WO2000059801A1

WO2000059801A1 - Packaging envelope with opening perforations

Info

Publication number: WO2000059801A1
Application number: PCT/FR2000/000820
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marc Wasberg; Véronique ROSA; Catherine Guidot
Original assignee: Mars Inc.
Priority date: 1999-04-02
Filing date: 2000-03-31
Publication date: 2000-10-12
Also published as: DE60011414D1; DE60011414T2; FR2791647A1; FR2791647B1; EP1169240A1; EP1169240B1

Abstract

The article (2) comprises at least one product (26) and a flexible packaging film (4) forming a tight enclosure for the enclosed product or products (s), in addition to an amount of gas. The film has a pre-cut line (24). The amount of gas is chosen in such a way that a consumer can grasp the article (2) and compress it, whereby the pressure of the gas can be increased to such an extent that a deformation on said article (2) results in instantaneous breaking of the film on the greater part of the pre-cut line (24).

Description

PACKAGING ENVELOPE HAVING OPENING PERFORATIONS

The invention relates to articles comprising at least one product packaged by means of a flexible film.

An article comprising a confectionery wrapped in a flexible film forming an enclosure containing the product is known, for example from document EP-0 398 447 in FIG. 6. The film presents a precut line. In this way, the film can be easily torn by the consumer by following the precut line for quick access to the product. This type of packaging is advantageous. However, we are trying to allow even faster and easier access to the product.

An object of the invention is to provide an article in which the product is suitably protected by its packaging before opening but offering faster and easier access to the product at the desired time and without the need for a tool.

In order to achieve this goal, an article is provided according to the invention comprising at least one product and a flexible packaging film forming a sealed enclosure containing the product (s) and an amount of gas, the film having a pre-cut line, in which the quantity of gas is chosen so that a consumer can grip the article so as to compress it to increase a pressure of the gas to such an extent that a bending on the article causes an instantaneous rupture of the film over a larger part of the precut line.

Thus, the enclosure protects the product until the voluntary opening by the consumer. When the consumer wants to access the product, pressure then bending on the article causes the opening of the packaging along the precut line. This opening is instantaneous. It also produces an attractive characteristic burst-like noise due to the sudden release of gas. The breaking line creates clean and neat opening edges.

The article may also have at least any of the following characteristics:

- the article is arranged so that the rupture takes place only on the pre-cut line; the film having a joint line contiguous to the precut line, the article is arranged so that the rupture takes place at least over the whole part of the precut line situated outside the joint line;

the article having a larger dimension, the precut line extends in a plane perpendicular to this dimension;

the article comprises at least two products, the precut line extending opposite a space between the two products or two of the products; - The article includes two products of substantially the same dimensions;

- The film has at least two layers of material superimposed;

- the precut line extends mainly in one of the layers, with reference to a thickness of the film;

- the precut line extends along the entire thickness of one of the layers;

the pre-cut line extends in one of the layers defining an external face of the article, preferably without extending in another of the layers defining an internal face of the article;

- The film has a polypropylene layer in which extends the pre-cut line; the film has a layer of polyethylene not crossed by the precut line;

- the or each product is a food product, in particular a confectionery; and - the or each product is glazed.

The article according to the invention, which allows very rapid opening, is particularly well suited for containing an ice cream-based food product, the melting of which accelerates during the entire time it is handled through traditional packaging.

According to the invention, a packaging method is also provided, in which a sealed enclosure is produced by means of a flexible film by enclosing in the enclosure at least one product and gas, the film having a precut, and in which encloses a quantity of gas adapted so that a consumer can grasp the finished article so as to compress it to increase a pressure of the gas so much that a bending on the article causes an instantaneous rupture of the film on a more much of the precut line.

Advantageously, the film is conformed before closing the enclosure so as to enclose the amount of gas.

A packaging machine is further provided according to the invention comprising means for producing a sealed enclosure from a flexible film and for enclosing at least one product and gas in the enclosure, the film having a precut, the machine being arranged to enclose in the enclosure an amount of gas suitable for a consumer to grasp the finished article so as to compress it to increase a pressure of the gas to such an extent that a bending on the article causes an instantaneous rupture of the film over a larger part of the precut line. Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the following description of a preferred embodiment given by way of nonlimiting example. In the accompanying drawings: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an article according to the invention; Figure 2 is a local cross-sectional view of the article of Figure 1 showing the film thickness at the precut; - Figures 3, 4 and 5 are three views showing the handling of the product of Figure 1 by a consumer to open it; and FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a machine for producing the article of FIG. 1.

