Description

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to the field of the production of complex packaging and food packaging. In more detail, the object of this patent application is a system associated with a method for the production of food packaging containers, exclusively molded and shaped in paper and paperboard and pure cellulose, through which to offer the market an eco-sustainable solution within a circular economy.

Prior art

To date, science, technology and innovation are projected into the field of sustainable food packaging in exponential development.

Among the widely used examples of packaging for spices, the traditional Italdroghe glass jars may be mentioned, designed to contain an extremely wide assortment of spices and aromatic herbs and provided with flip-top caps which ensure freshness of the product over time and include versions with dispenser and with grinder.

Among the machines used for the production of new packaging one may mention a Landpack automatic packaging machine, with multiple lanes, for high-speed liquids (Model: LD-560L- 8) widely used for food, medicine, chemical liquid products such as mouthwash, ketchup, flavors, sauces, pastries, shampoo, creams, body wash liquids and the like.

Another well-known model is the Landpack packing machine for 5g to 500g powder sachets (Model: LD-320D/380D) suitable for packing fine powder products such as coffee powder, spices, milk powder, flour, fruit powder, seasoning, chemical medical powder, etc. It integrates measuring, bagging, packing, sealing and date stamping of each sachet.

The aforementioned machines are designed to produce packaging in the form of sealed sachets.

A novelty in the field of spice packaging is represented by the “Ubena” clip sachets packaging. This line includes bags resealable with an aroma-saving clip on each package, which takes up little space in the kitchen, convenient for learning more about exotic spices and ideal for tasting.

Among the patents relating to this field the following may be mentioned: CA3139472A1 which describes a package for preserving products such as vegetables, fruit, aromatic herbs, spices and/or flowers, and a related method. Inside the package there is a volume adapted to contain a portion of product and a polymeric film atmosphere, provided with at least a perforation which allows gaseous exchange with the atmosphere to form a controlled atmosphere package. The packaging material has a water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), a carbon dioxide transmission rate (CO2TR), and an oxygen transmission rate (O2TR), where the WVTR of the packaging material is between 50 and 1200 ml/(m<2>.24 hours), the CO2TR of the packaging material is greater than 1000 ml/(m<2>.24 hours).

Another patent is CN212922044U which describes a highly efficient packaging device for the production of spices, comprising:

- a base;

- a production box fixed in the upper part of the base, a conveyor belt placed within a case, movably mounted in the upper part of the base;

- a weighing box fixedly mounted at the bottom of a funnel.

US2022063856A1, another patent in this field, claims a method of producing packages containing liquid food products from a web of packaging material.

In the light of the prior art, it can be stated that in almost all cases, innovative packaging is made with plastic components only, at most with more components including materials that are in any case polluting. The result is a non-recyclable product, which does not keep pace with the needs of the historical moment we are experiencing. From an examination of the solutions applied to date, it is possible to highlight that each of the machines on the market, to date, is unsuitable for entering a circular economy and for being built with low environmental impact; for these reasons, by virtue of the system and the method associated with it, described in detail below, it will be possible to solve the above drawbacks.

Description of the invention

According to the present invention , a new packaging system is provided associated with a method for the production of biodegradable, recyclable and eco-sustainable food container cases for products in powder or granular consistency.

The aforesaid system allows for a plurality of production steps during which the aforesaid cases are opened, sealed and filled for distribution. In this case, the system object of the present invention is divided into:

- a distribution module which allows the input, by means of a conveyor belt or a sliding plane, of stacks of cases, still closed, which enter the packaging system through a gate;

- a first module for opening the aforementioned cases, where each still closed case is picked up from the conveyor belt by means of a first support and, by means of a second support, each of them is opened, until forming a parallelepiped open at the upper and lower ends;

- a positioning station comprising: (i) a positioner consisting of a piston, preferably damped, for welding, in a stable manner, a lower portion of each case and (ii) a support for applying a plug to be applied to each case. The latter, engaging with the surface of the plug, in a stable and reversible manner, carries out a ultrasonic heat sealing thereof in an inclination with respect to the horizontal plane of 90° on the upper edge of the case, determining the stable engagement of the two portions;

- a filling module which, through a filling support, is designed to insert a predetermined quantity of product to be stored, until each case is filled up to the upper edge;

- a closing station comprising: (i) a closing support, installed above the conveyor belt which moves the cases during the various production steps and which, by lowering itself on them, brings the two open flaps together in the upper edge of each case, positioning them parallel to one another other, ready to be sealed and, (ii) a sealing support, installed immediately after said closing support installed to seal the flaps until completely closed;

- an output station which, through a printing device, stamps the batch and expiration date on one of the flaps and which, at the end of production, via the aforementioned conveyor belt, transfers the container cases thus produced outside the packaging system.

