WRAPPING METHOD

Technical field

This invention relates to a wrapping method and in particular to a method of wrapping confectionery products such as chocolates and the like of a preferably frustoconical shape or also with a square or rectangular base, that is, parallelepiped in shape, having a bottom end or base and a top end or head, to obtain a wrapper, hermetically sealed, of the "top-twist" type.

Background art

The prior art methods for wrapping in a "top-twist" fashion schematically comprise the coupling of a sheet of wrapping material to the product, suitably retained, wrapping the sheet on the lateral surface of the product, to define a tubular housing extending in a cantilever manner from the ends of the product, folding, according to a sequence of folds substantially known, the portion of the tubular housing at the bottom of the product, and also the lateral surface, and wrapping the end of the tubular housing, opposite the bottom of the product relative to the product, to form a bow.

One drawback of the above-mentioned method derives from the fact that a wrapper obtained in this way does not guarantee a hermetic seal to protect the product, which may, over time, lose its organoleptic properties. In general, for preserving these products, groups of them wrapped in this way are in turn inserted in a hermetically sealed outer package which, however, once open loses its sealing characteristics. More specifically, a critical area of the wrapper is at the bottom and the lateral surface of the product where the sequences of known folds determine the formation of channels which adversely affect the seal of the wrapper. The so-called "hermetic" wrappers have been developed in this field, designed for example for "double twist" wrappers, and the relative forming methods such as, for example, those described in patent documents EP0929467 and EP1515892.

In these methods, strips of glue are provided suitably positioned on the sheet of wrapping material which guarantee the sealed closure of the corresponding wrapping material, in particular at the bows.

The prior art methods are not suitable for the making wrappers of the "top-twist" type or at least the wrappers obtained with the above- mentioned methods do not resemble "top-twist" wrapper which is particularly distinctive also of the corresponding product packaged inside it.

In this context, the main technical purpose of this invention is to propose a wrapping method and a wrapper preferably obtained with this method, which are free of the above-mentioned drawbacks.

Disclosure of the invention

The aim of the invention is to propose a wrapping method which allows a wrapper to be obtained.

The technical purpose and aims specified are achieved by wrapping method according to claim 1 and a wrapper according to claim 11.

Brief description of drawings

Further features and advantages of the invention are more apparent in the non-limiting description below with reference to preferred but nonexclusive embodiments of a wrapping method as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figures 1 to 7 illustrate schematic perspective views of a sequence of steps of a wrapping method according to this invention.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention With reference to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 100 denotes a confectionery product illustrated with a dashed line.

The product 100, for example a chocolate to which reference is hereinafter made without limiting the scope of the invention, has a bottom end or base 101 which is substantially flat, a top end 102, a lateral surface 103 and a main axis D, extending between the bottom end 101 and the top end 102.

Preferably, the product 100 has a substantially truncated cone shape, to which reference is hereinafter made without limiting the scope of the invention but it may also have a square or rectangular base and have a preferably parallelepiped shape.

With reference to Figure 7, the numeral 1 denotes a wrapper of the "top- twist" type for the product 100.

The wrapper 1 is formed by a sheet 2 of wrapping material folded in such a way as to have a bottom portion 3, at the bottom 101 of the product

100, and a bow 4 extending from the opposite side to the bottom portion

3, that is, from the part of the top end 102 of the product 100.

As will become clearer below, the wrapper 1 is of the sealed type to guarantee, advantageously, that the organoleptic properties of the product 100 are maintained.

With reference to Figure 1 , the method comprises a step of preparing the sheet 2 of wrapping material.

The sheet 2 of wrapping material is quadrangular in shape and has a first and a second longitudinal edge 105, 106 and a first and a second transversal edge 107, 108.

The method comprises a step of preparing bonding means which can be activated on the sheet 2 of wrapping material to allow, as explained in more detail below, a hermetic sealing of the wrapper 1.

The bonding means which can be activated comprise a plurality of sections of bonding material which can be activated of substantially known type. In one embodiment, the bonding material which can be activated comprises so-called "re-activatable" glue, for example by pressure or heat.

If the product 100 tolerates temperature increases, the bonding material which can be activated comprises material which can be sealed or heat sealed, which allows, in known way, sealing of the wrapper 1.

With reference to Figure 7, the bonding means which can be activated comprise a first stretch 109, a second stretch 110, a third stretch 111 and a fourth stretch 112 of bonding material which can be activated of substantially known type.

For descriptive simplicity, generic reference will be made below to "bonding" for the stretches 109, 110, 111 , 12 without limiting the scope of the invention.

The first and second stretches 109, 110 extend parallel to the first and second longitudinal edges 105, 106 whilst the third and the fourth stretches 111 , 112 extend parallel to the transversal edges 107 and 108. Preferably, the first and second stretches 109, 110 extend substantially at the longitudinal edges 105 and 106.

The stretch 111 extends at the edge 07, whilst the stretch 112 extends between the stretches 109 and 110 parallel to the stretch 111.

In an alternative embodiment, the bonding means which can be activated comprise a stretch 112a of bonding material which can be activated of substantially known type, in addition to or alternatively to the stretch 112, positioned at the edge 108.

For descriptive simplicity, reference is made below to the embodiment wherein the stretch 112a is not provided in the sheet 2.

The stretches 109, 110, 111 and 112 delimit a zone 113 of the sheet 2 of wrapping material, which is preferably off centre in the sheet 2 of wrapping material, for positioning the product 100.

The stretches 109, 110, 111 and 112 are provided in the sheet 2 on the same side as the zone 113 and in particular on the same side for positioning the product 100.