Illustrated in Figure 1 an article 2 according to the invention as manufactured and before opening for consumption. The article comprises a film 4 folded and sealed on itself, forming a sealed closed enclosure, in the general shape of an elongated rectangular parallelepiped. According to a configuration known per se, the film is sealed on itself on two longitudinal edges 6 extending face to face by forming a longitudinal joint 8 or egret not visible in FIG. 1 but visible in FIG. 6. two opposite faces of the enclosure are sealed to each other at each longitudinal end of the enclosure by forming two transverse joints 10.

Referring to Figure 2, the film 4 is a composite film here comprising two layers of material in any area of the film. The film comprises a layer 12 forming an external face 14 of the film 4 and of article 2. This layer is here a layer of oriented polypropylene, 15 μm thick, having undergone a treatment "Corona" on both sides. The internal face of this layer 12 is covered by a solvent-free lacquer 16. The film comprises a second layer of material 18 covering the lacquer 16 so that the latter is interposed between the two layers 12 and 18. The second layer 18 is here a layer of low density polyethylene, white in the mass, 40 μ thick. This layer has a face 20 forming an internal face of the film and of the article. This face 20 is locally covered with a layer of adhesive allowing sealing. cold film about itself. Alternatively, one could provide a direct hot sealing of the film on itself. This layer 22 is local in the sense that it covers only the areas of the internal face 20 intended to be sealed mutually. In FIG. 2, this layer 22 has been illustrated for clarity, but it is in fact not present at the place of the cut. The lacquer 16 ensures the mutual bonding of the layers 12 and 18. The different elements making up the film 4 and the different techniques applied to them are known per se and will not be described here.

The film 4 has a precut or weakening line 24. This line 24 here extends in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the article 2, halfway between its two longitudinal ends 10. The line 24 has been illustrated in dotted lines in Figures 1, 3 and 6 for clarity but it is in fact very little visible on article 2. The pre-cut line 24 here extends only in the thickness of the outer layer 12 and remains at a distance from the inner layer 18 which remains intact. The precut line here extends throughout the thickness of the outer layer 12, from the outer face 14, up to the lacquer 16. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 6, it extends over almost the entire width of the film 4, stopping a little before each of the longitudinal edges 6 before their sealing, so as to penetrate slightly in the longitudinal joint 8 after sealing on the finished article. However, it will be possible to ensure that the precut line extends in the joint 8 but is not operative in the joint 8 for the opening of the article. The precut line 24 is produced by laser according to a technique known per se and for example according to the techniques described in documents EP-0 357 841 and EP-398 447.

Article 2 in this case contains two products 26 which are identical to each other. These are chocolate confections based on ice cream in the form of bars. The two bars 26 have their length parallel to the length of the article 2 and extend along this length following one another and on either side of the plane of the precut line 24 which forms thus a plane of symmetry for the two bars 26 as well as for the article.

The sealed enclosure formed by the film 4 contains the two products 26 as well as a certain amount of gas which is here air. Preferably, this amount of gas will not be so large as to give the article a fully swollen shape. Thus, the shape of the bars 26 can still be partially guessed under the flexible film 4 which remains partially in contact with the bars. To open article 2, the consumer has the possibility of grasping it with two hands, near its respective longitudinal ends 10, as illustrated in FIG. 3, leaving free the middle section 28 of article 2, as he would grasp a stick in view of the bend or even break it. The quantity of gas in the enclosure is sufficient for the grip of the article at its longitudinal end sections causes, under the sole pressure of the fingers, the swelling of the middle section 28 carrying the precut line 24 and left free. The swelling does not consist of a local extension of the film, which moreover does not need to be elastic. It is only a question of the appearance of a significant local tension in the film at the level of the median section 28. The median swelling occurs because the gas expelled from the ends 10 of article 2 by the compression exerted by the fingers fill the middle section of the enclosure and the fact that this manual entry causes a slight increase in the pressure of the gas in the enclosure which generates the tensioning of the film around the precut line. In fact, the consumer generates the compression of the gas, unimportant compression, unintentionally, by the mere grip of the article. Preferably, the article will be taken in hand with the longitudinal seal 8 near the thumbs, that is to say towards the body of the consumer.