In an advantageous version, in each of the aforesaid distribution module, first opening module, positioning station, filling module, closing station and output station, the following are installed:

- at least a water detector which signals leakage of liquids inside them, avoiding the risk of damage both to the container cases and to the whole system in each of the production steps;

- at least a humidity and temperature detector which, by signaling sudden changes in temperature and increases in humidity, once again prevents damage to the products during the production steps.

Possibly and advantageously, the aforementioned positioning station comprises:

- compression means which ensure correct sealing of the plug on the corresponding portion of the container case;

- a compression plate connected to said piston which is moved in a vertical direction, with a predetermined force to press the lower portion of each case, inversely to the motion of the piston, sealing and correcting any imperfections in the closure of said lower portion of each case;

- a plurality of mutually independent damping springs included in each compression plate which impart a compression force modulated according to the positioning of the lower portion of each case.

The entire system can possibly be associated with at least a software application, which can be installed on electronic devices, which advantageously allows remote activation of the production steps and management of the entire system, verifying the parameters and consumption in all production steps.

Also possibly, this application allows the tracking of the product container cases, via a barcode applied to them, ensuring that each external user knows for the benefit of the environment:

- the batch of origin of each container case;

- the materials used in the production;

- the methods of eco-disposal.

The system described up to now is associated with an advantageous mechanical packaging and sealing method divided into the following steps:

- an input step A of the container cases into the distribution module;

- a step B of opening the cases through said first opening module;

- a step C of transferring the cases into the aforesaid second support and opening them;

- a first welding step D of said lower portion of the cases, in the positioning station;

- a second welding step E of the plug through said application support;

- a filling step F of each case by means of said filling support;

- a closing step G in which the two upper, open flaps of each case are brought together and positioned parallel;

- a sealing step H in which said flaps 1.4 are welded by means of the aforesaid sealing support;

- a first step of completion of the production I of printing batch and expiration date on one of said flaps;

- a second step of completion of the production J in which the container cases are transported outside the packaging system.

In a further version, the aforesaid method comprises a ventilation and decontamination step K of each of the tools included in the production stations and used in the production steps.

The container cases, obtained following the steps of the above method, preferably consist of a layer of a monocoated cardboard with a 300g/sqm grammage, disposable paper or any other type of biodegradable cardboard and/or made of plant and biodegradable material to contain and preserve dry, powdered and/or granular food products.

Finally, in a further advantageous version, the cases comprise a plug provided with a multiple dispenser of powdered and/or granular product arranged to pour a predetermined amount of product, measured by the plug itself.

The advantages offered by the present invention are clear in the light of the above description and will be even clearer from the accompanying figures and the related detailed description.

The invention will hereinafter be described in at least a preferred embodiment thereof by way of non-limiting example with the aid of the accompanying figures, in which:

- FIGURE 1 shows a schematic view of the system 100 of the present invention according to a first embodiment during a first processing step: it should be noted that the distribution module 200 comprises a gate 102, through which the closed cases 1.1 enter inside the machine 100. The opening module 300 of the cases 1.1 should also be noted, which comprises a first support 103 which picks up each and transfers it onto a second support 104 for opening the container cases;

- FIGURE 2 schematically illustrates the positioning station of the machine 100 of the present invention: here a plurality of positioners 450 consisting of at least a piston 420 comprising a plate 430, damped, weld in a stable manner a lower portion 1.2 of each case;

- FIGURE 3 schematically shows the filling module 500 comprising a filling support 510 which fills each case 1.1 from top to bottom;

- FIGURE 4 shows a closing station 600 comprising a closing support 605 arranged above the conveyor belt which, when lowered, approaches two open flaps 1.4 of the upper edge 1.3 of each case 1.1 preparing them to be sealed; subsequently a sealing support 610 arranges the welding of the aforementioned flaps 1.4 until they are completely closed;

- FIGURE 5 shows the output station 700 comprising a printing device 710 which applies the batch and expiration date on one of the flaps 1.4 of the case;

- FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the container case 1.1 of the present invention, comprising a plug 15, the lower portion 1.2, the upper edge 1.3 comprising at least two flaps 1.4;

- FIGURE 7 shows a block diagram of the method of the present invention from step A to step K.