More specifically, the zone 13 is moved towards the edge 107 and moved away from the edge 108 between the edges 105 and 06.

The stretch 12 is positioned on the opposite side of stretch 1 1 1 relative to the zone 1 13 for positioning the product 100.

A zone 1 14 is defined between the zone 1 13 and the edge 108 designed, as explained below, for the formation of the bow 4.

The wrapping method comprises positioning the product 100 in the zone 1 13 in a substantially central position.

In particular, the product 100 is positioned with the bottom end 101 facing towards the edge 107 and the lateral surface 103 engaged with the sheet 2.

The chocolate 100 is therefore positioned with the main axis D substantially parallel to the sheet 2, in particular to the edges 105, 106. The method comprises a plurality of steps of folding the sheet 2 of wrapping material for defining the housing 15, illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 substantially tubular, in particular substantially cylindrical, around the product 100.

The housing 15 has the end portion 16 which extends along the axis D from the top end 102 of the product 100.

The method comprises a step of twisting, in a twisting direction V, in a clockwise direction with reference Figures 6 and 7 of the end portion 16 to define the above-mentioned bow 4.

More specifically, the above-mentioned sections of bonding means 109, 1 10, 1 1 1 , 1 12 which can be activated allow, as described in more detail below, the wrapper 1 , and in particular the bottom portion 3 and the bow 4, closed in a sealed fashion, to be obtained.

More specifically, as illustrated for example in Figure 6, the stretch 1 12, is positioned, after defining the housing 15, as described below, at the bow 4 in such a way that the corresponding material is activated in known manner to close the bow 4. The method comprises a step of preparing sealing means at the bottom end 01 of the product 100 to define the bottom portion 3 of the sealed wrapper.

As illustrated in Figures 2 to 4, the method comprises, to obtain the housing 15, a step of wrapping the sheet 2 of wrapping material about the main axis D of the product 100 or around the lateral surface 103 of the product 100.

The wrapping terminates abutting the longitudinal edges 105, 106 and in particular the first and the second stretch 109, 110 of adhesive in such a way as to join them, in substantially known manner not described, in a step of longitudinal closing of the housing 15.

The winding step, together with the longitudinal closing step, determines the formation of a rib or fin 115 extending radially from the housing 15 and extending along the main axis D.

The rib 115 is formed by the edges 105, 106 superposed and joined together; the method comprises a step of folding the rib 115 on the tubular housing 15 as illustrated in Figure 4.

Preferably, the rib 15 is folded on the housing 15 in the above- mentioned twisting direction V.

With reference to Figures 5 and 6, it may be noted that the method comprises a step of sealing the housing 15 using the bonding means which can be activated at least at the transversal edge 107, obtaining a transversal fin or rib 116 which is substantially flat.

More specifically, the housing 15 has an end portion 117 extending from opposite the portion 16 relative to the zone 113 and, more specifically, from opposite the portion 16 relative to the product 00.

The portion 7 suitably closed and folded is designed to define the above-mentioned sealing means at the bottom 101 of the product 100. The method comprises a step of closing and folding the end portion 1 7 of the tubular housing 15 against the bottom 101 of the product 100 to define the bottom portion 3 of the wrapper 1 at the bottom 101 of the product 100.

The bottom portion 3 of the wrapper 1 is substantially planar and parallel with the bottom 101 of the product 100 and comprises a plurality of flaps or wings which are superposed over each other.

The portion 117 comprises the edge 107, the closing of which, using the stretch 111 of adhesive material, determines the formation of the fin 1 6. A preferred method of closing the portion 117, of substantially known type, is described for example in patent document US4617782 in the name of the same Applicant.

In short, for preparing the sealing means at the bottom 101 of the product 100 and defining the bottom portion 3 of the wrapper 1 , the fin 116 is folded against the bottom of the product 00 resulting in the formation of two lateral flaps 18 and 119 extending along the main axis D.

The method for closing the end 117 comprises folding the flaps 118 and 119 against the bottom 101 of the product 100, for example, as illustrated, folding first the flap 1 9 and then the flap 118 on the flap 119. Preferably, the method comprises a step of locking the fin 116 to a portion of the sheet 2 of wrapping material at the bottom end 101 of the product 100 in a substantially known manner, for example, by means of adhesive or sealing.

Preferably, the method comprises a step of locking the flaps 118 and 119 to a portion of the sheet 2 of wrapping material at the bottom end 101 of the product 100 in a substantially known manner, for example, by means of adhesive or sealing.

Regarding the end portion 16 of the housing positioned on the side opposite the portion 117 relative to the product 100, the method preferably comprises a step of flattening or widening the portion until obtaining a top flap 120 which is substantially flat.

Preferably, in one embodiment, the housing 15 is sealed at the flap 120 by the stretch 112 of adhesive material or the stretch 112a, if present. The step of twisting the end portion 16 comprises a step of gripping and twisting the top flap 120 to obtain the bow 4.

In a preferred embodiment, the step of folding and closing the portion 117 is performed before the step of twisting the end portion 16 of the housing 15.

In a second embodiment, the step of folding and closing the portion 117 is performed after the step of twisting the end portion 16 of the housing 15.

In a third embodiment, the step of folding and closing the portion 117 is performed simultaneously with the step of twisting the end portion 16 of the housing 15.

In a preferred embodiment, the step of twisting the flap 120 determines the bonding of the stretch 112 of adhesive material and the sealing of the bow 4.

Advantageously, the method makes it possible to obtain a sealed wrapper 1 ; at the bottom 101 of the product 100 the wrapper 1 comprises the bottom portion 3 folded and sealed, the flap 120 is sealed or glued or in any case the bow 4 is sealed and glued.