At this stage, it is enough for the consumer to initiate a maneuver tending to bend the bar as if he wanted to break it in the direction opposite to his body. This maneuver, barely started, instantly produces the complete rupture of the film 4 along the pre-cut line 28, so that the consumer now has two semi-articles 2 in hand, each consisting of a half-enclosure open on its cross section. and by a bar 26 accessible and visible through this opening.

The brutality of this opening is due to the fact that the bending initiated on the article produced in the film locally near the zone 30 opposite the consumer an increase in tensions tending to distance the two blanks from the precut. These stresses, extremely localized, weaken this zone 30 and break the film in its place. The cutting thus initiated then propagates over the entire precut line 28 to the longitudinal joint 8 where it is interrupted. However, a pull on the two half-articles 2 tending to move them away from one another then makes it very easy to break the pre-cut line on its part not yet broken, including at the joint 8 to completely separate the two half-articles as in Figures 4 and 5.

The speed of the opening depends both on the depth of the precut 24 and on the mechanical fragility of the film 4 in its part remaining to be broken before opening, here mainly the inner layer 18. In the present example, the precut outer layer 12 is the part of the film which provides most of the mechanical strength of the film. The relatively fragile inner layer 18 ensures most of the enclosure's seal against the frozen product and the gas. It will be noted that this seal is therefore preserved until opening.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the configuration of the article after opening into two half-articles 2 is attractive. It allows the two bars 26 to be manipulated without direct contact with them. Products can be easily shared between two consumers. The two half-enclosures facilitate hygienic consumption of the products by reducing contact with the fingers which hold the bars through the film. The sudden escape of gas at the opening of article 2 produces a very characteristic burst noise, attractive, and reproducible so that it can even make it possible to recognize the article.

The film 4 is arranged in a manner known per se to satisfy the following conventional criteria: - aptitude for handling in a machine;

- compatibility with food;

- aptitude for printing;

- reduced cost; and

- sensory aspect (tactile, visual, etc.). For the manufacture of the article, each layer 12 and 18 is laminated and manufactured separately. The two layers are then bonded with the lacquer 16. The film 14 is then printed and receives locally the adhesive layer 22. Coiled on itself, it then forms a mother reel, for example 1 meter in width. The mother reel is then unwound, the film is cut, then rewound into several daughter reels (width 124 mm). The precut line 24 is produced by laser while the film is unwound before being wound on the daughter reels. This precut takes place perpendicular to the direction of unwinding of the film, on the outer layer 12.

Each daughter reel is then used for packaging the bars 26 on a machine as illustrated in FIG. 6, of a general type "Form fill and seal" (forming, filling, sealing) well known in itself. The film 4 scrolls from left to right, taking the form of a “U” chute under the action of a shaper 32 which, for clarity, has been shown at a distance from the film with which it is normally in contact. The shaping device 32 is here external, the film applying against an internal face of the shaping device to give the enclosure its characteristic profile. Bars 26 fall in film 4 not yet shaped, upstream of the shaper 32. Sealing rollers 31 seal the film on itself along its longitudinal edges 6. The shaper 32 gives in known manner a voluminous shape to the profile of the enclosure, after the two bars 26 have been introduced into the enclosure. Wheels 34 carrying sealing and cutting tools and extending on either side of the film seal and cut the tube formed by the film 4 at the transverse ends 10 to seal them and separate the articles 2 completed each other. A locating member 34, known per se, disposed upstream of the rollers 31, ensures the reading of markings 36 on the film to guarantee that the cutting by the wheels 34 takes place in the right place. The amount of gas trapped in the enclosure on this occasion depends in particular on the shape of the shaper 32 and the conditions of the introduction of the bars 26 (fall height, etc.). It will be noted that it is known per se to voluntarily trap a certain amount of gas in a sealed package.

Of course, many modifications can be made to the invention without departing from the scope thereof.

Thus, the packaged product may be any food product, possibly not iced, whether sweet or savory and intended for human or animal consumption (in particular for domestic animals). The product may be a non-food item such as a toy, clothing, utensil, etc. The product may be consumable (in particular disposable after a reduced number of uses) or not.

