This causes the sidewalls of the container to squeeze against the sidewalls and the horizontal flanges of the insert to seal the interface between the upper and lower portions of the enclosed volume. In this way, the contents of the container located below the insert are protected from contact with fresh air.

In another embodiment (not shown), the container and/or the insert could be made from a stiffer material. In this case, it might be difficult to provide a good seal between the two components if small tolerances exist. In such a case, a more pliable seal element (not shown) could be provided on the outer surface of the sidewall portion of the insert to ensure a more effective seal. For example a rubber wiper seal (not shown) could be provided at the level of the horizontal flange all the way around the insert. The wiper seal would form an airtight seal between the insert and the container but could be pivoted away from the sidewall of the container by pivoting the offset portion inwardly.

As can be especially seen in figures 5-9, the insert 4 is also provided with stacking ribs 40 on the inside surface of the sidewall of the insert at the corners of the insert. The ribs 40 are provided to allow stacking of the inserts on top of each other, as shown in figures 8 and 9, without risking that two inserts will engage very strongly with each other and prevent detachment from each other during assembly.

In one embodiment (not shown), the insert could be provided with an air vent connecting the bottom portion with the upper portion of the enclosed volume. The container could be half filled with a product, for example tobacco, in a first step. Then in a second step, an insert could be inserted into the container to cover the lower portion. Vacuum could then be applied through the air bent to suck out the air from the lower portion. A plug, for example tape, could then be applied to the air vent. The lower portion would then be sealed without any air in the volume. This would also keep the insert firmly fixed in place. When it would be desired to remove the insert and expose the product in the lower portion of the container, the plug (or tape) is removed and air fills the lower portion. It is then possible to remove the insert in an easy manner. Also in the current embodiment shown in the figures, pushing the sides of the offset portion slightly inwardly would also break the vacuum and allow removal of the insert from the container. In one embodiment, the air vent is a one way air valve which allows the air to leave through the vent, but not enter again. This makes assembly easy since air easily escapes during assembly, but then is prevented from entering again once assembled. In the example embodiment above, tobacco was used as the example content. However, other types of contents could also be imagined. One example content is coffee powder. Another example content is nuts or other types of dry snacks. In the example of tobacco, the purpose is to prevent the product from drying out. In the example of snacks, the purpose could be to prevent the snacks from getting moist.

Furthermore, different types of product might require different forms of insert. For example in the case of coffee powder, it might be relevant to provide an insert with a barrier layer integrated into the bottom and side portions to ensure that no oxygen passes through the insert. Likewise, in certain cases, one could imagine that an in mould label is inserted into the bottom portion and/or the sidewall portion of the insert. This in mould label could be printed with instructions on how to remove the insert or information about the product located under the insert.

It is to be noted that the figures and the above description have shown the example embodiments in a simple and schematic manner. Many of the specific mechanical details have not been shown since the person skilled in the art should be familiar with these details and they would just unnecessarily complicate this description. For example, the specific materials used and the specific injection moulding procedure have not been described in detail since it is maintained that the person skilled in the art would be able to find suitable materials and suitable processes to manufacture the container according to the current invention.