Methods of manufacturing shelf stable pods containing food or drink to be rapidly cooled, include inserting a mixing paddle into an aluminum can through an open end of a body of the can and sterilizing the can and mixing paddle at temperatures below a stress relief temperature of the can in a first aseptic chamber. The method also includes filling the can with a sterilized food or drink in the aseptic chamber, sealing a sterilized base of the can to the open end of the body of the can with a food-safe adhesive to create a hermetic seal, removing the can from the first aseptic chamber while maintaining the hermetic seal outside the first aseptic chamber, and mechanically seaming the base to the can.

Illustrated and described is a pouring element for a composite package, including a monolithic main body with a flange, a hollow cylindrical spout, which defines a central axis, and a closure part formed in the spout, which runs substantially orthogonal to the central axis, with a weakening zone, a hollow cylindrical cutting element movably guided in the spout with at least one cutting tooth for severing the weakening zone to open the spout and composite package, a reclosable screw cap, which serves to drive the cutting element when the composite package is opened for the first time. Two alternative composite packages for liquid foodstuffs are also described, which are provided such that a pouring element according to the invention is integrated into the gable region of the composite package. An overall more favourable alternative of a pouring element without additional barrier foil is designed such that the main body consists of at least 92% by weight of HDPE and according to ASTM D3985 has an oxygen transmission rate between 12 and 23 ml O.sub.2/(m.sup.2*day), measured through a measuring surface which is orthogonal to the central axis and runs through the flange of the main body.

A cutting tooth (101) of a cutting device is disclosed as part of a closure device for opening a container covering for the first time. The shape of the cutting tooth (101) with a blunted tooth tip (1011) with a cutting edge (1012) leads to improved cutting results, wherein the container covering is notched or nicked. Here, each cutting tooth (101) has a robust tooth tip (1011) without edges which cuts into the container covering as a result of rotation of a cap of the closure device, wherein the cutting device is moved along with it.

A sheet packaging material includes fold lines along which the sheet packaging material is foldable to form a sealed package containing a pourable food product. The packaging material comprises at least one base layer that imparts stiffness, at least one lamination layer applied to and covering the base layer; and a removable portion which, in use, is partly detachable from a remainder of the sheet packaging material and foldable at a folding zone to free a pour opening by which to pour the food product from the package. The removable portion comprises at least one aperture formed at least in the base layer and covered by a cover material, and the removable portion is crossed by one of the fold lines defining in use an edge between two walls of the package.

Please replace the Abstract at page 19 with the following replacement paragraph: Illustrated and described is a pouring element for a composite package, including a main body with a flange, a hollow cylindrical spout, which defines a central axis, and a closure part formed in the spout, which runs substantially orthogonal to the central axis, with a central region and a weakening zone running in a ring-shaped manner around the central region, wherein a conical ring-shaped intermediate region is formed between the weakening zone and central region, a hollow cylindrical cutting element movably guided in the spout with at least one cutting tooth for severing the weakening zone to open the spout and composite package, a reclosable screw cap, which serves to drive the cutting element when the composite package is opened for the first time.

Two alternative composite packages for liquid foodstuffs are also described, which are provided such that a pouring element according to the invention is integrated into the gable region of the composite package. In order to enable a clearly defined and smooth cutting process, the cutting element and the closure part are designed such that at least one part of a projection of the cutting tooth lies parallel to the central axis on the intermediate region.

A closure device for closing a container, the closure device including a basic member, the basic member having a channel extending along a closure axis and having an inlet opening and a pouring opening, the closure device including a closure cap, the closure cap and the basic member being formed and arranged relative to each other in such a manner that the closure cap closes the pour-ing opening in a closed state of the closure device and releases it in an open state of the closure device. The closure cap is mounted on the basic member in the closed state of the closure device so as to be rotatable about the closure axis relative to the basic member, so that the closure cap is rotatable in an opening direction relative to the basic member, to bring the closure device into the open state.

A pouring element for a composite packaging, in particular a beverage carton for liquid foodstuffs is shown and described, comprising a basic body having a fastening flange and a pouring tube, a cutting element which is arranged and guided in the pouring tube and a closure cap which can be joined to the basic body, wherein during actuation for the first time, the cutting element can be driven by first drive means formed on the closure cap and by second drive means formed on the inner wall of the cutting element and wherein the movement of the cutting element follows different gradients, and a composite packaging is also shown and described, in particular a beverage carton for liquid foodstuffs, having a pack gable-top panel which is suitable for receiving a pouring element. In order to improve the drive and guidance of the cutting element during opening of the composite packaging, simultaneously with optimised producibility, and to facilitate the opening of the composite packaging in the region of a weakening in the pack material, it is provided that the second drive means is configured as a rib which runs obliquely and includes an angle with the longitudinal direction, and that the end face of the rib partly projects over the foot thereof and thus includes a valley angle.

A closure assembly for a carton, which includes a closure, a neck to which the closure is mounted and a cutter received within the neck for piercing a foil of the carton. The closure includes a retaining ring for securement around the container neck below an annular flange of the neck, a lid pivotally connected to the retaining ring and a tamper evidence band frangibly connected to the retaining ring. The closure engages the cutter when it is rotated, which causes the cutter to pierce the foil of the carton as the closure is opened. The tamper evidence band has a rotational stop which engages a rotational stop of the container neck to separate the tamper evidence band from the retaining ring on first rotation of the closure in the opening direction.

Disclosed herein are tethered cap and spout combinations. The tethered cap and spout combinations prevent loss of the cap after opening. The tethered cap and spout combinations may provide mechanisms for puncturing or opening a seal that may be present at a throat or neck of the container which provides both an anti-tampering and freshness function. In an implementation, the tethered cap and spout combinations may provide anti-tampering mechanisms. The tethered cap and spout combinations may provide mechanisms to hold an opened and tethered cap away from the container opening during use.

An opening device for a package having a designated pour opening covered with a separation membrane and filled with a pourable product. The opening device comprises at least a collar delimiting a flow channel extending between an inlet opening of the collar configured to allow for the inlet of the pourable product into the flow channel and a pouring outlet of the collar configured to allow for an outflow of the pourable product from the flow channel and a cutter configured to break the separation membrane and being at least partially arranged within the flow channel. The opening device comprises a retaining device having a retaining element protruding from an inner surface of the collar and an interaction element connected to the cutter. The retaining element and the interaction element are configured to interact with one another so as to block movement of the cutter out of the flow channel and through the pouring outlet.