The article may include a single product. This may have sufficient mechanical strength to withstand the stresses exerted on packaging when opening. On the contrary, it can be expected that the single product will break when opened, for example if the product is a chocolate bar. The article may include more than two products, for example three or four. We can then provide at least two precut lines 24 occupying different positions relative to the products to allow the consumer to open the article of his choice closer to one of the products (in the center, near one end, etc.).

The position of the precut line 24 can be modified to place it in the off-center position, near one end, etc. We can change its orientation. Thus, its plane can be oblique, even longitudinal. The precut line may be non-planar, that is to say left.

The precut line may be provided in only part of the thickness of the layer 12 so that this layer is not precut over a fraction of its thickness.

The pre-cut line can be made to extend from the internal face of the film so as to be completely invisible from the outside of the article.

The film may comprise a single layer of a conventional type suitably chosen. On the contrary, it may include three or more superimposed layers.

The precut line may be interrupted before arriving at the longitudinal joint 8, or even be in several discontinuous sections, the natural tendency of the film to be cut under the effect of its orientation then possibly taking over from ends of the pre-cut section (s), when opening.

The appropriate quantity of gas enclosed in the enclosure can be introduced into it by an injection nozzle.

The enclosure may have various shapes, for example cubic, flat (of the bag type), etc.

It is not necessary for the enclosure to be completely airtight before opening with respect to the gas. It suffices that this sealing allows a tensioning of the film by local compression for opening by bursting.

Claims

1. Article (2) comprising at least one product (26) and a flexible packaging film (4) forming a sealed enclosure containing the product (s) and a quantity of gas, the film having a precut line ( 24), characterized in that the quantity of gas is chosen so that a consumer can grasp the article (2) so as to compress it to increase a pressure of the gas to such an extent that a bending on the article ( 2) causes an instantaneous rupture of the film (4) over a greater part of the precut line (24).

2. Article according to claim 1, characterized in that it is arranged so that the rupture takes place only on the pre-cut line (24).

3. Article according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, the film (4) having a joint line (8) contiguous to the pre-cut line (24), the article is arranged so that the rupture takes place on at least the whole part of the precut line located outside the joint line.

4. Article according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the article

(2) having a larger dimension, the precut line (24) extends in a plane perpendicular to this dimension.

5. Article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises at least two products (26), the precut line (24) extending opposite a space between the two products or two of the products.

6. Article according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises two products (26) substantially of the same dimensions.

7. Article according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the film (4) has at least two layers (12, 18) of superimposed material.

8. Article according to claim 7, characterized in that the precut line (24) extends mainly in one (12) of the layers, with reference to a thickness of the film (4).

9. Article according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the precut line (24) extends along the entire thickness of one (12) of the layers.

10. Article according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the precut line (24) extends in one of the layers (12) defining an external face (14) of the article (2 ), preferably without extending into another (18) of the layers defining an internal face (20) of the article.

11. Article according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the film (4) has a polypropylene layer (12) in which the pre-cut line (24) extends.

12. Article according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the film has a polyethylene layer (18) not crossed by the precut line (24).

13. Article according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the or each product (26) is a food product, in particular a confectionery.

14. Article according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the or each product (26) is glazed.

15. A packaging method, in which a sealed enclosure is produced by means of a flexible film (4) by enclosing in the enclosure at least one product (26) and gas, the film having a precut (24), characterized in that an adequate quantity of gas is enclosed in the enclosure so that a consumer can grasp the finished article (2) so as to compress it to increase a pressure of the gas to such an extent that a bending on the he article causes an instantaneous rupture of the film (4) over a greater part of the pre-cut line (24).

16. The method of claim 15, characterized in that conforms the film (4) before closing the enclosure so as to enclose the amount of gas.

17. Packaging machine comprising means for producing a sealed enclosure from a flexible film (4) and for enclosing in the enclosure at least one product (26) and gas, the film (4) having a precut , characterized in that the machine is arranged to enclose in the enclosure an amount of gas adapted so that a consumer can grasp the finished article (2) so as to compress it to increase a pressure of the gas to such an extent that bending on the article causes instantaneous rupture of the film (4) over a greater part of the pre-cut line (24).