Detailed description of the invention

The present invention will now be described purely by way of non-limiting or binding example with the aid of the figures, which illustrate some embodiments relative to the present inventive concept.

Fig. 1 to Fig. 5 show in sequence: distribution module 200; first opening module 300; positioning station 400; filling module 500; closing station 600 and output station 700 included in the packaging system 100 object of the present invention. It allows the packaging and mechanical sealing of container cases 1.1, in Fig. 6, whose peculiar feature is that of retaining powdered and/or granular food products: the case 1.1 thus configured is provided with a plug 15 with a product dispenser which allows the metering of said granular and/or powdered product in a predetermined amount.

The entire container case 1.1 is preferably made of a layer of monocoated cardboard with a 300g/sqm grammage, with disposable paper or with any other type of biodegradable cardboard and/or made of plant and biodegradable material.

The system 100 in question is associated with a software application, which can be installed on electronic devices, which allows remote activation and monitoring of the production steps, verifying the parameters and consumption during the processing step. The container cases 1.1, once produced, are traced through the same application by means of a barcode: this allows each external user to know the origin, materials and eco-disposal methods of the cases 1.1.

The aforementioned system 100 is associated with a method, represented in Fig. 7 and structured, as anticipated, in six macro-stations each of which is provided with a water detector to signal any liquid leaks and a humidity and temperature detector to signal any sudden changes in temperature and increases in humidity, in order to avoid damage to the container cases 1.1 produced or to the stations themselves, preserving the integrity thereof during all production steps.

Each station is assigned a step of the aforementioned method, starting from the input step A of the container cases 1.1 still closed and organized in stacks, which advance above a conveyor belt or sliding plane, crossing a gate 102 to enter inside the packaging system 100.

The opening step B of the aforementioned cases 1.1 takes place through the aforementioned first opening module 300: it comprises a first support 103 which in a first step picks up, one at a time, the still closed cases 1.1, while in a step C, it transfers them in a second support 104 which proceeds to open them up to form a parallelepiped open on the lower portion 1.2 and on the upper edge 1.3.

By sliding vertically, the aforesaid second support 104 transfers to the positioning station 400, where the first welding step D of the aforesaid lower portion 1.2 of each case 1.1 takes place: in this station, a plurality of damped pistons 420, comprising a positioner 450 and a compression plate 430 connected to them, move by exerting an opposite motion, one towards the other in a vertical direction by exerting a predetermined force suitable for stably welding the aforementioned lower portion 1.2 of each case 1.1. Each compression plate 430 comprises a plurality of mutually independent damping springs which impart a compression force modulated according to the positioning of the lower portion 1.2 of each case 1.1 with respect to the positioner 450.

A second welding step E takes place in the same positioning station 400 and is aimed at fixing a plug 15 on the corresponding portion of the case 1.1; by means of an application support 410, preferably included below the piston 420, after having engaged, in a stable and reversible manner, with the surface of the plug 15, it carries out an ultrasonic heat sealing, determining its stable engagement on the case 1.1.

This application support 410 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane so as to have the plug 15 with an inclination with respect to the upper edge 1.3 of the corresponding case 1.1 of 90°.

The subsequent filling step F is aimed at filling each container case 1.1 with a predetermined amount of product to be stored: in a filling module 500 comprising a filling support 510, with the sliding of the conveyor belt or sliding plane the vacant volume of each of the cases 1.1 from the upper edge 1.3 is filled. In a closing station 600, the steps of closing G and sealing H take place: firstly by means of a closing support 605, arranged above the conveyor belt, the two open flaps 1.4 of each case 1.1 are brought together and, once in parallel position, they are welded by means of a sealing support 610, until completely closed. The final production steps are provided in an output station 700 where, through a printing device 710, in step I an indication showing the batch and expiration date of the product is applied to one of the flaps 1.4 of the upper edge 1.2 of the cases 1.1 while, in step J, the container cases 1.1, ready for distribution, are transported by the conveyor belt, through the output station 700 outside of the packaging system 100 in question. At the end of production, a ventilation and decontamination step K takes place for each of said distribution module 200, first opening module 300, positioning station 400, filling module 500, closing station 600 and output station 700 and related tools employed in each of the steps. Finally, it is clear that modifications, additions or variants may be made to the invention described thus far which are apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of protection that is provided by the appended claims.